Azharuddin | Azha Investing
Individual investor sharing daily FX and Asian equity insights, including Malaysia stocks and macro commentary.
Treasury Yields Spike Above 4.5% Amid Inflation Fears
This is getting very serious. Yg paling ditakuti? INFLASI “As of May 15, 2026, U.S. Treasury yields have surged to approx 1-year highs, with the 10-year note climbing above 4.5% due to rising INFLATION fears, surging OIL prices, and expectations of Fed Res RATE hikes.”
Public, Maybank Lead with Top PBV and ROE
Snapshot of Top 6 Malaysian banks and BIMB valuation. •Public has the highest PBV at 1.5x •Maybank is 1.4x The two banks have the best ROE of 12.1% and 11.3%. •RHB is “most improved” at 1.0x as ROE rose to ~10% Most banks...
Malaysian Banks Boost Dividend Payouts, Sharpening Shareholder Returns
Bank Malaysia konsisten naikkan dividen payout ratio the last few years. Median 2025 div payout (top 6 bank): 62.3%, Avg 10yrs: 50.3% [Payout ialah jumlah profit yg “dipulangkan”kepada shareholders dalam bentuk dividend] Notables (Jumlah bayaran dividen 2025): •Maybank: RM7.6b, 72.4% payout dari profit. •CIMB:...
Public Bank Leads Malaysian Banking Rally, Earnings Outlook Strong
Malaysian banks up today. Seeing plenty of buying interest. Financial Service index highest since end-March. All banks still below pre-War level (except AM). Best performer is Public Bank +3% to RM4.94, highest in almost 2 months. •1Q earnings release on 12...
US War Sentiment Eases, Asian Markets Surge
Positive, as another Trump easing drove stocks up in Asia. UK, German now both +2%. US futures pointing to another record high tonight. Gold and silver higher. Brent oil sharply 9% down, sitting just above $100. Seems like US are done...
War‑Driven Oil Shock Crushes Gold, Not Safe Haven
Gold sepatutnya “safe haven” sewaktu geopolitik. Tapi waktu Perang US-Iran harga Gold jatuh? Simple answer: inflationary pressure Perang = Oil shock → inflation fears → Interest rate “higher for longer” → stronger USD. [Gold compete dgn higher returns elsewhere ie Bond Yield] Short-term: Oil-Inflation-USD...
Three Central Banks Hold, Face Divergent Economic Headwinds
Three key policy meetings this week. 3 Central Banks, 3 Different Problems. 🇯🇵 BOJ (Today). Hold 0.75%. •BOJ’s vote was 6-3 (3 wanted hike) •Weak yen fuels inflation, but raising rates kills fragile growth •Could hike in June 🇺🇸 Fed Resv (29 Apr). Expect...
Tech Index Hits Highest Close Since Jan 2025
Saham tech Bursa seeing a “face ripper” rally. Tech Index at highest close since Jan 2025. INARI pun dah joined the party. Enjoy.
TM's 75% Dividend Boost Sparks Stock Surge, Sets GLC Trend
TM spiked 6% at lunch break. Partly sebab umum dividend payout polisi dipertingkat kpd min 75% (sebelum ini 40-60%) di bayar setiap qtr (sebelum ini 2x setahun). Adakah ini akan drive other GLCs to follow? Maybank report: “TM’s revised dividend policy...
KLCI Hits March High, Tech & Commodities Lead Gains
KLCI highest close since 18 March +2.5% YTD. Outshone other markets yesterday; main themes were tech/DC, commodity. Large caps/KLCI Top 5 movers yesterday: •P Chem +6.3% •MRDIY +4.3% •P Metal +2.7% •YTLP +2.3% •YTL 2.0% Mid-caps FBM70 continues to outperform +7.2% YTD. Still positive on...
Asian Markets Hit Record Highs; Malaysia Lags Behind
Saham cheering ceasefire extended “indefinitely”. •US record high. Early morning: •Japan hit 60K pertama kali dlm sejarah •S Korea up 2% extending record high. Malaysia opens soon, smlm down 5 points. Hope for a better day. SC says sedang usaha utk naikkan weighting...
Malaysian Banks Rally, Need Re‑rating to Match Regional Peers
Bank stocks seeing follow thru from yesterday. •Bursa Finance Index highest in 3wks, >20K •CIMB & Public highest since end-March. •Mid-sized RHB & AM up >1% •Still attractive DY >5%, ~1.1x PBV (large banks) As discussed recently, Malaysia’s KLCI NEEDS the banks to re-rate...
Q1 GDP Hits 5.3% Despite Sector Slowdown
1Q GDP (advanced estimate) 5.3% as projected. Slowdown seen across all sectors. By sectors (vs 4Q25): •Services 5.4% (4Q25: 6.3%), •Manufacturing 5.8% (6.1%), •Construction 7.8% (11.0%), •Agriculture 2.8% (5.4%) •Mining & quarrying -1.1% (+2.0%) Sumber DOSM Still good growth nonetheless. BNM full year...
Malaysia Q1 GDP Expected Around 5.5% YoY, Outpacing Forecast
GDP Msia 1Q 2026 (advanced) akan di umum Oleg DOSM Jumaat 17/4. Expectation: Expect ~5.5% YoY (4Q25: 6.3%). BNM forecast is 4.0-5.0% full 2026. 1Q GDP (YoY) minggu ini: •China. 5.0% above forecast 4.8%, stronger vs 4.5% in 4Q25. •Spore. 4.6% below forecast...
Asian Markets Set to Hit New Records Amid US Rally
US stocks at new record. The war trade continues unwinding. Which markets in Asia will likely make new highs/2026 high? Most probably same ones pre-War. •Spore - already near record •Japan - testing 59K •Thai - reopens today after long holiday •S...