
Asia-Pacific markets rally on hopes of Hormuz reopening
Asian equities rose on Friday as optimism grew that Iran and Oman’s draft protocol could reopen the Strait of Hormuz for oil shipments. Crude prices climbed, with U.S. WTI futures at $112 per barrel and Brent at $141, lifting South Korea’s Kospi by 2.7% while Japan’s bond yields hit multi‑decade highs. The CSI 300 slipped despite the broader uplift.
Kissht’s NBFC subsidiary Si Creva Capital Services received a CRISIL rating upgrade, moving its long‑term rating to A‑/Stable and short‑term to A1. The upgrade follows a surge in assets under management, which climbed to Rs 5,533 crore by September 2025, driven by rapid expansion of its unsecured personal‑loan portfolio. CRISIL highlighted the firm’s disciplined underwriting, robust digital‑lending platform, and strong capital cushion as key strengths. The rating lift coincides with Kissht’s upcoming IPO, which plans to raise Rs 1,000 crore to fund Si Creva’s capital needs.
S45 has launched India’s first AI‑enabled investment‑banking platform to streamline IPO execution. The system replaces manual spreadsheets with real‑time demand analytics, eligibility checks, and regulatory tracking. In a pilot covering 26 listings, the platform helped raise Rs 1,120.8 crore and achieved an...

Indian IT giants TCS, Wipro and HCL Tech are gaining investor confidence after the AI Summit 2026 highlighted the sector’s rapid AI adoption. Infosys announced a strategic partnership with Anthropic to embed large‑language models into its service portfolio, signaling a...

Indian small‑cap earnings for Q3 FY25 matched consensus forecasts, signalling a shift toward earnings normalisation after a period of rapid growth. While profit expansion has steadied, valuations remain elevated relative to peers, prompting analysts to stress quality over sheer size....

Thai banks’ non‑performing loan ratio slipped to 2.84% at December, down from 2.94% in September. Bank lending fell 1.1% in Q4 2025, marking the sixth straight quarter of contraction, driven by tighter credit to SMEs and consumers. Household debt remains...

Just because IT stocks are crashing does not mean the Indian IT sector is coming to a close - but you were overpaying for growth considering IT as a defensive sector, and that has to change. The sector has underperformed...

Indonesia has unveiled a US$762 million, 12.83 trillion‑rupiah stimulus aimed at bolstering Ramadan consumption. The package includes transport fare discounts of up to 30%, full‑fare ferry rides, and food parcels for low‑income families. Officials hope the measures will sustain mobility and purchasing...

CleanMax Enviro Energy Solutions announced a ₹3,100 crore IPO opening on Feb 23, with a price band of ₹1,000‑1,053 per share that values the company at up to ₹12,325 crore. The issue includes a ₹1,200 crore fresh issue and a ₹1,900 crore offer‑for‑sale by promoters,...
India’s corporate funding is increasingly sourced domestically as the yield gap with US Treasuries narrows to about 2.5%, eroding the cost advantage of foreign‑currency debt. Deepening private‑credit markets now finance even near‑investment‑grade borrowers, exemplified by a recent $3.4 billion rupee‑denominated deal....

DCM Shriram Industries completed its demerger, launching DCM Shriram Fine Chemicals Ltd and DCM Shriram International Ltd on Indian exchanges. Fine Chemicals opened around 17% below its issue price, while International fell about 18% on the NSE but edged up...
A short op on what’s going on under the hood in China’s $20 trn economic paradox with the 15th FYP due next month. No five-year plan will solve the paradox of China’s economy https://t.co/uCtAPYrW7A
Nifty IT index is back from an oversold 20 on the RSI indicator to 30 - not so oversold anymore. Now the real question about the trend emerges.
Naturals, one of India’s largest organised salon chains with about 900 outlets, is negotiating a stake sale with Reliance but talks have stalled over control, with Reliance seeking a 51% stake while Naturals wants to retain 49%. The company reported...
I honestly feel like freee's result was pretty damn good: +30% YoY top-line growth. With other narratives floating around, the market could easily have interpreted the result in a favorable light.

While everyone continues to be bearish on Thailand, the index quietly bottomed in mid-2025. Marc Faber called it, almost perfectly. https://t.co/TfCZRnhSG7

Semirara Mining and Power Corp is urging that its long‑standing technical expertise will help it retain the coal‑mining concession that expires in 2027, even as the Philippine government prepares an auction. The announcement triggered a 21.39% drop in Semirara’s share...
Asian equity markets are diverging into two camps: AI capex beneficiaries in East Asia and "old economy" companies in Southeast Asia. There will be an inflection point where the former peaks, and flows move towards the latter. But when?
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, also finance minister, controls the state‑owned stakes that own nearly half of IJM Corporation, putting him at the centre of Sunway Group’s RM11 billion (S$3.5 billion) takeover bid. The offer, seen as hostile, combines RM1 billion in cash with...

Japan’s nuclear reactors continue to come back online. This is a major positive for consumers, businesses, and the environment, as it increases the supply of cheap energy, and reduces reliance on expensive imported fossil fuels. This dynamic should also support the...

Asian equities opened muted on Tuesday as holiday‑thin trading reduced volumes across the region. Futures indicated a slight rise for Australia and a modest dip for Japan, while the Euro Stoxx 600 remained flat. The yen slipped to around 153 per...

BHP Group posted a 22% rise in underlying attributable profit to $6.2 billion for the six months ended December, propelled by a sharp rally in copper prices. At the same time, demand weakness in China dampened iron‑ore and steelmaking‑coal sales. The...

Thailand’s Board of Investment has green‑lit a 2.3 billion‑baht research programme to develop heat‑assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) technology for Western Digital’s local unit. The initiative aims to produce hard‑disk drives capable of more than 100 TB of storage by 2029, leveraging laser‑heated...

Thailand's finance ministry has instructed state‑owned enterprises to fund new investments primarily from internal revenues, limiting reliance on borrowing that is classified as public debt. The policy follows a backdrop where public debt stands at 66.1% of GDP, close to...

Thailand’s economy posted a surprising 2.5% GDP expansion in Q4 2025, outpacing the finance ministry’s 1.8% forecast and the NESDC’s 0.3% estimate. The stronger performance lifted full‑year 2025 growth to 2.4%, above the 2% target, and the finance chief now aims...

Epson Thailand is shifting focus to the corporate B2B segment to achieve at least 5% growth in FY2026, leveraging government digital‑transformation projects and sustainability initiatives. While the B2C market is expected to contract 5% in FY2025, ink‑tank market share rose...
The Philippine Exporters Confederation (Philexport) is confident that export growth will accelerate this year, buoyed by the active Philippines‑South Korea free‑trade agreement and several pending deals. Preliminary data show 2025 merchandise exports reached $84.41 billion, a 15.2% increase over 2024 and...
Cebu Landmasters Inc. (CLI) has signed a new joint‑venture agreement with NTT UD Asia Pte. Ltd., a subsidiary of Japan’s NTT Group, to develop a Japanese‑inspired mixed‑use condominium in Pasig. The venture, operating as CLI Luzon Ventures Inc., will launch the...
The Philippine Nickel Industry Association (PNIA) and Indonesia Nickel Miners Association (APNI) have signed a cooperation agreement to align investment confidence, policy dialogue, and responsible mining across the nickel value chain. The pact outlines five collaboration pillars—data sharing, industry dialogue...

FII's sold -972 Cr. DII's Bought Heavily +1666 Cr. It's been more than a year and nifty is trying to survive with the help of DII's only But without FII's, our portfolio will remain down and -ve 🔻 @champ_trader
The Reserve Bank of India released draft norms requiring Authorised Dealer Category‑I banks to report all rupee‑denominated foreign‑exchange derivative transactions undertaken by their related parties worldwide. This follows earlier steps that mandated primary dealers and banks to disclose rupee interest‑rate...
Goldman Sachs increased its stake in Aye Finance by buying 16.8 lakh shares for about Rs 22 crore, bringing its total exposure to roughly Rs 91 crore. The NBFC’s IPO was 97 % subscribed, yet the shares opened flat at Rs 128.80, just 0.16 % below the issue...
Nifty Prediction For Tomorrow 17 February 2026 By Rohit Srivastava | Indiacharts The nifty could not go below this support range, which was 25,450, and we managed to bounce back from there, hitting the gap zone, the island that we...
SM Prime Holdings reported a 7% rise in net income to P48.8 billion for 2025, driven by stronger commercial‑property revenues and disciplined cost control. Consolidated revenue edged up to P141.1 billion, with malls contributing P85.1 billion, while total expenses fell 4% to P69.4 billion....

The Reserve Bank of India’s new capital‑market exposure framework, effective April 1 2026, mandates 100 percent collateral backing for all bank loans to brokerage firms and bars banks from financing proprietary trading desks. Brokers plan to petition the RBI for clarifications as the...

India’s five listed REITs paid out over ₹2,450 crore to more than 380,000 unitholders in Q3, covering 185 million square feet of Grade A office and retail space. Since inception, the trusts have distributed over ₹29,100 crore and now hold assets exceeding ₹2.5 lakh crore. The...
Indian Inc delivered a 7% year‑on‑year profit rise in Q3, marking the seventh straight quarter of single‑digit PAT growth for the Nifty 50 – the longest streak since mid‑2020. Earnings were led by State Bank of India, Tata Steel, HDFC...

Sundaram Asset Management Company has launched the Sundaram India Mid Cap GIFT, a USD‑denominated offshore feeder fund that gives global investors direct exposure to India’s mid‑cap equities. The fund is domiciled in GIFT City’s International Financial Services Centre and invests...
The benchmark Sensex jumped roughly 650 points to end the session above 83,000, sparking a broad market rally. Nine BSE 200 constituents—spanning steel, banking, telecom infrastructure, pharmaceuticals and finance—each breached their 52‑week highs, marking the strongest yearly performance for these stocks....

Indonesia’s Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia warned that 301 explored oil‑and‑gas areas remain idle and could have their licences revoked if operators do not commence production. He cited the long‑stalled Masela Block, managed by Japan’s Inpex, which only...

Axis Securities has highlighted three equities—Kirloskar Oil Engines, Blue Star and Astral—as short‑term buys, projecting up to 20% upside within the next three to four weeks. The brokerage cites a clear technical uptrend for Kirloskar Oil Engines, with higher highs...

Asia stocks headed for long CNY break. •Those that traded today did reasonably well, incl HK which opened half day. •Volume, not surprisingly, is light. •Most mkts will close for 2 days, China whole week. HK reopens Friday. •Japan, India...

Asia is up 8 weeks in a row and just closed the week at the highest levels ever, again. https://t.co/hobmUg9TXF
Emkay Global downgraded Ola Electric Mobility to Sell, slashing its target price by 60% to ₹20 from ₹50. The company posted a weak Q3, with revenue down 55% YoY and a 61% drop in unit volume to 32,000 units, pushing...

Japan's economy posted a modest 0.2% annualized growth in Q4 2025, its first expansion in two quarters, as consumer spending rose slightly while exports fell under U.S. tariff pressure. TEPCO began trial electricity transmission from unit 6 at the Kashiwazaki‑Kariwa nuclear...

Azad Engineering reported a robust quarter, expanding margins and scaling top‑tier OEM relationships in high‑precision aerospace and turbine supply chains. The company’s order book now stands at roughly ₹6,500 crore, equivalent to 14.2 times FY25 revenue, providing strong visibility through FY28. With...
Singapore’s construction sector has transformed into a high‑growth engine, propelled by a record S$53 billion contract pipeline and flagship projects like Changi Airport Terminal 5. The rally delivered construction‑related stocks returns exceeding 200 % in 2025, dwarfing the STI’s 22.7 % gain. Soilbuild Construction...
Japan’s economy grew a modest 0.2 percent annualised in the October‑December quarter, just enough to avoid a technical recession after a 0.7 percent contraction in the prior quarter. Private consumption rose 0.4 percent, but a 1.1 percent drop in exports dragged overall growth. The...
Singapore’s market closed almost flat on Monday ahead of the Chinese New Year break, with the Straits Times Index edging up 0.02% to 4,938.58 points. Export data showed non‑oil domestic exports rose 9.3% year‑on‑year in January, missing Bloomberg’s 12% forecast...
Treasury Wine Estates’ push back into China has been derailed by a government crackdown on extravagant banquets and tighter grey‑market controls. The winemaker announced it will pull 400,000 cases from China and 500,000 from the United States to regain pricing...
Amova Asset Management has been selected as one of six managers under Singapore’s expanded Equity Market Development Programme (EQDP), which grew to S$6.5 billion in the 2026 budget. The firm will roll out two new funds – the Singapore All Share...