Samsung Electronics said its 2024 second-quarter operating profit is expected to reach 89.4 trillion won, up 19 times from a year earlier and above market expectations. The company also projected revenue rising 129% to 171 trillion won. Higher AI-related investment pushed up prices for high-bandwidth memory as well as conventional DRAM and NAND, with Citi Research putting the quarter-on-quarter gains at 44% and 53%. Samsung’s guidance boosted its shares and memory-focused ETFs.

BIMB Research maintained an “overweight” rating on the plantation sector and expects crude palm oil (CPO) prices to stay volatile but firm in 2H26, trading in the RM4,200 to RM4,800 per tonne range and averaging around RM4,500. It sees support from stronger global biodiesel blending mandates, a potentially tighter palm oil supply-demand balance and El Nino risk in 2H26 that could curb output growth. While aggregate 1Q26 core net profit for companies under its coverage fell 7% year-on-year, it expects earnings to improve progressively from 2Q26 onward, according to the research house.

The Malaysian ringgit strengthened in early trade on Friday, rising to 4.0705/0805 against the US dollar from the previous close. The move followed a sharp downside surprise in US June nonfarm payrolls, which rose by 57,000 versus a 114,000 consensus, alongside downward revisions to April and May. The ringgit also gained against the British pound, Japanese yen, euro, Philippine peso, Indonesian rupiah, Thai baht and Singapore dollar.

The ringgit has weakened as the US dollar strengthened, with USD/MYR rising from a late-February low of RM3.8895 to RM4.1377 on June 24, amid uncertainty over the Federal Reserve’s policy path under new chairman Kevin Maxwell Warsh. Malaysia’s fundamentals have provided support, including a current account surplus that widened to 3% of GDP and a 70.5% year-on-year jump in electrical and electronics exports in May, alongside AI data-centre investment. Several institutions have kept their year-end USD/MYR targets in the RM3.95–RM4 range.

The dollar index (DXY) rose to 101.69 on Wednesday, its highest level in 13 months. Demand was supported by safe-haven buying tied to ongoing selling in U.S. technology stocks. Expectations for a Federal Reserve rate hike also strengthened, with CME FedWatch showing the implied odds for July rising to 36% from 9% a week earlier and September above 70%. The euro, pound, Australian dollar and yen weakened, with the yen sliding to 161.69 near its lowest level since 1986.

Markets’ concerns about a Middle East supply shock eased after the United States said it would waive some Iran sanctions and said the Strait of Hormuz remained open, sending Brent down 1.22% to $76.95 a barrel. Traders also sharply raised expectations for Federal Reserve tightening, with the implied odds of at least two 25-basis-point hikes this year rising to 54% from 15.2%. Risk assets sold off globally, with the MSCI Asia-Pacific index down 2.9% and South Korea’s Kospi plunging 8.1%. Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 3%, while the Nasdaq slipped 1.3% and the S&P 500 lost 0.4%.

The U.S. move to waive some Iran sanctions fueled expectations of additional oil supply, sending Brent crude briefly higher before it later settled more than 3% lower. Markets also repriced the outlook for U.S. rates amid expectations that new Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh could push for a faster pace of tightening, with fed funds futures implying a 54% chance of at least two hikes by year-end. The yen hovered near 40-year lows, prompting Japan’s finance minister to speak with U.S. officials. U.S. tech stocks led declines, with the Nasdaq down 1.3% and the S&P 500 off 0.4%.

日本纳豆出口量2025年达5248吨，较2017年增长三倍，主要销往中国和美国。受中东战争影响，作为纳豆发酵关键辅料的石脑油出现短缺，推高纳豆生产成本，促使行业提价并重塑其‘高端健康食品’定位。尽管纳豆本身非 traded commodity，但其大规模工业化生产依赖稳定、低成本的大豆原料供应，日本进口大豆采购行为对亚洲大豆现货及日盘相关合约存在边际影响。

Malaysia’s ringgit is expected to remain under pressure this week, trading in a RM4.13–RM4.15 range versus the US dollar. The outlook reflects continued market expectations of a possible 25basispoint US Federal Reserve rate hike later this year, which has supported the dollar and weighed on regional currencies, including the ringgit. Last week, the ringgit weakened from 4.0555/0600 to 4.1340/1395 and also fell against the pound, yen, euro and major ASEAN currencies.