KUALA LUMPUR (July 3): FSMOne Malaysia clients' unit trust investments returned an average of 18.8% from June 1, 2025 to May 31, 2026, with returns largely coming from Asian markets, said FSMOne Malaysia general manager Koh Soo Cheng. 

The 18.8% covers clients' full unit trust holdings, from money market and fixed income to balanced and equity funds, and is measured across all FSMOne individual client accounts with unit trust investments.

"For the past one year, 31.7% of our total fund sales on FSMOne's platforms went into Recommended Funds, up from last year's 29.3%," he said during the FSMOne Recommended Unit Trusts Awards 2026/27 held at W Hotel Kuala Lumpur.

Put simply, FSMOne Recommended Unit Trusts is an annual shortlist compiled by its in-house research team, which screens several hundred funds on its platform to select what it deems the best in each category. 

Over the same period, unit trust investments held through the Private Retirement Scheme returned an average of 25.37%, while unit trust investments made with Employees Provident Fund (EPF) savings through the EPF Members Investment Scheme returned an average of 16.5%.

FSMOne Malaysia assistant research manager Kevin Khaw Khai Sheng shared that the Asian semiconductor space will present more opportunities moving forward, especially on the front of semiconductor manufacturing. Countries like Taiwan, South Korea and Japan are set to present major investment opportunities due to their relevance in the area. 

"In terms of the valuation perspective and earnings, we still like US semiconductors. They are undisputable leaders within the AI space. But we do see the bottlenecks in manufacturing landscape. That's why we think Asia will be our focus for the year ahead," said Khaw.

Income investing was another investment opportunity mentioned by Khaw, as demand for income-related instruments like bonds and dividends remains strong.

Khaw added that in terms of equity outlooks, one of the biggest risks that they are witnessing is the slowing down of capital expenditure associated with hyperscalers.

As for the Malaysian market, FSMOne Malaysia assistant research manager Alwyn Chew Chuan Shyn cautioned that the local equity market will experience some short-term volatility due to the upcoming state elections in Johor and Negeri Sembilan.

Companies in the renewable energy sector and the construction sector related to data centres will receive more focus due to their strong earnings visibility. Consumer staples and banks are also looking to be steady due to higher government cash handouts and stable net interest margins.

Additionally, Chew expects that the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI could end the year above 1,700, and he also forecasts the index to potentially hit 1,900 in 2028.