Capital markets news | Thu 18 Dec 2025
Do you know?
US Federal Reserve: In its early decades, the Fed did not just passively follow the gold standard but actively pioneered open market operations—large‑scale purchases and sales of government securities—as a macroeconomic stabilisation tool, notably in the 1920s when the New York Fed used them aggressively to fight recession and later to lean against stock‑market speculation.
Equity
- Low foreign shareholding positions Malaysian stock market for better 2026 Edge
- Grab-backed Super Bank jumps in Jakarta after USD168m IPO Edge
- China chipmaker MetaX jumps 693% in Shanghai debut Mail NST Yahoo
- Chinese chip firms line up for Hong Kong listings in coming weeks Edge
- Crypto exchange HashKey’s shares rise in Hong Kong debut Edge Yahoo
- Waymo seeking over USD15b near USD100b valuation Edge Star
- South Korea’s Toss app gets fresh backing from Baillie Gifford, Singapore’s GIC Edge
- Medline jumps 41% after raising USD6.26b in year’s top IPO Yahoo
- SpaceX said to notify employees of quiet period ahead of IPO Yahoo
- SpaceX’s record IPO plan pushes obscure ETF into the spotlight Yahoo
- OpenAI in talks to raise USD10b, adopt Amazon’s AI chips Edge Mail NST
- OpenAI-backed Chai Discovery raises USD130m for AI-designed molecules Edge
- Blackstone leads USD400m investment in cyber startup Cyera Yahoo
- UAE firm seeks investors for USD6b US plant Star
- Franco-German defence group KNDS to go public in dual listing Yahoo
Debt
- Edra Power’s AAA, P1 ratings affirmed RAM
- Edra Energy’s AA3 sukuk rating affirmed RAM
- Swirl Assets fully redeems senior notes ahead of maturity RAM
- FGV’S AA- rating affirmed MARC
- Joint committee issues sustainable and transition finance guidance Edge Star
- MIDF, IACSA ink agreement to advance IP valuation Star
- Vietnam raises USD514m in government bond auction, highest in 6 months Edge
- Singapore’s UOB struggles with Hong Kong, China property loans Edge
- SBV plans to simplify regulations for banks Star
- Vanke to meet with insurers, banks in Shenzhen as crisis deepens Edge
- Tricolor founder Chu charged over alleged fraud, says DOJ Edge
- UK to provide financial support to save its last ethylene plant NST
- African Development Bank gets record USD11b in funding Edge
Digital assets
- Chinese firms convert prized trees, tea into digital assets Yahoo
- Bhutan is betting USD1b in bitcoin on a Mindfulness City Mail
- Traders mull the bottom as bitcoin returns to week’s lows below USD86k Coindesk
- Bitcoin institutional buys flip new supply for the first time in 6 weeks Cointelegraph
- Former SEC counsel explains what it takes to make RWAs compliant Cointelegraph
- Brazilian stock exchange B3 to launch tokenisation platform, stablecoin Coindesk
- How the UK could make stablecoins a core part of payments in 2026 Yahoo
M&A
- Prestar buys RM17m industrial property in related-party deal Edge NST Star
- Paramount buys 48.5-acre Shah Alam land for RM113.5m Edge Star
- Scientex looks beyond Malaysia for acquisitions amid limited options at home Edge
- Apex Healthcare takeover offer deadline extended to 2 Jan Edge Star
- Philippine wealth fund moves to buy stakes in Asian terminals Star
- Spirit Airlines eyes merger with Frontier amid restructuring Edge Yahoo
- Warner Bros reject Paramount bid on funding, terms Edge Mail NST Star Yahoo
- How much the bankers are getting paid from Warner Bros sale Yahoo
- US software firm Freshworks eyes AI acquisitions with USD800m cash pile Yahoo
- Circle’s Interop Labs acquisition cuts out Axelar token investors Yahoo
- Philips acquires medical device company SpectraWAVE Yahoo
- Destination XL, FullBeauty merge to offer inclusive apparel at scale Yahoo
Other markets
- Singapore MAS survey shows economists raising 2025 growth forecast Star
- Singapore’s Nov exports rise 11.6%, stronger than expected Star
- Bank Indonesia keeps rates steady, focuses on rupiah stability NST
- Indonesian employers says proposed minimum wage rise is too high Edge NST
- Thailand cuts rate as currency surge adds to growth headwind Edge
- Uninvestable to indispensable? China’s markets hinge on economy Edge
- Japan’s exports expand for third straight month, US shipments rebound NST
- South Korea central bank sees upside inflation risk with a weaker won Edge
- India allows 100% foreign ownership in insurance to boost sector Edge
- Fed’s Waller wants lower interest rates but says no rush to cut Edge
- Inflation expected to remain above Fed target in Nov Yahoo
- US, Japan to consider projects that may tap USD550b fund Edge
- UK inflation drops more than expected ahead of BOE decision Edge NST