Capital markets news | Wed 18 Mar 2026
Do you know?
Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974
Legally, Section 301 is a domestic statute, but its use can push against World Trade Organisation (WTO) norms if actions are unilateral rather than WTO‑authorised. Economically, it’s used both as leverage to open markets and as a tool for broader industrial and security goals, such as protecting semiconductor and green-tech supply chains. Politically, decisions to launch or expand Section 301 actions often signal shifts in US strategy toward key trading partners, making it a sensitive barometer of trade and foreign policy.
Equity
- Interior fit-out firm Adnex rises 25% on ACE Market debut Edge NST Star
- Manforce appoints M&A Securities to underwrite ACE Market listing Edge NST Star
- CompAsia eyes RM400m-RM500m Main Market IPO in 1H2027 Edge NST Star
- Rising appetite for F&B deals in Malaysia Edge
- Khee San confirms regularisation plan completion, eyes PN17 exit Edge Star
- Bursa reprimands, fines KAF RM300k over listing rule breaches Edge NST Star
- Victor Chin questions need to raid his properties after he cooperated Edge
- Statement by businessman Victor Chin Boon Long on corporate mafia Edge
- MMAG delayed announcing frozen accounts because no significant impact Edge
- Carsome secures USD30m in strategic funding to drive AI, regional growth NST
- China clamps down on key route to Hong Kong IPOs after deal boom Edge
- Gold lender Muthoot FinCorp said to plan USD300m India IPO Edge
- AI drone software stock jumps 520% in best IPO since Newsmax Yahoo
- Fintech lender SoFi disputes short seller Muddy Waters’ report Yahoo
- 92k jobs lost, oil prices surge, inflation up, stock market to do this next Yahoo
- Stocks haven’t hit bottom yet, says analyst who called a ‘rolling recession’ Yahoo
- 10% market correction could happen as consumer psychology shifts Yahoo
- Bank of America reveals S&P 500 ‘cheat sheet’ Yahoo
- Robinhood’s new venture fund bought Stripe and ElevenLabs shares Coindesk
Debt
- Top Glove’s RM3b IMTN AA-(cg) rating, perpetual sukuk A(cg) rating affirmed MARC
- WCT’s RM5b sukuk programmes assigned final ratings MARC
- East Coast Rail Link gets 8 banks to manage renminbi loan exposure Edge
- Axis REIT to convert remaining facilities to sustainability-linked financing Edge
- Malaysian manufacturers call for 6-month loan moratorium Edge
- Hire-Purchase (Amendment) Act 2026 allows fixed rate, variable rate loans Edge Star
- Banks introduce changes to hire-purchasing financing NST
- Concrete to transfer Inch Kenneth shares to settle RM16.8m debt Edge Star
- IILM sukuk oversubscribed, draws USD2.25b bids due to ‘flight to quality’ Edge
- Wealth bankers rush to calm growing private credit fears in Asia Edge
- JPMorgan Chase draws USD19b in orders for EA buyout debt Star
- US debt competing with corporate bonds, pushing up federal borrowing cost Yahoo
- America’s USD38t debt crisis is already here, the reckoning comes next Yahoo
- Spandex maker Lycra files for bankruptcy after years of stress Edge
Digital assets
- Vietnam pushes local crypto exchanges, moves to block offshore trading Coindesk
- With watchful eye on Iran war, crypto dodges UAE disruption Yahoo
- Bitcoin surprises as oasis of calm while Iran war jolts markets Star
- Analyst predicts bitcoin to USD1m as markets surge Yahoo
- US regional banks building tokenised deposit network to rival stablecoins Coindesk
- Solana wallet Phantom wins CFTC nod to access derivatives markets Coindesk
- Decentralised compute has failed, so far Cointelegraph
- World teams up with Coinbase to prove real person behind AI transaction Coindesk
- US SEC considers most crypto assets not securities Coindesk Cointelegraph Yahoo
- Arizona AG files criminal charges against prediction market Kalshi Coindesk
- Ripple looks to expand crypto and payment services in Brazil Coindesk
- Argentina joins growing list of countries blocking Polymarket access Coindesk
M&A
- Vincent Tan, Tunku Aminah takes over 50% of U Mobile Edge Mail NST Star
- Privatisation of Pos Malaysia in the offing again? Edge
- Still a sound offer Star
- Petrobras buys Petronas’ stakes in 2 offshore fields for USD450m Edge NST Star
- Ant Group secures China’s nod for Hong Kong brokerage purchase Edge
- Macquarie walks away from Kuwait oil pipelines deal amid Iran war Edge
- Mastercard to buy stablecoin start-up BVNK for up to USD1.8b Edge Coindesk
- Crypto trading firm GSR makes USD57m in acquisitions Coindesk
- Canada mortgage billionaire buys stake in The Economist magazine Edge
- CK Hutchison unit seeks USD2b damages after Panama Canal port suspension Mail
Malaysia
- Malaysia’s capital market plans and progress Edge
- Global funds look to Malaysia as Iran war shakes up Asian assets Edge Star
- Funds may favour commodity exporters like Malaysia amid uncertainties Edge
- FMM warns rising freight and energy costs could hit Malaysian prices Mail
- Nearly half of local manufacturers forced to cut prices amid China pressure Mail
- SST continues to squeeze exporters, says FMM NST
- Launch of Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone master plan postponed Edge Star
- ECRL enters testing phase as 519km Kota Bharu-Gombak track completed Edge
- YTL AI Labs, Nvidia launch Ilmu‑Nemo‑30B Mail NST Star
Other markets
- Singapore’s Feb exports rise 4.0%, lower than expected NST Star
- Indonesia tightens FX rules, supports rupiah with hawkish hold Edge
- Indonesia central bank chief expects stable rupiah, maintains growth outlook Star
- China state bankers face 30% bonus cuts as pay reform deepens Edge
- JPMorgan poaches Goldman veteran as co-head of China investment banking NST
- Chinese economy gets off to solid start in 2026 Star
- Hong Kong leader says Middle East conflict to spur capital flows Edge
- Bank of Japan chief stresses need to hit 2% inflation backed by wage gains Edge
- India’s growth seen at risk as Iran war shows no sign of easing Edge
- What if Gulf producers deploy nuclear option to end Middle East war? Yahoo
- US locks in USD56b of Asian energy deals amid Gulf disruptions Yahoo
- Asia Pacific at risk: Insider cyber incidents surge across the region NST Star
- Asia pivots to coal as Middle East conflict chokes LNG supply Edge
- Australia’s central bank hikes rates in tight call as war stokes inflation risk Edge Star
- Iran War could force Fed rate hikes, not cuts Yahoo
- Morgan Stanley sticks to June Fed cut forecast Star
- How many rate cuts? Iran war upends Federal Reserve’s next steps Yahoo
- Tesla, LG Energy to build USD4.3b plant in Michigan Edge
- US weighing USD1b settlement with TotalEnergies for abandoning wind farms Edge
- US presses WTO to keep the global internet tariff-free forever Edge
- Trump’s oil reserve release is reshaping the futures curve Yahoo
- US is quickly exhausting tools to absorb Iran war oil shock Star
- Trump administration ordered shut-down oil pipeline reopened in California Yahoo
- Democrats urge windfall tax as big oil set to make billions from Iran war Yahoo
- Taxing billionaires 5% to give others USD3k Yahoo
- Venezuela has largest oil reserves, but can’t solve Hormuz math problem Yahoo
- LME trading restored after 2-hour halt roiled metal markets Edge
- German investor morale collapses in Mar Edge
- BNP targets EUR350b inflows after Axa asset management deal Edge
- Oil rallies as Iran targets Middle East energy infrastructure Yahoo
- The next energy superpower will make its own fuel Yahoo