Today's Asia Stocks Pulse
Japan and South Korea equities hit record highs as investors weigh Iran tensions
Japan’s Nikkei 225 and South Korea’s Kospi posted fresh all‑time highs, buoyed by strong domestic earnings and a pivotal wage settlement at Samsung Electronics. The rally unfolded while markets assessed the impact of U.S. strikes in Iran and the fragile cease‑fire talks. Oil prices held gains as Asian shares climbed on the geopolitical backdrop.
Toyota Union Lowers Annual Bonus Demand
Toyota Motor Corp's labor union lowered its annual bonus demand to 7.3 months' pay, a 0.3‑month reduction from last year’s record level, as the automaker faces higher U.S. tariffs. The union also called for wage hikes in the spring “shunto” negotiations but did not reveal specific numbers. Other Japanese automakers saw mixed requests: Honda trimmed its demand, Mazda increased, Mitsubishi cut, Daihatsu sought the largest raise, while Nissan stayed silent. Final outcomes are slated for release on March 18.
Krungsri Eyes Extra B100bn in SME Loans
Bank of Ayudhya (Krungsri) announced a plan to add 100 billion baht in SME loans over the next four years, lifting its total SME portfolio to 350 billion baht. The initiative pairs soft‑loan financing with ESG education and advisory, targeting high‑growth sectors...
Half‑Dollar Target Holds If Trendline Remains Intact
We will touch half dollar as long as we don’t break down below this trendline. This trendline will act like a staircase as long as the price doesn’t fall below it, it will keep moving upward.
First Gen Powers Lyceum Satellite Campuses
First Gen Corp. will supply over 1,150 kW of geothermal electricity to Lyceum of the Philippines University’s satellite campuses in Batangas and Laguna. The deal, enabled by the retail aggregation program, lets the campuses pool demand to meet the 500‑kW threshold...
US Stocks: Trump Adviser Hassett Suggests New York Fed Researchers Be Punished for Tariffs Argument
Kevin Hassett, former Trump economic adviser, blasted a New York Fed research paper that argued tariffs mainly hurt American consumers, calling it "shoddy scholarship" and the worst paper in Fed history. He urged that the authors be disciplined for their...
Market Trading Guide: Bank of India Among 2 PSU Bank Stocks Offering up to 8% Upside
The Nifty 50 logged a third straight gain, breaking above the 25,500 support and 25,800 resistance as consumer, financial and metal stocks led the rally. Bank of India and Bank of Maharashtra each posted decisive breakouts from consolidation zones, prompting...
9 Large-Cap Stocks Where DIIs Are Trimming Their Stakes in Q3
Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) trimmed their stakes in nine NSE large‑cap stocks during the December 2025 quarter, marking a quarter‑on‑quarter decline across the board. Bharat Petroleum’s DII share fell to 19.99% from 22.24%, the steepest drop, while State Bank of India’s...
Clean Max Enviro IPO: Verdict After Deep Dive
Clean Max Enviro IPO Review Detailed Analysis about the Company Final Decision https://youtu.be/rAJXURG4Tlc #ipo #ipoalert #cleanmaxipo
Broker’s Call: Ipca Laboratories (Buy)
Ipca Laboratories posted a robust 19% year‑on‑year EBITDA increase to ₹530 crore, surpassing broker estimates, while revenue rose 6.6% to ₹2,400 crore. Domestic formulation sales grew 12% and export formulation climbed 17%, offset by flat API sales overall but a 26% rebound...
Broker’s Call: MM Forgings (Buy)
MM Forgings posted a Q3FY26 EBITDA of ₹71.6 crore, a 2% YoY decline, while revenue rose 11% to ₹405 crore, beating estimates. Domestic sales grew 14% and exports 7%, reflecting stronger overseas demand. The broker retains a BUY rating with a revised...
Rupee Rises 5 Paise to Close at 90.67 Against US Dollar
The Indian rupee edged higher, closing at a provisional 90.67 per U.S. dollar, up five paise on the day. The modest gain was driven by fresh foreign fund inflows and a buoyant domestic equity market, which saw the Sensex climb...
India Relaxes Chinese Equipment Import Curbs for Power, Coal Amid Project Delays
India has begun easing its 2020‑era restrictions on Chinese equipment, allowing state‑run power companies to import limited transmission components and considering similar exemptions for coal‑sector gear. The move responds to mounting shortages and project delays that threaten the country’s ambitious...
Heads Up: US Treasury to Release TIC Data Later Today
The US Treasury will publish its latest International Capital (TIC) data, showing foreign investors holding a record $9.36 trillion of Treasury securities. China’s holdings slipped to roughly $683 billion, the lowest level since 2008, while Japan remains the top holder with about...
SBI Funds Management Plans $1.5 Billion IPO in March
India’s largest asset manager, SBI Funds Management, is preparing to file a draft prospectus for an IPO in March that could raise up to $1.5 billion, targeting a valuation near $15 billion. The offering would represent roughly a 10% stake held jointly...
Yangzijiang Maritime to Hold EGM on Mar 6 on Proposed Share Buyback
Yangzijiang Maritime announced an extraordinary general meeting on 6 March to seek approval for a share‑buyback program covering up to 10% of its issued stock, roughly 348.9 million shares. The company set price caps of 105% for on‑market purchases and 120% for...
Bumi Resources Minerals Says Palu Operations Unaffected by Site Closure
Bumi Resources Minerals (BRM) confirmed that the government‑ordered closure of a contested gold mine in its Palu concession will not disrupt its core operations because the site was never active. The enforcement action targeted an area where illegal miners had...
Nifty50 Holds Near 25900, Awaiting Bullish Break
#Nifty50 looks neutral to slightly bullish for now, but not in full breakout mode. >> 25900 is the real decision zone. Writers still in control there... >> If spot sustains above 25900 and 25900 CE breaks 180...185 with rising IV, we can...
China Delays Auto Sales Data, Signaling Weakening Market
The Economist: “Last month the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, another state-backed trade group, appears to have deferred the publication of its weekly sales data—a sure sign of growing anxiety over weakening numbers.” https://t.co/feytAJBiP2
From Slump to Surge: Renault Korea’s Strategic Turnaround
Renault Korea has reversed a sales slump by launching the Aurora Project and a hybrid‑first Grand Koleos, boosting domestic sales 31.3% to 52,271 units in 2025. The model’s 86.5% hybrid mix drove 40,877 domestic deliveries, while exports dropped 46.7%, signalling a...
Asian Paints Faces Near-Term Headwinds as Weak Q3 Dampens Sentiment
Asian Paints reported an 8% growth in decorative volumes for Q3, slowing from the 11% pace in the prior quarter, and saw its EBITDA margin expand to 20.1% on lower raw‑material costs. The company retained its FY‑26 guidance of 8‑10%...
Market Isn't Being Rational Right Now: Qu
PSP Growth Managing Director Momei Qu told Bloomberg Surveillance that the market is acting irrationally, with NVIDIA’s stock sliding despite record AI‑related capital expenditures announced by the so‑called “MAG 7” firms. Qu said investors are torn between fears that massive AI...
Carlsberg Considering Listing of India Business to Unlock Shareholders Value: Group CEO
Carlsberg’s Group CEO Jacob Aarup‑Andersen confirmed the company is actively exploring an initial public offering of its Indian business, though no final decision has been made. The move aims to unlock shareholder value as the subsidiary posted high single‑digit volume...
IPO-Bound Kissht's NBFC Arm Gets Crisil Rating Upgrade on Strong Growth
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...
S45 Introduces AI-Based Platform for IPO Execution
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...
TCS, Wipro to HCL Tech: Why Are Experts Bullish on IT Stocks After AI Summit 2026, Infosys Collaboration with Anthropic?
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...
Small-Cap Q3 Earnings Meet Expectations: Should Investors Increase Exposure to Small-Cap Stocks?
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’ Bad Loans Dip Slightly
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...
IT Overvaluation, Not Crash, Drives Sector Underperformance
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...
Chinese AI Firms Double, Hitting $35B—West Should Follow
china’s two ai model company minimax and zai have grown 2x in public markets in the last month they’re now $30-35b companies surely that should prompt western labs to go public already
Will Indonesia’s US$762 Million Ramadan Stimulus Be a ‘Positive’ Boost for the Economy?
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 to Float ₹3,100 Crore IPO on Feb 23
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,...
Indian Banks: From Credit Provision to Liquidity Provision?
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’ Demerger Entities Debut on Bourses
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...
China’s $20T Paradox Defies Any Five‑year Plan
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 RSI Climbs From 20 to 30, Trend Uncertain
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 Eyes 2028 IPO if Reliance Stake Talks Fail
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...
Freee Posts 30% YoY Revenue Surge, Market Optimism
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.
Thailand Market Hit Bottom Mid‑2025, Faber Predicted
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 Hopes to Win Coal Mine Bidding
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 Markets Split: AI Surge vs Old‑Economy Shift Ahead
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?
A RM11 Billion Takeover Battle Is Testing Malay Economic Clout. Malaysia PM Anwar Now Holds All the Cards
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 Restarts Cut Costs, Boost Yen, Tame Inflation
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...
Asia Stocks Seen Muted on Holiday Trade, Oil Gains: Markets Wrap
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 Profit Climbs as Copper Offsets China Drag on Iron Ore
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...
BoI Approves B2.3bn Heat-Assisted Storage Project for WD Unit
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...
State Firms Told to Avoid Borrowing when Investing
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...
Economy Has 'Left ICU', Says Finance Chief
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 Eyes Growing Corporate Market
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...
CLI Teams up with Japan’s NTT Group Anew for Luzon Expansion
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...
Philippines, Indonesian Nickel Miners Forge Cooperation Agreement
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...