Ahead of Malaysia polls, analysts staying neutral on election-themed stocks

THERE are still 16 months to go before Malaysia needs to have its next general election, but many observers are expecting the country to head to the ballot boxes as soon as the second half of this year.

And unlike the build-up to previous national polls, analysts are taking a neutral stance on their election-themed stock picks.

Vincent Khoo, the head of research in UOB Kay Hian Malaysia, said the upcoming election is expected to be “neutral to moderately positive” for Malaysian equities, given the consensus view that the Barisan Nasional coalition – under the leadership of United Malays National Organisation - will see a resounding victory and regain a sizeable number of parliament seats that it lost in 2018.