Capital markets news | Thu 26 Mar 2026
Do you know?
Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974
In March 2026, USTR launched a fresh set of Section 301 investigations into “structural excess capacity and production” policies in 16 major trading partners, including the EU, China, India, Korea, Mexico, and several ASEAN economies. These probes target sectors such as steel, chemicals, batteries, semiconductors, and solar modules, and could lead to new tariffs or negotiated changes in industrial policy.
Equity
- 5E Resources inks ACE Market IPO underwriting with TA Securities Edge NST Star
- Empire Sushi chain owner launches RM254m Main Market IPO Edge NST Star
- Northern Solar seeks transfer to Main Market in second half of year Edge NST Star
- SBI, Sony back Startale’s USD63m Japan’s tokenised finance expansion Coindesk
- Indonesia financial regulator approves phased 3-year free float rules Edge
- Hong Kong’s financial secretary says quality IPOs No 1 priority Edge
- Merdeka Gold turns to Hong Kong market Star
- SK Hynix files for US listing that source says could raise up to USD14b Edge Star
- SpaceX aims to file for IPO as soon as this week Edge Mail NST
- OpenAI set to raise USD10b from investors Star
- Bond King says watch this level in the market’s fear gauge for signal to buy Yahoo
- Europe’s tech exodus drained USD1.4t in value, study shows Edge
Debt
- Tropicana fully redeemed RM89.4m Tranche 1 perpetual sukuk Edge Star
- Sunview secures RM170m banking facilities from Bank Rakyat Edge Star
- Malaysian banking outlook stable, credit fundamentals resilient RAM
- KAB Energy’s RM10m Tranche 3 investment notes RAM
- Dubai real estate bonds are starting to fall into distress Edge
- Private credit fund bonds were flagging risks before recent redemptions Edge
- US mortgage rates jump further to 5-month high of 6.43% Edge
- The bond market nears 5% threshold with a crucial difference this time Yahoo
- Peter Schiff says Treasury yields hint at something even more dangerous Yahoo
- AI doomer warns market is wrong to ditch rate-cut bets Yahoo
Digital assets
- Bitcoin ‘compression’ outcome may send price to USD80k Cointelegraph
- Bitcoin holders shift from panic to cash-buffer discipline Cointelegraph
- Market structure bill draws reaction from fractured crypto crowd Coindesk
- BitGo, ZKsync build tokenised deposit infrastructure for banks Coindesk
- STS Digital unveils structured crypto platform with Kraken Coindesk
- Sky-backed Obex spreads USD1b across credit, energy and AI assets Coindesk
- Binance tells token issuers they must disclose partners Coindesk
- Ethereum prepares for quantum threat with new cryptography roadmap Coindesk
- Nobody knows if quantum secure cryptography will even work Cointelegraph
- US lawmakers dig into tokenising securities as Trump ties muddy waters Coindesk
- Franklin Templeton puts USD1.7t behind Ondo for 24/7 stock trading Coindesk
- Solana says network is becoming core infrastructure for ‘agentic’ internet Coindesk
- AI agents to help investigators unearth crypto criminals Coindesk
- UK political crypto donations banned by Starmer government Coindesk
- Monument Bank to tokenise GBP250m of retail deposits in UK first Coindesk
- Governments need CBDCs to improve financial inclusion Cointelegraph
M&A
- OCR to acquire 49% stake in property consultancy firm Edge NST Star
- Catcha Digital unit to buy food and beverage trade fair organiser Edge NST
- Yinson clarifies major shareholder in buyout talks, no conclusive deal yet Edge Star
- Differing analyst views shape Sunway’s IJM Corp takeover offer NST
- China bars Manus co-founders from leaving country as it reviews sale to Meta Edge
- Merck to acquire Terns Pharmaceuticals in USD6.7b deal Edge
- CK Hutchison unit says Panama arbitration claim now tops USD2b Edge Mail
Malaysia
- Govt set to cut subsidised RON95 entitlement from 300 litres to 200 litres Edge
- Fertiliser supply risks threaten grain output, Malaysia resilient Edge Mail NST Star
- Population push powers property boom, sales seen up 15% over next 5 years Mail Star
- What the US float glass decision means for Malaysia Edge
- Study shows 30% of PLCs face hacking if specifically targeted Edge Mail
- PKR’s Ramanan denies taking RM9.5m from Victor Chin, refutes ‘Mr R’ identity Edge
- PKR Ramanan’s news conference turns into Rafizi-bashing session Edge
- Home minister says has info on Victor Chin’s whereabouts, probe ongoing Edge
- Low risk of regulatory market intervention in telecoms sector Star
Other markets
- Vietnam’s leading banks pivot towards global standards Star
- Iran war could be making of the petroyuan, Deutsche Bank says Edge
- HSBC sees ‘explosion’ in estate planning demand as risks rise Edge
- BOJ debated need for more rate hikes, weak yen impact on prices Edge Star
- Sri Lanka central bank holds policy rate unchanged Edge
- Signs of jet fuel hoarding emerge in Asia after Iran oil shock Edge
- Australia’s inflation slows slightly in Feb ahead of war-driven energy shock Star
- Morgan Stanley issues stark warning on Fed rate outlook Yahoo
- US import prices post largest gain in nearly 4 years in Feb Edge
- US current account deficit contracts sharply in 4Q Edge
- Moody’s Analytics warns recession odds are creeping toward 50% Yahoo
- Goldman raises recession odds to 30% on higher inflation, lower GDP outlook Yahoo
- Wall Street analysts say recession odds are rising as oil prices remain volatile Yahoo
- Workers everywhere feel very bad about their job security Yahoo
- Super Micro sued by shareholders over China-related criminal case Yahoo
- US forms 15-point plan to end Iran war as Trump pushes talks Yahoo
- Jamie Dimon warns US becoming like Europe and China is beating it Yahoo
- Peter Schiff asks if Trump has no idea about what he’s doing Yahoo
- Joe Scarborough warns insider traders amid reports oil futures spiked Yahoo
- How the Iran war could split the AI boom in two Star
- UK inflation holds at 3% in Feb ahead of likely Iran war jump Edge Star
- ECB may need to act on even ‘not-too-persistent’ inflation surge, Lagarde says Edge
- German business outlook sinks as Iran War puts recovery ‘on ice’ Edge
- Oil prices to hit USD66 per barrel in 2Q2026 before year-end recovery Edge NST
- Chevron CEO sends worrisome Middle East oil message Yahoo
- BlackRock CEO warns of ‘global recession’ if oil goes to USD150 Edge Mail Yahoo
- IEA says ready to tap more oil reserves if Middle East crisis deepens Mail
- We need more plumbers and fewer lawyers in AI age, says BlackRock boss Yahoo