Capital Markets News

Do you know? Employees Provident Fund (EPF)EPF holds a constructive but guarded outlook, cautioning that the strong equity market opportunities from 1H2026 may not recur in the second half. Foreign equities face valuation risks, geopolitical uncertainties, and potential AI-sector reversals. Meanwhile, domestic equities remain supported by resilient local demand but may yield more moderate gains…

Do you know? Employees Provident Fund (EPF)EPF’s diversified portfolio expanded to RM1.54 trillion by June 2026, structured around 48.1% fixed income, 47.5% equities, 3.8% real estate/infrastructure, and 0.6% money markets. At end-2025, global diversification proved vital as the 38.3% international allocation generated RM39.9 billion, outperforming the 61.7% domestic allocation which made RM39.3 billion. By asset…

Do you know? Employees Provident Fund (EPF)EPF’s 1H2026 investment income surged 48% year-on-year to RM57.5 billion, up from RM38.92 billion in 1H2025. This growth was fuelled by strong global equities—particularly in 2Q, where quarterly income hit RM29.77 billion and equity income jumped 52% to RM20.94 billion (70% of the quarter’s total). Performance was driven by…

Do you know? Employees Provident Fund (EPF)EPF’s total investment income jumped 51% year-on-year to RM27.73 billion in 1Q2026, up from RM18.31 billion in 1Q2025. This rapid acceleration was driven primarily by equities, which generated RM20.34 billion, alongside strong international returns and foreign exchange gains. Fixed income contributed RM6.76 billion (24%), while money markets and real…

Do you know? Employees Provident Fund (EPF)EPF’s 2025 performance outpaced 2024, driven by a volatile, equity-led return environment despite softer domestic market conditions. Total investment income rose 6.4% to RM79.2 billion (from RM74.5 billion in 2024), while distributable income climbed 9.5% to RM82.7 billion. Backed by portfolio returns and RM66.5 billion in net contributions, total…

Do you know? Hedge fundsBy end-2025, gross leverage in the hedge fund book reached record levels—driven largely by multi-strategy platform growth—while net leverage neared three-year highs. To manage this exposure under tight drawdown constraints, firms are embedding AI and machine learning into signal generation, dynamic risk controls, and automated execution. This makes 2026 pivotal for…

Do you know? Hedge fundsHedge funds typically charge a “2 and 20” style fee (management fee plus performance fee) and operate with limited regulatory disclosure compared to mutual funds. This opacity can hide concentration, leverage or liquidity mismatches. Historically, a large share of hedge fund failures stemmed from operational risk (fraud, controls and valuation issues)…

Do you know? Hedge fundsHedge funds span multiple distinct strategy types, each with its own return drivers and risk profile: long / short equity for stock-picking with hedging; event-driven for M&A, restructurings and distressed debt; global macro for bets on interest rates, currencies and commodities; relative value / arbitrage for exploiting pricing mismatches; and multi-strategy…

Do you know? Hedge fundsThe hedge fund industry has expanded dramatically: over the last decade, gross assets roughly doubled to about USD12.1 trillion by end-2024, with net assets up to USD5.3 trillion. Performance has been strong recently—2025 marked the second consecutive year of double-digit returns (around +11.8% on average), and allocator sentiment is at record…

Do you know? Hedge fundsHedge funds are defined more by their flexible toolkit than by what they hold. They can go long and short, use leverage, trade derivatives, and arbitrage pricing dislocations across virtually any asset class—equities, credit, FX, commodities, even crypto. This flexibility lets them pursue “absolute return” objectives (positive returns in up or…