Energy
Brent crude was 0.31% lower to US$48.54 per barrel at 3.50pm.
Forex
Ringgit up 0.40% to 4.1217 versus the US dollar at 4pm.
Top foreign news
Goldman says Opec deal to add as much as US$10 to first-half 2017 oil prices: Goldman Sachs said the deal reached by Opec crude producers on Wednesday to curb output should add US$7 to US$10 to oil prices in the first half of next year. Opec members agreed on Wednesday to modest oil output cuts in the first such deal since 2008. — Reuters
Thai Bangkok Dusit to spend US$370m on luxury healthcare centre: Bangkok Dusit Medical Services Pcl, Thailand’s largest hospital operator, plans to spend 12.8 billion baht (US$370 million) to build a luxury healthcare centre to serve rising demand from tourists seeking premium medical services. — Reuters
China property tycoon warns on real estate bubble: China’s richest man, real estate magnate Wang Jianlin, has warned the country’s property market is the “biggest bubble in history” - the latest alarm bell to be sounded on the world’s second largest economy. — AFP
Senior German lawmaker says no more aid for ailing banks: Germany will not grant any more state aid for ailing banks, a senior lawmaker in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative bloc said on Thursday, a day after the government denied it was working on a rescue plan for Deutsche Bank, its biggest lender. — Reuters
Japan’s new passenger plane completes US flight: Japan’s problem-plagued new passenger jet on Thursday completed a flight to the United States for testing, its maker said, after aborting two earlier attempts. The maker of the Mitsubishi Regional Jet, Mitsubishi Heavy, said it will carry out multiple flight tests in the US to get a certificate necessary for starting commercial flights in 2018. — AFP
Top local news
Najib says Govt open to selling Silterra stake to foreign investors: The Malaysian Government is open to Khazanah Nasional Bhd selling its stake in Silterra Malaysia Sdn Bhd to foreign investors but only at the right price, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said on Thursday. Khazanah has a 98% stake in the chip foundry. — Bernama
EPF plans to invest more in private equity, property: The Employees Provident Fund is looking to diversify its investment portfolios in a bid to boost returns, says chief executive officer Datuk Shahril Ridza Ridzuan. The pension fund plans to invest more in private equity, property and infrastructure, he said. — Bloomberg
Japan’s Tokuyama sells Malaysian unit to South Korean firm: Japanese chemical maker Tokuyama will sell a Malaysian subsidiary to South Korea’s OCI as part of its business rehabilitation efforts. OCI will pay US$98 million for the operations. — Nikkei Asian Review
Petronas inks warehouse contract with Sinopec: Petronas recently sealed an agreement for the engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning of an automated storage and retrieval system warehouse for its petrochemical plants in the Pengerang Integrated Complex. — Bernama
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