Capital markets news | Thu 17 Sep 2026
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El Niño
Malaysians should expect hotter, drier weather during peak El Niño months, with higher risks of water shortages, haze from regional fires, and occasional intense thunderstorms. Households and businesses can prepare by conserving water, fixing leaks, installing rainwater-harvesting systems where feasible, and monitoring official water-level advisories. Communities should also improve fire and haze readiness by sealing windows and doors on poor air-quality days, using air purifiers or masks when advised, and tracking the Department of Environment’s Air Pollution Index (API) readings. Farmers and plantation operators can adopt drought-resilient practices such as mulching, efficient irrigation, and crop diversification, while local councils should keep drainage systems clear for sudden downpours. Staying informed via MetMalaysia, Ministry of Health haze advisories, and state disaster-management committees will support timely, coordinated responses.
Equity
- Butterfield FB ends maiden day of trade 2 sen lower than IPO price Edge NST
- Masteel’s warrants ‘out of the money’ at half exercise price as expiry looms NST
- Plantation, healthcare, consumer product sectors attract RM263.7m foreign inflows NST
- China AI chip darling Biren said to mull USD1b share sale Edge
- Pictet’s global multi-asset fund triples to USD5b on China inflows Reuters
- Syngenta files for Hong Kong IPO, aiming to raise at least USD5b Reuters
- SB Energy to sell USD500m shares to Japan investors as part of US IPO Edge NST Reuters
- Korean retail investors lost USD250m from scams during stock swing Edge Star
- India’s Tata shares jump as RBI decision revives Tata Sons’ listing prospects Edge
- May Mobility to list on Nasdaq via USD1.4b SPAC deal Reuters
- Chipmaker Altera confidentially files for US IPO as investors set to gauge AI demand Reuters
- Agnico Eagle is not interested in participating in Barrick’s North American IPO Reuters
- Kioxia said to consider raising USD10b in US listing Edge
- Holtec Nuclear suspends planned US IPO Reuters
- OpenAI mulls funding round at USD1.2t valuation ahead of IPO Edge Reuters
- AI coding agent startup Factory triples valuation to USD5b in latest funding round Reuters
- Chip startup Delos Data raises USD100m for AI networks Reuters
- Chinese investors rush into US stocks as Beijing opens path overseas NST Star Reuters
- Hedge funds step up bets against consumer stocks in Aug, Hazeltree says Reuters
- SEC proposes to end shareholder vote oversight, a blow to reformers Reuters
- Goldman Sachs asset arm raises USD11.7b in private equity funds Edge Reuters
- AI-driven asset rally prone to correction, ECB’s Vujcic warns Edge
Debt
- Mah Sing’s RM2b sukuk programme assigned rating of AA- MARC NST
- China Construction Bank (Malaysia)’s long-term rating upgraded to AAA MARC NST
- Sunway Group’s issuances ratings upgraded MARC Star
- IILM’s USD1.26b sukuk reissuance attracts 2.38 times oversubscription Star
- Public Bank tops banking peers with 12.2% ROE NST
- Al Rajhi Malaysia chooses growth over exit as peers retreat Edge
- AirAsia asking Ares for changes to terms of USD200m loan Edge
- Malaysia, Japan agree to renew swap, promote local currencies settlements Edge
- Malaysia agrees in principle to support Maldives’ USD100m facility request Reserve
- S&P warns of credit, earnings risks at Indonesian state lenders Edge
- Domestic investors shield Vietnam bonds from global selloff Star
- China’s slower loan growth is the new normal, central bank governor says Edge Reuters
- HK’s DC ambitions face USD2.6b funding test Star
- Japan bonds fall on defence spending report despite solid sale Edge NST
- Indian bonds sink on central bank debt-sale plan, global selloff Edge
- Banks provide USD22b chip loan to Blackstone, Alphabet AI cloud venture Reuters
- Major US banks raise prime rate after first Fed rate hike since 2023 Reuters
- Bonds slump as US 10-year Treasury yields hit highest since 2007 NST Star
- Will the 10-year Treasury yield keep rising if the Fed starts hiking? Edge
- US yield curve sends stark warning — consumers can’t handle rate hikes Edge
- Fed’s Warsh lays out forces driving up bond yields Reuters
- Bessent calls Treasury bond buyback successful, has tools to stabilise bond market Yahoo
- US Fed massively behind the curve: Accident waiting to happen Reserve
- Firms shy away from long-dated bond offerings as US yields surge Yahoo
- US DFC approves USD500m in guarantees to boost US exports to emerging markets Reuters
- Bank of England set to stop selling long-dated gilts Edge
- US DFC approves EUR85m loan to Ukraine’s DTEK Reuters
- Truist Financial to sell USD5.5b of auto loans amid overhaul Reuters
- World Bank’s Banga eyes faster G20 debt restructuring for Senegal Edge
- Everything, everywhere, all-at-once moment for global bond markets Edge
- Global bond yields hit fresh highs, raising stakes for big borrowers Edge
Commodities
- Maldives’ oil exploration proposal to be discussed with Petronas Edge Reserve
- Indonesia to open trading at planned commodity bourse on 4 Jan Edge NST
- LNG demand in China and India expected to recover when Mideast war ends Edge NST
- Iran war sets record USD44m to ship US oil to Asia Star
- ADNOC Trading buys millions of barrels of Iraqi crude Reuters
- Oil slips as Saudi Arabia offers more crude via Oman Edge Star Reuters
- Oil rises USD3 on Yanbu disruption, Saudi cancellations Star Reuters
- Houthis strike Saudi targets anew as talks over Strait of Hormuz stall Edge
- ‘Double choke’ situation hits global oil supply Star
- Riyadh in crisis as key oil pipelines shut for weeks Star
- LNG buyers look to US to hedge future risk of Hormuz disruption Edge
- Thailand’s PTT seeks LNG deals in US Gulf to widen supply base Edge
- US diesel price hits new record high in blow to Trump Edge
- Venezuela oil opening seen as ‘smoke and mirrors’ Star
- Billionaire Harold Hamm makes deal to explore for Venezuela oil Yahoo
- Heeney Capital to operate Venezuela gold mine, Continental to enter oil project Reuters
- Exxon advances talks to return to Venezuela’s Orinoco Belt Reuters
Digital assets
- Fitch flags gradual crypto growth in Islamic finance NST Star
- Hong Kong-based crypto exchange CoinEx to cease operations Edge
- DOJ says millions in Iran oil proceeds laundered on Binance Edge
- Hamas military wing told donors to avoid sending crypto from Binance Desk
- Two Prime makes onchain finance push with USD10m-backed bitcoin yield vault Desk
- Payward plans to offer US clients onchain perpetual futures on Hyperliquid Desk
- 2 Robinhood engineers charged with insider trading using Hyperliquid perpetuals Desk
- Blockchain finance platform Theo launches tokenised silver Desk
- US Senate fails to advance sweeping cryptocurrency bill in blow for industry Edge Reuters
- US House’s tax committee advances crypto tax bill Desk Telegraph
- Celsius sues BitMEX for USD495m over 2020 crash liquidations Desk
- Revolut hackers demand USD3m in Monero, threaten to sell customer data Desk
- UK FCA sets crypto authorisation guidance ahead of Sep application window Telegraph
- ECB seeks online merchants for 2027 digital euro pilot Telegraph
- Deutsche Bank close to debuting crypto custody for institutions Desk Telegraph
- Ethiopia cuts bitcoin miners’ power supply as El Niño hurts dams Edge Telegraph
M&A
- Hextar Retail takeover offer turns unconditional after offerors cross 50% threshold Edge
- KPJ drops lawsuit against 7 ex-directors over Lablink deal, retains case against 4 Edge
- Eco World tops bids for Singapore residential site with SGD208.1m offer Edge Reserve NST
- Frontken unit wins bid for RM118m industrial property in Taiwan for expansion Edge NST
- Grab to buy most of Atome for USD1.49b to spur lending push Edge Mail Star
- Moody’s to buy minority stake in Philippine credit rating agency Edge
- CATL gets China approval for battery deal in consolidation push Edge
- Starbucks considers selling majority stake in its Japan business Edge Reuters
- Australia’s Reliance Worldwide agrees to Brookfield’s USD2.9b buyout bid Edge Reuters
- Private equity, foreign investors fuel Aussie M&A activity in 2026 Reuters
- US DOJ backs bond demand in Paramount-Warner Bros antitrust fight Edge Reuters
- UK plans to acquire steelmaker as industry struggles Edge
- Moody’s City of London head office on sale for GBP330m Edge
- UniCredit wants Commerzbank CEO and chair to leave their roles Edge
Malaysia
- Malaysians tighten purse strings on non-essentials NST
- Southeast Asia growth divergence seen widening over next decade Edge NST Star
- Malaysia needs up to RM4t for climate adaptation by 2050, says SC chief Edge NST
- The global tax shift and Malaysia’s next competitive advantage Edge
- Energy Ministry expects 250MW FiT quota to generate RM3b investment Edge
- Consumers have received RM3.1b in energy rebates since Jul 2025, says TNB Edge NST
- Govt to hold special meeting today to address rising electricity bills Edge Star
- Malaysia’s next semiconductor leap will be harder than it looks Reserve
- NCER explores EV, automotive investments as part of RM470b target Edge NST
- How RSPO is putting 2 decades of certification evidence in front of capital markets Edge
- Malaysia talks to rival airlines as it monitors AirAsia’s financial health Edge
- Maybank Indonesia begins operating as integrated financial group Edge NST
- Former project manager charged with CBT involving Tabung Haji project penalty Edge
- Bukhary Equity-linked charges posed risks to broader case against Muhyiddin Edge
Asian markets
- Glencore faces USD2b Radiant World claim in Singapore Edge
- Radiant World slashing more jobs as legal challenges mount Edge
- Indonesia detains 8 suspects including property developer executive over bribery Edge
- Business confidence in Asean at a high Star
- Tech boom powers China’s factories but economic imbalances deepen Edge Star
- China sets 2030 roadmap for AI manufacturing Star
- China’s Huawei forecasts billions of agents will dominate AI traffic by 2035 Reuters
- Bank of Japan poised to raise rates to 1.25% amid inflation, weak yen Mail NST Star Reuters
- Japan Aug imports jump as oil prices lift costs, exports stay firm Edge NST Star
- Bank of Korea minutes show possible policy rift on back-to-back rate hikes Edge
- Indian central bank likely intervenes to shield rupee as oil prices climb, traders say NST
Other markets
- ANZ CEO says high taxes prevent Australia from being top Asian financial hub Edge
- New Zealand’s world-beating sovereign wealth fund returns 14.2% Edge
- US Fed raises rates to tackle ‘too high’ inflation, irking Trump NST Desk Yahoo Reuters
- Trump slams the Fed rate hike Yahoo Reuters
- Fed policymakers forecast one more rate hike this year Reuters
- Warsh says US economy has strengthened, inflation is the problem Reuters
- JPMorgan CEO: ‘It’s not clear to me we’ve slayed inflation’ Yahoo
- Real or not, Trump’s helicopter money drop should alarm Warsh Star
- JPMorgan expects investment banking, trading to shine in third quarter Reuters
- JPMorgan CEO says small businesses are experiencing a ‘mini boom’ Yahoo
- US retail sales rebound sharply in Aug Edge Reuters
- US import prices jump in Aug on strength in capital, consumer goods Edge Reuters
- US poverty rate dips to lowest on record, Census Bureau says Edge Reuters
- Iran war has cost US military USD38b — Congressional Budget Office Edge
- What Amodei, Altman and Musk have said about AI risks, stoking ‘doom’ fears Edge
- Hitachi Energy to invest USD528m in new transformer factory in Mississippi Reuters
- SK Hynix in talks with Intel about deal to make memory chips in the US Edge NST Reuters
- New US tariffs, exemptions take effect on Canadian goods Edge NST
- Trump threatens EU over ‘hostile’ Canada association plan NST
- Canada offers permanent tax incentive on capital investment as Carney lures investors Edge
- Revolut wins Colombia banking license, to launch in 2027 Reuters
- UK energy bills forecast to jump 25% and drive up inflation Edge Star
- UK jobs market stays soft before BOE rate call Edge
- EU floats Canada becoming bloc’s first associate member Edge
- French central bank trims growth outlook Edge
- Carry traders eye franc and krona as yen’s funding appeal ebbs Star
- Monaco set to exit dirty-money list along with Bulgaria, Ivory Coast Edge
- The Risk Factor: AI’s market path will get bumpier Edge