SEOUL (April 7): LG Energy Solution, an electric vehicle (EV) battery supplier for General Motors and Tesla, estimated on Monday a 138% rise in its quarterly operating profit.

LG Energy Solution flags 138% rise in 1Q operating profit

Samsung Electronics chairman Jay Y Lee was found not guilty of accounting fraud and stock manipulation by a Seoul appeals court on Monday, in a ruling that could remove long-running legal risks that he has faced from criminal cases.

Samsung chief Jay Y Lee found not guilty in merger case

Samsung Electronics on Friday warned of sluggish sales of its artificial intelligence chips in the current quarter due to US export restrictions to China, and as it worked towards launching an improved version of its high-end chips.

Samsung warns of slow AI chip sales in 1Q, hurt by US restrictions on China

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Trump administration won’t be pursuing specific exchange-rate targets in its talks with Japan, instead reiterating his predecessor’s calls for Tokyo to abide by long-standing Group of Seven commitments.

“Absolutely no currency targets,” Bessent said when asked whether he was seeking such a thing in his engagement with Japan.

Bessent says ‘no currency targets’ sought in Japan talks

Signs Donald Trump is rethinking the most-aggressive elements of his combative stances on trade and the Federal Reserve spurred back-to-back gains in stocks and the dollar, while soothing volatility across asset classes.

The S&P 500 rose 1.7%, though it pared an earlier surge that had swelled to as much 3.4%.

Stocks notch back-to-back gains as dollar climbs

Kering reported on Wednesday a bigger-than-expected decline in first-quarter revenue, the latest set of disappointing results from the luxury group as its star label Gucci continues to struggle amid a worsening economic environment.

Kering reports 14% sales drop in first quarter as Gucci sales slide further 

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that President Donald Trump hasn’t offered to take down US tariffs on China on a unilateral basis.

Bessent says no unilateral US offer to cut tariffs on China

Bank Negara Malaysia will support Malaysia’s Asean chairmanship theme of “Inclusivity and sustainability” by focusing on two areas: Financing for energy transition projects in Asean, and supporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in their journey on the low-carbon transition.

These ...

Finance: Bank Negara Malaysia to work with Asean on the green transition

Malaysia is not short of policies and plans to tackle climate change. However, for these initiatives to be effective, climate change and its related impacts must be considered in the country’s public financial management processes.

These are among the suggestions that Marco Larizza, sen...

Climate: World Bank: Malaysia has to strengthen institutions to adapt to climate change

Public-listed companies (PLCs) in Malaysia are now required to use Bursa Malaysia’s Centralised Sustainability Intelligence (CSI) platform as their official sustainability reporting channel. This follows the regulator’s late-March announcement that the CSI platform is fully equipped to support di...

Reporting: Bursa aims to address companies’ sustainability reporting burden

Malaysia’s passing of the Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) Bill in March has left many questions unanswered about the bill’s place in contributing to the country’s climate goals. Yet, it is a step forward in implementing a flagship catalyst project under the National Energy Transiti...

Cover Story: Who benefits from CCUS in Malaysia?

US President Donald Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on imports from all countries has sparked concerns about the future of the low-carbon energy transition, as products such as solar panels, battery storage and electric vehicles (EVs) rely heavily on global supply chains.

The global clean energy supply chain

Devoting years of one’s life to repopulating an endangered species, only to see the numbers dwindling until nothing was left, is a terrible outcome to witness.

This was the experience of John Payne, who was part of WWF-Malaysia’s programme to save the Sumatran Rhinoceros in the 1980s. T...

Biodiversity: Keeping the wild banteng alive

Here is a brief recap of some business news and corporate announcements that made the headlines on Wednesday.

Ramssol, MCE, MN, United Plantations, IGB REIT, IGB Commercial REIT, Axis REIT, AME REIT, Sarawak Consolidated Industries, Iconic Worldwide

IGB REIT and IGB Commercial REIT reported higher earnings in the first quarter ended March 31, 2025, but warned investors of challenges ahead.

IGB REITs report higher 1Q earnings but warn of challenges ahead

Putrajaya Holdings Sdn Bhd, the master developer of Putrajaya, is partnering with Sunway Healthcare Holdings Sdn Bhd, the healthcare arm of conglomerate Sunway Bhd (KL:SUNWAY), to develop a multi-speciality tertiary medical centre in Putrajaya.

Putrajaya Holdings partners Sunway Healthcare to develop advanced medical centre

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that President Donald Trump hasn’t offered to take down US tariffs on China on a unilateral basis.

MN Holdings Bhd (KL:MNHLDG) said it has&nbsp; been appointed by Sunview Group Bhd (KL:SUNVIEW) to supply interconnection facilities for two solar power plant projects in Sungai Petani, Kedah.

MN Holdings to undertake interconnection job for solar power plants in Sungai Petani

With the latest inflation coming at a four-year low, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) will have room to cut interest rates to prop up economic growth under threat from international trade tensions.

BNM has room for rate cuts to prop up growth, economists say as inflation eases to four-year-low

Sarawak Consolidated Industries Bhd (KL:SCIB) on Wednesday clarified that its subsidiary’s RM19.72 million recovery claim against Awana JV Suria Saga Sdn Bhd has not been withdrawn, but has instead been consolidated into a main suit to streamline litigation proceedings.

SCIB clarifies suit against developer Awana JV over scrapped Perak project still on

Axis Real Estate Investment Trust (Axis REIT) net income rose 16.2% to RM49.13 million in its first quarter ended March (1QFY2025) from RM42.27 million in 1QFY2024, as new acquisitions, tenancies and rental rates boosted its property income.

Axis REIT 1Q income jumps on new acquisitions, tenancies and rental rates

Türkiye’s largest city of Istanbul was hit by a 6.2-magnitude earthquake, the US Geological Survey said, though no damage or injuries were immediately reported by authorities.

Türkiye’s largest city Istanbul hit By 6.2 magnitude earthquake

The basic technology behind Ambient Photonics’s solar cells is so simple that it’s routinely assembled as a high school science experiment. In labs across the US, students sandwich blackberries’ potent pigment between glass to create dye-sensitised cells capable of harnessing energy from the sun.

High-powered solar cells are poised to replace batteries

AME Real Estate Investment Trust (KL:AMEREIT) on Wednesday reported a marginal increase in net property income (NPI) for its fourth financial quarter, thanks to contributions from two newly-acquired industrial properties which were, however, offset by higher operating expenses.

AME REIT posts slight rise in 4Q property income, to pay 1.83 sen per unit

Economic pressures from steep new US tariffs will push global public debt above pandemic-era levels to nearly 100% of global GDP by the end of the decade as slower growth and trade strain government budgets, the International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday.

The IMF's latest Fiscal Monitor projected that global public debt will grow 2.8 percentage points to 95.1% of global GDP in 2025. It said the upward trend was likely to continue, reaching 99.6% of global GDP by 2030.

IMF says tariff pressures to push global public debt past pandemic levels

While many investors have been scared away from tech giants at the centre of this year’s equity rout, the companies are likely to continue ploughing money into buybacks that will offer at least one source of continuing support for the stocks.

Tech giants to plow US$500b cash hoard into more buybacks

Airbus SE plans to source some metal to manufacture its aircraft from Saudi Arabia as part of a widebody aircraft deal with the kingdom’s flag carrier.

Airbus to source titanium from Saudi Arabia as part of jet deal

Messrs UHY Malaysia PLT has resigned from its role as the external auditor for both Key Asic Bhd (KL:KEYASIC) and UCrest Bhd (KL:UCREST), effective Wednesday.

UHY resigns as external auditor for Key Asic, UCrest

Tesla investors breathed a sigh of relief after CEO Elon Musk said he would refocus his attention on the electric automaker, but that promise did not entirely dispel worries that his right-wing shift had irrevocably damaged the company's brand.

Investors relieved Musk will refocus on Tesla, but worry about brand damage

The Dolphin Company’s former CEO, aided by armed men, took control of the bankrupt aquatic parks operator’s Mexican headquarters in the middle of the night earlier this month, restructuring advisers battling for control of the company alleged in court filings.

Ex-aquatic park CEO accused of seizing HQ after midnight

Hapag-Lloyd customers have cancelled 30% of shipments to the United States from China, spooked by the trade conflict between the world's two largest economies, a spokesperson for the German container shipping group told Reuters on Wednesday.

Hapag-Lloyd says 30% of China's US bound shipments have been cancelled

Heads of state and government leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen took part in a two-hour-long virtual meeting aimed at returning focus to climate action in an increasingly challenging global context.

World leaders from China to EU hold climate meeting without US

Boeing reported a smaller-than-expected quarterly loss on Wednesday, as the US planemaker produced and delivered more jets, after quality problems and a crippling strike shuttered most of its aircraft production late last year.

Joyce Lee & Hyunjoo Jin