The country's largest refined sugar producer posted a net loss of RM397.25 million for FY2025 compared to a net profit of RM31.25 million in FY2024. A global oversupply of refined sugar has led to a domestic surplus, eroding MSM’s market share. It posted a net loss of RM4.6 million in 3QFY2025 and RM29.74 million in 2QFY2025. MSM has an annual production capacity of up to 2.05 million tonnes of refined sugar. In 2024, it produced 1.1 million tonnes, of which 258,932 tonnes were exported.

(Feb 26): Gold prices edged higher on Thursday, boosted by a softer dollar and safe-haven demand amid uncertainty over US tariff policy and US-Iran talks. Spot gold was up 0.4% at US$5,192.28 per ounce, as of 0500 GMT. "Price action reflects a re-pricing of fresh policy (tariff) uncertainty, geopolitical concerns, and a subdued dollar," said Christopher Wong, a strategist at OCBC. "Two-way consolidation is still likely in the interim as markets digest geopolitical (news), dollar moves, tariff surprises, and Fed policy uncertainty." A softer greenback makes dollar-denominated gold cheaper for holders of other currencies.

(Feb 26): The US vowed to maintain high tariffs on China hours after Beijing warned against any future hikes, as Donald Trump’s sweeping levies return to the spotlight before his meeting with Xi Jinping. Beijing reiterated it wants to use the existing consultation mechanism to build consensus. The Supreme Court ruling eliminated Trump’s second-term levies on China and left Beijing facing the same 15% global fee applied to many US allies. The US is currently undertaking an investigation into the trade deal from Trump’s first term, which saw China promise to buy hundreds of billions of dollars more in US exports. “If the US insists on pushing forward with relevant investigations — or even uses the investigation as a pretext to introduce restrictive measures such as tariffs — China will take all necessary measures to resolutely defend its legitimate rights,” the ministry said.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 26): The opposition bloc on Thursday confirmed that Larut Member of Parliament (MP) Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin remains as the opposition leader despite his sacking from Bersatu. “So far his position (as the opposition leader) remains…so there are no changes. We only have two days left of this (Dewan Rakyat) sitting. Hamzah’s status as the opposition leader had come into question following his dismissal from Bersatu amid an internal party conflict. On Tuesday, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul said any decision regarding Hamzah’s role and position could only be made after receiving written confirmation from the opposition.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 26): theedgemalaysia.com highlighted seven stocks with momentum at Bursa Malaysia’s afternoon close on Thursday. Four showed positive momentum, while the remaining three showed negative momentum. The algorithm differentiates between stocks that exhibit positive (+ve) momentum and negative (-ve) momentum. It merely tells you which stocks are seeing higher-than-normal volume and price movements. However, each stock has an accompanying fundamental score and valuation score to help readers evaluate the attractiveness of the stocks if they want to ride the momentum.

It declared a higher dividend of 3.5 sen per share for the quarter, from three sen, payable on March 26. Revenue rose 12.3% year-on-year to RM671.66 million, from RM598.07 million previously, a bourse filing showed. This was largely thanks to the 123.9% rise in its property development segment revenue to RM115.23 million, from its two projects The Vue @ Monterez and Papyrus @ North Kiara. The strong quarterly results lifted its full-year earnings to RM224.68 million or 17.85 sen per share, up 40.21% from RM160.24 million. Revenue rose 22.55% to RM2.25 billion, from RM1.84 billion a year ago.

KUALA LUMPUR: Action is needed to address the wild dog issue in Langkawi, as it could impact the island's tourism, says Datuk Mohd Suhaimi Abdullah (PN-Langkawi). He said this while holding up graphic images of a European tourist who was allegedly attacked by wild dogs in Langkawi during Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat on Thursday (Feb 26). “There are too many wild dogs not only in Langkawi but throughout Malaysia,” he said. In response, Deputy Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Chiew Choon Man said the matter should be raised with the local council authorities in Langkawi. In March last year, a four-year-old boy sustained serious injuries after a pack of dogs in Kampung Dedek attacked him.

KUALA LUMPUR: In a sweet post with photos of them from back in the day and now, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim wished his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail a Happy Anniversary. "Happy 46th wedding anniversary to Azizah. "The love of a loyal heart that accompanies us in every joy and sorrow," he said on his official social media platforms on Thursday (Feb 26). Anwar then thanked her for being his constant. "May Allah SWT continue to protect and bless our journey of life," he said.

The yen was last 0.3% stronger against the dollar at 155.87 yen, regaining some lost ground after hitting its weakest levels in two weeks, as comments from Bank of Japan officials steadied the Japanese currency. Recent newsflow has "reinforced the perception that the Takaichi administration favors a dovish stance on monetary policy", Bank of America said in a note. "But we think the underlying fundamentals point towards continued stabilisation in the JGB market and a rebound in the yen." Financial markets continue to believe almost unanimously US interest rates are going nowhere at the Federal Reserve's next meeting. The Australian dollar was steady at US$0.7126, while the New Zealand dollar briefly slipped below the US$0.60 mark against its US counterpart before recovering, last trading flat at US$0.6003.

Overall, near-term price upside remains limited,” KLK said in the notes accompanying its financial results. KLK said its plantation segment recorded a year-on-year increase of 10% in pre-tax profit to RM635mil in 1Q26, driven mainly by stronger fresh fruit bunch (FFB) yields and firm palm kernel prices. Meanwhile, its manufacturing segment recorded a pre-tax profit of RM42mil in 1Q26, compared to a pre-tax loss of RM53mil in the corresponding period last year. The group said that following the completion of its major capacity expansion projects, it is now focused on driving earnings performance. “Backed by resilient plantation operations and improving downstream contributions, the Group remains confident that it is on track to deliver a better operational performance in FY26,” KLK said.

Homeowners doubt slope stability, await permanent solutionsLingering safety fears are keeping some Block C residents of Taman United flats in Jalan Sepadu 7, Kuala Lumpur, away from their homes, even after temporary stabilisation works were carried out on the slope behind their units. On Nov 24 last year, a 60m stretch of a retention wall collapsed at about 10.30am, affecting residents of Block C along Jalan Sepadu 7 and forcing their evacuation from 52 units. While residents were allowed to return on Jan 1, occupants of two affected landed properties were advised to stay away until further notice. Although DBKL-appointed contractors had completed interim works and Block C occupants were given the green light to return at the start of the year, many held back because of these persistent safety concerns. He said these temporary works aimed to strengthen the slope, control water flow and monitor ground movement.

PETALING JAYA: Bukit Kayu Hitam Malaysian Control and Border Protection Agency (AKPS) commander’s vehicle was shot at during an early morning incident near the Malaysian-Thai ­border. “One of the suspects fired two shots, hitting the rear right door and the front passenger door of the car. Investigations showed that two shots were fired at the victim’s moving vehicle from a distance of about one metre. AKPS, in a statement, said SAC Mohd Nasaruddin was in a “safe and stable condition” following the attempt on his life. “As previously informed, the Bukit Kayu Hitam AKPS has received several threats in recent times.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 26): Malakoff Corporation Bhd's (KL:MALAKOF) power plant woes could hurt its earnings more than expected this year, analysts said, following its first quarterly loss in two years. The research house maintained its 'hold' rating with a target price of 74 sen, implying a downside of almost 11%. The consensus target price is now 94 sen, based on the average of 11 research houses tracked by Bloomberg. It kept its ‘buy’ call with a target price of RM1.29. Therefore, according to various analysts, the full-year core net profit fell sharply to roughly RM96 million to RM146 million, down roughly 43-64% year-on-year, with revenue declining by nearly 20%, close to RM7.2 billion.

The stock has suffered also on account of a wave of new listings by pure‑play AI firms such as chip designers and large language model developers. The Hang Seng Tech Index, which counts Alibaba, Tencent and Baidu among heavyweights, is down 9% over the past month. Baidu’s 12-month forward consensus earnings estimate has also risen over 6% since reaching a more than three-year low late last month. Options traders are pricing in a 5.7% swing in either direction for its American Depositary Receipts after the results. That’s more than the average 4.6% fluctuation seen following the last eight quarterly reports.

LBS has formally revised its dividend policy, which increased its minimum dividend payout ratio from 30% to 40% of its normalised profit after tax and minority interests (Patami). Shares of LBS Bina rose as much as 8.5% or 3.5 sen on Thursday's morning session following the results announcement. For the full-year of FY2025, LBS Bina's net profit from continuing operations rose 27% to RM137.86 million from RM108.47 million in FY2024. Including discontinued operations recorded in the previous year, total net profit for FY2025 declined 48% to RM137.86 million, from RM265.94 million in FY2024. LBS Bina's total 2025 sales of RM1.4 billion surpassed the previous year’s RM1.3 billion, Lim said in a statement.