Markets

Rakuten Trade lowers 2026 FBM KLCI target to 1,770 amid lingering uncertainties

KUALA LUMPUR: Rakuten Trade has revised its 2026 target for the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) downward to 1,770 from 1,800 previously, in view of the persistent market uncertainties.

Markets

Stocks extend rally on Gulf breakthrough hopes, oil near two-month lows

SYDNEY: Asian stocks joined a global rally on Friday on hopes a Middle East peace deal may finally materialise, while the dollar and bond yields dropped and oil prices fell to two-month lows, tempering inflation fears.

Economy

SOCAT launches RM15bil GDV industrial and supply chain hub in JS-SEZ

KUALA LUMPUR: Southern Catalyst Sdn Bhd (SOCAT), a Ministry of Finance inc (MOF) company, has launched Nexus Sedenak, a 2,940-acre integrated innovation district with an estimated gross development value (GDV) of RM15bil.

Analyst Reports

Liftech to see growth from multiple industrial upcycles - Malacca Securities

KUALA LUMPUR: ACE-Market bound Liftech Group Bhd is expected to benefit from multiple industrial upcycles across different states, according to Malacca Securities in a note.

Markets

Stocks bounce as Trump cancels Iran strike, oil sinks

KUALA LUMPUR: The domestic stock market took on positive momentum on the heels of a steep Wall Street rebound as US President Donald Trump called off a strike on Iran and signalled a peace deal.

Forex

Ringgit opens higher against greenback, most regional peers

KUALA LUMPUR: The ringgit opened higher against the US dollar and was mostly firmer against regional peers on Friday amid easing geopolitical tensions in West Asia, which lifted sentiment towards the local note.

Corporate News

Trading ideas: Coastal, Titijaya, Kerjaya, Capital A, SD Guthrie, FACB, Shin Yang, MMHE, Bermaz

KUALA LUMPUR: Here is a recap of the announcements that made headlines in Corporate Malaysia.

Markets

Wall Street jumps as Trump cancels Iran strikes

US stocks ended sharply higher on Thursday, with indices extending gains after US President Donald Trump said he cancelled planned strikes against Iran, and on the eve of the market debut of Elon Musk's SpaceX.

Commodities

Oil retreats after Trump scraps Iran strikes

Oil prices settled lower on Thursday after US President Donald Trump cancelled plans to strike Iran within hours, a move that raised expectations for a deal to end more than three months of war.

Corporate News

Oracle’s AI spending for 2026 exceeds forecast

Oracle's capital spending for 2026 has exceeded its projection, and the cloud computing company says it will raise more debt in 2027.

Corporate News

Gamuda set for RE expansion

Gamuda Bhd's widening presence in Australia's renewable energy (RE) after acquiring an option interest in a solar farm and battery energy storage system project (Bess) is positive for the company's long-term strategy in growing recurring income, says MBSB Research.

Markets

Small caps defy volatility

TA Research remains constructive on Malaysian small-cap stocks despite heightened market volatility in the first half of financial year 2026 (1H26), arguing that the segment still offers investors opportunities to generate alpha and outperform the broader market.

Corporate News

Gunvor funding to buy US natural gas production

Commodities trader Gunvor says it has provided financial backing to a team of energy industry executives for efforts to amass natural gas-producing assets across top US shale basins.

Corporate News

Frasers seeks to buy rest of Boss for US$2.3bil 

Frasers Group Plc is offering to buy the rest of Hugo Boss AG for about €2bil (US$2.3bil) as billionaire Mike Ashley seeks to add another fashion brand to his growing collection.

Corporate News

FROM CODE TO COASTLINES

Nigel Wong's path to the presidency of the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) was never a straight line.

Corporate News

SpaceX tells investors of blue-chip credit ratings

Elon Musk's SpaceX is telling investors it has lined up investment-grade ratings from three major bond graders, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

Insight

The real profitable business within SpaceX

A simple view of SpaceX is that it's a low-cost rocket launcher that created the profitable Starlink satellite business and which is now burning cash to build orbital data centres and colonise Mars.

Corporate News

SpaceX IPO curbs seen as baseless

SpaceX's decision to bar Chinese mainland and Hong Kong investors from its US$75bil initial public offering (IPO) underscores a growing global trend of technology decoupling, which Chinese companies must heed without altering their global outreach, say experts.

Technology

Tianjin develops sensors for embodied AI

On sorting lines in smart factories, at precision workstations in automobile manufacturing plants and even at home tending to household chores, a batch of robots equipped with multidimensional tactile sensors can dexterously grasp, operate and adaptively perform tasks, accomplishing movements that were once only possible for humans.

Economy

Economy not heading for depression, says Chatib

Senior economist and former finance minister Chatib Basri has pushed back against growing concerns about the country's economic outlook, arguing that the "domestic situation is not as bad as people imagine", despite mounting fiscal issues and external pressures.