KUALA LUMPUR (May 7): The FBM KLCI is likely to remain cautious today as the battle for the fourteenth general election heats up, and investors have more been more risk averse.

U.S. stocks jumped more than 1 percent on Friday, helped by Apple and other technology shares and by weaker-than-expected jobs data that eased interest rate worries, while U.S. oil prices hit their highest in more than three years, according to Reuters.

Apple shares rose after Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway raised its stake in the iPhone maker, it said.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 332.36 points, or 1.39 percent, to 24,262.51, the S&P 500 gained 33.69 points, or 1.28 percent, to 2,663.42 and the Nasdaq Composite added 121.47 points, or 1.71 percent, to 7,209.62, said Reuters.

AllianceDBS Research in a stategy note last Friday said despite the FBM KLCI’s resilience (YTD: +3.9%), the broader market has been weak as evidenced by the 15% YTD loss in the FBM Small Cap Index.

“This is partly driven by risk aversion ahead of the 14th General Election (GE14) on May 9,” it said.

Based on corporate announcements and news flow last Friday, companies in focus today may include the following: Genting Bhd, Dagang NeXchange Bhd, Ahmad Zaki Resources Bhd, Ralco Corp Bhd, Protasco Bhd, Malaysia Marine And Heavy Engineering Holdings Bhd, AirAsia X Bhd, Fraser & Neave Holdings Bhd, Notion VTec Bhd, Serba Dinamik Holdings Bhd, Axiata Group Bhd and Alam Maritim Resources Bhd.