Capital markets news | Thu 28 May 2026
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Artificial intelligence (AI) trends
One of the least appreciated AI stories is that AI is becoming an electricity and infrastructure story, not just a software story. Recent reporting points to explosive AI infrastructure demand pushing up power costs and straining grids, while forecasts cited in industry coverage suggest massive datacentre capex needs over the rest of the decade. That could affect inflation, utility pricing, industrial policy, and even sovereign competitiveness, because the countries with cheaper, more reliable power may attract disproportionate AI investment.
Equity
- UEM Edgenta turns black in 1Q, trading to halt on 12 Jun ahead of delisting Edge
- Bursa Tech Index nears 2-year high on chip rally Edge
- SC wins appeal to enforce RM5.83m insider trading judgement Edge NST Star
- Affin Bank eyes move into private equity, seeks more acquisitions Edge
- SGX gives firms 3 years to resolve suspensions Star
- Crackdown on offshore brokers triggers exodus Star
- Gold miner is set to reboot a Hong Kong listing type not seen in 12 years Edge
- Hong Kong watchdog raids local units of 2 Chinese brokerages NST
- Taiwan overtakes India as world’s fifth-largest stock market Edge
- Exchange operator ASX sinks most in 26 years as tech revamp swells costs Edge
- Crypto IPOs could create USD1t market amid tokenisation wave, Jefferies says Coindesk
- SpaceX set for fast entry into US, global indices under new FTSE rules Edge
- Singaporean accused by US of insider trading denied bail Edge
- Iran war splits global markets into clear winners and losers Yahoo
- As IPO nears, Leopard tank maker KNDS rides Europe’s rearmament wave Mail
Debt
- KLCC Property’s sukuk AAA rating affirmed RAM
- BPMB obtains stay on counterclaim in RM400m loan dispute Edge
- Malaysia pushes to ease MSME financing costs amid rising global pressures NST
- Rising credit commitments highlight need for stronger financial awareness NST Star
- Canada’s Manulife raises USD392m from Singapore dollar Tier-2 bond Edge
- SMI signs USD7m solar refinancing deal Star
- Thailand eyes USD5b from notes, loans as bond yields soar Star
- Japan slips to world’s No 3 creditor behind Germany, China Edge
- South Korea to step up monitoring of investments in overseas private debt NST
- US yields edge lower as Iran hopes persist Star
- Why bond yields are likely to keep rising even after Iran war inflation jitters ease Yahoo
- JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon says Wall Street clients are ‘gung ho’ Yahoo
- US mortgage rate rises to 9-month high Edge Yahoo
- ING’s ‘vibe coding’ AI is building its new trading systems Edge
- Banks offload risk on USD500b of corporate loans in Europe Edge Star
- Banks shift battle to decision speed as competition intensifies: Moody’s NST
- European Central Bank warns Trump could spark next financial crisis Yahoo
Commodities
- Malaysia jolts bullion trade with 10% import duty on gold bars Edge
- Aluminium hits 4-year high on fears of China output cuts Edge
- US oil tumbles below USD92 despite fresh American strikes on Iran Mail NST Star
- Brent rises nearly 2% as US military strikes Iranian boats, missile launch sites NST Star
- Trump threatens to ‘blow up’ Oman if they don’t behave Yahoo
- Fed warns of lower global oil and LNG consumption Star
- Top US bank sends blunt message on Strait of Hormuz and oil Yahoo
Digital assets
- Bitcoin volatility hits 9-month low as crypto takes breather Edge
- How the GENIUS Act repriced bitcoin’s monetary premium Coindesk
- Bitcoin gauge tracking selling pressure moves into ‘high-risk’ zone Coindesk
- DTCC to bring tokenised assets to Stellar in latest Wall Street blockchain push Coindesk
- Wall Street gets new crypto rival after Texas bank completes regulatory pivot Coindesk
- Banks race to defend turf ahead of stablecoin rules Star
- Google engineer insider-traded search results on Polymarket, Feds allege Coindesk Yahoo
- Major crypto exchanges increase transfer scrutiny with HTX over UK sanctions Coindesk
- BIS project finds tokenisation could make cross-border payments faster, safer Coindesk
M&A
- Corporate exercise in the offing at MKH Edge
- Amtel Holdings in RM23m Perak land deal Star
- Coraza acquires RM13.5m Penang industrial property to support expansion Star
- Questions linger over Ayer Hitam land deal with parties involved keeping mum Edge
- Former Brickfields Asia College site up for sale for RM35m Edge
- Singapore’s USD1.8b office attracts IOI Properties, CapitaLand, tycoons Edge
- MUFG said to explore options for Bank Danamon stake Edge
- Paramount’s USD110b Warner Bros takeover appears to clear major US hurdle Mail
- Bollore urges Universal Music to reject Ackman’s USD64b bid Edge
- Lilly to buy three vaccine developers for up to USD3.8b Edge
- JPMorgan reveals spending USD20b on an acquisition Yahoo
- Akzo Nobel rejects EUR12.5b offer from Nippon Paint Edge
Malaysia
- DRB-Hicom pushes for govt-backed industry fund to sustain Pos Malaysia Edge
- Malaysian businesses turn cautious in 2Q, but services sector stays upbeat Mail NST Star
- Manufacturers, SMEs risk temporary shutdown amid Middle East conflict – FMM NST
- Early warning signs of financial distress often overlooked by businesses NST
- Penang tops exports while Johor leads imports in April 2026 trade Mail NST
- Kearney: Malaysia needs to pick up pace in chip race Edge
- Malaysia warned against unchecked data centre boom NST
- Chemical sector plays quiet but critical role in Malaysia’s economic growth NST
- Election war drums beating: Johor ground zero in next election cycle Edge
- Hydroshoppe, director to stand trial in High Court in KL Tower concession case Edge
Other markets
- Bankruptcies rise as debt pressures deepen Star
- Byju’s founder faces Singapore jail time as legal woes mount Edge
- Indonesian sovereign wealth fund joins data centre boom Edge
- Bangkok sees record USD10b trade deficit Star
- Vietnam urged to shift mindset in attracting FDI Star
- Samsung plans USD1.5b chip testing plant in Vietnam NST
- China lets policy loan rate fall to record low to boost economy Edge
- China’s Apr industrial profits grow at fastest pace in more than 2 years Edge
- ByteDance weighs capex of as much as USD70b in AI push Edge
- China said to expand travel curbs to top AI talent at private firms Edge
- Hong Kong overtakes Switzerland as world’s top cross-border wealth hub Edge NST Star
- Nvidia to spend USD150b a year in Taiwan, ‘epicentre’ of AI revolution Edge Mail NST
- Ueda: Temporary energy shock can become persistent Star
- BOJ’s net income falls due to higher interest payments on reserves Edge
- Sri Lanka delivers full-point rate hike to crimp inflation Edge NST Star
- Real estate investment in Asia-Pacific hits strongest quarter since 2021 Edge
- Australia’s consumer inflation slows in Apr, core creeps higher Edge NST
- Westpac to pay USD19m fine over financial hardship failures Edge
- NZ central bank holds rates steady in tight vote Star
- Fed’s Kashkari calls for focus on inflation risk, mum on timing of next rate move NST
- Fed’s Cook says inflation moving in the wrong direction; looking to hold rates steady Yahoo
- US consumer confidence ebbs in May as inflation worries mount Edge Yahoo
- US to keep tariffs on USMCA countries, issues with Canada ‘significant’, Greer says Edge
- OpenAI’s Altman says AI unlikely to lead to ‘jobs apocalypse’ Edge NST Star
- ECB should hike interest rates in Jun, says Schnabel Edge
- Iran war dims hopes for German economic recovery, surveys show Edge
- Supply shock, debt may hurt central bank independence, ex-Fed executive says NST