(RTTNews) - The Malaysia stock market on Wednesday ended the modest two-day winning streak in which it had collected almost 10 points or 0.6 percent. The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index now sits just above the 1,630-point plateau although it figures to bounce higher again on Thursday. The global forecast for the Asian markets suggests mild upside on optimism ahead of key U.S. economic data later this...
(RTTNews) - The Malaysia stock market on Wednesday ended the modest two-day winning streak in which it had collected almost 10 points or 0.6 percent. The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index now sits just above the 1,630-point plateau although it figures to bounce higher again on Thursday. The global forecast for the Asian markets suggests mild upside on optimism ahead of key U.S. economic data later this week. The European markets were mixed and the U.S. bourses were up and the Asian markets figure to split the difference. The KLCI finished modestly lower on Wednesday following losses from the financial shares, plantation stocks and telecoms. For the day, the index shed 9.34 points or 0.57 percent to finish at 1,632.63. Among the actives, Axiata retreated 1.24 percent, while Celcomdigi and Sime Darby both tumbled 1.65 percent, CIMB Group declined 1.21 percent, Genting soared 2.02 percent, Genting Malaysia surged 4.48 percent, IHH Healthcare skidded 0.96 percent, IOI Corporation dipped 0.27 percent, Kuala Lumpur Kepong plummeted 2.14 percent, Maxis jumped 1.33 percent, Maybank dropped 0.56 percent, MISC rose 0.13 percent, MRDIY rallied 1.40 percent, Petronas Chemicals sank 0.53 percent, PPB Group fell 0.42 percent, Press Metal tanked 2.28 percent, Public Bank shed 0.45 percent, RHB Bank collected 0.16 percent, SD Guthrie plunged 2.33 percent, Sunway stumbled 1.35 percent, Telekom Malaysia slumped 1.07 percent, Tenaga Nasional slid 0.41 percent, YTL Corporation lost 0.43 percent, YTL Power added 0.28 percent and QL Resources, Nestle Malaysia and Petronas Dagangan were unchanged. The lead from Wall Street is upbeat as the major averages opened mixed on Wednesday but quickly headed higher and finished well in positive territory. The Dow rallied 337.28 points or 0.79 percent to finish at 43,077.70, while the NASDAQ gained 51.49 points or 0.28 percent to close at 18,367.08 and the S&P 500 added 27.21 points or 0.47 percent to end at 5,842.47. The strength that emerged on Wall St...
Gold steadied after three days of gains, as traders looked beyond heightened geopolitical tensions to US economic data due this week. Bullion was near $4,500 an ounce, having risen more than 4% over the previous three sessions. After the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, the White House said Tuesday that President Donald Trump won’t rule out military force to acquire Greenland. China, m...
Gold steadied after three days of gains, as traders looked beyond heightened geopolitical tensions to US economic data due this week. Bullion was near $4,500 an ounce, having risen more than 4% over the previous three sessions. After the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, the White House said Tuesday that President Donald Trump won’t rule out military force to acquire Greenland. China, meanwhile, imposed controls on exports to Japan with any military use, intensifying a dispute between Asia’s top economies. While the geopolitical landscape remains fragile, traders are turning their attention to a busy lineup of US economic data, including the December jobs report due Friday. A gauge of manufacturing activity came in weaker than expected on Tuesday, bolstering hopes that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates again. Three successive rate cuts by the Fed last year were a tailwind for precious metals, which don’t pay interest. Elevated central-bank buying and inflows to bullion-backed exchange-traded funds also underpinned gold’s best annual performance since 1979, with bullion hitting a series of record highs throughout last year. Gold edged up 0.1% to $4,499.10 an ounce as of 7:22 a.m. in Singapore. Silver rose 0.8% to $81.91 an ounce, having climbed 6.1% in the previous session. Platinum and palladium gained. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index , a gauge of the US currency’s strength, ended the previous session up 0.2%.
Singapore and Beijing have emerged among the world’s most liveable cities for tech workers, according to Savills’ inaugural Matcha Index, which ranks locations by buzz and by the spaces where these employees can work, connect and spark ideas over a hot – or cold – matcha drink. The index, released on Tuesday, pointed out how cafe culture has become a vital part of the social infrastructure that su...
Singapore and Beijing have emerged among the world’s most liveable cities for tech workers, according to Savills’ inaugural Matcha Index, which ranks locations by buzz and by the spaces where these employees can work, connect and spark ideas over a hot – or cold – matcha drink. The index, released on Tuesday, pointed out how cafe culture has become a vital part of the social infrastructure that supports the tech ecosystem, and that matcha lattes have taken over as the “go-to” drink for young professionals. That shift reflected broader lifestyle trends: matcha was prized for its slow-release energy and perceived health benefits, aligning with tech workers’ growing focus on wellness, according to international real estate adviser Savills. Advertisement The cost of a matcha latte varied significantly across the cities in the index. The average cost in Beijing was just US$3.61, compared with US$5.43 in Singapore and US$6.21 in New York The cost of a matcha latte varies significantly across the top-ranked cities of Savill’s inaugural Matcha Index. Photo: Shutterstock Even with its premium-priced matcha drinks, Singapore held its own as a top hub for tech workers, thanks to its abundant availability of high-quality cafes and the social connectivity they fostered, the Savills report found. Advertisement “Singapore has a vibrant and rich cafe culture,” said Sulian Tan-Wijaya, executive director of retail and lifestyle at Savills Singapore. “Besides the strong presence of established and new coffee chains, our cafe culture has evolved to embrace anything matcha, which you can find in lattes, gelato, cakes and even bubble tea.”
A stock rally that has added $350 billion in market value for Samsung Electronics Co. since the start of last year may have more room to run as bullish analysts and investors eye record profits. While worries grow over the longevity of an artificial intelligence rally now in its fourth year, the South Korean chipmaker was late to the party. Its shares are beating those of SK Hynix Inc. so far in 2...
A stock rally that has added $350 billion in market value for Samsung Electronics Co. since the start of last year may have more room to run as bullish analysts and investors eye record profits. While worries grow over the longevity of an artificial intelligence rally now in its fourth year, the South Korean chipmaker was late to the party. Its shares are beating those of SK Hynix Inc. so far in 2026, but that’s after three years of stark underperformance as the smaller rival gained favor with key customer Nvidia Corp. Now expectations of progress in AI along with huge price hikes for memory chips are driving calls that “ Samsung is back ”. South Korea’s largest company has seen bigger earnings estimate increases than peers in recent months, with its preliminary results due Thursday. “Samsung was at a discount because it was left behind,” said Kang DaeKwun , chief investment officer at Life Asset Management Inc. in Seoul. “But I see a lot of catching up happening this year,” said Kang, whose fund has maximized its exposure to Samsung heading into 2026. Read more: Samsung Profit Likely Expanded on Memory-Chip Demand: 4Q Preview Analysts polled by Bloomberg estimate Samsung’s earnings will more than double in 2026 to a record high of about $60 billion, on par with projections for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Still, the Korean firm’s market capitalization of $560 billion is less than half that of TSMC, Asia’s most valuable company. Multiple Catalysts Samsung is seen closing in on a deal to supply the latest version of its high-bandwidth memory chips to Nvidia, a long-awaited development that could boost its valuation. At the same time, ravenous demand for HBM has dented production capacity for more conventional memory products, a segment that Samsung dominates. As a result, prices have soared for legacy DRAM used in more traditional servers as well as PCs and smartphones. “We anticipate a severe supply shortage in commodity memory in 2026,” with price growth ...
Assisted dying campaigners request extra time for peers to scrutinise bill Just now Share Save Harry Farley Political correspondent Share Save PA Media Campaigners for assisted dying will ask the House of Lords to sit late or start early in order to pass the legislation in time. Concern is growing among supporters of the bill that it won't pass all its parliamentary hurdles in the allotted days. A...
Assisted dying campaigners request extra time for peers to scrutinise bill Just now Share Save Harry Farley Political correspondent Share Save PA Media Campaigners for assisted dying will ask the House of Lords to sit late or start early in order to pass the legislation in time. Concern is growing among supporters of the bill that it won't pass all its parliamentary hurdles in the allotted days. A motion in the Lords asks peers to agree that "further time should be provided for consideration of the bill". Extending the usual Friday debates is one likely option but that would anger some Jewish peers because the weekly religious Shabbat ceremony begins at sunset. Lord Shinkwin, who is disabled, has also previously said that because of his travel arrangements, sitting later on a Friday would be a "a feeble fig leaf for discrimination against me". If the House of Lords agrees to the motion, private negotiations between peers would then begin over when and how much extra time would be granted. Any decision would require agreement from the different sides in the Lords. Sources close to those opposed to the bill have suggested they would not agree to extra time. Members of the House of Lords have proposed more than 1,000 amendments to the bill – which experts believe is a record number for a bill proposed by a backbench MP. Supporters believe this is a delaying tactic. They argue peers, who are not elected, should respect the will of the House of Commons which passed the bill last year. Critics deny they are deliberately stalling the bill. They believe the bill does not protect vulnerable people and needs significant changes before becoming law. It must complete all its parliamentary stages before the next King's Speech, which the BBC revealed is expected in early May. If it does not pass all its hurdles before then, the bill will fall. However those behind the bill believe rarely used powers to limit the Lords' ability to block legislation could bring the bill back for a ...
New York, January 6, 2026, 17:53 EST — After-hours ORCL closed up 0.6% Tuesday, then edged lower in after-hours trade. Jefferies reiterated a Buy rating and kept a $400 price target in a 2026 software outlook. Investors are watching Oracle’s near-term dividend timetable and the next earnings update in mid-March. Oracle shares rose 0.6% to close at $193.75 on Tuesday, after trading between $190.78 ...
New York, January 6, 2026, 17:53 EST — After-hours ORCL closed up 0.6% Tuesday, then edged lower in after-hours trade. Jefferies reiterated a Buy rating and kept a $400 price target in a 2026 software outlook. Investors are watching Oracle’s near-term dividend timetable and the next earnings update in mid-March. Oracle shares rose 0.6% to close at $193.75 on Tuesday, after trading between $190.78 and $194.83. The stock was down 0.05% at $193.65 in after-hours trading as of 6:00 p.m. ET. Public The moves come as Jefferies kept a bullish call on Oracle, a name that has drawn sharp debate on Wall Street over how quickly its cloud expansion converts into profit. In a sector outlook published on Monday, Jefferies analyst Brent Thill said there was “far more upside than downside” at current levels. MarketWatch Jefferies flagged Oracle’s push to add data-center capacity for AI workloads as the core swing factor, and said meaningful AI-related revenue should start showing up by fiscal 2027. The firm also noted that OpenAI represents a large share of Oracle’s contract backlog, underscoring how much execution depends on a handful of large customers. Investors That focus intensified after Oracle’s December quarter forecast missed Wall Street targets and the company raised expectations for fiscal 2026 capital spending, rekindling concerns about how long cash outlays will run ahead of returns. Oracle also reported a sharp jump in remaining performance obligations — a measure of contracted revenue not yet booked — which investors have treated as a key indicator of cloud demand. Reuters Oracle has pitched itself as a bigger supplier of rented computing power for generative AI, competing with Amazon, Microsoft and Google for cloud infrastructure work. “Investors are likely to be more focused on the fundamentals of the AI build-out and its financial implications,” Bernstein analyst Mark Moerdler wrote in a note around Oracle’s last earnings cycle. Reuters But the path is not clean. ...