<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner>(Sept 21): US investments in Spain jumped 84% in the first half of 2026, as investors brushed aside political tensions between the two countries.</div>

<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner>American investment in Spain grew by 84% in the six-month period from a year earlier, according to government data published Monday. That compares with a 31.2% increase in overall foreign investment, which stood at €12.4 billion (RM58.01 billion). The US is the top investor in the European nation.</div>

<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner>Political relations between the US and Spain have been rocky since early 2025, due mainly to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s refusal to meet Nato’s spending goal of 5% of gross domestic product. The situation escalated this year when Spain said the US could not use military bases for attacks against Iran. US President Donald Trump has criticised Spain and even threatened trade penalties.</div><div class=inPageAd id=div-gpt-ad-inpage></div>

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<div class="mt-3 imgw-400 embed-bottom"><a class="mobx embedimg-icon" data-rel="ceolightbox" href="https://myassets.theedgemalaysia.com/pics/2026/20260921_us_spain_1_20260921201431_jntx1m.jpg"><img alt="" src="https://myassets.theedgemalaysia.com/pics/2026/20260921_us_spain_1_20260921201431_jntx1m.jpg" /></a></div>

US investments in Spain jumped 84% in the first half of 2026, as investors brushed aside political tensions between the two countries.

US investments in Spain surge 84% despite political tensions

Oil steadied after a four-day slump, as Middle East supply concerns eased and traders tracked diplomatic efforts to end the US-Iran war. West Texas Intermediate held above US$95 a barrel, after losing more than 9% over the four prior sessions, while Brent settled near US$100.

Oil steadies after four-day drop as traders look to Hormuz flows

Asian equities and Wall Street stock-index futures advanced after the US described talks with China as “very successful” ahead of a summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping this week. Oil fell for a fourth day.

Asian stocks and US futures rise, oil extends drop

The last stretch of a busy week for markets saw stocks churning as bond yields rose, with investors also facing the expiration of a pile of options that spurred a surge in trading volume.

Stocks jump on AI optimism as AMD tops US$1 trillion

The main US stock indices advanced on Monday, powered by gains in artificial intelligence (AI) firms, as Treasury yields eased and crude prices tumbled more than 3% to hit an 11-day low on the prospect of a breakthrough in Middle East talks at a United Nations meeting this week.

Wall St rises on AI gains as oil slides, Treasury yields retreat

Electronic Know Your Customer (eKYC) service providers are updating their systems to recognise the design and features of the new-generation MyKad for identity verification.

eKYC providers updating systems for new generation MyKad — NRD

Police are hunting the suspects behind arson attacks on two convenience stores in Kuching and Sri Aman on Sunday, in which objects believed to contain explosives or flammable materials were thrown into the premises.

Sarawak police hunt suspects in explosive attacks on two convenience stores

Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD) shares jumped on Monday, putting the company on track to close above US$1 trillion (RM4.08 trillion) in market value for the first time amid renewed optimism for chipmakers necessary to power artificial intelligence (AI).

AMD set to top US$1 tril in market value as chip stocks soar

China is over halfway to meeting its pledge to buy 25 million tonnes of US soybeans this year, but progress on a separate commitment to spend billions of dollars more on American crops has largely stalled.

China’s selective crop buying tests US trade truce before summit

Vladimir Putin is set to travel to China for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit hosted by President Xi Jinping but is likely to skip the Group of 20 (G20) in the US with Donald Trump.

Putin plans to attend Xi’s Apec summit and skip G20 with Trump — Bloomberg

CNN, MS NOW and Politico sued President Donald Trump and other members of his administration on Monday for banning them from White House grounds, saying it violated their rights to free speech and a free press under the US Constitution's First Amendment.

CNN, MS NOW and Politico suing Trump over White House ban

Nearly two-thirds of Malaysia’s wage earners were in semi- and low-skilled jobs in 2025, with median monthly wages of RM2,223 or less, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).

Nearly two-thirds of Malaysians made RM2,200 or less a month in 2025 — official data

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

Pekat, Gamuda, Southern Score Builders, Powerwell, Straits Energy, CTOS Digital, Dialog, Excel Force, M&A Equity, Winstar Capital & Inspace Creation

Excel Force MSC Bhd (KL:EFORCE), one of the companies linked to businessman Wong Thean Soon, has proposed a private placement to raise up to RM10.98 million for working capital and free up funds for a software project.

Excel Force proposes RM11 mil placement for working capital after TS Wong sell-off   

A minimum of 30% Bumiputera equity ownership is no longer a requirement for private limited companies operating private educational institutions (IPS) under the Ministry of Education (MOE).

Education Ministry relaxes Bumiputera equity requirement for private educational institutions

Dialog Group Bhd (KL:DIALOG) said its RAJA Cluster small field asset production sharing contract (PSC) has received approval from Petroliam Nasional Bhd (PETRONAS) for an US$81 million (RM330.29 million) field development and abandonment plan.

Dialog gets PETRONAS approval for US$81m RAJA Cluster development plan

Former High Court judge Datuk Duncan Sikodol has been appointed to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) Anti-Corruption Advisory Board for the 2026-2029 term.

Former High Court judge Duncan Sikodol joins MACC advisory board

M&amp;A Equity Holdings Bhd (KL:M&amp;A) said its non-executive director Thong Mei Chuen has been redesignated as non-executive chairperson, effective Monday.

M&A Equity Holdings redesignates Thong Mei Chuen as non-executive chairperson

China has expelled two top military officers, Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, from the Communist Party and the military over "serious violations of discipline and law", the state-run Xinhua news agency said on Monday.

China expels two top generals from party and military, alleging disloyalty, corruption

Every Sept&nbsp;12, the United Nations marks the International Day for South-South Cooperation. The language surrounding it centres on solidarity, mutual development, knowledge sharing, and cooperation among developing economies, presented as an aspiration. Some countries have taken this further, turning South-South cooperation into something decidedly commercial by bringing not just their products but also their capital, technology, expertise, and capabilities into new markets.

Opinion: The US$7.2 tril shift — What the Global South means for Malaysian business

The main US stock indices advanced on Monday, powered by gains in artificial intelligence (AI) firms, as Treasury yields eased and crude prices tumbled more than 3% to hit an 11-day low on the prospect of a breakthrough in Middle East talks at a United Nations meeting this week.

Malaysia is heading into a far more difficult economic environment in the final quarter of the year.

Opinion: War, oil and votes: Anwar’s triple budget dilemma

Interior fit-out firm Inspace Creation Bhd (KL:INSPACE) has won a subcontract of RM34.75 million to undertake renovation works on commercial properties.

Inspace Creation bags RM35 mil subcontract for renovation works

Vladimir Putin is set to travel to China for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit hosted by President Xi Jinping but is likely to skip the Group of 20 (G20) in the US with Donald Trump.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the responsibility for the recent hacking incident involving OpenAI’s advanced artificial intelligence (AI) models was with that firm’s managers, while stopping short of suggesting any consequences.

Bessent holds OpenAI managers responsible for Hugging Face incident

Alphabet Inc’s Google announced pricing and hardware specifications for the first so-called Googlebooks, marking a push into a high-end laptop market where built-in artificial intelligence (AI) features have become the norm.

Google rolls out US$899-plus ‘Googlebook’ AI laptops with hardware partners

Turkiye froze assets tied to executives at several investment firms, expanding an investigation into a fund-industry crisis that has already triggered redemption failures, arrests and a sharp selloff in stocks.

Turkiye freezes fund executives’ assets in redemption crisis

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer indicated that the country and China&nbsp;remain divided on the terms of a trade truce extension, suggesting that three to six months is&nbsp;a range that Washington could support.

Greer says US, China to continue talks on trade truce extension

Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD) shares jumped on Monday, putting the company on track to close above US$1 trillion (RM4.08 trillion) in market value for the first time amid renewed optimism for chipmakers necessary to power artificial intelligence (AI).

China is over halfway to meeting its pledge to buy 25 million tonnes of US soybeans this year, but progress on a separate commitment to spend billions of dollars more on American crops has largely stalled.

Hong Kong’s stock exchange is seeking to further relax rules for publicly traded companies to conduct deals, as the Asian financial hub pushes to enhance its competitiveness as a listing destination.&nbsp;