Malaysia’s central bank will likely keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged as inflation remains benign despite higher global oil prices due to the Iran war. Bank Negara Malaysia is expected to hold its overnight policy rate steady at 2.75% on Thursday, according to all 25 economists surveyed by Bloomberg. The central bank last adjusted borrowing costs in July, with a 25-basis-point cut, after ...
Malaysia’s central bank will likely keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged as inflation remains benign despite higher global oil prices due to the Iran war. Bank Negara Malaysia is expected to hold its overnight policy rate steady at 2.75% on Thursday, according to all 25 economists surveyed by Bloomberg. The central bank last adjusted borrowing costs in July, with a 25-basis-point cut, after keeping them unchanged for two years. Rising price pressures are prompting some regional central banks to consider tightening policy . By contrast, Malaysia’s softer first-quarter growth, resilient currency and relatively muted inflation gives the monetary authority room to await greater clarity on the conflict’s trajectory and the impact on energy prices. While inflation accelerated to 1.7% in March, the fastest pace in over a year, from 1.4% in February, it remains within the range that Bank Negara Malaysia has forecast for 2026. April consumer prices rose 7.2% and 5.46% in the Philippines and Vietnam , respectively, driven by a surge in energy prices. The global oil shock has yet to materially lift inflation, which “gives the central bank room to hold off from tightening,” Tamara Henderson , economist at Bloomberg Economics, wrote in a note. “The ringgit has also been relatively strong versus peers, tempering imported inflation.” Malaysia’s currency is up about 3% against the US dollar this year, while the Thai, Indonesian and Philippine currencies have all dropped. Here’s what to watch on Thursday at 3 p.m. local time: Inflation Trajectory Malaysia has largely contained consumer price increases through fuel subsidies, including a gasoline quota and targeted support for certain diesel users. Still, cost pressures are beginning to filter through to producers, with Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir warning last month that higher prices are likely to emerge later this year. The government is weighing further measures to cushion rising costs for consumers and busin...
China’s decision to allow a select group of global investors to trade bond futures has prompted demands for deeper reforms that may boost the appeal of the world’s second-largest debt market. Institutions including JPMorgan Asset Management and Eastfort Asset Management expect a slow pickup in activity after Beijing said last month those under its Qualified Foreign Investor scheme can now hedge ca...
China’s decision to allow a select group of global investors to trade bond futures has prompted demands for deeper reforms that may boost the appeal of the world’s second-largest debt market. Institutions including JPMorgan Asset Management and Eastfort Asset Management expect a slow pickup in activity after Beijing said last month those under its Qualified Foreign Investor scheme can now hedge cash bonds with the derivatives. They cited constraints such as restricted use of the product, limited trading hours and segregated investment channels. China is opening the door just a crack to its relatively young debt futures market at a time when foreign holdings of its government bonds have dropped to a five-year low. While the policy easing does make a crucial hedging tool available, the investors eligible for its use aren’t the most active global funds in the country’s bond market. The incremental nature of the latest reform also points to the cautious, gradualist approach preferred by Chinese regulators, including their reluctance to boost banks’ presence in bond futures trading and stalled progress on launching a similar hedging instrument in Hong Kong. “The roll-out looks preliminary and may gain traction as the futures instruments expand in capability or program eligibility,” said Jason Pang , Asia fixed income portfolio manager at JPMorgan Asset Management. “At this point in time, the futures are reserved for hedging purposes only and only available to QFI investors.” Apart from the QFI scheme, foreign investors can also purchase via the China Interbank Bond Market program and a trading link between the mainland and Hong Kong known as the Bond Connect. The other two channels are “seeing more flows” at present, Pang said. The QFI program, whose narrower version started in 2002, allows its members to access China’s onshore financial assets from equities to bonds and commodities futures. Its significance has dwindled since Beijing introduced new, more inclusive schem...
Taiwan’s largest pension fund has reduced some of its US currency exposure amid heightened market volatility and a broader global reassessment of dollar assets. The Bureau of Labor Funds , which manages nearly NT$9 trillion ($286 billion) in retirement and insurance assets, recently lowered dollar-denominated equity and fixed-income exposures in mandates overseen by external asset managers, accord...
Taiwan’s largest pension fund has reduced some of its US currency exposure amid heightened market volatility and a broader global reassessment of dollar assets. The Bureau of Labor Funds , which manages nearly NT$9 trillion ($286 billion) in retirement and insurance assets, recently lowered dollar-denominated equity and fixed-income exposures in mandates overseen by external asset managers, according to Astraea Lin, director of BLF’s Foreign Investment Division. She didn’t provide specific figures. “The de-dollarization trend is slowly taking place, so we will diversify across currencies and assets to minimize the impact of any single market or currency on the fund’s returns,” Lin said in an interview in late April. That said, “the US dollar still shows strong resilience globally, with clear advantages in terms of market depth and liquidity, and there is currently no clear alternative,” she added. BLF’s move underscores a broader shift among some global institutions — including pension funds and central banks — to trim exposure to dollar assets as investors grow wary of the unpredictability of US President Donald Trump’s policy shifts. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index has extended losses this year after sliding 8.1% in 2025, its worst performance in eight years. Read more: Pimco’s International Clients Seek to Diversify Away From US The BLF allocates more than half of its assets overseas, primarily into equities and fixed income. For the past two decades, it has largely awarded foreign mandates in US dollar terms. As of March, NT$3.66 trillion of the fund’s overseas investments were managed externally, out of total offshore holdings of NT$5.07 trillion, according to Bloomberg calculations based on the fund’s disclosures. “Our exposures to dollar assets are currently relatively low compared to the benchmarks, but not by far,” Lin said, citing the MSCI All Country World Index and the Bloomberg Global Aggregate Bond Index. The BLF is also seeking to support Taiwan’s amb...
According to an SEC filing dated May 06, 2026, Patriot Financial Partners GP II, L.P. reported a new position in TowneBank (NASDAQ:TOWN) , acquiring 1,518,143 shares. The estimated transaction value was $52.73 million, calculated using the average closing price during the first quarter of 2026. The position’s quarter-end value of $51.12 million reflects both the new stake and changes in the underl...
According to an SEC filing dated May 06, 2026, Patriot Financial Partners GP II, L.P. reported a new position in TowneBank (NASDAQ:TOWN) , acquiring 1,518,143 shares. The estimated transaction value was $52.73 million, calculated using the average closing price during the first quarter of 2026. The position’s quarter-end value of $51.12 million reflects both the new stake and changes in the underlying share price during the period. TowneBank is a regional financial institution with a diverse business model spanning banking, real estate, and insurance services. TowneBank maintains a strong presence in its core markets, operating in Richmond, Virginia, the Greater Hampton Roads region in southeastern Virginia, northeastern North Carolina, and several cities in North Carolina. Continue reading
Arm (NASDAQ:ARM) reported record results for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026 and the full fiscal year, pointing to accelerating momentum in cloud AI and growing customer interest in its recently launched Arm AGI CPU product family. Record quarter and full-year results CEO Rene Haas said Arm “deli
Arm (NASDAQ:ARM) reported record results for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026 and the full fiscal year, pointing to accelerating momentum in cloud AI and growing customer interest in its recently launched Arm AGI CPU product family. Record quarter and full-year results CEO Rene Haas said Arm “deli
With reports of abuse and deaths fuelling concern among parents, questions are growing over whether CCTV can offer real protection for children - or not.
With reports of abuse and deaths fuelling concern among parents, questions are growing over whether CCTV can offer real protection for children - or not.
Markets abhor uncertainty, and today both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq rallied to record highs on the hope that the anxiety and overhang from the US / Iran conflict may be coming to a close. Now, we’ve been here before. In the past few weeks seemingly imminent ceasefires, agreements, or some other abatement in tension ... The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Defy Gravity And Hit Record Highs
Markets abhor uncertainty, and today both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq rallied to record highs on the hope that the anxiety and overhang from the US / Iran conflict may be coming to a close. Now, we’ve been here before. In the past few weeks seemingly imminent ceasefires, agreements, or some other abatement in tension ... The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Defy Gravity And Hit Record Highs
Luis Enrique's expertise at rebuilding a culture as well as a football team means Arsenal will confront the complete package when they meet holders Paris St-Germain in the Champions League final.
Luis Enrique's expertise at rebuilding a culture as well as a football team means Arsenal will confront the complete package when they meet holders Paris St-Germain in the Champions League final.
Good morning, stock markets around the world have jumped on hopes the US and Iran are nearing a breakthrough. The nations are considering a fresh proposal to end the war as President Donald Trump searches for an exit to the conflict. Closer to home, Australia will include an A$10 billion package for fuel and fertilizer security in next week’s budget proposal after the Iran war caused a run on supp...
Good morning, stock markets around the world have jumped on hopes the US and Iran are nearing a breakthrough. The nations are considering a fresh proposal to end the war as President Donald Trump searches for an exit to the conflict. Closer to home, Australia will include an A$10 billion package for fuel and fertilizer security in next week’s budget proposal after the Iran war caused a run on supplies. And Australia and Fiji agreed on a new security and political treaty as Canberra looks to counter China’s growing influence in the Pacific region. - Sharon Klyne, Australia private credit reporter . What’s happening now Australia will include an A$10 billion package for fuel and fertilizer security in next week’s budget proposal after the Iran war caused a run on supplies in the Pacific nation. The package will fund a permanent government-owned onshore fuel reserve of around 1 billion liters and lift the minimum amount of fuel companies are required to hold by around 10 days. New Zealand is also mulling its fuel security , looking at storing fuel in Malaysia and Singapore, a senior government minister said, as the impacts of the Iran war expose the risks from its limited domestic storage capacity. Australia and Fiji will sign the Vuvale Union, a treaty building on a 2019 partnership between the countries. The new treaty will cover security, economic and people-to-people ties, with the details to be finalized in coming weeks, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said. Australia will also provide A$30 million to assist Fiji with its fuel security . Brighter Super , a A$37 billion Australian pension fund, is tilting its portfolio away from the local share market in favor of global stocks as artificial intelligence continues to gain momentum in the US. Meanwhile, Australian retirees are withdrawing their pension savings at increasing rates. At Colonial First State, retirees ramped up lump-sum withdrawals in March as the US-Iran conflict escalated, according to the lates...
Singapore ’s lawmakers unanimously passed a motion affirming that the country will not have jobless growth amid the artificial intelligence transition, CNA reported. The private member’s motion, passed on Wednesday after two days of debate, called for parliament to recognize the impact of AI on jobs and affirm that economic progress will be inclusive. It was the first motion tabled by the labor mo...
Singapore ’s lawmakers unanimously passed a motion affirming that the country will not have jobless growth amid the artificial intelligence transition, CNA reported. The private member’s motion, passed on Wednesday after two days of debate, called for parliament to recognize the impact of AI on jobs and affirm that economic progress will be inclusive. It was the first motion tabled by the labor movement in more than a decade, according to CNA. “Left to market, AI growth may not automatically benefit workers,” Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress, Ng Chee Meng said in a speech. Ng called the win a clear consensus that the impact of AI on workers must be managed.
After the market closed tonight, Fluence Energy (NASDAQ: FLNC) dropped its fiscal Q2 2026 results, and the earnings report is a study in contrasts. Revenue badly missed, but the bottom line beat, backlog hit a record, and the company landed master supply agreements with two hyperscalers. Shares had already closed up 6.86% at $13.56 before ... Fluence (FLNC) Stock Soars 27% Tonight As Hyperscaler O...
After the market closed tonight, Fluence Energy (NASDAQ: FLNC) dropped its fiscal Q2 2026 results, and the earnings report is a study in contrasts. Revenue badly missed, but the bottom line beat, backlog hit a record, and the company landed master supply agreements with two hyperscalers. Shares had already closed up 6.86% at $13.56 before ... Fluence (FLNC) Stock Soars 27% Tonight As Hyperscaler Orders Steal the Show
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s trickery and imagination in Munich gave a reminder of the challenge facing Arsenal in the final Well, it was never going to be quite the same. You only get one all-time high, one first kiss, one Catcher in the Rye, one loved-up alien-ball dreamscape of a game like the first leg between these two teams . In the event Bayern Munich never really laid a glove on Paris Saint-Ger...
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s trickery and imagination in Munich gave a reminder of the challenge facing Arsenal in the final Well, it was never going to be quite the same. You only get one all-time high, one first kiss, one Catcher in the Rye, one loved-up alien-ball dreamscape of a game like the first leg between these two teams . In the event Bayern Munich never really laid a glove on Paris Saint-Germain at the Allianz Arena . They trailed from the third minute to Ousmane Dembélé’s goal , drew level on the night through Harry Kane at the death, but looked in between like a team trying to generate energy from a standing start, always kept at one remove by the extended arm, the palm on their forehead, fists whirling in the empty air between. Continue reading...