Capital markets news | Fri 18 Sep 2026
Do you know?
Electricity bill
The government proposed expanding electricity bill protection for domestic users by raising the subsidy threshold from 600 kilowatt-hours (kWh) to 800 kWh per month from September to December. This temporary measure exempts households consuming up to 800 kWh monthly from three key bill components: the Automatic Fuel Adjustment (AFA) charge, retail charges, and the 8% Sales and Service Tax (SST), with the hope of easing cost-of-living pressures amid higher electricity usage driven by hotter weather and haze conditions. The government did not disclose if households consuming more than 800 kWh will gain any benefit from the proposal.
Equity
- Pioneer Heat ends ACE Market debut 20% above IPO price Edge NST Star
- Targeted incentives needed to attract regional institutional investors Star
- Vertex Material aims for Nasdaq listing in 2027 after claiming unicorn status Edge
- Citadel Securities taps Asian institutions for 24-hour trading service Edge
- US SEC begins prepping for around-the-clock trading that crypto treats as the norm Desk
- AI infrastructure provider Crusoe valued at USD30.9b in latest funding round Reuters
- Beretta Holding launches offer to raise stake in Sturm Ruger Reuters
Debt
- Lagenda Properties unit raises RM475m in first sukuk wakalah issuance Edge Star
- Sabah Energy Corp raises RM350m in maiden sukuk Edge NST Star
- MBSB Bank provides RM29.6m financing to Bisajuta for Sabah infrastructure projects Star
- Affin Bank, IFC team up on USD400m funding for MSMEs NST
- TH Properties’ IMTN programme assigned AA+ final rating MARC
- Guan Chong’s RM800m sukuk programme AA- rating affirmed MARC
- Selangor’s AAA sub-sovereign rating affirmed MARC
- Mid-week bond market update RAM
- US rate hike puts Malaysian banks’ bond portfolios in spotlight NST
- Malaysia’s battered bonds face growing risk of Japan fund exodus Edge Reserve Star
- Nvidia partner GMI Cloud seeks loan to buy chips for Thai site Edge
- Japanese banks see risk of rising bond yields leading to losses Edge
- CoreWeave launches USD3b convertible debt sale Reuters
- US rate options signal market can absorb higher Treasury yields Edge Reuters
- How Bessent, America’s bond salesman, cornered Japan on big spending Yahoo Reuters
- Credit Acceptance reaches USD710m predatory auto lending settlement Reuters
- Bank of England sets out long-term plan to unwind QE, halts long-dated gilt sales Edge
- World Bank boosts private capital mobilisation to record USD112b Edge Reuters
- Global bonds recover as Warsh’s inflation fight calms market Edge Yahoo
Commodities
- Lagging effect of global energy crisis beginning to impact natural gas, coal prices Edge Star
- China’s gas demand affected by Guangdong’s power generation shift Edge
- India warns new US tariffs over Russian oil could hit ties Edge
- Shell-led LNG Canada could approve Phase 2 expansion by early Oct Reuters
- JP Morgan says it has no clear oil market endgame as Iran conflict drags on Reuters
- Oil falls 3% to 1-week low as supply disruption fears ease Edge Star Reuters
- Oil market is a hot mess, analyst says as supply shock keeps prices near USD100 Yahoo
- Ocean container shipping rates could test record highs over Iran war fuel spike Reuters
- US-Iran conflict helps drive wave of supertanker orders Reuters
Digital assets
- Treasury teams in Malaysia bullish about AI and digital currencies Edge Star
- Polymarket users referred to prosecutors in South Korea Telegraph
- WisdomTree, MoonPay expand US access to tokenised money market fund Telegraph
- OG.com cleared by SEC to offer single-stock futures Telegraph
- US SEC rolls out exemption for tokenised stock trading Edge Desk Telegraph Reuters
- Real stocks are finally coming on blockchain. Here’s how the SEC wants it to work Desk
- CFTC expands regulatory relief for passive trading software providers Telegraph
- Coinbase CEO moves past Clarity Act’s failure: ‘There’s another path’ Yahoo
- Revolut says no direct contact from hackers after USD3m public ransom demand Telegraph
- UK signals end of ‘light-touch’ era with multi-agency raid on peer-to-peer crypto hubs Desk
- Crypto adoption blooming in Germany, while UK is falling behind Telegraph
M&A
- Batu Kawan raises MKH Oil Palm stake to 79.58% after MGO Edge
- Ratings giant S&P Global acquires OpenZeppelin Desk Telegraph
- US FCC approves foreign investment in Paramount Warner merger Reuters
- Apollo explores sale options for floating LNG infrastructure operator Energos Reuters
- Boehly, Walter sell Chelsea stakes to Clearlake after feud Edge
Malaysia
- OPR hike bets rise after Fed move Edge
- Upside risk for inflation Star
- Malaysia’s fiscal deficit seen narrowing in 2027: JP Morgan NST
- PNB Research Institute: Malaysia needs a ‘good jobs strategy’ to escape low-wage trap Edge
- Government ups subsidised household electricity threshold to 800kWh Edge
- Power sector’s investment needs to rise to RM95b Star
- The price of first place in the AI foreign investment race Edge
- Advanced packaging is Malaysia’s next AI test Edge
- Johor records RM59.4b in approved investments in 1H2026 Reserve
- reNIKOLA unit signs 30-year power deal for Sarawak solar project Edge Star
- Reservoir Link signs PPA for 200MWac solar project in Sarawak Reserve NST Star
Asian markets
- Singapore’s Aug exports surge by 46.2% as AI boom powers demand NST Star
- Singapore’s record AI boom unlikely to move MAS, analysts say Edge
- Singapore’s gold hub plan gets lift with DBS vault expansion Edge
- Jefferies-linked fund says Radiant World may hold just USD10k in cash Edge
- Danantara steps in to revive LRT City projects Star
- Casinos posing as salons spur Philippine central bank review Edge
- SC: Asean’s economic, demographic strength to draw greater global investor interest Star
- Flexibility key to success in Asean Star
- Hong Kong follows Fed with first rate hike in over 3 years Edge Star
- HKMA flags carry-trade risks as currency weakens to 1-month low Edge
- Taiwan holds rate for 10th consecutive quarter as inflation slows Edge
- Micron’s Taiwan workers say 68 months’ bonus not enough Yahoo
- Bank of Japan set to raise interest rates to 31-year high Yahoo Reuters
- Indian rupee may need to weaken further as fundamentals shift, Axis Bank says NST
- Modi courts investors with India’s USD30b chipmaking bet Edge
- Applied Materials to invest USD5b in India Reuters
- Brookfield to invest up to USD600m in India’s ACME green fuels business Reuters
Other markets
- Trump backs Warsh, faults ‘hostile’ Fed board for rate hike Edge Star
- Fed builds credibility, but hawkish turn leaves investors edgy Edge Reuters
- Goldman’s Oct hike call underscores renewed Fed tightening risks Reuters
- Former Fed chair contender thinks Kevin Warsh has a huge problem Yahoo
- Everyone missed 13 most important words in Kevin Warsh’s press conference Yahoo
- JPMorgan CEO doubles down on his inflation and economy verdict Yahoo
- Japan, US discussing chip factory construction as part of USD550b investment Reuters
- US weekly jobless claims unexpectedly fall Edge Star
- US labour market on solid footing; rising mortgages pressuring housing sector Reuters
- Trump floats EU tariffs if Canada invite deemed ‘hostile act’ Star
- Canada and EU should ally to protect democracies, Carney says Edge
- Panama Canal stress shows the real shipping squeeze may lie ahead Star
- Bank of England sounds inflation alarm as it holds interest rates Edge Star
- BOE’s Bailey says outlook too uncertain to judge market bets on 4 rate hikes Edge
- Major central banks on tightening path amid energy price shock Reuters