Capital markets news | Tue 16 Dec 2025
Do you know?
US Federal Reserve: The basic blueprint for the Federal Reserve was developed in near secrecy at a 1910 meeting on Jekyll Island, where Senator Nelson Aldrich and leading financiers drafted what became the Aldrich Plan, whose core ideas on a central bank with a Washington head office and multiple regional branches heavily influenced the final Federal Reserve Act.
Equity
- Toys distributor Semico sets ACE Market IPO price at 25 sen Edge NST Star
- Kenanga takes 14.9% of digital asset fund manager Halogen Capital Edge NST Star
- Foreign funds revert to net selling, dump RM472m on Bursa NST
- Policy certainty rekindles Malaysian equity optimism NST
- Bursa Malaysia introduces CSI platform for sustainability disclosures Edge Star
- Crypto exchange HashKey prices Hong Kong IPO near high end of range Edge Yahoo
- Indian furnishing company Wakefit falls 9% in debut Edge
- ICICI Prudential’s USD1.2b India IPO fully subscribed, led by institutions Edge
- Truhome hires 4 banks for USD300m IPO Star
- Foreign buyers extended net buying in Asian markets last week Edge Star
- Investors chase AI gold rush even as bubble talk grows louder Mail
Debt
- First Abu Dhabi Bank’s ratings affirmed RAM
- AME Elite’s sukuk programme AA3(s), P1(s) ratings affirmed RAM
- Citibank Berhad at AAA affirmed RAM
- TNB Global Captive’s LECA rating of “aaa” affirmed RAM
- Delayed tax refunds drive firms to high-interest loans NST
- China Vanke vows to improve bond delay plan after failed vote Edge Mail Star
- SMBC Asia inks USD3.2b SRT deal with Blackstone, Stonepeak, Clifford Edge
- Bond-market debate over Fed’s path in 2026 is about to heat up Edge
- Strategy’s STRD credit spread tightened even as bitcoin struggles Coindesk
Digital assets
- China machine shutdowns force bitcoin hashrate drop Coindesk
- Bitcoin slides to USD86k Coindesk Cointelegraph Yahoo
- CME Group expands crypto derivatives with spot-quoted futures Coindesk
- Ondo Finance to offer tokenised US Stocks, ETFs on solana early next year Coindesk
- Bank of America says US banks are heading for multi-year onchain future Coindesk
- US SEC advances proceedings for Nasdaq’s tokenised securities trading Yahoo
- US SEC chief warns watchdogs against tapping crypto’s power to snoop Coindesk
- Senate punts crypto market structure bill to next year Coindesk
- Crypto firms in UK to face same rules as tradfi providers by 2027 Mail NST UK Supreme Court refuses appeal, narrowing lawsuit against exchanges Coindesk
M&A
- Turiya shareholders block Wisma Sentral Inai deal, chairman to buy instead Edge
- Kulim Hi-Tech Park to acquire 500 acres for RM300m Edge
- MBSB courts new suitors as asset management sale to Salaam hits a snag Edge
- Sale of loss-making Firefly remains an option Star
- China’s small bank mergers shrink sector but raise financial risks NST
- Hang Seng Bank adviser, board committee recommend HSBC offer Edge
- MUFG is said to near deal for stake in India’s Shriram Finance Edge
- Nvidia buys AI software provider SchedMD to expand open-source AI push Edge
- Acciona Energía sells US solar and Mexico wind assets in USD1b deal Yahoo
- Swedish Orphan Biovitrum buys US’ Arthrosi to expand gout treatment Yahoo
- Netflix says its position on deal with Warner Bros Discovery unchanged Edge
- Roomba maker iRobot files for bankruptcy and will go private Edge
- Trump administration pivots to buying stakes in critical sectors Edge
- PNC secures regulatory approval for FirstBank acquisition Yahoo
- Investor HoldCo urges Comerica shareholders to reject Fifth Third deal Yahoo
- Summit Partners pursuing sale of stake in USD20b RWA Wealth Partners Yahoo
- Anchorage Digital buys Securitize’s RIA platform Coindesk Yahoo
- Unicorns gallop back on the beauty M&A scene in 2025 Yahoo
- Australia’s Fortescue to buy remaining 64% of Alta Copper Yahoo
- China’s CMOC to buy Brazilian gold mines for USD1b Edge
- SolGold board backs Jiangxi Copper’s sweetened takeover bid Yahoo
Malaysia
- Consistent industrial output, trade data support steady OPR until end-2026 Edge
- Analysts flag strong Oct GDP growth at 6.2%, strongest in 32 months NST
- Front-loading fuels strong year-end trade as 2026 cooldown looms Edge
- Miti to commence FTA talks with GCC countries early next year Edge
- MISC gets green light for ammonia FPSO NST
Other markets
- Thailand to curb baht’s strength as currency hits 4-year high Edge NST
- VinFast will increase investment in Indonesia to up to USD1b Edge
- China shadow bank’s missed payments show growing property stress Edge Star
- China’s weakest retail sales outside Covid add to growth risks Edge Mail NST
- Xi warns officials against chasing reckless expansion in GDP Edge
- China’s economy stalls in Nov as calls grow for reform NST Star
- Chinese economy shows resilience and potential: World Bank economist NST
- Japan’s central bank signals rate hike with wage momentum intact Edge
- Japan’s business confidence at its highest in 4 years Star
- India’s trade deficit narrows as exports hit 3.5-year high Edge
- Pakistan unexpectedly cuts rates after IMF loan payout Edge
- Korea Zinc to build smelter in US costing about USD7.43b Edge Yahoo
- Fed’s Collins says supported rate cut but it was a close call Yahoo
- Williams says Fed policy in good position, sees inflation moderating in 2026 Yahoo
- Trump tax cuts poised to favour rich, disappoint average worker Edge
- US may be gaining 60k fewer jobs every month than we thought Yahoo
- Wage growth cooling for lowest-paid UK workers Star
- Russia seeks USD229b from Euroclear in Moscow Edge
- South Africa set for biggest cash-system overhaul in decades Edge