US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato agreed on Wednesday that the dollar-yen exchange rate currently reflects fundamentals, the US Treasury Department said, a rare and explicit statement on the market situation.

US says it agreed with Japan that dollar-yen reflects fundamentals

(May 22): Malaysia’s ringgit stands to gain the most among its Southeast Asian peers, if the nation’s exporters convert their overseas earnings to the local currency, thanks to the nation’s outsized foreign-currency deposits.

Ringgit expected to gain most in Southeast Asia on exporter conversion

Taiwan’s central bank said it strategically let the local dollar rally earlier this month to let market expectations for gains play out, a move that allowed the currency to post its sharpest appreciation since the 1980s.

Taiwan’s central bank says it let currency soar to reset market

Currency options traders are now more pessimistic than they’ve ever been about the dollar’s path over the next year, according to one commonly-cited measure of investor sentiment.

Options traders are boosting bearish dollar views to record

Citigroup Inc said the dollar could fall further after this week’s Group-of-Seven (G7) meeting as global leaders discuss currency policies as part of their trade negotiations with the US. 

The bank’s currency strategists led by Osamu Takashima wrote in a note that Washington is unlikely to “aggressively pursue” a weak dollar, but the greenback will end up declining as the nation reaches agreements with its trading partners to lower tariffs.

Citi sees weaker dollar after G7 meeting as US softens tariffs

Trade-related uncertainties, ballooning fiscal debt and weakened confidence about enduring US exceptionalism have weighed on US assets, with the dollar one casualty. Investors see the currency losing more of its lustre as the greenback comes back to earth from lofty valuations.

Dollar set for more weakness as 'Brand USA' falls further out of favour

The Philippine central bank said there is no indication that its management of the peso's exchange rate is part of trade negotiations with the US government, as it signalled a preference for non-interest rate tools to manage capital inflows.

Philippine central bank says no sign FX part of US trade talks

The US dollar trimmed a four-week gain in early Asian trade as markets digested a surprise downgrade of the US government's credit rating and as lingering trade frictions weighed on sentiment.

Dollar edges lower after US credit downgrade, Aussie pares losses before RBA

European Central Bank president Christine Lagarde said the recent rise of the euro against the dollar is a consequence of US President Donald Trump’s erratic policies and an opportunity for Europe.

ECB’s Lagarde says euro’s strength is counterintuitive, but justified

Asian currencies are set to take divergent paths after a collective rally against the dollar, as investors navigate trade uncertainty and growth concerns about the world’s top two economies.

Asian currencies may chart different paths after recent rally

In a week that saw an epic rally in US stocks and recession calls cast aside, currency traders are just as bearish as ever on the American dollar.  

Strategists at JPMorgan Chase & Co and Deutsche Bank AG say the currency will keep weakening, and sentiment among options traders is the most negative in five years. The dollar index is still close to its April lows, evidence that investors are wary of returning despite the easing of China trade tensions that lifted other markets.

Wall Street down on the dollar as trade unease lingers

China scaled back its efforts to buoy the yuan, with one degree of daily support missing analyst estimates for the first time this year, amid a rebound on signs of easing trade tensions.

PBOC daily yuan support below estimates for first time this year

The ringgit’s continued rally is cushioning input costs and boosting margins across consumer and manufacturing sectors, MIDF Research said on Wednesday.

Ringgit's rally to provide 'meaningful' boost to consumer stocks — MIDF

HSBC Global Research has revised its year-end forecast for the ringgit from 4.45 to 4.20 against the US dollar, as the heightened external volatility has slightly tipped the balance in favour of the ringgit over the medium term.

HSBC raises year-end USD-MYR forecast to 4.20, citing external volatility favouring ringgit

Property developer Paramount Corp Bhd's (KL:PARAMON) net profit surged 87.2% to RM14.4 million in the first quarter ended March 31, 2025 (1QFY2025) from RM7.71 million a year earlier, primarily driven by the improvement in the property segment.

Paramount Corp 1Q net profit surges 87% on higher property sales

An earnings report from semiconductor giant and artificial intelligence (AI) bellwether Nvidia takes centre stage for Wall Street in the coming week, as stocks hit a speed bump of worries over federal deficits driving up Treasury yields.

Nvidia earnings in focus next week as rising US yields, debt rattle markets

TIME dotCom Bhd (KL:TIMECOM) posted a marginal 2.1% increase in net profit to RM112.99 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025 (1QFY2025) from RM110.67 million a year earlier, on sustained demand for its data and connectivity services, particularly from the retail segment.

TIME dotCom’s 1Q net profit up 2.1% on retail-driven data demand

InNature Bhd (KL:INNATURE) — operator of The Body Shop stores in Malaysia, Vietnam and Cambodia — is seeking to acquire The Body Shop business in Singapore from The Body Shop International Ltd (TBSI).

InNature seeks to acquire The Body Shop in Singapore

The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (Motac), through Tourism Malaysia, is organising the ‘Malaysia Photo Hunt 2025’ photo and video competition from June 1 to Aug 31, as part of efforts to intensify the promotion of tourism destinations in the lead-up to Visit Malaysia 2026 (TMM2026).

Tourism Malaysia organising Malaysia Photo Hunt 2025 with prizes worth RM400,000

Investors should buy the sell-off in long-dated Treasuries as the government is likely to heed warnings from bond vigilantes to bring its debt under control, according to Bank of America Corp’s Michael Hartnett.

BofA’s Hartnett says buy the dip in Treasuries as yields top 5%

The quota for the Net Energy Metering (NEM) programme under the domestic category, known as NEM Rakyat, has been increased by an additional 100 megawatts (MW), bringing the total quota allocated since the programme's inception in 2011 to 600MW.

NEM Rakyat quota increased by 100MW to 600MW — ministry

SAM Engineering & Equipment (M) Bhd (KL:SAM), which manufactures production equipment and aerospace products, saw its net profit for its fourth financial quarter ended March 31, 2025 (4QFY2025) slip 2% to RM25.59 million from RM26.1 million a year earlier, on lower profit contributions from the equipment and aerospace segments.

SAM Engineering ends FY2025 on weaker note, pays 2.8 sen dividend

Eco World International Bhd (KL:EWINT) has teamed up with JLand Group (JLG), part of Johor Corporation, for its first project in Malaysia.

Eco World International inks first local deal after shift to Malaysian market

Fresh graduates who have just completed their studies at institutions of higher learning are found to be the most vulnerable to overseas job scams.

Fresh graduates at risk of overseas job scams, cautions Labour Dept 

Eco-Shop Marketing Bhd (KL:ECOSHOP) rose 6% on its first day on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia, after the dollar-store retail chain lowered the offering price of its shares.

Eco-Shop Marketing ends Main Market debut with 6% gain

YTL Power International Bhd's stock (KL:YTLPOWR) fell on Friday as investors reacted to a set of weaker-than-expected results. Parent company YTL Corporation Bhd (KL:YTL) also declined.

YTL Power, YTL Corp down amid weak quarterly results, analyst downgrades

KUALA LUMPUR (May 23): Lawyers for the late Tun Daim Zainuddin’s family have questioned the basis for the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC)’s recent comments that the former finance minister’s undeclared assets should be seized.&nbsp;

Lawyer questions basis for MACC’s comments that late Daim’s undeclared assets should be seized

Lotte Chemical Titan Holding Bhd (KL:LCTITAN) signed a three-year contract to purchase up to 400 kilotonnes (KT) of naphtha annually from Aramco Trading Singapore Pte Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Aramco.

Lotte Chemical Titan signs three-year contract to buy naphtha from Aramco

A Luxembourg court on Thursday fined Edmond de Rothschild over RM119 million for the bank's role in a money-laundering scandal involving 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), Agence France-Presse reported.

European bank fined RM119m over role in 1MDB scandal by court in Luxembourg

KUALA LUMPUR (May 23): The family lawyer of Datin Seri Pamela Ling Yueh is perplexed by the authorities' assertion of her role as a witness, given remand order and travel ban imposed before her abduction.

Family lawyer doubts abducted Pamela Ling’s status as witness for MACC

KUALA LUMPUR (May 23): Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has initiated contempt of court proceedings against former attorney general (AG) and sitting apex court judge Tan Sri Ahmad Terrirudin Mohd Salleh, over an alleged order which allows the ex-PM to serve his jail sentence under house arrest.

Najib initiates contempt proceedings against ex-AG Ahmad Terrirudin over addendum order

KUALA LUMPUR (May 23): Sunway PKNS Sdn Bhd has celebrated the topping-off of both 45-storey towers at Sunway d’hill Residences, with grocer Mercato confirmed as anchor tenant for the development’s retail component.

Topping-off milestone at Sunway d’hill Residences, grocer Mercato set to anchor retail component

The dollar headed for its first weekly fall in five weeks against major currencies on Friday and long-dated Treasury yields stayed elevated, as US debt concerns that have mounted for years started driving moves in currencies and global debt.

Dollar under pressure, all eyes on Treasuries as US fiscal anxiety rises

Bursa Malaysia Securities Bhd on Thursday granted Pharmaniaga Bhd (KL:PHARMA) a three-month extension up to Aug 29 to implement its&nbsp;regularisation plan.

Pharmaniaga gets three-month extension to implement regularisation plan

The Attorney General’s Chambers on Friday said it is considering setting aside imprisoned former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's application to institute contempt proceedings against former AG Tan Sri Ahmad Terrirudin Mohd Salleh.

AG’s Chambers considering setting aside Najib's contempt application against ex-AG Terrirudin

Oil and gas services provider Velesto Energy Bhd (KL:VELESTO) has bagged a contract worth over US$90 million (RM383 million) to provide drilling rig services for the PC Ketapang II Ltd, PC North Madura II Ltd and Petronas North Ketapang Sdn Bhd programme in Indonesia, under which the group will assign its Naga 8 jack-up rig.

Velesto Energy bags US$90m job to provide drilling rig services

US&nbsp;President&nbsp;Donald Trump&nbsp;showed a screenshot of Reuters video taken in the Democratic Republic of Congo as part of what he falsely presented on Wednesday as evidence of mass killings of white South Africans.

Trump's image of dead 'white farmers' came from Reuters footage in Congo, not South Africa

AME Elite Consortium Bhd (KL:AME) has proposed to provide up to RM100 million in financial assistance to Suling Hill Development Sdn Bhd, a 50%-owned jointly controlled entity of its wholly owned subsidiary Northern Industrial Park Sdn Bhd.

AME Elite to provide up to RM100m financial assistance for Penang industrial park project

BANFF, Alberta/OTTAWA, Canada/BENGALURU (May 22): Finance ministers and central bank governors from the Group of Seven (G7) democracies papered over their differences on Thursday, pledging to address "excessive imbalances" in the global economy and saying they could increase sanctions on Russia.

G7 glosses over tariffs, pledges to cut global economic imbalances

Petronas Dagangan Bhd (KL:PETDAG) posted a 29.8% increase in net profit for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025 (1QFY2025), on higher Jet A1 aviation fuel and diesel sales from its commercial segment which offset declines in its retail segment.

Petronas Dagangan’s 1Q profit up 30% on stronger commercial fuel sales, lower costs

STERLING, Virginia/LONDON&nbsp;(May 22): Buyers of US President&nbsp;Donald Trump’s&nbsp;meme coin&nbsp;converged&nbsp;from around the globe on Thursday for an exclusive dinner at his private country club, overlooking the Potomac River, just outside the nation’s capital.

Wealthy foreign crypto investors descend on Trump's golf club for US$148 mil meme coin dinner

Hextar Global Bhd (KL:HEXTAR) reported an 11.18% increase in net profit to RM13.5 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025, supported by improved profit margins at its specialty chemicals and agriculture segments with better sales mix.

Hextar Global’s 1Q profit rises 11% on better margins at specialty chemicals and agriculture segments

The Ministry of Human Resources (Kesuma) is currently reviewing the proposal to raise the mandatory retirement age from 60 to 65, said minister Steven Sim.

HR Ministry studying proposal to raise retirement age — Steven Sim

ocus Point Holdings Bhd (KL:FOCUSP) said the ongoing tariff turmoil could work in its favour by boosting its bargaining power with suppliers while the company continues to grow its network.

Currency

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