(Feb 18): An effort launched by the Trump administration to improve home borrowing costs is not coming to much so far, meeting minutes from the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) Jan 27-28 meeting, released on Wednesday, said. The biggest driver of lower mortgage rates has been the Fed’s easing in the cost of short-term credit, which saw officials lower their interest rate target by three quarters of a percentage point last year, to between 3.5% and 3.75%. The Fed is currently on hold as it seeks evidence inflation is coming down, amid market expectations of more cuts this year. The meeting minutes also noted that the New York Fed official said that recent changes to standing repo operations, which help the Fed manage its interest rate target, had made the lending tool more attractive to financial institutions. The minutes also said that large-scale purchases of Treasury bills aimed at bolstering reserve levels ahead of the mid-April tax date were proceeding according to plan.

(Feb 18): The US Justice Department has summoned some of the country's major theater chains to private conversations about the potential impact of a sale of Warner Bros Discovery, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday. Warner Bros Discovery and the Department of Justice did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Paramount acknowledged the seven-day offer but called Warner Bros' board actions "unusual." The CBS-parent had said it would continue to advance the tender offer, oppose the "inferior" Netflix merger and still plans to nominate directors for the upcoming Warner Bros annual meeting. Warner Bros is moving forward with a vote on Netflix's offer for streaming and studio businesses on March 20.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 19): Yayasan Peneraju, an agency under the Ministry of Economy, has introduced a membership fee rebate to encourage its talents and alumni to register and become members of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA). The amount will be deducted from their outstanding repayment balance with Yayasan Peneraju. In a statement on Sunday, Yayasan Peneraju chief executive officer Ibrahim Sani said the move is aimed at supporting Bumiputera accounting talents in obtaining the Chartered Accountant (Malaysia), or CA (Malaysia), designation conferred by MIA. Since its establishment, Yayasan Peneraju has supported more than 90,000 Bumiputera individuals across high-impact sectors, including technology and professional development. For 2026, Yayasan Peneraju aims to train 2,000 more professionally qualified accountants as part of its broader target of producing 5,000 such professionals annually by 2030.

Also, US heating oil futures jumped around 5%. Brent crude futures settled up US$2.93, or 4.35%, at US$70.35 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures settled up US$2.86, or 4.59%, to US$65.19. On Tuesday, oil fell after Iran's foreign minister said Tehran and Washington had reached an understanding on guiding principles of nuclear talks. Traders will monitor US oil inventory reports from the American Petroleum Institute, due on Wednesday, and from the Energy Information Administration on Thursday.

Palm oil as in palm olein? And because refined palm oil carries a neutral flavour, it never competes with the dish. In sauces and gravies, refined palm oil provides a neutral, glossy base that carries spices evenly and keeps flavours rounded rather than sharp. If refined palm oil is the quiet workhorse of festive kitchens, red palm oil is its storyteller. With a smoke point comparable to refined palm oil, it remains stable for sautéing and light frying, while its colour transforms dishes visually.

The S&P 500 Index gained 0.6% in New York, while the technology-heavy Nasdaq 100 Index rallied 0.8%. Investors snapped up beaten-down stocks following a stretch of volatile trading driven by concern about the potential disruption that AI poses to a bevy of sectors. New residential construction in the US also rose to a five-month high in the final month of last year. “Figuring out the winners and losers in AI is likely to be a center theme in 2026. New York Times Co shares rose after Berkshire Hathaway built a stake in the publisher, while slashing its holding in Amazon by more than 75%.

In currencies, the dollar firmed after minutes from the Federal Reserve's (Fed) latest meeting showed policymakers were in no rush to cut rates. Oil prices held gains after surging in the previous session, as investors priced in potential supply disruptions on concerns of a conflict between the US and Iran. Brent crude futures were down slightly at US$70.31 a barrel after jumping 4.35% in the previous session, while US crude was last at US$65.10, holding on to most of Wednesday's 4.6% gain. I think this is just designed to put more pressure on Iran to come back with more reasonable objectives from these talks," said Sycamore. The New Zealand dollar was up 0.11% at US$0.5972, having tumbled 1.4% in the previous session after the country's central bank tempered market expectations for a hawkish pivot at its policy meeting.

About 320 shares in the S&P 500 rose. “The magnitude, persistence, and breadth of buying activity have materially exceeded prior peaks,” said Scott Rubner, the firm’s head of equity and equity derivatives strategy. The S&P 500 rose to around 6,880. Despite Wednesday’s equity gains, the S&P 500 has been struggling to breach the 7,000 level since it first made its push toward that level back in October. “We view the stock market as currently being in a ‘shaken, not stirred’ state,” said Craig Johnson at Piper Sandler.

KUALA LUMPUR: A vandal who damaged a dozen ATMs has been arrested by the police. Sentul OCPD Asst Comm Basri Sagoni in a statement said that follow up investigations led to the arrest of a 67-year-old man within Sentul on Wednesday (Feb 18). "Questioning found that the suspect committed the act because he was dissatisfied after failing to withdraw money from the ATM," he said. "With the arrest of the suspect, the police have successfully solved five reported cases of ATM screen vandalism." Previously the suspect allegedly broke the screens of 12 ATMs at bank branches in the Sentul area.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) has issued a thunderstorm warning for the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur and five states until 6pm on Wednesday (Feb 18). MetMalaysia said thunderstorms, heavy rain and strong winds are expected in Kedah (Kulim and Bandar Baharu) and Perak (Kerian, Larut, Matang dan Selama, and Kuala Kangsar). The same warning has also been issued for Selangor (Klang, Gombak, Petaling and Hulu Langat) and Johor (Batu Pahat, Pontian, Kulai and Johor Bahru). In Sabah, the affected areas include the Interior (Tenom, Beaufort, Nabawan, Keningau and Tambunan), the West Coast (Papar, Putatan, Penampang, Kota Kinabalu, Tuaran and Ranau), Tawau (Tawau), and Sandakan (Tongod and Telupid).

BEIJING: An explosion at a fireworks shop in central China killed 12 people on Wednesday (Feb 18), the second day of the Lunar New Year holiday, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Setting off fireworks and firecrackers is common during holiday celebrations in China, especially around Lunar New Year, which fell on Tuesday. On Sunday, an explosion at a fireworks shop in eastern China's Jiangsu province killed eight and injured two. An explosion at a biotech factory in northern China's Shanxi province killed eight people this month. And in late January, an explosion at a steel factory in the neighbouring province of Inner Mongolia left at least nine people dead.

LONDON: Britain's Prince William opened up Wednesday (Feb 18) about his mental health strategies, the heir to the throne revealing he takes "a long time trying to understand my emotions". Joining a panel discussion on the BBC's youth-focused Radio 1 station, William called for "more male role models" to help normalise mental health discussions, noting it was vital to "be kind to yourself". The 43-year-old prince and his wife Catherine have long made mental health support one of their signature causes, with their philanthropic foundation last year launching a new national suicide prevention network. His comments came as the president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists urged the government to address a "silent mental health pandemic" affecting people across England. Last year, in a video released to mark World Mental Health Day, the prince fought back tears as he discussed the impact of suicide with a woman whose husband took his own life.

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah needs a Philippines Consulate rather than an Indian Consulate, says former deputy chief minister Jeffrey Kitingan. "Sabah also does not need to take in Indian workers because it has more than enough foreign workers from Indonesia and the Philippines, who also speak Bahasa Malaysia. "Therefore, we do not support the establishment of an Indian Consulate in Sabah," stressed Kitingan in response to the Prime Minister’s announcement of support for the proposed Indian Consulate, here. In short, while there may be a few who welcome the opening of the Indian consulate, the majority of responses on social media show concern regarding the necessity and priority. Kitingan also proposed that Anwar Ibrahim engage diplomatically with the Philippines President to establish their consulate in Sabah.

SYDNEY: Life savers have released chilling helicopter footage of a 4.5-metre (15-foot) great white shark that was circling two unsuspecting divers in Western Australia. "Unaware of the danger, our crew sounded the siren, alerting the divers who exited the water onto their jet ski and headed to safety," Surf Life Saving Western Australia said in a social media post this week. Western Australia's government says shark encounters are rare but people should take precautions including using a SharkSmart mobile app that gives near real-time alerts of shark activity. There have been more than 1,280 shark incidents around Australia since 1791, of which more than 250 resulted in death, according to a database of the predators' encounters with humans. The most recent fatality was a 12-year-old boy who died after being attacked by a shark in Sydney Harbour in January.

KUALA LUMPUR: His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim and Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah, King and Queen of Malaysia, today sent their Ramadan greetings to Muslims in the country. In a Facebook post shared on the King’s official page, Their Majesties urged the people to make the most of the blessed month by increasing acts of worship, strengthening unity, and fostering a spirit of mutual assistance. "We pray that Malaysia continues to be blessed and that all its citizens enjoy well-being, peace, and harmony,” Their Majesties said. Muslims in Malaysia will begin fasting on Thursday (Feb 19).- Bernama