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Energy

Oil prices gain ahead of Sino-US trade talks

NEW DELHI: Oil prices were up on Friday, after rising about 3% in the previous session, as trade tensions between top oil consumers U.S. and China showed signs of easing and Britain announced a "breakthrough" trade deal with the United States.

Retail

China's manufacturing prowess makes Yiwu mecca for buyers

HANGZHOU: In a compact shop no larger than 10 square meters, Tao Yang, a vendor in Yiwu — a city in Zhejiang province known as "the world's supermarket" — keeps a well-used world atlas on her desk.

Corporate News

LREIT posts strong Q3 rental reversions

KUALA LUMPUR: Lendlease Global Commercial REIT (LREIT) reported a positive rental reversion of 10.4 per cent for its retail portfolio in the third quarter (Q3) ended March 31, 2025, with a healthy tenant retention rate of 87.9 per cent by net lettable area (NLA), despite a softer retail climate.

Property

Residential construction activity rises in 1Q25 with surge in completions, housing starts

KUALA LUMPUR: Construction activity in the residential property subsector recorded significant growth in the first quarter of 2025 (1Q 2025) where the number of completed units surged by 30.2 per cent to 9,329 units from 7,168 units in 1Q 2024.

Commodities

Oil prices up ahead of Sino-US trade meeting

NEW DELHI: Oil prices were up slightly on Friday, after rising about 3% in the previous session, as trade tensions between top oil consumers U.S. and China showed signs of easing and Britain announced a "breakthrough" trade deal with the United States.

Corporate News

Sentral REIT to diversify assets to mitigate risks, maximise portfolio

KUALA LUMPUR: Sentral Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) will be transitioning to a diversified asset base as part of its strategic growth and portfolio rebalancing strategy.

Corporate News

Westports says long-term growth intact, posts higher 1Q net profit of RM222.46mil

KUALA LUMPUR: Commenting on the impact of the tariffs situation, Westports Holdings Bhd executive chairman Datuk Ruben Emir Gnanalingam said the interim uncertainties and adjustment may put a pause on containerised trade growth.

Markets

Slight gain on FBM KLCI as investors await start of US-China trade talks

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's stock benchmark ended the early session mildly higher even as global stocks rallied in the hope that the world's two largest economies will strike a trade deal in the coming weekend.

Economy

China's exports, imports beat expectations in April

BEIJING: China's exports rose faster than expected in April, while imports narrowed their declines, customs data showed on Friday, giving Beijing some relief ahead of ice-breaker tariff talks with the U.S. this weekend.

Markets

Japanese stocks jump, dollar firms on trade hopes; bitcoin soars

TOKYO: Japanese stocks jumped on Friday, supported by the dollar's surge against the yen, after a U.S. trade deal with Britain fuelled hopes of progress in tariff talks with other countries.

Forex

Ringgit higher against US$ on US trade talks optimism

KUALA LUMPUR: The ringgit opened higher against the US dollar, supported by positive sentiment following developments in trade tariffs between key global economies, including China and the United Kingdom (UK), said an economist.

Markets

Rally lifts local stocks as US, UK reach tariffs deal

KUALA LUMPUR: Optimism over easing trade tensions helped to lift Bursa Malaysia stocks, but the main index remained capped by the 1,550 psychological resistance as the weekend approached.

Corporate News

Trading ideas: Lotte, PetGas, Sunway, Public bank, Green Packet, Kerjaya, GenM, MGRC, TechStore, PEOPLElogy, HHRG, MNC, Pentamaster, Pavilion REIT, BFood

KUALA LUMPUR: Here is a recap of the announcements that made headlines in Corporate Malaysia.

Banking

Singapore's OCBC maintains 2025 guidance despite challenging outlook

SINGAPORE: Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp (OCBC), Singapore's second largest bank, maintained 2025 guidance and set aside credit allowances, citing a challenging economic outlook after posting on Friday a 5% drop in first-quarter net profit that beat expectations.

Commodities

Oil rises 3% on support from US-China trade hopes

Oil prices rose around 3% on Thursday, buoyed by hopes of a breakthrough in looming trade talks between the US and China, the world's two largest oil consumers.

Markets

Wall Street gains as first trade deal reached

US stocks rose on Thursday as investors cheered a new trade agreement hammered out between the United States and Britain, while US President Donald Trump signaled upcoming talks with China would be more substantial than initially thought.

Insight

BoE can get ahead of the curve with half-point cut 

The Bank of England (BoE) interest rate policy meeting yesterday benefits from being accompanied by a quarterly economic review.

Insight

How does US food safety work, what cuts has Trump made?

Recent actions by US President Donald Trump's administration, including staff cuts at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), have raised questions among consumers about food safety in the United States.

Economy

Fed sees rising risks as it leaves rates unchanged

The US Federal Reserve (Fed) is holding interest rates steady but says the risks of higher inflation and unemployment have risen, further clouding the US economic outlook as its policymakers grapple with the impact of President Donald Trump's tariffs.

Corporate News

Apple eyes move to AI search, ending era defined by Google

Apple Inc is "actively looking at" revamping the Safari web browser on its devices to focus on artificial intelligence (AI)-powered search engines, a seismic shift for the industry hastened by the potential end of a long-time partnership with Google.