Rubber Market Ends Mixed On Weaker Crude Oil Prices, US-China Trade Tensions

By K. Naveen Prabu

KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 (Bernama) -- The Kuala Lumpur rubber market ended mixed on Tuesday, tracking weaker crude oil prices, a dealer said.

Rubber Targeted To Hit Minimum Price Of RM5 Per Kilogramme By End-2027 - Ahmad Zahid

SEREMBAN, July 28 (Bernama) --  The minimum price of rubber is targeted to hit RM5 per kilogramme by the end of 2027 as part of efforts to improve the income and standard of living of more than 500,000 rubber smallholders nationwide, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

InterSystems Launches AI Assistant For Enterprise Data Access

KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 (Bernama) -- InterSystems, a creative data technology provider, has announced the general availability of InterSystems Data Studio AI Assistant, a new generative artificial intelligence (AI)-powered extension for InterSystems Data Studio.

Axe Compute Secures US$1.5 Bln AI Infrastructure Agreement

KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 (Bernama) -- Axe Compute Inc, a neocloud artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure company, has announced a new five-year customer agreement with a total committed contract value of over US$1.5 billion to deploy a dedicated AI infrastructure cluster powered by NVIDIA Blackwell in the United States (US). (US$1=RM4.08)

Malaysia Needs Fresh Reform Momentum To Strengthen Fiscal Sustainability, Boost Productivity — OECD

PUTRAJAYA, July 28 (Bernama) -- Malaysia needs fresh reform momentum to strengthen fiscal sustainability, boost productivity and improve education to sustain strong and resilient economic growth, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

OECD Maintains Malaysia's 2026 Growth Forecast At 5 Pct, Citing Economic Resilience

PUTRAJAYA, July 28 (Bernama) -- The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has forecast Malaysia’s economy to record solid growth of around five per cent on average this year and in 2027 despite global uncertainties.

Bursa Malaysia Stays Lower At Midday With Regional Tech Stock Sell-Off

KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia continued its downtrend to close lower at midday, in line with regional sell-off on tech stocks following US chipmaker Nvidia’s talks with OpenAI to help fund a US$250 billion backstop.

Malaysia Now 7.1 Pct Below World Bank’s High-Income Threshold -- Akmal Nasrullah

PUTRAJAYA, July 28 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is now just 7.1 per cent below the World Bank’s high-income threshold, thanks to the 5.8 per cent economic expansion in the second quarter of this year, said Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir.

BNM Framework Should Evolve From Prescriptive To Collaborative -- Former Deputy Governor 

KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 (Bernama) -- Bank Negara Malaysia’s (BNM) supervisory framework should evolve to become more collaborative and consultative with the financial industry, including greater use of regulatory sandboxes, said former BNM deputy governor Datuk Ooi Sang Kuang. 

Ringgit Expected To Trade Within 3.90-4.20 Against US Dollar Through 2H 2026

KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 (Bernama) -- Malaysia’s resilient growth, durable trade surplus and disciplined monetary framework are expected to underpin the ringgit through the second half of 2026 (2H 2026), with the local currency projected to trade within the 3.90-4.20 range against the US dollar, said Juwai IQI global chief economist Shan Saeed.

Data Centre Approvals Won’t Compromise Malaysia’s Energy Security - Sim

KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 (Bernama) -- Every application for a new data centre project will undergo a stringent assessment process to ensure electricity and water supplies for local households and industries are not affected, said Deputy Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Sim Tze Tzin.

Sime Darby Property Establishes RM2.6 Bln Green Sukuk Programme For Data Centres

KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 (Bernama) -- Sime Darby Property Bhd's New Economy Venture (NEV) platform, Sime Darby Property NEV (Holdings) Sdn Bhd (SDP NEV), has established a sukuk programme of up to RM2.6 billion to finance the development of build-to-suit-to-lease data centres as well as industrial and logistics assets.