KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 18): The FBM KLCI is expected trade range bound today and hover around the 1,800-point level today, given the positive domestic sentiment after Morgan Stanley last week upgraded Malaysia stocks to equal weight

However, the  positive domestic sentiment may be somewhat tempered by external pressure arising from the ongoing trade tensions between the US and China.

A gauge of global equity markets eased and the dollar slipped on Monday as an expected new round of tariffs from Washington on Chinese goods made investors skittish about an escalation of a U.S.-Sino dispute over trade, according to Reuters.

U.S. President Donald Trump said he would announce his latest plan on Chinese commerce after markets closed. He was expected to level tariffs on about $200 billion of Chinese imports, and China has said it would retaliate, it said.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 92.55 points, or 0.35 percent, to 26,062.12. The S&P 500 lost 16.18 points, or 0.56 percent, to 2,888.8 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 114.25 points, or 1.43 percent, to 7,895.79, said Reuters.

Based on corporate announcements and news flow last Friday, companies that may be in focus today may include the following: Tropicana Corp Bhd, Latitude Tree Holdings Bhd, Versatile Creative Bhd, Vertice Bhd, Euro Holdings Bhd, Genting Malaysia Bhd, Gamuda Bhd and Pintaras Jaya Bhd.