StarBiz
Astro quarterly performance declines
Astro Malaysia Holdings Bhd has posted a softer first quarter of financial year 2027 (1Q27) as revenue and profit came under pressure, even as disciplined cost control and resilient cash generation helped the group maintain stability amid selective...
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AI rally still has legs
PETALING JAYA: The artificial intelligence (Ai)-led technology stock rally may have suffered a recent bout of profit-taking, but the broader uptrend appears to remain intact as investors become more selective and focus increasingly on earnings delivery...
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CAPITAL MARKETS
Shanghai has unveiled an ambitious plan to cement its status as a leading global asset management centre, targeting 55 trillion yuan (US$8.1 trillion) in assets under management by 2030. The plan also seeks to position the city at the centre of the...
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Supply chains in check
PETALING JAYA: While Malaysia’s short term supply chain resilience should remain intact over the immediate future, economists are nevertheless more concerned about the erosion of business efficiency and profitability should the Middle East conflict be...
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Limited impact from tech sell-off
PETALING JAYA: Bursa Malaysia’s FBM KLCI was one of many regional indices swamped by a tidal red wave yesterday, as South Korea’s Kospi led a purge that saw it dive almost 9% in early morning trade, before recovering fractionally to close 8.3% lower...
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Global IPOS unlikely to trigger outflows
PETALING JAYA: Mega initial public offerings (IPOS) by companies such as Spacex, Openai and Anthropic are unlikely to spark an exodus of fund flows from Malaysia as foreign ownership of local equities is already near historic lows and domestic...
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COMPANIES & STRATEGIES
After being focused on delivering solutions for e-invoicing in the last two years here in Malaysia, Autocount Dotcom Bhd is going back to the drawing board to leverage on artificial intelligence, automation and regional expansion as its next phase of...
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Malaysia-us trade ties stay strong
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia and the United States trade relations are expected to remain strong, despite global headwinds such as tariffs, geopolitical conflicts and economic uncertainties, says American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (Amcham) chief...
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Future path of monetary policy to set the tone for global fund flows
PETALING JAYA: The FBM KLCI’S nearterm direction hinges on signals from the Federal Reserve (Fed) this month, with market watchers saying the US central bank’s guidance on interest rates will set the tone for global fund flows. While markets largely...
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Earnings season turns softer
PETALING JAYA: Corporate Malaysia delivered a mixed first-quarter results season as companies grappled with the Middle East war-driven cost pressures, margin compression and foreign exchange headwinds. Tradeview Capital Sdn Bhd portfolio manager Ng...
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Stable jobs, interest rates fuel auto demand
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s automotive sector is likely headed for another strong year, with robust vehicle sales in the first four months of financial year 2026 (4M26) raising hopes that full-year sales will again defy expectations of a decline amid...
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Property developers off to promising start
PETALING JAYA: The recently concluded corporate results season saw local property developers reporting mixed but generally stable earnings, reflecting varied operational performances across the sector. Nevertheless, industry experts and observers...
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LIFESTYLE
Baixiang village in China boasts contiguous tea gardens, cascading down from 1,100m to 1,400m. They are the calling card for the tea industry in the Mabian Yi autonomous county, and a lifeline for the people who live there.
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Maybank stays on steady footing
PETALING JAYA: Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank) has kicked off its financial year ending Dec 31, 2026 (FY26) on a softer note, with net profit declining 4.2% year-on-year (y-o-y) to Rm2.48bil in its first quarter ended March 31, weighed by weaker...
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Selective buying prospects
PETALING JAYA: Opportunities for bargain hunting are beginning to emerge on Bursa Malaysia following the latest bout of profit-taking on the benchmark FBM KLCI. But analysts cautioned that buying opportunities remain selective amid persistent foreign...
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Simeprop quarterly earnings rise
PETALING JAYA: Sime Darby Property Bhd (Simeprop) is maintaining its Rm4bil sales target for 2026 despite mounting construction cost pressures and cautious homebuyer sentiment, while remaining open to a possible review after its mid-year...
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[email protected] Darby shows resilience
PETALING JAYA: Sime Darby Bhd believes the global economic outlook remains challenging, hampered by ongoing geopolitical tensions that are impacting supply chains and rising inflation risks. Amid this uncertainty, the conglomerate anticipates business...
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Cost pressures cool property demand
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s property purchasing sentiment is showing signs of moderation as persistent inflationary pressures, rising living costs and affordability concerns lead buyers to adopt a more cautious approach. Olive Tree Property Consultants...
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COVER FEATURE
Close to two million Malaysians are underemployed, meaning more than one in three tertiary-educated workers are in low- or semi-skilled jobs. The official data is understood to include both voluntary and involuntary overqualification. Amid persistently...
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Petchem returns to the black in 1Q
PETALING JAYA: PETRONAS Chemicals Group Bhd (Petchem) has staged an encouraging bounce back to the black in the first quarter ended March (1Q26) after a tumultuous 2025, even as the company continues to foresee a volatile operating environment for the...
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Gamuda wins Rm3bil solar jobs Down Under
PETALING JAYA: Gamuda Bhd has secured two major engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts in Australia worth a combined A$1.1bil (Rm3.12bil) for the development of the Smoky Creek and Guthrie’s Gap Solar Power Stations, marking another...
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Strong 1Q for EPF
PETALING JAYA: The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) has cautioned that its strong first-quarter financial year 2026 (1Q26) performance is unlikely to be sustained through the rest of the year, as the investment income was boosted by portfolio timing...
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Affin Bank quarterly bottom line increases
PETALING JAYA: Despite being supported by enough capital and liquidity buffers, Affin Bank Bhd will need to remain cautious while focusing on a disciplined approach this year. In a filing with Bursa Malaysia, the banking group said this approach will...
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Pricing power holds the edge
PETALING JAYA: Malaysian companies have not been spared from rising energy and transport prices stemming from hostilities around the Strait of Hormuz, as businesses plan for how to pass on higher costs to consumers while managing their own capital and...
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COVER FEATURE
Huge new foreign direct investments (FDIS) in the semiconductor space are underway, with a visible surge in activity. Lam Research Corp’s expansion in Kulim Hi-tech Park, together with significant investments and expansions by other global players such...
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Steady 1Q26 results for Public Bank
PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian banking sector will remain resilient, underpinned by ample liquidity and healthy capital buffers, despite ongoing uncertainties brought about especially by geopolitical tensions, says Public Bank Bhd. The lender, the...
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Innovative measures needed
PETALING JAYA: Economists are concerned with the immediate impact of another cut in the Budi95 fuel quota, with most stressing that the measure will further squeeze household incomes and chip away discretionary spending. Earlier this week, it was...
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Malaysia’s edge in a shifting world
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is considered a heavyweight within the region at the moment, supported by the richness of its resources and strong governance, which has helped cushion the country from global headwinds. Venture capital firm Openspace Capital’s...
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Foreign funds rotate back in
PETALING JAYA: Foreign funds are continuing to return to Bursa Malaysia, as investors look beyond broad market caution and begin picking up thematic opportunities in sectors like technology and financial services. After a massive Rm22bil net selloff...
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Mah Sing rides record sales
PETALING JAYA: Riding on its strongest property sales performance in a decade at Rm2.51bil in 2025, Mah Sing Group Bhd is confident of surpassing expectations this year despite persistent global uncertainties. In an environment of heightened...
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CAPITAL MARKETS
Global investors and executives are broadly leaning into a cautiously upbeat outlook for markets, even as they flag geopolitical flareups, sticky inflation risks and a fastshifting capital landscape. Investors are broadly still backing growth, private...
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Call for prudence as interest rates stay pat
PETALING JAYA: Economists are advocating a cautious outlook on the country’s growth and inflation scene, as Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) has decided to keep the overnight policy rate (OPR) at 2.75% after the latest Monetary Policy Committee meeting...
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Moderate growth likely for 1Q earnings
PETALING JAYA: Long bets appear to be visible on sectors that are exposed to the data centre infrastructure and commodity sectors ahead of the upcoming first-quarter (1Q26) results reporting season. A deluge of financial reporting is expected from...
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‘No waiting on semicon wafer fabs’
KUALA LUMPUR: Putrajaya is prepared to court foreign players to build semiconductor wafer fabrication facilities in Malaysia if local companies are not yet ready to make the leap. Calling for more foreign investments into the space, Investment, Trade...
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Ai-driven upcycle lifts tech earnings
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s semiconductor-related stocks continue to shine, with automated test equipment (ATE) players leading the way as some investors see them as beneficiaries of the artificial intelligence (AI) boom. “When AI demand surges, it...
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Prudent fund managers
PETALING JAYA: Fund managers in Malaysia are keeping their powder dry, sitting on sizeable cash piles as the Middle East tensions cloud the market outlook and push investors into wait-and-see mode. In an interview with Starbiz, JP Morgan said many...
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COVER FEATURE
When a top banking official recently suggested that the central bank expand single customer limits of banks’ financing of the country’s energy transition, it highlighted a growing funding gap. As Malaysia’s solar projects increase in scale, those who...
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Balancing spending cuts and growth
PETALING JAYA: Balancing reduced government spending, sustaining economic growth and ensuring citizens’ wellbeing will be the main priority amid surging energy costs and an increasingly unsustainable fuel subsidy bill based on an average Brent crude...
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Skyechip listing set to spur industry
KUALA LUMPUR: Chip design firm Skyechip Bhd’s prospectus launch yesterday marks a significant milestone in Malaysia’s efforts to elevate the country’s semiconductor industry and move it up the value chain. Michael Oh-lau, chief executive officer of...
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Malaysia remains DC hotspot
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia has become a more attractive destination for data centre (DC) investments following the outbreak of hostilities in the Middle East. This is because the conflict has shifted the DC narrative from a race for graphic processing...
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Selective deal activity likely
PETALING JAYA: Deal-making activities, including fund raising and mergers and acquisitions (M&AS), have seen a slight slowdown in activity this year, largely due to companies taking a wait-and-see approach amid ongoing uncertainties. This is according...
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Retail outlook turns cautious
PETALING JAYA: The retail sector is set to continue expanding in the second quarter of this year (2Q26), albeit more moderately, with consumer spending providing support while higher costs and cautious sentiment weigh on momentum. Malaysia Shopping...
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CAPITAL MARKETS
John Arnold, the billionaire energy trader-turned-philanthropist, made his fortune by predicting the direction of markets. Now, he’s sounding the alarm on fast-growing prediction markets, saying they’re harmful to young men and boys.
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Freight outlook bright, but risks linger
PETALING JAYA: The outlook for the domestic freight and logistics sector has turned more constructive, supported by easing geopolitical tensions following the extension of the Us-iran ceasefire and resilient intra-asia trade flows. Analysts and...
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Capital market remains robust
KUALA LUMPUR: The Securities Commission (SC) is confident that the Malaysian capital market will stay on track in delivering reforms, enhancing market competitiveness and strengthening governance frameworks and investor protection. Chairman Datuk...
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Regional investment key to Asean growth
KUALA LUMPUR: Domestic companies need to look beyond investing solely in one another and take a more deliberate, strategic approach to investing across the region. Asean+3 Macroeconomic Research Office’s (AMRO) group head for regional surveillance and...
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Trade growth moderates
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s March trade numbers held firm, but economists caution that the full fallout from the Us-iran war has yet to surface in the data. Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid, chief economist at Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd, said the March...
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Tech sector faces reality check
PETALING JAYA: While the world continues to bask in an ever-evolving technology environment, buoyed by artificial intelligence (AI), which is becoming increasingly indispensable, analysts have their doubts about the prospects of tech counters on Bursa...
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CAPITAL MARKETS
Malaysia’s ringgit is set to edge gradually firmer over the medium term. For now, investors are likely to see a choppy but ultimately directionally supportive path for the currency as global risk sentiment stabilises and rate expectations adjust.
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Cautious optimism on growth prospects
PETALING JAYA: Local economists are keeping a cautious outlook on Malaysia’s growth prospects for this year and 2027, despite the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) generous upgrade of the country’s 2026 gross domestic product (GDP) projection to...
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A delicate balance for biodiesel mandate
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s move to raise its biodiesel blending mandate from B10 to B15, starting with an initial rollout of B12 blend, can likely be supportive of crude palm oil (CPO) price structurally as export availability is reduced. The decision...
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Ringgit steadies as risks persist
PETALING JAYA: The ringgit could continue to trade with a slight upward bias, suggesting underlying strength amid ongoing geopolitical concerns. The local currency rose in early trade yesterday, jumping 135 basis points to the 3.96 level against the...
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War puts refineries on edge
PETALING JAYA: Any prolonged disruption to flows through the Strait of Hormuz could tighten crude oil supply to domestic refineries, potentially forcing operators to adjust processing rates over time. Malaysia’s exposure stems from its reliance on...
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Muted export prospects
PETALING JAYA: Looming new US tariffs and geopilitical tensions in the Middle East are increasingly complicating trade flow prospects for local exporters as they grapple with rising costs and operational pressures. On the plus side, uncertainty over...
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LIFESTYLE
Welcome to the new-look movie set, where the quiet hum of a coding floor has replaced the cacophony of cameras, clapperboards and shouted directions. The Collective Artists Network, a top talent agency for Bollywood A-listers, is now engineering...
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Steady economic growth forecast
KUALA LUMPUR: The World Bank raised Malaysia’s economic growth forecast for 2026 to 4.4% from 4.1%, citing resilient domestic demand despite escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. “Malaysia enters this crisis period from a position of...
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FBM KLCI steady in choppy markets
PETALING JAYA: The two-week truce between warring parties in the Gulf region has provided relief to global markets, but a reset in investor expectations will depend on clearer signals of an end to the conflict and the full reopening of the Strait of...
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No shocks for stocks
PETALING JAYA: The initial public offering (IPO) market may see a slowdown this year in Malaysia given the cautious sentiment on the ground now stemming from ongoing geopolitical concerns. Most listings have been on the ACE Market in recent times,...
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Steady flight in tougher skies
SEPANG: Airasia X Bhd is entering the second half of 2026 facing one of its toughest operating environments since emerging from the pandemic. However, management believes strong travel demand across Asean, disciplined network management, and the...
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Ringgit
PETALING JAYA: Solid fundamentals and a resilient domestic economy should continue to prep up the ringgit’s strength, despite mixed signals still emanating from the Middle East conflict, say economists. However, they acknowledge that, if the newsflow...
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CAPITAL MARKETS
The global economy has now been knocked off a stronger growth path, opines the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. An analyst concurs as he says this war is unlike the geopolitical and political surprises over the past year, which...
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High-five for MAG
PETALING JAYA: The Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) has not made any solid decisions to cancel any additional flights other than the ones they have already, nor increase ticket prices for now. President and group chief executive officer Captain...
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Mild impact from rebate cut
PETALING JAYA: The impact of Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) lowering the rebate to 0.47 sen per kwh from 2.15 sen per kwh (or from RM0.0215 to RM0.0047 per kwh) will be slight for affected users in Peninsular Malaysia, unless the rebate is reduced...
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Cheah’s last pitch
PETALING JAYA: Sunway Group founder and chairman Tan Sri Sir Dr Jeffrey Cheah is making a last-ditch effort to convince shareholders of IJM Corp Bhd to accept Sunway Bhd’s Rm11bil cash-and-share offer, with the closing date looming just around the...
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Airasia X weathers oil spike
KUALA LUMPUR: While concerns surrounding rising oil prices linger unabated as the war in Iran continues, Airasia X Bhd’s prospects remain steadfast in line with demand growth, said the group’s founder and Capital A Bhd chief executive (CEO) Tan Sri...
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Stable and defensive market
PETALING JAYA: The property market remains broadly attractive to investors despite prevailing geopolitical uncertainties, say experts. However, they have cautioned that the ongoing conflict in the Middle East has introduced additional layers of risk...
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COVER FEATURE
Pension reform is becoming increasingly unavoidable in the country as longer life expectancy and rising fiscal pressures impact the system. Datuk Nik Amlizan Mohamed, outgoing chief executive officer of Kumpulan Wang Persaraan (Diperbadankan) or KWAP,...
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Sunway makes case for IJM buy
PETALING JAYA: Sunway Bhd believes its offer to acquire IJM Corp Bhd is appropriately valued amid some scepticism from the general public and an early rejection from the latter’s major 13.5% shareholder, Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB). The group...
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Palm oil gets a war boost
PETALING JAYA: Crude palm oil (CPO) prices appear to be tethered to oil price movements for the time being. Oil has seen its importance in the workings of the global economy, underscored once again by the ongoing conflict at the Strait of Hormuz. It...
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Gamuda Land sets sights on doubling profit
PETALING JAYA: A Rm10bil launch pipeline across all markets in 2026 sets the stage for newly appointed Gamuda Land chief executive officer Gim Teck Yew, who stepped into the role in December last year. Fresh from his tenure as the deputy chairman and...
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Labour market steady for now
PETALING JAYA: The ongoing conflict within the Middle East is not expected to have any immediate repercussions on the local labour market, say economists. However, a prolonged situation lasting several months could eventually have adverse effects on...
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Base MHIT plan sustainable, accessible
PETALING JAYA: Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) believes rising medical costs are a real concern for many Malaysian families, following discussions with stakeholders, including from the government, the private healthcare sector and consumer groups. While...
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CAPITAL MARKETS
The wild swings led by oil since the start of the Iran war have institutional investors turning to exotic hybrid options to trade crossmarket gyrations. Money managers are putting on over-the-counter cross-asset hybrid options, leading to significant...
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Trade surplus widens in February
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s trade is expected to remain strong, as there are no current signs of revision to any global growth forecasts as yet. Williams Business Consultancy Sdn Bhd founder and economist Geoffrey Williams told Starbiz that despite the...
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Solid outlook for Sunway Healthcare
KUALA LUMPUR: Sunway Group could be looking at a dual-listing for its newly listed health arm, Sunway Healthcare Holdings Bhd. Founder and chairman Tan Sri Sir Dr Jeffrey Cheah said both the Singapore Exchange and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange had...
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Still a sound offer
PETALING JAYA: Sunway Bhd’s voluntary takeover offer for IJM Corp Bhd is still on the table despite speculation that the risks are now higher, following the offer’s rejection by Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB). Government-linked investment companies...
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