Capital Markets News

Do you know? BlockchainUTXO (unspent transaction output) model: Bitcoin and similar cryptocurrencies use UTXO, which works like physical cash. Your balance isn’t stored as a single number; instead, it’s the sum of many discrete “chunks” of UTXOs, each like a digital bill or coin. When you make a payment, your wallet selects enough UTXOs to…

Do you know? BlockchainLayer 2 (L2) refers to secondary protocols or chains built on top of a Layer 1 blockchain to improve scalability, speed and cost, while inheriting security from the underlying L1. L2s typically batch or process many transactions off the main chain and then post compressed data or proofs back to Layer 1…

Do you know? BlockchainLayer 1 (L1) is the base blockchain network that provides the core infrastructure for recording transactions, achieving consensus, and securing the ledger without relying on another chain. It defines the protocol rules, runs the consensus mechanism (e.g., proof‑of‑work or proof‑of‑stake), and is ultimately the source of truth and final settlement for its…

Do you know? Electricity billThe 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…

Do you know? El NiñoMalaysians 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…

Do you know? El NiñoThe World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and other climate agencies forecast a “very strong” El Niño peaking between Nov 2026 and Feb 2027, with Niño 3.4 ocean temperatures already exceeding +2°C. The event is expected to persist into 2027, with impacts lasting beyond the peak warming period. Some forecasters describe it as…

Do you know? El NiñoThe 1997–1998 El Niño was one of the strongest on record, with Niño 3.4 sea-surface temperatures exceeding 2.0°C above average. It caused an estimated 23,000 deaths globally and tens of billions of dollars in economic losses. Severe droughts and wildfires struck Indonesia and the Amazon, while Peru and Ecuador faced catastrophic…

Do you know? El NiñoEl Niño reshapes global weather by moving heat from the tropical Pacific into the atmosphere, lifting average temperatures and shifting rainfall belts. This typically brings heavy rain and floods to South America’s west coast, while Southeast Asia, Australia, and parts of southern Africa face drought, heatwaves, and altered storm tracks. These…

Do you know? El NiñoEl Niño is a naturally occurring climate phenomenon marked by unusually warm ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, representing the warm phase of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle that typically recurs every 2-7 years and lasts around 9-12 months. El Niño, which is Spanish for…

Do you know? Employees Provident Fund (EPF)Norway’s Government Pension Fund Global (GPFG) was roughly 6.2 times larger than EPF in 1H2026, at RM9.61 trillion equivalent value compared to EPF’s RM1.54 trillion. GPFG achieved a 19.7% annualised portfolio return with 72.1% equity allocation and 25.8% debt. In contrast, EPF achieved a 7.5% annualised portfolio return via…