<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner><p>(Oct 28):&nbsp;Asia has entered its busiest week for earnings, with investors likely to focus on the results of Chinese and Hong Kong-listed banks for clues on the potential impact of Beijing’s stimulus measures.&nbsp;</p></div>

<div class="mt-3  imgw-400 embed-right"><a class="mobx embedimg-icon" data-rel="ceolightbox" href="//assets.theedgemarkets.com/pics/2024/traders-brace-busiest-earnings-week-Asia.png"><img alt="" src="https://assets.theedgemarkets.com/pics/2024/traders-brace-busiest-earnings-week-Asia.png" /></a></div>

<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner><p>Of the 1,330 MSCI Asia Pacific Index constituents, 544 firms, including Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd,&nbsp;will be announcing results this week, according to data compiled by <em>Bloomberg</em>.&nbsp;</p></div><div class=inPageAd id=div-gpt-ad-inpage></div>

<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner><p>Traders will be scrutinising commentary from lenders in China for any evidence of a pick up in credit demand that would signal a recovery in consumer confidence. Chinese banks have been plagued by slowing profit growth and shrinking interest margins.</p></div>

<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner><p>Hong Kong-listed banks such as HSBC Holdings Plc&nbsp;will also be on investors’ radar, after it announced a&nbsp;revamp&nbsp;in corporate structure.</p></div>

<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner><p><em>Uploaded by Liza Shireen Koshy</em></p></div>

<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner><p>&nbsp;</p></div>


(Oct 28): Asia has entered its busiest week for earnings, with investors likely to focus on the results of Chinese and Hong Kong-listed banks for clues on the potential impact of Beijing’s stimulus measures.

Asia enters busiest earnings week with Chinese banks in focus

Saudi Arabia’s sovereign rating was upgraded by Moody’s Ratings for the first time since the company first assessed the kingdom in 2016.

The rating company took the kingdom’s creditworthiness up a notch to Aa3, its fourth-highest grade, according to a statement on Friday. The Moody’s rating is now above those of Fitch Ratings and S&P Global Ratings.

Saudi Arabia’s rating upgraded by Moody’s for first time

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is scheduled to officiate the Two Years of Madani Government (2TM) Programme and the 2024 National Convention on Public Service Reform in the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on Saturday.

PM to officiate 'two years of Madani govt' programme, national convention on public service reform on Saturday

The government has increased the rooftop solar capacity by another 300MW for the commercial and industrial segment, and by 50MW for households.

Additional rooftop solar quota for M'sian businesses, households

Keck Seng (M) Bhd (KL:KSENG) booked an unrealised foreign exchange (forex) loss of RM81.84 million in the third quarter ended Sept 30, 2024 (3QFY2024), which in turn dragged the group into the red.

Unrealised forex loss of RM81.8 mil pulls Keck Seng into the red in 3Q

China’s rise has challenged America’s undisputed hegemony over the world economy – a status the United States has enjoyed since the Soviet Union’s collapse. While some American national-security elites seek continued US primacy, others seem resigned to an increasingly bipolar world. A more likely...

Roads To Prosperity:  Middle powers will make a multipolar world

The government successfully saved almost RM1 million in flight costs for the recent official visit by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his delegation, said Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.

Fahmi: Govt saved nearly RM1 mil in Anwar's official flight costs

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s Cabinet approved a stimulus package that’s slightly bigger than last year’s, as he followed up on a pledge to ramp up support for households and businesses struggling to cope with higher costs.

Japan’s Cabinet approves stimulus in show of progress for Ishiba

Amazon.com Inc is investing an additional US$4 billion (RM17.87 billion) in artificial intelligence (AI) startup Anthropic, boosting its stake in one of OpenAI’s chief rivals.

Amazon invests additional US$4b in AI firm Anthropic

The corporate earnings reporting season for the July-September quarter comes to a close this week. Among the companies slated to announce their financial results are banking groups Malayan Banking Bhd (KL:MAYBANK), Public Bank Bhd (KL:PBBANK), RHB Bank Bhd (KL:RHBBANK) and Hong Leong Bank Bhd (KL:HLBANK) as well as utility giant Tenaga Nasional Bhd (KL:TENAGA).

The Week Ahead: Spotlight on corporate earnings of banks, Tenaga and Opec+ meeting

President-elect Donald Trump on Friday said he will nominate prominent investor Scott Bessent as the US Treasury secretary, a key Cabinet position with vast influence over economic, regulatory and international affairs.

Trump taps tax reform, deregulation advocate Scott Bessent for Treasury

<p>A record-high US$7 trillion (RM31.28 trillion) of cash is currently sitting "on the sidelines" in money market funds (MMFs). Anyone hoping to see a significant chunk of this flooding the wider investment field in the coming months may be disappointed.</p>


America's US$7 tril cash stash isn't going anywhere

<p>When Kumpulan Wang Persaraan (Diperbadankan) (KWAP) was established in 2007, with an initial fund of RM41.9 billion, the federal government’s pension and gratuity obligations stood at a mere RM8.25 billion, just 6.7% of its total operating expenditure (opex).</p>


The pension conundrum: KWAP pushes for thoughtful reform amid growing charges

<p>The corporate earnings reporting season for the July-September quarter comes to a close this week. Among the companies slated to announce their financial results are banking groups <b>Malayan Banking Bhd</b> (KL:MAYBANK), <b>Public Bank Bhd</b> (KL:PBBANK), <b>RHB Bank Bhd</b> (KL:RHBBANK) and <b>Hong Leong Bank Bhd</b> (KL:HLBANK) as well as utility giant <b>Tenaga Nasional Bhd</b> (KL:TENAGA).</p>


<p>President-elect Donald Trump on Friday said he will nominate prominent investor&nbsp;Scott Bessent&nbsp;as the US&nbsp;Treasury secretary, a key Cabinet position with vast influence over economic, regulatory and international affairs.</p>


<p>French defence and technology firm Thales said on Friday it was denying unspecified allegations after Britain's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) announced a joint investigation with French authorities into suspected bribery and corruption.</p>


Thales denies wrongdoing as Anglo-French bribery probe hits shares

<p>Cboe Global Markets Inc. said it is set to list the first cash-settled index options related to the spot price of Bitcoin, marking the latest addition of cryptocurrency-related securities to traditional exchanges.</p>


Cboe to launch cash-settled Bitcoin ETF options as crypto booms

<p>Amazon.com Inc&nbsp;is investing an additional US$4 billion (RM17.87 billion) in artificial intelligence (AI) startup Anthropic, boosting its stake in one of OpenAI’s chief rivals.</p>


<p>Global&nbsp;stocks registered&nbsp;a strong weekly gain on Friday, while US&nbsp;Treasury yields&nbsp;slipped as&nbsp;markets&nbsp;eyed President-elect&nbsp;Donald Trump's likely policies&nbsp;and their&nbsp;impact on the US&nbsp;economy, even as bitcoin traded near the US$100,000 (RM446,800) threshold.</p>


Stocks notch strong weekly gain, US yields slip as markets eye Trump policies

<p>The banks most reluctant to tap the US&nbsp;central bank's discount window to shore up their capital are in fact those who face the highest failure risk, according to new research from the New York Federal Reserve (Fed) that turns the notion of bank emergency borrowing stigma on its head.</p>


New York Fed paper challenges notion of discount window stigma

<p>US&nbsp;bank Citigroup has received approval to establish&nbsp;its regional headquarters in Saudi Arabia's Riyadh, according to an internal memo seen by<em> Reuters </em>on Friday.</p>


Citi granted licence for regional headquarters in Saudi Arabia, memo shows

<p>UK retail sales declined more than expected in October, as uncertainty over Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves first budget prompted consumers to hold back spending.</p>


UK retail sales fell more than expected amid budget anxiety

<p>Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s Cabinet approved a stimulus package that’s slightly bigger than last year’s, as he followed up on a pledge to ramp up support for households and businesses struggling to cope with higher costs.</p>


<p>The government has increased the rooftop solar capacity by another 300MW for the commercial and industrial segment, and by 50MW for households.&nbsp;</p>


<p>Keck Seng (M) Bhd (KL:KSENG) booked an unrealised foreign exchange (forex) loss of RM81.84 million in the third quarter ended Sept 30, 2024 (3QFY2024), which in turn dragged the group into the red.&nbsp;</p>


<p>China’s rise has challenged America’s undisputed hegemony over the world economy – a status the United States has enjoyed since the Soviet Union’s collapse. While some American national-security elites seek continued US primacy, others seem resigned to an increasingly bipolar world. A more likely...

<p>Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is scheduled to officiate the Two Years of Madani Government (2TM) Programme and the 2024 National Convention on Public Service Reform in the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on Saturday.</p>
