KUALA LUMPUR (March 9): Berjaya Corp Bhd (KL:BJCORP) founder Tan Sri Vincent Tan Chee Yioun sold a 5.25% stake in the lottery-to-automotive conglomerate for RM79.56 million. Tan’s private vehicle, Berjaya True Ascend Sdn Bhd, disposed of 306 million shares through a direct business transaction on March 6, according to a bourse filing on Monday. The block was disposed at 26 sen apiece. Following the disposal, Tan’s total holdings in Berjaya dropped to 1.23 billion shares, or about 21%. He directly holds 8.559%, and another 12.533% via various vehicles.

(March 9): Pakistan’s central bank held its key policy rate citing economic uncertainty after oil prices surged as the Strait of Hormuz remained largely closed and the US threatened to deepen a conflict that has upended energy markets. The decision was taken to keep the rate at 10.5%, the central bank said in a statement on Monday. Majority analysts predicted that the central bank will keep interest rates unchanged, according to a Bloomberg survey. The government increased fuel prices to unprecedented level over the weekend with 55 rupees (77 sen) hike which further add pressure on the price gauge. “The 55 rupees hike in fuel prices will have a ripple effect and inflation may accelerate around 9.25% in the last quarter [April-June],” said Muhammad Awais Ashraf, Director Research at AKD Securities.

KUALA LUMPUR (March 9): Farm Fresh Bhd (KL:FFB) has named independent director Datuk Quaza Nizamuddin A Hassan Nizam as the new chairman of the Johor-based dairy producer. The former director-general of the Department of Veterinary Services Malaysia will assume the independent non-executive chairman post with immediate effect, according to a filing with Bursa Malaysia on Monday. According to Farm Fresh’s 2025 annual report, Quaza, 69, was first appointed to the board in September 2021. Currently, he serves as an adjunct professor at Taylor’s University Malaysia and as a director of the Malaysian Equine Council. Quaza succeeds Tan Sri Megat Najmuddin Megat Khas, who passed away from cancer in December last year.

(March 9): Global bond markets fell on Monday as an oil price shock prompted investors to price in higher inflation and a deteriorating economic growth outlook. Yields on benchmark 10-year US Treasuries rose more than three basis points to 4.17%, while the rate on policy-sensitive two-year notes jumped four basis points. German two-year yields surged nine basis points to 2.40% and their UK equivalents soared as much as 30 basis points to 4.17%, the biggest increase since October 2022. “Oil is arguably the single most important input into global inflation,” said Tim Murray, a capital market strategist in the Multi-Asset Division at T Rowe Price. Indonesian and Japanese debt markets also slumped, with the 10-year yen government yields surging by 11.5 basis points, while European bond futures retreated.

KUALA LUMPUR (March 9): GTA Holdings Bhd, an aircraft repair firm, is preparing to list on the ACE Market of Bursa Malaysia to fund its expansion plans. The total estimated cost for the new facility is RM37.5 million, including acquisition of the property and fit-out works, GTA Holdings said, noting that the sale-and-purchase agreement for the premises has been in September 2025. Based in Selangor, GTA Holdings mainly provides maintenance, repair and overhaul — services mostly known as MRO in the aviation industry — for both helicopters and fixed-wing engines. GTA Holdings currently operates out of Helicopter Centre, Lapangan Terbang Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah in Subang. The company has until the end of 2026 to relocate out of the current premises due to redevelopment in the area.

(March 9): Nvidia-backed artificial intelligence group Nscale was valued at US$14.6 billion (RM57.9 billion) after raising US$2 billion in its latest funding round, the British company said on Monday. The Series C funding round was led by Norway's Aker and 8090 Industries, and included Nvidia, Citadel, Dell, Jane Street, among others, the firm said in a statement. Former Meta executives Nick Clegg and Sheryl Sandberg, and former Yahoo president Susan Decker will join the board of the AI firm, the company said. The funding round comes ahead of the AI group's preparations for an initial public offering, for which Nscale Global has hired Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan as underwriters, sources told Reuters earlier this year. The new funding will help it expand its data‑centre capacity to meet soaring demand for AI computing from customers, including Microsoft and OpenAI.

KUALA LUMPUR (March 9): MTT Shipping and Logistics Bhd said CIMB Investment Bank and Affin Hwang Investment Bank have agreed to back its upcoming listing on the Main Market. The initial public offering (IPO) is targeted for the second quarter of 2026, the container shipping and logistics operator said in a statement on Monday. The underwriting agreement covers the retail portion of the IPO for public investors as well as eligible persons. MTT Shipping owns 26 vessels, the largest fleet of Malaysian-flagged container ships, as at Sept 1, 2025. The company previously said the proceeds from the IPO will be used mainly to acquire additional container vessels as part of its regional expansion strategy.

No decision has been made yet by Indonesia, the world's largest palm oil producer, Yuliot added in comments sent to Reuters over the weekend. Indonesia's biodiesel mandate often affects global palm oil prices as increased domestic use reduces available exports. Oil prices surged on Monday to above US$100 (RM396.75) per barrel. Palm oil prices also rallied on expectations that rising crude prices will boost demand for biodiesel feedstocks. Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said Indonesia is prepared to raise the allocation for fuel subsidies to absorb the shock from rising global oil prices.

It remains business as usual for Elridge Energy,” he said in a statement. Shares in Elridge continued to slide on Monday, falling as much as 18% or 17 sen to 80 sen during intraday trading — their lowest level since Nov 10, 2025. Elridge is 20%-owned by Mikro MSC Bhd (KL:MIKROMB), whose shares also came under selling pressure. Mikro MSC fell as much as 8.75% or 3.5 sen to 36.5 sen in intraday trading before recovering slightly. Regional opportunities in biomass supply and RE development "remains highly compelling", the CEO added.

KUALA LUMPUR (March 9): The ‘MY Value Up’ programme will be introduced to prioritise value creation, bolster financial performance and raise visibility of public listed companies (PLCs) in Malaysia, a nod to the success of factor-based investing that has bolstered stock valuation in South Korea, Singapore and Japan. The move, it said, will be supported by increased transparency and communication on corporate plans and performance with a view to stimulating greater investor interest and market activity. “This would, in turn, reinforce Malaysia’s position as a regional gateway and as an Islamic hub for ethical and sustainable products.”According to the CMP4, PLCs will be classified into several groups to address different valuation challenges. For undervalued but fundamentally sound PLCs, targeted disclosures and announcements will be encouraged to improve visibility and address market mispricing. For low-velocity PLCs, initiatives will also be introduced to improve liquidity with the aim of driving up investor participation.

(March 9): Billionaire Leo KoGuan doubled his stake in Nvidia Corp to two million shares, boosting his investment in the chipmaker at a time when the war in the Middle East has sparked a global sell-off of everything from bonds to equities. “As promised, I bought additional one million shares of NVDA today,” the investor posted early on Saturday on X, days after he announced his first purchase. While small relative to his US$13.4 billion (RM53.1 billion) fortune, as measured by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, the acquisition is a notable move by KoGuan whose net worth for years largely has been tied up in just one stock: Tesla Inc. Nvidia has fallen about 5% this year through last Friday’s close, while Tesla is down nearly 12%, compared with a less-than-2% drop in the S&P 500. KoGuan, who is estimated to have spent roughly US$350 million to acquire his Nvidia shares based on their recent closing prices, didn’t comment about his purchase beyond saying that, “Hopefully, I can contribute a little to calm the nervous market.

KUALA LUMPUR (March 9): A feasibility study on proposed amendments to the Federal Capital Act 1960 to allow local government elections (LGOs) in the capital, including the election of the Mayor of Kuala Lumpur, is expected to be completed by the end of this month. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh said the study, conducted by the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), is currently ongoing, and an interim report has already been presented to the government. They have met once, and there is an interim report, but the interview sessions with stakeholders are still ongoing. On Feb 3, Hannah said the feasibility study on holding local authority elections in the capital, including the election of the Kuala Lumpur Mayor, had already begun during the tenure of the previous Federal Territories minister. She said the study commenced last December following the tabling of a Private Member’s Bill in the Dewan Rakyat by a Member of Parliament.

Upon death, however, estate tax could reduce the inherited amount to US$98,289 — compressing the realised CAGR from 12.6% to 7%. Therefore, the key is to choose a jurisdiction with a favourable US tax treaty and minimal secondary taxation. While dividends remain subject to 30% US withholding tax, Hong Kong imposes no estate tax. Buybacks reduce dividend tax impactWith US corporates increasingly favouring buybacks over dividends, the withholding tax gap between domiciles is narrower than many expect. The S&P 500’s 12.6% CAGR may look compelling on paper, but without careful structuring, estate tax, withholding tax and Malaysia’s evolving financial services industry regime can erode much of that advantage.

KUALA LUMPUR (March 9): The KL20 Summit is set to be organised in June 2026, said Deputy Economy Minister Datuk Mohd Shahar Abdullah. The KL20 summit is the government’s main initiative to promote Malaysia as a hub for the world’s top 20 startup ecosystems and to attract startups and international investors to invest in and operate companies in Malaysia. Mohd Shahar said the summit was not held in 2025 because the initiative was launched the year prior and needed time to assess the development of startups in line with the latest innovations and technologies. Mohd Shahar said the implementation of the KL20 Action Plan would continue to involve all relevant ministries and agencies, as well as joint monitoring by the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation. He said the plan aims to place Kuala Lumpur in 20th position in the global startup ecosystem by 2030.

(March 9): Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, whose party won last month’s election, has finalised his new coalition to form a government that will steer the nation’s US$577 billion economy after decades of economic stagnation. The 59-year-old leader, in power since September after the court-ordered ouster of a rival, has secured a 15-party alliance in the 500-seat House of Representatives after the Feb 8 election, according to several local media including Thai PBS, which did not cite sources. The bloc commands the support of about 290 freshly-elected lawmakers and a vote to confirm the prime minister is expected in the coming weeks. Its key ally, Pheu Thai Party, with 74 seats, will be allocated nine cabinet positions, including a deputy prime minister and minister of agriculture. That person will then call another meeting for lawmakers to formally pick a new prime minister, likely within the following week.