The year 2022 could be akin to a perfect storm that gathered to punish equities performance last year. Stocks momentum in Bursa Malaysia was impacted by higher-than-ever inflation driven by slew of interest rate hikes by both the US Federal Reserve and Bank Negara Malaysia.

The FBM KLCI ended on Dec 30, 2022 with a decline of 3.46% from Jan 3, 2022. Several indices beat the benchmark’s performance in the same period including the Bursa Malaysia Finance Index (5.68%), the Energy Index (10.27%) and the Plantation Index (6.37%).

In Malaysia, several industries were also affected by labour shortage, higher minimum wage, as well as higher raw material costs and taxes.

Although the eventual termination of Covid-19 disruptions boosted consumer spending, rising inflation continued to spoil investor sentiments because of expected macro-economic tightening to curb inflationary pressures, said Fortress Capital Asset Management Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Thomas Yong.

As the curtain raised to 2023, will the old monsters rear their heads into this year?

According to CGS-CIMB Securities Sdn Bhd, 2023 is predicted to remain challenging as corporates adapt to the new policy and political landscape post-15th general election (GE15) and adjust to slower global growth, tighter monetary policy, and ongoing geopolitical tensions.

It may be inevitable that a challenging year looms ahead, but investors still can look forward to a pocket of opportunities, said analysts. The Edge CEO Morning Brief has compiled a list of potential stocks that may do fairly well in 2023 based on leading financial and research firms.

https://www.theedgemarkets.com/node/650312