Capital markets news | Wed 3 Jun 2026

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Artificial intelligence (AI) trends
A particularly under-discussed risk is that AI can now be used to automate reconnaissance, exploitation, and lateral movement in cyberattacks. Security commentary notes that AI agents can perform parts of the attack chain without human intervention, which changes the scale and speed of threats. For markets, this raises the expected loss profile for banks, exchanges, cloud providers, and critical infrastructure, and it may drive sustained spending on cybersecurity, identity systems, and resilient infrastructure.

Equity

Malaysia’s largest pharma chain Big Caring said to seek RM3b in IPO Edge Mail Star
Bakery products maker HSS to raise nearly RM23m from ACE Market Edge NST Star
Aizo secures shareholder approval for RM123.6mil fundraising plan Star
Apex Equity to raise RM14m via private placement for money-lending business Edge NST
SC classifies Foodie Media, 17 other stocks as non-shariah compliant Edge
MY Value Up – a critical evaluation Star
Foreign flows, earnings to eclipse GE16 noise Star
GLICs poised for stronger dividend haul despite global uncertainty Edge
Malaya Heritage eyes Nasdaq listing in 2027, USD15m raise NST
Zetrix AI Nasdaq bid heats up with SPAC partnership Star
China’s Wuxi Taclink said to mull rare listing in Singapore Edge
AI lure to Vietnam private capital market after prolonged slowdown Star
Firms line up IPOs to pitch for next phase of AI Star
MiniMax eyes China listing, takes on AI rivals like DeepSeek Edge
South Korea overtakes India as world’s sixth-largest stock market Edge
GIC-backed Asia Healthcare eyes IPO in 12-18 months Edge Star
Blackstone raises USD13b for Asia, double its previous fund Edge Star
All spaced out on an IPO Star
SpaceX lowers IPO valuation target to at least USD1.8t Edge
Morningstar values SpaceX at USD780b, half its IPO target Edge
SpaceX reserves up to 5% of IPO stock for staff and friends Edge
SpaceX IPO hype is starting to look like Amazon’s dot-com bubble Yahoo
Danish pension blacklists SpaceX over ‘catastrophic governance’ Edge
Anthropic files for IPO as AI boom fuels race for billions in fresh funding Mail
Anthropic pulls ahead of OpenAI in high-stakes race for IPO riches Edge
Anthropic eclipses OpenAI with valuation of USD965b Edge Mail NST
Alphabet to raise USD80b for AI via equity offerings, including Berkshire deal Edge Mail
‘More greed than there is fear’: Goldman Sachs CEO sounds off on AI Yahoo
Mark Cuban called this flower startup his ‘Shark Tank’ regret Yahoo
Short seller Andrew Left found guilty of securities fraud Edge
Canada’s fintech companies offer pre-IPO access Star

Debt

Ranhill Sabah Energy II’s AAA(bg) rating affirmed MARC
TNB raises RM4b from inaugural sustainability sukuk issuance Edge Mail NST Star
Bank Rakyat issues RM2b sukuk wakalah Edge
Urusharta Jamaah’s RM12.5b sukuk gets 10-year extension Edge
Tanco plans RM250m financial assistance for Port Dickson industrial park Edge
11 financial institutions to offer financing under hire purchase revamp Edge NST
BNM: Malaysia’s gross credit growth steady in Apr, asset quality intact Edge
Credit access needs to change for green farming Star
Japan banks see hybrid bond boom to fund regulatory capital Edge
Asia-Pacific debt markets gain traction Star
Bond trader wagers on Fed hike poised for gut-check from jobs data Star
Intesa seals SRTs on USD4.8b in US corporate and ESG loans Star
Global bonds take wild ride in May as Iran war shocks market Edge

Commodities

Ships attacked in Strait of Hormuz this week, Chevron CEO says Edge
Oil prices jump as Iran suspends peace talks NST
Qatar says temporary Hormuz fee to clear mines is negotiable Edge
Middle East oil output set for 2027 rebound, says BMI NST
EU weighs temporary freeze on Russia oil price cap over Iran Edge
IMF, World Bank, IEA warn of fuel scarcity if Hormuz remains closed Edge Mail NST
World Bank sees Brent oil averaging USD86 in 2026, easing to USD70 in 2027 Star
Gold overtakes US bonds as world’s favourite investment Yahoo

Digital assets

US sanctions Iranian crypto exchanges in ongoing war against the country Coindesk Yahoo
Bitcoin’s compute power dwarfs top 100 supercomputers by 600k times Coindesk
Bitcoin’s USD224k ‘fair value’ may emerge if sovereign debt fears deepen Cointelegraph
US bitcoin ETFs bleed USD2.8b in longest outflow streak Edge
Does bitcoin still attract greater fools? Star
Crypto correction vaporised USD176b in investor funds Cointelegraph
Franklin Templeton, MoonPay let big investors swap stablecoins for yields 24/7 Coindesk
US paves way for onshore crypto-linked perpetual futures Edge
Stellar CEO says Clarity Act would help, but tokenisation isn’t dependent on it Coindesk
AI is creating the biggest opportunity ever for entrepreneurs Coindesk
UK Lords urges Bank of England reconsider stablecoin restrictions Coindesk Cointelegraph
Rising stablecoin use could cement dollar dominance, ECB’s Schnabel says Star

M&A

WTK to exit Limbang plantation unit for RM90m, book RM70.6m gain Edge NST Star
Sealink appoints advisers for Carimin privatisation bid, may miss 9 Jun deadline Edge
Billionaire Vincent Tan said to mull selling Prudential Malaysia stake Edge Mail NST Star
Syed Mokhtar’s emergence in EcoWorld piques interest on what’s ahead Edge
Catcha Digital turns cautious on acquisitions as digital media, events slow down Edge
Thriven Global selling Section 13 land in PJ for RM54m Edge
IJM to sell Sandakan hypermarket to tenant Econsave for RM47.5m Edge NST Star
T7 Global unit proposes RM1.6m KL Trillion office acquisition Star
China expands curbs on foreign deals, tech transfer after Meta-Manus block Edge Star
General Mills to sell its China Haagen-Dazs ice-cream shops Star
Jardine eyes deals after USD10b spree to revamp empire Edge
BP sells 5% stake in Australian Browse LNG project to South Korea’s GS Energy Star
Berkshire Hathaway to buy Taylor Morrison for USD6.8b Edge NST Star
Yum Brands in exclusive talks to sell Pizza Hut NST
EasyJet board says no talks yet on offer, confident in strategy Edge NST Star
HSG said to be in lead to buy Blackstone-backed Leica Camera Edge

Malaysia

Capital ideas for reform Star
Reserve assets edge higher to USD129.7b in Apr NST Star
Public Mutual declares distributions of over RM21m for three funds Edge Star
Ryt Bank launches Ryt Invest, offers Syariah-compliant investing from RM1 NST
Marc Ratings forecasts ringgit to range between 3.92-4.07 vs US dollar in short term NST
Factory conditions deteriorate in May as orders, output decline Edge NST Star
When fuel prices sting, subsidies alone won’t do Edge
Malaysia unlikely to lose edge despite Indonesia FTA head start NST
Ram Ratings positive on Malaysia’s power sector amid robust prospects Edge
Sabah interim special grant raised to RM1.5b Edge
Najib files bid to introduce new evidence in 1MDB appeal Edge

Other markets

Singapore salary growth to be measured in uncertain environment Edge
Singapore’s DBS to open 18 new Asian wealth centres, expand advisory push Star
Indonesia issues presidential decree for Danantara development fund Star
Sovereign wealth fund joins data centre boom Star
Indonesia May inflation picks up to 3.08% NST Star
Indonesia’s Gojek founder warns of investor concerns in graft defence plea Edge
Indonesia’s surprisingly good GDP has analysts doubting the data Edge
Indonesia advances export control plan despite uncertainty Edge
Indonesia Apr trade surplus smallest in 6 years, May inflation quickens Star
Thailand sees 2% growth and 3% inflation in 2026, central bank chief says Star
Experts: Long-term tie-up vital in FDI lure Star
US hits Vietnam with third investigation as trade pressure grows Edge
Philippines’ BSP mulls stronger response to inflation Star
AMRO revises Asean+3 inflation projection to 1.8% in 2026 NST Star
Risks of food, inflation mount for Southeast Asia Star
Asean set to sign digital economy agreement in Nov Edge NST
China factory activity stalls in May as demand weakens Edge NST Star
Hong Kong plans tax cuts on bonus pay to lure top fund managers Edge
HSBC CEO pitches Hong Kong clients, hires more bankers after setbacks Edge
Taiwan raises growth outlook to 16-year high on strong AI demand Edge
BoJ must signal clear rate path after June hike, says SMFG chief Star
Core inflation in Tokyo stays below BOJ goal, factory output rebounds Edge NST
Japan tempers yen warnings despite renewed slide towards key 160 level Edge
Yen back in danger zone as Tokyo officials keep investors on edge Edge Mail
Japan spent USD73b in yen-buying intervention, ministry data shows Edge NST
OpenAI giving Japan’s banks access to latest model – finance minister Edge
South Korea inflation hits 2-year high, imminent rate hike in play NST Star
South Korea export growth hits 4-decade high on AI chip boom Edge NST Star
India factory activity expands further in May Star
India says US trade deal is 99% complete as negotiators meet in New Delhi Mail
UAE’s real GDP grows 6.2% in 2025 compared to 2024 NST
Aggressive Asia hikes show few signs of stabilising currencies Edge
Factory output expands as firms stockpile buffers over Iran war risks Star
Australians say they now need AUD1m to retire, study shows Edge
Australia lifts minimum wage by 4.75% as inflation reaccelerates Edge
Trump just threw new Fed Chair under the bus Yahoo
More Fed policymakers eye possible rate hike as inflation risks rise Edge
Fed’s Bowman says extended energy shock could drive shift in policy outlook Edge
Federal reserve has a message for Americans on inflation, economy Yahoo
US growth revised down, inflation hits highest level since 2023 Mail
US manufacturing activity expands by most in 4 years Edge
US jobs report set to reveal solid growth, steady unemployment rate Edge Yahoo
Here’s how much the Iran war is costing US households, according to Moody’s Yahoo
US consumers’ savings buffer is gone. Now what? Edge
US goods trade deficit narrows in Apr on strong exports Edge
Canada’s 1Q GDP contracts on annualised basis, posting 2 quarters of decline Edge
Trump administration proposes 25% tariff on Brazil over trade practices Edge NST Star
Growth spurt for UK factories set to be short-lived, PMI shows Star
EU’s 6 biggest economies agree on capital markets supervision Edge
Eurozone consumer price expectations may rise more, ECB warns Edge Star
EU proposes tax simplification measures in bid to boost business Edge
Eurozone factory growth slowed in May as input costs hit 4-year high, PMI shows Edge
SoftBank plans up to EUR75b investment in French AI centres Edge Mail NST
France attracts USD108b in foreign investment Edge NST Star
Spain inflation steady at 3.2% in May despite energy volatility Edge
Money transfer giant Wise hit by Belgian laundering probe NST
Swiss 1Q GDP revised lower on weak demand Star
Turkiye’s economy cools more than expected in first quarter Star
Russia seeks growth as economy creaks Star