Big swings in stock markets and hedge fund activity have propelled Hong Kong's derivative trading to unprecedented highs.

The number of outstanding futures and options contracts on the city's bourse has reached 22 million so far this year, surpassing the record set in 2024 by 70% in less than three months.

Hong Kong derivatives trading surges to record on turbulent markets, hedge fund interest

As US President Donald Trump's wide-ranging trade war rouses fears of recession, global investors have found an unlikely new sanctuary: Chinese equities.

Donald Trump makes Chinese stocks great again

Global hedge funds keen to navigate US-China trade tensions are amassing Chinese stock bets in the hopes of making huge profits if Beijing forms a pact with Donald Trump, or if the rest of the world and China unite against the US president.

Hedge funds tailor win-win bets on China

Hong Kong's financial secretary Paul Chan on Wednesday said the city's regulators have issued nine digital asset platform licences and has more approvals in the pipeline.

Chan, speaking at Coindesk's Consensus Hong Kong 2025 conference, said Hong Kong's government was also working to advance the regulation of stable coins.

Hong Kong issues nine digital asset platform licences, plans more approvals

The Hong Kong government has responded for the first time to questions about the use of cryptocurrencies as proof of wealth for an immigration scheme after a local accountant talked publicly about two cases that had accepted the digital assets.

HK comments leave door open to use of cryptocurrencies as proof of wealth

Asian hedge funds delivered their strongest returns in 15 years last year, capitalising on market volatility, winners in China's wobbly economy and opportunities in artificial intelligence (AI).

Asian hedge funds' 2024 performance best in 15 years

Asean, which has faced a series of global uncertainties, has emerged from a quiet corner of the global economy to become central to it, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

From currency shocks to global contagion, Asean has seen it all, the prime minister said in his keynote address at the gala dinner in conjunction with Malaysia’s Asean chairmanship of the Finance Track here on Wednesday.

Asean emerges as a central player in global economy after overcoming series of adversities — Anwar

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s trip to see President Xi Jinping will offer a chance to swap notes on a common problem: how to respond to an increasingly unreliable US.

Sanchez, who is due in Beijing on Friday, will be the first European leader to visit China since President Donald Trump slapped tariffs on most of the world. With agreements due to be signed in areas including pharmaceuticals, agricultural and medical products, Sanchez can argue that Spain is the go-to partner for China in Europe at a time of growing economic uncertainty.

Spain pushing for EU pivot to China to counter Trump tariffs

Spain will pursue closer trade ties with China in the interests of its citizens and of the EU, its agriculture minister Luis Planas said on Wednesday, rejecting a US warning that moving closer to the Asian country would be "cutting your own throat".

Spain defends closer trade ties with China after US warns against 'cutting own throat'

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the administration is considering plans to offer assistance to farmers amid worries that the US-China trade war will have a disastrous effect on American agricultural producers.

US weighs farmer bailout as China retaliation threatens exports

CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd rejected accusations it failed to pay about 1.2 billion balboas (US$1.2 billion or RM5.4 billion) to the Panamanian state over the concession contract to run the two key ports in the Central American country.

CK Hutchison rejects accusations over Panama Ports payments

KUALA LUMPUR (April 9): Here is a brief recap of some corporate announcements that made news on Wednesday;

AMMB Holdings Bhd's (KL:AMBANK) group chief financial officer Shafiq Abdul Jabbar is stepping down “to pursue other professional opportunities”. Industry sources say Shafiq ...

AMMB, KIP REIT, Khee San, Sapura Energy, Jati Tinggi, AWC, Hibiscus Petroleum, HHRG

China on Wednesday issued a risk alert for Chinese tourists travelling to the US, according to a statement from the culture and tourism ministry.

China issues risk alert for tourists travelling to US

The angry mutterings at the Permian Basin Petroleum Association’s “Spring Swing” golf tournament this week weren’t all about missed putts or lost balls. The Texas oilmen on the fairways had a more serious concern: The president they helped elect was tanking oil prices.

Texas wildcatters impatient with Trump as oil prices tank

When the 24% reciprocal tariff US President Trump imposed on Malaysia on April 9 takes effect, Malaysia would face the biggest economic threat since we transitioned from an agricultural and commodity exporting country to a manufacturing exporting country in the 1980s. The reciprocal tariff would bulldoze all the economic prosperity that Malaysia has generated since then, rendering us a hollowed industrial ecosystem with a high unemployment rate.

How Malaysia’s manufacturing industries can survive Trump’s reciprocal tariff

Wall Street's main indexes inched higher on Wednesday as investors lapped up cheaper technology stocks in a choppy session that remained centered on tariff moves as China retaliated with more levies on US goods.

Tech shares lift Wall Street amid escalating US-China tariff war

AMMB Holdings Bhd's (KL:AMBANK) group chief financial officer Shafiq Abdul Jabbar is stepping down “to pursue other professional opportunities”,&nbsp;the banking group said in a bourse filing on Wednesday.

AMMB CFO to step down, said to be joining Maybank

Cuckoo International (MAL) Bhd said on Wednesday it is delaying its Bursa Malaysia listing by two months due to the current global market volatility.

Cuckoo International delays Bursa listing to June amid market rout

The High Court on Wednesday recorded a consent judgement between 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), SRC International Sdn Bhd, along with several other companies, and Shabnam Naraindas Daswani, where the Singaporean national was sued along with Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.

1MDB withdraws suit against Singaporean Shabnam in US$346m Rosmah luxury goods case

Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) is looking to exit its positions in legacy investments, allowing it to strengthen other asset classes, including fixed income, said its deputy president and group chief executive officer Datuk Rick Ramli.

PNB looking to quit legacy investments to strengthen portfolio

Emphasising a people-first approach,&nbsp;Lim Seong Hai Capital Bhd (KL:LSH) non-executive chairman Tan Sri Lim&nbsp;Keng&nbsp;Cheng said his vision for the Kuala Lumpur Tower is grounded in compassion and continuity, particularly in safeguarding the livelihoods of all existing staff.

LSH Capital chairman refutes KL Tower staff replacement rumours

KIP Real Estate Investment Trust (KL:KIPREIT) is acquiring four retail properties worth RM118 million in Kuala Selangor&nbsp;and Kuantan, Pahang, marking a strategic suburban expansion.

KIP REIT to acquire RM118m worth of suburban retail assets, boosting portfolio to RM1.5b

China retaliated against new tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump by announcing it would raise duties on US goods, roiling markets and deepening a trade war between the world’s largest economies.

China raises tariffs on US goods to 84% as trade rift worsens

Glove counters on Bursa Malaysia surged in early trade on Wednesday, buoyed by hopes of a trade diversion from China to Malaysia amid escalating US-China tariff tensions — but the rally fizzled out by market close, with most stocks paring earlier gains.

Glove stocks pare early gains as US-China tariff drama unfolds

(April 9):&nbsp;Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional Bhd&nbsp;said the uncertainty stemming from US President Donald Trump’s sweeping global tariffs is making it difficult to exit private assets, as it reviews its portfolio.

Khazanah MD says US tariffs uncertainty makes it hard to exit private assets

The sweeping United States (US) tariffs will be credit negative for the Asia-Pacific (Apac), but lower-tariff countries such as Malaysia, India and the Philippines may gain market share through trade triangulation to serve the US market, according to Moody’s Ratings.

Malaysia among countries that could boost market share as US tariffs shift Apac trade — Moody’s

The drugs and firearms trial involving Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s former research officer Muhammad Yusoff Rawther took a turn at the High Court on Wednesday, following questions over how the front passenger door of his Nissan Teana could be opened, after he had previously failed to do so using the car’s remote control.

Questions arise as to how front passenger door to Yusoff Rawther's car could be opened

Oil prices fell to a four-year low on Wednesday while several commodities, including coffee, tumbled as the trade war between China and the US intensified.

Oil hits four-year low, coffee falls as trade war escalates

(April 9):&nbsp;The owners of Edotco Group Sdn Bhd&nbsp;are seeking a financial adviser to help with a sale that could value the Malaysian telecommunication tower company at about US$3 billion (RM13.49 billion) including debt, people familiar with the matter said.

Axiata said to seek adviser for Edotco sale — Bloomberg

Ray Dalio warned that investors are too narrowly fixated on tariffs and not paying enough attention to the bigger “once-in-a-lifetime” breakdown occurring in major monetary, political and geopolitical orders.&nbsp;

Billionaire Ray Dalio sees once-a-lifetime collapse in economic, political order

Malaysia is set to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping for a state visit from April 15 to 17, Madani government spokesperson Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said.

China's Xi to visit Malaysia from April 15 to 17, says Fahmi

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he envisions reaching trade agreements with US allies that would then lay the ground for a collective approach toward Beijing to address what he described as China’s unbalanced trade structure.

Bessent sees a deal with allies, then group approach on China

Below is a summary of how key Bursa Malaysia indices and the ringgit performed on Wednesday.

FBM KLCI hits 20-month low, down 2.98% to 1,400.59 on April 9, 2025

KUALA LUMPUR (April 9): The FBM KLCI extended its losing streak on Wednesday, plunging past the 1,400 level amid broad-based sell-offs across global markets, as US President Donald Trump's reciprocal tariffs came into force at 12:01pm local time.

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The benchmark index, which opened 6.55 points or 0.5% lower at 1,437.01, skidded to as low as 1,386.63 in the afternoon — its weakest level since June 2023, before regaining some losses to close at 1,400.59 — still down 42.97 points or 2.98%.

Among the top laggards on the 30-stock FBM KLCI were CIMB Group Holdings Bhd (KL:CIMB), which fell 4.94%; Press Metal Aluminium Holdings Bhd (KL:METAL), which dropped 4.92%; and Gamuda Bhd, which declined 4.77%.

The FBM Mid 70 Index — which tracks the next 70 largest companies listed on Bursa by market capitalisation after FBM KLCI constituents — dropped 2.71%. The FBM ACE Index, which tracks ACE Market listees, slid 3.89%. The broader FBM Emas Index shed 2.88%.

SumiSaujana Group Bhd (KL:SUMI), which made its ACE Market debut on Wednesday, was caught in the whirlwind, plunging 25% or six sen to close at 18 sen, compared to its initial public offer price of 24 sen per share.

All the sectoral indices on Bursa were in the red, with the top five largest losers being the Energy Index (down 4.94%), followed by the Financial Services Index (3.92%), the Industrial Products and Services Index (3.66%),&nbsp; the Technology Index (3.65%) and the Construction Index (3.41%).

Throughout Bursa, 919 decliners outnumbered 224 gainers, while 320 counters remained unchanged. Trading volume rose to 3.77 billion shares worth RM3.79 billion from 3.32 billion shares valued at RM2.83 billion on Tuesday.

This is still lower than Monday's panic-driven trading volume of 5.35 billion shares, valued at RM4.67 billion, when Malaysian stocks lost RM93.15 billion amid a steep sell-off that saw the FBM KLCI dropping by as much as 5.65%, its largest single-day drop since the global financial crisis in 2008.

Sentiment for the Malaysian stock market remains fragile, with additional downside risks ahead if the ongoing tariff dispute persists, recession fears grow, or commodity prices — crucial to the nation’s economy — further decline, according to Fortress Capital founder and CEO Datuk Thomas Yong.

Oil prices have skidded over the past week. At the time of writing on Wednesday, Brent Crude was at US$60.18 per barrel — the lowest since February 2021, down over 4%. Malaysia's Budget 2025 assumes a global oil price forecast of US$75-80 per barrel.

“Historically, markets can stabilise after such steep drops if clarity emerges, but that seems unlikely for now, with mixed signals from the Trump administration and China vowing not to back off from further trade retaliation,” Yong told The Edge.

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Maybank Investment Bank, in a note, advised caution, noting that most sectors are still in a downtrend as attention shifts to the upcoming US consumer price index data.

Still relatively shielded

Malacca Securities' Loui Low, meanwhile, told The Edge that further downside risks are limited, as investors have priced in Trump's latest actions. Should there be no further retaliatory measures, the market could recover, Low said.

He suggested focusing on domestic sectors like construction, renewables, utilities, real estate investment trusts and consumer stocks. For export-oriented plays, he highlighted the glove sector due to the relatively favourable tariff Malaysian manufacturers face, compared to the much steeper Chinese ones.

Malaysian goods face a 24% tariff in the US, while China's goods have been slapped with an 84% levy after the Trump administration imposed an additional 50% duty on Chinese products in response to China's retaliatory 34% duties on US goods.

Rakuten Trade's Kenny Yee said the Malaysian market is relatively shielded from global risks, with lower volatility. He recommended focusing on blue chips, particularly in the banking sector.

CIMB Securities, meanwhile, listed Bursa Malaysia Bhd (KL:BURSA), CTOS Digital Bhd (KL:CTOS) and MyEG Services Bhd (KL:MYEG) as companies that remain unaffected by the US tariffs.

&nbsp;

More to come

FBM KLCI tumbles past 1,400 as Trump's tariffs kick in

Asean+3 ministers will operationalise the Rapid Financing Facility, aimed at helping financially distressed member countries to cushion against exogenous shocks or financial problems caused by external factors.

Asean+3 to operationalise Rapid Financing Facility to help financially distressed members, says BNM deputy governor

Malaysia is seeking to boost automotive exports to help narrow a four-decade trade deficit in the sector, said a top government official, and help could come from an unexpected country: the US.

Summer Zhen