Capital markets news | Tue 19 May 2026

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Johor‑Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS -SEZ)
The JS‑SEZ is planned to span over 3,500 square kilometres, roughly four times the size of Singapore, stitching together nine flagship zones i.e. Iskandar Puteri, Pasir Gudang, Johor Bahru, Tanjung Pelepas, Senai–Skudai, Sedenak, Forest City, Pengerang, and Desaru. This isn’t just a single industrial park; it envisions a cross‑border “mega‑cluster” where Singapore’s high‑value services and finance plug into Johor’s land, logistics, and lower‑cost manufacturing.

Equity

Gold Li falls 19.2% in ACE Market debut Edge NST Star
SkyeChip gets RM2 target from Kenanga, more than double IPO price Edge NST
Meet the biggest winners of Bursa’s IPO boom Edge
SC, Bursa moot RM250k retail investment cap in proposed LEAP Market overhaul Edge NST
Bursa rejects SMTrack’s bid to waive compliance with affected issuer rules Edge
Alam Maritim seeks early exit from PN17 status Edge
Local institutions extended buying streak on Bursa last week Edge NST Star
KAF launches shariah-compliant global equity fund focused on AI and innovation Edge
Musk wants to get SpaceX IPO underway ‘pretty soon’ Edge
SpaceX IPO adds second Musk stock; it’s a problem for Tesla Yahoo
Trump tells Fortune he should have asked for bigger Intel stake Edge Mail
Ex-OpenAI’s Aschenbrenner bets on crypto miners for USD13.6b AI play Coindesk
SEC to propose tokenised stock framework as Wall Street efforts deepen Coindesk
White House reviews ban on trading through best price on stocks Yahoo
Jamie Dimon warns markets have ‘too much exuberance,’ sees looming correction Yahoo
Bond yield spike is risk to unprepared equities market, investors warn Yahoo
Inflation uptick is starting to send sell signals to stock bulls Yahoo

Debt

Zamarad’s Tranche 4, 6 and 7, and Al Dzahab’s Tranche 6 sukuk rating confirmed RAM
Hong Leong Bank steps up SME support under BNM’s RM5b relief facility NST Star
Funding Societies, Boost Bank partner in property-backed financing for SMEs NST
GX Bank, CGC Digital to offer credit access up to RM150k to MSMEs Star
Court challenge throws Thailand’s crisis loan plan into doubt Edge
Evergrande liquidators seek USD8.4b from PwC in Hong Kong court Edge
Japan’s extra budget to include funding from fresh debt NST
US long bond yields hover near the highest levels since 2023 Yahoo
US and Iran far from deal as bond rout piles pressure on Trump Yahoo
DOJ probes BlackRock private credit fund’s valuations Star
Citi partners with BlackRock’s HPS for USD17.5b private credit programme Edge
Bonds get a taste of oil’s demand destruction Yahoo
Global bond rout deepens as Iran war drags on and underscores inflation fears Edge
G7 finance chiefs seek to tackle imbalances in wake of bond selloff Edge NST

Commodities

India weighing edible oil import duty hike to support farmers Edge
Pakistan hands US revised Iranian proposal for ending war Edge
Trump says holding off on new Iran strikes after Gulf appeal Yahoo
Oil touches 2-week high after drone attack on UAE nuclear power plant Edge
Trump has only one real option to slash gas prices Yahoo
Iranian media said US offered interim waiver on oil sanctions Yahoo
Gulf investment paves way for USD13b LNG export plant in US gulf coast Star
Oil prices stay elevated amid geopolitical risk premium, says MARC Ratings NST
IEA chief warns commercial oil inventories are depleting rapidly, only weeks left Edge
Goldman says central banks want more gold for their reserves Edge Star

Digital assets

Iran turns to bitcoin for shipping insurance through the Strait of Hormuz Yahoo
Bitcoin gives up all of May’s gains, slipping below USD77k Coindesk
Bitcoin faces outsized quantum threat as computing breakthroughs accelerate Coindesk
Retail bitcoin investor demand falls by 73% as futures selling tops USD2b Cointelegraph
Tempo taps USD7.5b DeFi lender Morpho to expand beyond payments Coindesk
Minnesotan banks and credit unions set to provide crypto custody 1 Aug Coindesk
Galaxy secures New York BitLicense to expand institutional crypto services Cointelegraph
AI ‘formal verification’ could actually make crypto much more secure Coindesk
Tokenisation push could pull trillions of dollars into DeFi Coindesk
UK’s financial payments network is ready for tokenisation Coindesk

M&A

MKH denies corporate exercise involving plantation unit Edge NST
Syed Mokhtar surfaces as shareholder in EcoWorld, EWI Capital Edge NST
FGV Holdings’ Linggi dairy farm shutters, lender to auction off assets Edge
Singapore halts Simba-M1 merger review, casting doubt on Keppel’s USD1b sale Edge Star
Australia orders China-linked investors to sell Northern Minerals stake Edge
E-commerce giant Shein buys apparel brand Everlane, reports say Edge
Commerzbank formally rejects UniCredit takeover offer as risky and undervalued Edge

Malaysia

PIVB keeps 20206 GDP growth forecast unchanged at 4.6% Star
2Q to serve as litmus test for Malaysian economic outlook Edge
Trade value may reach RM3t this year NST
Malaysia well-positioned to gain from global supply chain shift NST
Malaysia better positioned than Asean peers, says MARC Ratings NST
Gen Z’s short-term job mindset raises talent retention concerns NST
Economists: Gen Z job-hopping unlikely to hurt productivity NST
Time to step up efforts to bring Jho Low back Edge
A perverse presidential pardon would have overarching effects on Malaysia Edge
Malakoff units secure PPA extensions for Lumut power plants Edge NST Star

Other markets

Singapore’s Apr exports up 24.5%, higher than expected Edge NST
Thailand economy grows 2.8% as tourism and spending lift outlook Mail NST
Thailand to pare 7k business rules to lure foreign investment Edge
Southeast Asia’s power demand to increase threefold by 2030 NST
China’s economy loses steam in 2Q as consumption, output disappoint in Apr Edge NST
Global banks raise yuan forecasts, fuelled by China’s export strength and stable US ties Edge
Warsh to be sworn in as Fed chair at White House on Fri Yahoo
Odds against rate cuts high as new US Fed chair set for swearing in Cointelegraph
Trump says may have to wait until Iran war is over for rate cuts Edge
Fed rate hike odds rise as inflation surges. What it means for you Yahoo
US says China agrees to buy farm goods, create investment board Edge Star
US Treasury, India’s Adani Enterprises settle alleged Iran sanctions violations Edge NST
Anthropic to brief global financial watchdog on cyber flaws exposed by Mythos Edge
Housing market is starting to look K-shaped too Yahoo
A ‘crucible of confusion’ with no historical precedent is weighing on the economy Yahoo
IMF raises UK outlook but warns political turmoil could hurt growth Edge
EU to force companies to buy components from non-Chinese suppliers Edge
AI scams raise pressure on banks, says Visa NST
Iran war saddles global companies with USD25b bill – and counting Edge Mail NST
UN labour agency says Middle East war threatens millions of jobs NST
As bond yields surge, investors grow wary of a global spending crunch Yahoo