Capital markets news | Thu 19 Mar 2026
Do you know?
Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974
The large wave of tariffs on Chinese imports since 2018—covering about USD370 billion worth of goods across multiple product “lists”—was justified under Section 301 after USTR found China’s practices on tech transfer and intellectual property to be unreasonable and discriminatory. Many of those tariffs (often 25% or more) are still in place and have been adjusted or expanded through subsequent Section 301 actions, including new increases on certain tungsten products and solar-related goods.
Equity
- Sunway Healthcare ends Main Market debut 28% higher Edge NST Star
- World Bank’s IFC invests RM60m in Sunway Healthcare IPO Mail NST Star
- Eckem gets Bursa’s nod for ACE Market listing Edge NST Star
- Sunway Healthcare to replace QL Resources on FBM KLCI on 25 Mar Edge
- SciPack to delist on 25 Mar under Scientex’s privatisation plan Edge
- Capital A’s PN17 upliftment likely delayed to Aug Edge
- Bursa to close 20-23 Mar for Hari Raya Aidilfitri Edge Mail Star
- Sunway to consider dual-listing for healthcare arm Edge
- JCorp sells 5% stake in Johor Plantations Edge
- Tabung Haji eyes higher equity exposure amid lower yield environment Edge
- Singapore hedge fund FengHe to open Hong Kong office Edge
- South Korean stocks extend gains after move to ban double listings Edge
- India’s Axis Bank to invest USD162m in consumer lending arm Edge
- Crypto exchange Kraken freezes IPO due to difficult market conditions Coindesk
- SK Hynix eyes US listing to unlock AI premium Star
- Trading around the clock on S&P 500 now available Coindesk
- SEC approves Nasdaq’s tokenised securities trading Coindesk Yahoo
Debt
- Tabung Haji to resolve Urusharta Jamaah’s RM12.5b sukuk due in 2 months Edge
- New-hire purchase rules to benefit borrowers, minimal impact on banks NST
- Zetrix AI obtains moneylender’s licence renewal Star
- Data centre firm DayOne seeks to boost loan to record USD7b Edge
- Sumitomo Life plans to invest USD1.9b in private credit Edge
- UAE Central Bank support package lifts lenders shaken by Iran war Edge
- Japan, UK drive rise in foreign US Treasury holdings in Jan, data shows Yahoo
- US national debt surges past USD39t just weeks into war in Iran Yahoo
- Analysts revise AI hyperscaler debt forecasts after Amazon bond sale Edge
- AI disruption sparks software debt sell-off Star
- Wall Street’s bank capital victory in sight but hurdles remain Edge
- US mortgage rates reach highest this year, slowing refinancing Edge
- Bankrupt exchange FTX set to repay creditors USD2.2b this month Coindesk
Digital assets
- Bank of Korea adds 2 banks to digital won trials Coindesk
- Bitcoin sinks below USD71k as 2026 Fed rate cut hopes fade further Coindesk
- Bitcoin hash rate is tumbling as Iran war lifts energy prices Coindesk
- Large investors are doubling down on crypto, but pickier about risk Coindesk
- Payments blockchain Tempo goes live with protocol for AI agents Coindesk
- Crypto cards aren’t the future, but onchain credit is Cointelegraph
- SEC Chair explains why NFTs fall outside of securities laws Cointelegraph
M&A
- Paramount buys Jalan Ampang land for RM257.9m for RM1.1b project Edge NST Star
- Wentel Engineering proposes to buy RM29.6m Johor factories from founder Edge
- Sern Kou to dispose of Johor land for RM4m Star
- Felda, Terengganu govt reach settlement over land dispute Edge
- Acquihires, often used by Big Tech, are a ‘red flag,’ DOJ antitrust head says Yahoo
- Polymarket acquires Brahma to scale blockchain trading infrastructure Coindesk
- US launches Alaska petroleum reserve lease sale amid tepid industry interest Mail
- Unilever considers potential separation of food assets Edge
Malaysia
- Tabung Haji declares 8-year high profit distribution for FY2025 Edge NST
- Malaysia’s economy resilient despite Middle East tensions, says MARC Ratings Edge
- MDEC secures RM87.4b digital investments in 2025, driven by AI Edge Star
- Gas Malaysia’s RM3b Kedah LNG regas terminal approved Edge Mail NST Star
Other markets
- Iran war poses risk of major economic downturn, Singapore’s president says Edge
- Maybank Research trims Singapore’s 2026 GDP growth forecast to 3.4% Edge
- Apex court upholds jail terms for John Soh, partner for penny stock crash Edge
- IFC urges regulatory reform to unlock growth Star
- Aluminum piles up in China as Iran war shrinks global supplies Edge
- China close to tapping commercial oil stockpiles, FGE says Edge
- China’s fuel export ban tightens Asian markets and drives prices higher Mail
- Russian oil bound for China is diverted as India grabs more Edge
- Japan’s export growth slows on China holidays, US tariffs impact Edge NST
- Strait of Hormuz closure is economic warfare, cannot reopen with force Yahoo
- Hormuz reopening looks unlikely without a truce in Iran war Yahoo
- The Iran war forces the first central bank’s hand Star
- Fed holds rate steady over growth, inflation concerns Coindesk Cointelegraph Yahoo
- Era of cheap money is over as the Iran war creates inflation floor Coindesk
- US producer prices surge in Feb on services Edge Yahoo
- Energy Department says gas prices will return to normal in 2027 Yahoo
- Trump waives Jones Act in bid to fight rising domestic energy prices Edge Yahoo
- Mysterious trader bets millions on oil amid Iran South Pars attack Yahoo
- The US economy may be strong — but it’s delicate Yahoo
- Moody’s says a US recession is increasingly ‘hard to avoid’ amid Iran war Yahoo
- Lack of plan for Hormuz Strait closure ‘frustrating’, says UK finance minister Edge
- Oil prices could spike above financial-crisis records, energy consultant says Yahoo
- Why markets are resilient so far despite the biggest energy supply shock ever Yahoo