Public Bank Bhd's net profit for the third quarter ended Sept 30, 2023 rose 7% to RM1.70 billion from RM1.59 billion a year earlier, on the back of healthy loans and customer deposits growth.

Public Bank's 3Q net profit rises 7% to RM1.7 bil

The survival of natural rubber as a smallholder crop is in doubt due to the depressed rubber prices seen over the last couple of years. Rubber smallholders, due to poor incomes from the sale of rubber, are finding it very difficult to survive economically. They have no control whatsoever over rub...

My Say: Cultivating rubber smallholders for the good of the planet

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 29): Leform Bhd’s investors might have finally sighed a relief over the past two months, as the steel product manufacturer they invested in made a steep climb after staying range-bound for the most part last 12 months since the company’s initial public offering (IPO) nearly a year ago.

Leform’s 33% rise in share price month-to-date raises eyebrows

Oil moved in a narrow range on Wednesday as investors turned cautious ahead of a crucial Opec+ meeting to decide output policy in the next months, while a supply disruption in the Black Sea provided a floor for prices.

Oil little changed as Opec+ decision awaits, Black Sea storm disrupts supply

Malaysia's banking sector will revert to a pre-pandemic state of modest growth and profitability in 2024, said Fitch Ratings.

Malaysian banking sector to see modest growth, profitability in 2024, says Fitch Ratings

Bursa Malaysia was marginally lower at midday on Wednesday, weighed down by continuous selling across the board on a lack of fresh catalysts.

KLCI little changed at midday

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 29): ISP Group of Companies (ISP), a real estate developer and investment holding company, commenced construction of its purpose-built workers accommodation (PBWA) in Kapar, Selangor on Monday (Nov 27), according to a press statement on the same day.

ISP Group of Companies commences construction of its 3,780-bed purpose-built workers accommodation in Kapar

Media Prima Bhd posted a net profit RM14.06 million on the back of revenue of RM213.92 million for the first quarter ended Sept 30, 2023.

In August 2022, Media Prima’s financial year end was changed from Dec 31 to June 30.

Media Prima posts RM14 mil net profit in 1Q

China’s 5Y Capital is on track to surpass its target of raising US$700 million (RM3.25 billion) for a closely watched venture fund, in a sign that investors are regaining confidence in the world’s biggest internet arena.

Early Xiaomi backer to surpass funding goal in major China test

BENGALURU (Nov 29): Most emerging Asian currencies hit multi-month highs on Wednesday, with the Taiwan dollar and Malaysian ringgit leading the pack, as the US dollar slid to a more than three-month low on increasingly dovish commentary from the Federal Reserve, while investors also awaited a Thai central bank decision on rates.

Most Asian FX boosted by increasingly dovish comments; Thai decision eyed

Charlie Munger, who quit a law career to become Warren Buffett's trusted confidant and longtime second-in-command at Berkshire Hathaway, died on Tuesday morning. He was 99.

Charlie Munger, who was Warren Buffett's right-hand man, dies at 99

In 2022, the number of graduates in Malaysia rose 5.1% to 5.92 million, while the graduate’s unemployment rate declined 3.7%, according to data released by the Department of Statistics Malaysia in its Graduate Statistics 2022 report.

Rise in number of graduates, drop in number of those unemployed

Analysts remain positive on KPJ Healthcare Bhd’s growth trajectory, and said they favour the medical group’s strategy to further grow its medical tourism business.

Analysts stay positive on KPJ’s growth trajectory

MSCI's&nbsp;global&nbsp;stock index advanced on Tuesday, while the dollar fell as a Federal Reserve (Fed) official signalled that the US&nbsp;central bank is done raising rates, and could even consider rate cuts if inflation keeps easing.

Stocks rise as dollar falls, gold rallies on Fed commentary

Analysts have upgraded their ratings on Farm Fresh Bhd (FFB), as they expect the dairy producer’s sequential earnings to improve further.

Analysts upgrade Farm Fresh ratings on expected improvement in sequential earnings

Japanese mobile operator NTT Docomo Inc&nbsp;has joined a consortium led by Mitsui &amp; Co&nbsp;in the bidding for a majority stake in the tower unit of Malaysia’s biggest wireless firm Axiata Group Bhd, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

Japan’s NTT Docomo joins Mitsui-led group in Edotco bidding, sources say

DAP veteran Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang, the party's national chairman Lim Guan Eng, and Seputeh Member of Parliament Teresa Kok have filed separate defamation suits against Kepala Batas MP Dr Siti Mastura Muhammad in the Georgetown High Court.

Three DAP leaders file defamation suits against Kepala Batas MP

The ringgit continued its upward momentum to open higher against the US dollar on Wednesday, as US Treasury yields and dollar indices dropped to their lowest in months, said an analyst.

Ringgit continues uptrend against US dollar

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 29): Prolonged weakness in the ringgit and a surge in petrol and diesel prices may risk Malaysia’s producer price index (PPI) and consumer price index (CPI) in 2024, despite analysts foreseeing low inflationary pressure to persist at least until the first half of 2024 (1HCY2024), said MIDF Research in a note on Wednesday.

MIDF Research: Prolonged weakness in ringgit and surge in petrol and diesel prices may risk Malaysia’s PPI and CPI in 2024

The search and rescue (SAR) operation continued on Wednesday morning for four victims feared to be still buried in the rubble of a logistic warehouse under construction that collapsed&nbsp;in Batu Maung, Bayan Lepas here&nbsp;on Tuesday&nbsp;night.

Search and rescue operation continues after Bayan Lepas warehouse collapse

Apple is pulling the plug on its credit card partnership with Goldman Sachs Group, The Wall Street Journal&nbsp;(WSJ) reported on Tuesday.

Apple to end credit card partnership with Goldman Sachs — WSJ

Analysts maintained their recommendations on Press Metal Aluminium Holdings Bhd, despite the integrated aluminium producer’s earnings for the third quarter ended Sept 30, 2023 (3QFY2023) missing market consensus forecasts, with expectations that aluminium prices will remain subdued.

Press Metal's 3Q results miss market expectations; aluminium prices to remain subdued

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 29): Kepong Member of Parliament (MP) Lim Lip Eng has been granted a stay of execution over the RM2 million judgement in a defamation suit brought against him by MonSpace (M) Sdn Bhd and its founder Datuk Seri Jessy Lai.

Kepong MP gets stay on RM2 mil libel award in MonSpace defamation suit until disposal of appeal

Hong Leong Investment Bank (HLIB) Research has downgraded Bank Islam Malaysia Bhd (BIMB) to “hold” at RM2.24, with an unchanged target price (TP) of RM2.35, and said BIMB’s profit for the third quarter ended Sept 30, 2023 (3QFY2023) decreased 2% year-on-year due to a negative Jaws ratio (from higher operating expenditure), along with larger financing loss provision.

HLIB downgrades Bank Islam to 'hold', keeps target price at RM2.35

The Sessions Court here has denied former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s bid to have his passport returned to him permanently and unconditionally.&nbsp;

Muhyiddin fails to get permanent release of passport but secures temporary release

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 29): Analysts are upbeat on Wasco Bhd’s outlook after the pipe-coating solutions provider’s results for the third quarter ended Sept 30, 2023 (3QFY2023) came in within expectations.

Analysts upbeat on Wasco’s outlook after 3Q earnings meet expectations

Bursa Malaysia opened on a positive note&nbsp;on Wednesday,&nbsp;taking its cues from the US equity markets overnight, a dealer said.

Bursa opens higher in early trade

Public Bank Bhd's net profit for the third quarter ended Sept 30, 2023 rose 7% to RM1.70 billion from RM1.59 billion a year earlier, on the back of healthy loans and customer deposits growth.

Options in GameStop Corp&nbsp;are seeing wild volumes, as traders bet that the stock will rally 50% in little over a week.

Traders bet GameStop will jump 50% within two weeks

The dollar fell broadly on Wednesday to hit its lowest against the yen in more than two months and languished near a three-month trough against its major peers, as expectations mount the Federal Reserve (Fed) could begin lowering rates by early next year.

Dollar slumps as Fed cuts eyed; Aussie buoyant ahead of inflation data

Departing from our meeting point at Wisma Rehda in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, participants of the Real Estate and Housing Developers’ Association Youth Malaysia (Rehda Youth) IBS Tour Series 1 set off to catch up on the rising use of the industrialised building system (IBS) in Malaysia’s constructi...

Exploring sustainable construction methods with Rehda Youth

ON a recent trip to New York, I wandered around the Midtown and Lower Manhattan office districts. The first thing that struck me was just how few people were on the street and in the subways. In mid-February, I walked around the City of London, the commercial real estate capital of Europe, where ...

Working from home and the last shoe to drop

MyNews Holdings Bhd is slowing down its pace of store openings after going on an aggressive expansion spree in the past few years. Instead, the largest convenience store operator is focusing on improving its operational efficiency in a bid to reduce costs and return to profitability.

Ha...

MyNews slows down expansion as it focuses on turnaround

I recently attended the China Development Forum (CDF) in Beijing, an annual gathering of senior foreign business leaders, academics, former policymakers and top Chinese officials. This year’s conference was the first to be held in person since 2019, and it offered Western observers the opportunit...

After The Storm: No respite from the slow-motion US-China collision

Bank Negara Malaysia added 0.25% to its overnight policy rate to 3% per annum last week, seeking to stem the capital outflow that is keeping the ringgit weak. On the other hand, as the market had expected, the US Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 0.25% last Wednesday to 5% to 5.25% per ann...

Condivergence: Uncertainties ahead for financial markets

De-dollarisation has been making waves again of late, especially after China and Brazil, the world’s second-largest economy and Latin America’s biggest economy respectively, made a pact to trade in their respective currencies — the Chinese yuan and Brazillian real —  instead of using the US dollar as an intermediary.

Talk of de-dollarisation gaining momentum

My Hari Raya celebration was a muted one, marred by cases of Covid-19 within the extended family. Alhamdullilah, some have recovered and others are on the road to full recovery. So, there were not many visitations to the homes of friends and family.

But at the selected gatherings I atte...

My Say: Don’t get distracted, just continue to govern, and do it well

If Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s revived proposal to set up the Asian Monetary Fund (AMF) is to progress, a fine and delicate regional diplomatic strategy has to be shaped towards its realisation.

Asean is the best vehicle for this to show the proposal is needs-based and not...

CARI Asean: Asean and the Asian Monetary Fund

“Trust me and watch it. Excellent revenge plot and terrific cast,” my sister said for the fourth time.

“I really don’t have the time for fiction, let alone a K-drama series,” I replied for the fourth time.

But I eventually caved as all little sisters do at some point and watch...

Coffee Break: A retirement plan that involves medical tourism

It is a busy week ahead on Malaysia’s economic calendar. Amid the ongoing recovery from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, market participants will be keeping an eye on Malaysia’s gross domestic product (GDP) data for the first quarter of 2023, due on Friday.

The median of economists’...

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