LONDON (Jan 15): Oil prices tumbled more than 3% on Thursday after US President Donald Trump said that killings of demonstrators during protests in Iran were ending, easing concerns over military action against Iran and potential oil supply disruptions. US West Texas Intermediate crude retreated by US$2.06, or 3.3%, to US$59.96, having earlier lost as much as 4.6%. The comments reduced the risk premium that had built up in recent days, analysts said. Elsewhere, Venezuela has begun reversing oil production cuts made under a US embargo, with crude exports also resuming, three sources said. China's crude oil imports in December rose 17% from a year earlier while total imports in 2025 were up 4.4%, government data showed, with daily crude import volumes hitting record highs.

NEW DELHI (Jan 15): India has issued a final warning to Apple that it will proceed in an antitrust case against the US tech giant as the company has delayed responses to officials for over a year and undermined the investigation, a confidential order shows. Apple, which denies the allegations, has challenged the penalty rules in an Indian court, and the matter is pending. "Such indulgence cannot be continued indefinitely," it added, giving Apple a final warning that it will proceed in the case unilaterally if no response is received by next week. Since 2022, Tinder-owner Match and Indian startups have been locked in an antitrust battle with Apple. Investigators in 2024 issued a report saying the US smartphone company engaged in "abusive conduct" on the iOS apps market.

JAKARTA (Jan 15): Indonesia's military-backed forestry task force has threatened legal action against dozens of plantation and mining companies refusing to pay hefty fines for operations in forest areas that authorities deem illegal. Seven mining and 54 palm oil companies have paid or agreed to pay fines of 9.3 trillion rupiah (US$552 million or RM2.2 billion), the task force added. Companies that complied include the palm oil units of conglomerate Salim Group which paid fines equivalent to US$136 million, Best Agro Group, which forked over US$98 million in fines, and US$57 million by a unit of Sampoerna Agro. Astra Agro Lestari also paid a fine of US$34 million, the task force added in the Instagram post. Goodhope and Musim Mas face fines of US$107 million and US$20 million, respectively.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 15): ES Sunlogy Bhd (KL:SUNLOGY) said it has clinched a RM22.3 million subcontract to undertake electrical works for a high-rise serviced apartment development in Batu Kawan, Penang. In a bourse filing on Thursday, the mechanical and electrical engineering services firm said the job was awarded by the main contractor Kerjaya Prospek (M) Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned unit of Kerjaya Prospek Group Bhd (KL:KERJAYA). ES Sunlogy is required to commence works on March 2, with completion scheduled for August 2029, according to the filing. This marks the second major contract won by ES Sunlogy in January, following a RM15.22 million subcontract announced earlier this month for electrical works at a high-rise serviced apartment project in Johor. Shares in ES Sunlogy slipped one sen, or 3.77% to close at 25.5 sen on Thursday, valuing the company at RM178.5 million.

Rising memory prices are also a risk for chipmakers that provide semiconductors for smartphones, as noted in recent downgrades of Qualcomm Inc by Mizuho Securities and Arm Holdings plc by Bank of America. “So long as memory prices stay high, and we expect prices to stay high for a while given the AI demand, the market could continue punishing them,” Thummel said. Hedgeye Risk Management last week said it had “less conviction” on Apple as the memory issue becomes more concerning. Dell also noted the impact of rising memory prices in its results, though its estimates have held up better as the company’s server business sees strong demand amid the AI buildout. “The good news is that memory prices are cyclical, but there’s so much scarcity in supply that I don’t expect a reversion back in the other direction anytime soon.”

KUALA LUMPUR: Another senior Armed Forces officer has been detained by graft busters, just two days after former Army chief Jen Tan Sri Muhammad Hafizuddeain Jantan was freed from remand. The senior military officer was detained at about 11am yesterday, also over the ongoing investigations involving the military, said Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki. It was previously reported that MACC recorded the statements of a senior military officer on Jan 11 and 12. Earlier, the Armed Forces Council had postponed its decision to appoint Muhammad Hafizuddeain as the Armed Forces chief. On Tuesday, a police officer was remanded on suspicion of accepting RM27,000 in bribes related to the same case.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 15): Pestec International Bhd (KL:PESTEC) has appointed Datuk Adam Yee Hee Hoon as president of the power grid and rail network engineering group, effective Thursday. Yee, former president and CEO of Siemens Malaysia, will guide Pestec’s strategic direction and new business development, the group said in a statement on Thursday. “Deputy group CEO Manindar Singh Chawla will continue to oversee project delivery and day-to-day operational matters, also reporting to [Mohamed Razeek]. Pay Chuan had served as group CEO since October 2020. Ah Hock, who had been executive chairman since 2011, was redesignated as non-executive deputy chairman in December 2024 prior to his departure.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 15): Chin Hin Group Property Bhd (KL:CHGP) has cancelled the RM74 million sale of its commercial vehicle and bodyworks businesses after the buyer failed to secure financing, delaying the group’s plan to fully focus on property development. N&K Resources is a real estate company owned by All Trade Resources (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd. Chin Hin had planned to sell its entire equity interests in four subsidiaries — Boon Koon Vehicles Industries Sdn Bhd, BKCV Sdn Bhd, Boon Koon Fleet Management Sdn Bhd and BK Fleet Management Sdn Bhd. Chin Hin Property said it will refund the RM7.4 million deposit paid by the purchaser, free of interest, and that both parties will have no further rights or obligations under the agreement. Shares in Chin Hin Property closed up one sen, or 0.85%, at RM1.18 on Thursday, valuing the group at about RM1.64 billion.

(Jan 15): The world's largest asset manager BlackRock reported a higher fourth-quarter profit on Thursday as a rally in markets lifted fee income and pushed its assets under management to a record US$14.04 trillion (RM56.8 trillion). As inflation eased and the job market cooled, the Federal Reserve turned more dovish, driving strong inflows into BlackRock's fixed-income products. Total fixed income inflows amounted to US$83.77 billion, up from US$23.78 billion in the fourth quarter. BlackRock's assets under management rose to US$14.04 trillion in the quarter, up from US$11.55 trillion a year earlier. Long-term net inflows totaled about US$267.8 billion, led by continued strength in its ETF business, the firm's main engine of organic growth.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 15): Businesses often note that regulations and policies slow down innovation, especially for emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing. Regulators noted that regulation is needed for emerging technologies to ensure that these technologies benefit the right people. She noted that safeguards and regulations only hinders innovation and business interest if they are overly strict and unclear. If regulation does not chart a clear, predictable and credible pathway to innovation, it will dampen attraction. Predictable regulation enhances innovation; guesswork will dampen it,” said Do.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 15): Berjaya Land Bhd (KL:BJLAND) said it is proposing to change its name to Berjaya Property Bhd. In a bourse filing, the company said the proposed new name had been approved and reserved by the Companies Commission of Malaysia on Dec 23. The name change is subject to shareholder approval at an extraordinary general meeting, Berjaya Land said, adding that a circular detailing the proposal will be issued in due course. Berjaya Land is controlled by tycoon Tan Sri Vincent Tan, founder of the Berjaya Group. The group’s core activities include gaming, hotels and resorts, recreational development and vacation timeshare, property investment and development, and luxury motor retailing.

Its unit, SkyGate Properties Sdn Bhd, inked a sale and purchase agreement with Dahlia Cemerlang Sdn Bhd’s shareholders, Jitu Sempurna Sdn Bhd, Prominent Goldhill Sdn Bhd and Promaddun Sdn Bhd, to acquire the entire equity interest in the company, according to a bourse filing on Thursday. SkyGate is buying Dahlia Cemerlang to add an 8.15-acre industrial property within the Perai Industrial Park in Penang to its property portfolio. Meanwhile, the RM75.9 million price tag on Dahlia Cemerlang is based on its adjusted net assets of RM75.91 million. Dahlia Cemerlang is 46%-owned by Jitu Sempurna, while Prominent Goldhill holds 30%, and Promaddun with 24%. Given its related-party nature, SCS Global Advisory (M) Sdn Bhd has been appointed to advise non-interested directors and shareholders.

A property agent was re-arrested today in connection with a mule account syndicate, less than an hour after posting bail for a similar charge. Pic by Alias Abd RaniBATU PAHAT: A property agent was re-arrested today in connection with a mule account syndicate, less than an hour after posting bail for a similar charge. The court allowed bail of RM8,000 with one surety, after the prosecution had initially sought RM20,000. Two days ago, Yep was charged at the Segamat Sessions Court, where he also pleaded not guilty. He is expected to be remanded at the Tangkak magistrate's court tomorrow before facing further charges at the Johor Baru Sessions Court.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 15): DAP is urging the Attorney General to "seriously reconsider” the application filed to review the Federal Court’s decision that struck down part of the peaceful assembly law. A judicial review of the ruling could delay the ongoing efforts to amend the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012, DAP national chairman Gobind Singh Deo said in a statement. “The application for review would not permit us to look beyond the matters raised in that application, thereby limiting the intended reforms which are needed to the Act,” Gobind said. "Given that efforts are already underway to amend the Peaceful Assembly Act, we should take this opportunity to revisit and improve the provisions of the Act through Parliament instead of pursuing further litigation by way of review," Gobind added. The apex court ruled in July 2025 that Section 9(5) was disproportionate and violated the right to peaceful assembly under Article 10 of the Federal Constitution.

(Jan 15): Canon Inc said it will explore acquisitions in lucrative arenas such as medical devices and chip tools in the coming years, while setting a lower dividend payout target of around 40%. Canon now confronts a rapidly shifting market for the cameras that made it a household name around the world and a capital-intensive semiconductor manufacturing equipment arena. Its customers include chip giants such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.One question that weighs on investor sentiment is whether Canon can execute a smooth transition after decades of reliance on chairman and chief executive officer Fujio Mitarai. Mitarai, who first became the company’s president in 1995, has yielded that post twice in the past only to retake the role. “Now is not the time to make a concrete announcement” regarding a successor, he said.