India removed restrictions on shipments of non-basmati parboiled rice, a move that’s likely to boost the nation’s competitive edge in the world market and boost earnings of local farmers during the current harvesting season.

India scraps tax on some rice exports to boost competitiveness

Indonesia plans to open between 750,000 hectares and one million hectares (2.47 million acres) of new rice fields in 2025, part of new President Prabowo Subianto's drive for food self-reliance, its agriculture minister said on Tuesday.

Indonesia targets up to one mil hectares of new rice fields in 2025 

Australia’s wine exports jumped by more than a third, boosted by an increase in shipments to China after the Asian nation lifted tariffs.

The value of shipments in the year through September rose 34% to A$2.4 billion (US$1.6 billion or RM6.9 billion), its highest since the 12 months through August 2021, according to Wine Australia. That follows a recovery in supply to China and Hong Kong after Beijing in late March lifted punitive tariffs of as much as 218% on Australian wine put in place three years earlier.

Australian wine exports jump by a third as China resumes buying

Global sugar supplies are seen shrinking to the lowest level in six years in early 2025, as drought hampers production in top exporter Brazil, according to commodities trader Czarnikow Group Ltd. 

Extreme dryness has eroded sugar-cane crop conditions, limiting mills’ ability to produce sugar in the latter months of the current season and signalling a delayed start to next year’s harvest, Pedro Mizutani, Czarnikow's head of raw sugar trading, said during a conference in Sao Paulo.

Sugar supplies seen dwindling to lowest in years in early 2025

European natural gas prices surged to €40 (RM186) per megawatt-hour as tensions in the Middle East generated a fresh wave of market volatility.

Benchmark futures settled 2.1% higher on Monday, following gains for oil and offsetting last Friday’s losses. Markets are bracing for a possible escalation in hostilities between Israel and Iran that could spark a wider regional conflict, potentially affecting supplies of the heating fuel.

European natural gas prices jump as Israel prepares response following attacks

China will account for less than half of global steel consumption in 2024 for the first time in six years, according to the World Steel Association (Worldsteel), as the decline in the country’s real estate sector pummels demand for the metal.

China’s steel demand less than half of global total this year — Worldsteel

Hong Kong will roll out several measures with the aim of becoming an international trading center for gold and other commodities, Financial Secretary Paul Chan wrote in his blog Sunday.

Hong Kong to bring in measures to boost gold trading — financial secretary

Indonesia is managing the amount of nickel ore its miners produce in order to balance supply and demand, a government minister said.

“We need to maintain supply and demand balance,” Bahlil Lahadalia, minister for energy and mineral resources, said at a media briefing in Jakarta on Friday.

Indonesia controls nickel ore supply to balance weak demand

(Oct 17): Louis Dreyfus Co BV is finally at the end of its eight-month pursuit of Australia’s biggest cotton processor, securing victory in a bitter fight for control of the company that pitted the major trader against fellow behemoth Olam Agri Holdings Ltd.

Victory in cotton takeover battle gives trader Dreyfus a boost in Asia

China’s record-breaking run of aluminium output is likely to extend through the rest of the year, as supply risks dissipate at a key production base in the south of the country.

National output is expected to rise 3% in the fourth quarter from a year ago to 11 million tons, according to Shanghai Metals Market (SMM). The forecast assumes that smelters in Yunnan will escape production cuts for the first time in four years due to abundant electricity supplies.

China to extend record aluminium output amid ample power supply

(Oct 16): Iron ore swung between gains and losses on Wednesday, as China signalled a deeper push to address its housing crisis, while two leading mining companies reported increased quarterly output and plans for further expansion.

Iron ore swings with China property and miners’ output in focus

Base metals joined a selloff across Chinese risk assets on doubts over how much impact the government’s pro-growth push will have on demand.

Copper slides to three-week low on fresh jitters over China

Iron ore fell as investors’ attention shifted from China’s plans for stimulus and the outlook for demand to prospects for supplies, with leading miners due to deliver quarterly production reports.

Iron ore drops with leading miners to deliver production reports

(Oct 14): The battle for control of the world’s largest zinc smelter faces a critical deadline that could mark the beginning of the end of a multi-billion dollar succession feud.

Deadline looms in bitter fight for control of metals empire

Global fabless semiconductor companies and foundries rely on their production and assembly facilities in East Asia and Southeast Asia to manufacture 73% of their chips and semiconductor equipment. East Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea, China and Taiwan have developed a mature chip ecosy...

Condivergence: Chip packaging’s place in Malaysia’s semiconductor strategy

(Oct 23): Donald Trump has rejoined the Bloomberg Billionaires Index for the first time since Aug. 6 as his media startup’s stock surges alongside his odds in political betting markets.

The former president’s fortune rose to $6.5 billion Tuesday, ranking him 481st on the l...

Trump enters world’s 500 richest list for first time in 11 weeks

Investors counting on corporate results to give China’s stock rally a fresh leg up may have to look beyond the current quarter for clues, given an ailing economy and constraints on stimulus efforts.

While forward earnings per share projections for members of China’s benchmark CSI 300 Index have seen an upward revision of about 1.5% since a September trough, they remain close to a six-year low, Bloomberg-compiled data show. The gauge has pared some gains from a 35% surge since the September low as traders await further fiscal measures.

China’s historic stock jump unlikely to find support in earnings

Analysts have raised their earnings forecasts and target prices (TPs) after Gamuda Bhd (KL:GAMUDA) grew its order book to RM28.7 billion after securing a NT$32 billion (RM4.3 billion) contract for the Xizhi Donghu Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) project in Taiwan.

Analysts raise forecasts after Gamuda boosts order book to RM28.7b with Taiwan MRT job

US billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk warned of the risk of the United States going bankrupt if government spending is not cut, reported Sputnik, reported by Bernama-Sputnik.

Musk warns of risks of US going bankrupt — report

Malaysia Airlines Bhd (MAB) has expressed its commitment to focusing on improving training and recruitment to address the increasing demand and complexity of modern aircraft.

The Ministry of Finance (MoF) said that MAB has also strengthened its competitive salary offerings to attract new workers and retain existing employees while also implementing a recruitment process directly from the market.

MAB focuses on enhancing training, hiring workers to address demand, modern aircraft

Bankrupt Tupperware Brands agreed on Tuesday to sell its business to a group of lenders for US$23.5 million (RM101.99 million) in cash and over US$63 million in debt relief, cancelling its plans for an open-market auction of its assets.

Tupperware cancels auction, agrees to lender takeover

Three companies had met all the requirements to participate in the online bidding on June 16, 2024 for a pilot project to supply renewable energy (RE) across borders to Singapore via Energy Exchange Malaysia (ENEGEM).

The Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation (PETRA) said that two Singaporean companies were successful in their bid to secure 100 megawatts (MW) of green electricity, with cross-border supply agreements currently being finalised.

Three companies qualify for online bid to supply renewable energy

South Africa sees Russia as a valued ally, President Cyril Ramaphosa said at a bilateral meeting with Russia's Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, on the eve of the BRICS summit of emerging economies that will take place in the Russian city of Kazan.

South Africa sees Russia as a valued ally, Ramaphosa tells Putin

The last time US government bonds sold off this much as the Federal Reserve started cutting interest rates, Alan Greenspan was orchestrating a rare soft landing.

Treasuries plunge like it’s 1995 as traders see soft landing

Stocks struggled in late hours after downbeat news from some key American companies, with traders also mulling prospects for a slower pace of Federal Reserve rate cuts.

A US$600 billion exchange-traded fund tracking the S&amp;P 500 (SPY) wavered after the close of regular trading.

Stocks struggle in late hours as McDonald’s slumps

Gold prices jumped to record high and the dollar was on the rise again on Wednesday, keeping the pressure on the yen and the euro, while stocks in Asia stuttered as investors were reluctant to place major bets ahead of a hotly contested US election.

Stocks stumble, dollar and gold rise as traders weigh US rates, election

In April, sovereign fund Khazanah Nasional Bhd announced RM1 billion in ‘national fund-of-funds’ initiatives at the KL20 Summit to support local venture capital funds and attract international managers. With the increased interest from both domestic and foreign investors in Malaysia’s start-up ecosystem, a crucial question arises: Are there enough investment- or IPO-ready private companies in the country?

Are Malaysian private companies investment-ready?

Chinese President Xi Jinping told Russia's Vladimir Putin that the international situation was gripped by chaos but that Beijing's strategic partnership with Moscow was a force for stability amid the most significant changes seen in a century.

Xi tells Putin the world is in chaos but friendship with Russia will endure

HSBC Holdings plc’s new chief executive officer just unveiled the biggest overhaul of the company in at least a decade, but it was missing some key details for employees and investors.

HSBC revamp by new CEO Elhedery stumps staffers, investors alike

&nbsp;Top financial regulators around the globe are voicing concern about private credit valuations, whether lenders are hiding troubled loans, and the deep entanglement between private markets and insurance money.&nbsp;

“Valuation risks are where we see a core issue,” Andrew Dean, the co-chief of the Division of Enforcement Asset Management at the US Securities and Exchange Commission, said.

Top regulators call out valuation risks in private credit

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said the US election is creating “high uncertainty” for markets and policymakers, given the sharply divergent trade priorities of the candidates.

US election creates ‘high uncertainty’ for fragile markets, IMF says

A total of 7,400 companies have adopted the e-invoice system, with 58 million e-invoices issued as of Oct 14, according to the Ministry of Finance (MOF).

This reflects the positive reception among companies in complying with the implementation of e-invoicing, the ministry said.

7,400 companies using e-invoice system, 58 mil e-invoices issued as at Oct 14 — MOF

Japan’s 40-year government bond yield climbed to its highest level in 16 years amid growing speculation that the nation’s central bank will push ahead with interest rate increases in coming months.

Japan’s 40-year yield rises to highest since 2008 on BOJ outlook

Three companies had met all the requirements to participate in the online bidding on June 16, 2024 for a pilot project to supply renewable energy (RE) across borders to Singapore via Energy Exchange Malaysia (ENEGEM).

The Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation (PETRA) said that two Singaporean companies were successful in their bid to secure 100 megawatts (MW) of green electricity, with cross-border supply agreements currently being finalised.

Tokyo Metro Co’s stock soared 36% in its trading debut on Wednesday after the initial public offering (IPO) drew strong demand from investors.

Tokyo Metro shares soar 36% on trading debut after strong IPO

Arm Holdings plc is cancelling a licence that allowed longtime partner Qualcomm Inc to use Arm intellectual property to design chips, escalating a legal dispute over vital smartphone technology.

Arm to cancel Qualcomm chip design licence in escalation of feud

The institutional reform agenda, the construction of a new nuclear reactor and the misappropriation of subsidised diesel in the country will be among the matters discussed in the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday.

Institutional reform agenda among highlights of Parliament on Wednesday

One person died and dozens fell ill from E coli infections linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounder hamburgers in 10 states, led by Colorado, where 26 people were sickened, the US Centers for Disease Control said on Tuesday.

E coli outbreak tied to McDonald's Quarter Pounder kills one, sickens dozens in US

The chief executive officer (CEO) of GISB Holdings Sdn Bhd (GISBH) and his wife are among 22 individuals who will be charged in the Selayang Sessions Court on Wednesday.

According to Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain, all of them will be charged under Section 130V (1) of the Penal Code for being members of an organised crime group.

Top GISBH leader, wife among 22 individuals to be charged on Wednesday

Bankrupt Tupperware Brands agreed on Tuesday to sell its business to a group of lenders for US$23.5 million (RM101.99 million) in cash and over US$63 million in debt relief, cancelling its plans for an open-market auction of its assets.

The last time US government bonds sold off this much as the Federal Reserve started cutting interest rates, Alan Greenspan was orchestrating a rare soft landing.

Donald Trump touted his pledge to provide tax breaks for purchasing cars, highlighting that the benefit would only apply to vehicles made in the US as he rallied voters in a crucial swing state with just two weeks until Election Day.

Trump excludes Asian, European cars from vehicle tax-break plan

Bank of America Corp chief executive officer Brian Moynihan has urged Federal Reserve (Fed) policymakers to be measured in the magnitude of interest rate reductions.

Bank of America CEO urges Fed to not go too hard on rates

US billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk warned of the risk of the United States going bankrupt if government spending is not cut, reported Sputnik, reported by Bernama-Sputnik.

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