Oil Prices

Current oil prices will hurt Malaysia’s economic growth even as consumers stay unscathed — RAM Ratings

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 14): Current elevated oil prices will hurt Malaysia’s economic growth even as consumers are spared the brunt of the shock, a rating agency cautioned on Monday.  

If global crude oil prices per barrel stay elevated at around US$100-US$120, Malaysia’s gross domestic product growth could potentially be reduced by up to 0.5 percentage-point on an annualised basis, RAM Ratings said in a statement.

While fuel subsidies help shield consumers from direct impact, “greater cost pressures may ultimately feed into broader consumer prices and potentially weigh on domestic consumption momentum”, the agency flagged.

The statement comes as oil prices jumped more than 3% amid supply concerns as conflict reignited in the Middle East and a key Saudi oil pipeline was shut. Brent, the global benchmark for crude oil, hit US$108 per barrel while West Texas Intermediate futures climbed to US$103 a barrel.

While Malaysia is a net energy exporter, the country relies heavily on Middle East that accounted for more than two-thirds of the crude oil imports in 2025. The Strait of Hormuz, a key checkpoint through which around 20% of the global oil supply flows, remained largely closed.

Malaysian refineries, which largely depend on imported heavier sour crude oil instead of the light sweet variant that Malaysia produces as their feedstock, could see their operations constrained by any supply disruption, RAM Ratings flagged.

“While Malaysia possesses several buffers that mitigate its direct exposure to the conflict, the economy remains vulnerable to the indirect effects of sustained higher oil prices through rising production costs, inflationary pressures and weaker domestic demand,” the agency added. - theedgemalaysia, 14 September 2026

OpenAI

OpenAI’s Altman voices support for ‘pacing’ AI development

SAN FRANCISCO: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on Sunday added his support to the idea of “pacing” AI development, so that cutting-edge models don’t outrun the ability of humans to maintain control.

Altman, echoing the language of Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, said there’ll be a cost to this shift of focus to safety, but it’ll be worth it in order to maintain confidence that US companies are developing increasingly capable artificial intelligence responsibly.

“No amount of American competitive pressure should justify recklessness, or let capabilities get ahead of alignment and monitoring,” the OpenAI chief said in a post on X, emphasising also that the idea of ensuring safety doesn’t mean halting progress. “When we talk about ‘pacing’, we do not mean ‘stopping’.”

The comments come shortly after Amodei and SpaceXAI boss Elon Musk, in a rare moment of unity, called for tapping the breaks on AI development. Altman earlier this month told OpenAI staff that the startup is open to slowing advances in frontier technology to better understand the risks, and he has also confirmed that the company won’t go public in 2026 while prioritizing safety-related concerns.

AI-related stocks in Asia fell on Monday. Major OpenAI investor SoftBank Group Corp’s shares dropped 13% in Tokyo, while South Korea’s Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix both shed more than 4% in Seoul.

In his Sunday post on X, Altman reiterated OpenAI’s support for a federal AI framework, and said that AI firms need Washington’s help with international coordination, amid widespread concerns that even if US AI firms slow down their development, Chinese rivals will not do so. - Bloomberg 14 September 2026

Zetrik

TS Wong-linked companies see shareholding, boardroom changes amid Zetrix AI forced selling

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 7): Several shareholding and boardroom changes were announced on Monday involving companies linked to businessman Wong Thean Soon, better known as TS Wong, against the backdrop of a forced sell-down in Zetrix AI Bhd (KL:ZETRIX) last week.

At Cuscapi Bhd (KL:CUSCAPI), its second- and third-largest shareholders, Datin Seri Lee Lan Moi and Jessie Lim Me Xian respectively, ceased to be substantial shareholders following off-market disposals on Sept 3.

Lee disposed of 67.5 million shares, worth an estimated RM3.38 million based on Cuscapi's five sen closing price last Thursday. Her stake was reduced to 0.61% from 7.75%.

Lim, meanwhile, sold 58.5 million shares, estimated to be worth RM2.93 million, reducing her stake to 1.03% from 7.22%.

The shareholding changes came after Cuscapi's board was reshuffled last week, with accountant Teo Beng Wei, 47, appointed executive director on Sept 4.

Teo was also appointed independent non-executive director of Excel Force MSC Bhd (KL:EFORCE) on Sept 4, where Wong is the largest shareholder. On the same day, Goh Jooi Shen, 35, was appointed an executive director of Excel Force.

On Sept 3, Teo was appointed independent non-executive director of industrial paint manufacturer and trader Sersol Bhd (KL:SERSOL). Goh was also appointed independent non-executive director of Sersol on the same day.

Meanwhile, Taiwanese national Wang Kuen-Chung, also known as Jeff Wang, emerged as a substantial shareholder of Excel Force on Sept 1 after acquiring 73.3 million shares from the open market. His stake in the company rose to 13.005%.

Wong owns a 24.322% direct stake and a 6.772% indirect stake in Excel Force.

Wong remains Cuscapi's largest substantial shareholder, with a 25.1% direct interest comprising 237.45 million shares, alongside a 2.937% indirect stake.

Over at HeiTech Padu Bhd the company announced that deputy chairman and executive director Datuk Sandraruben Neelamagham had purchased 2.12 million shares in the company via the open market, giving him a 1.305% interest in the HeiTech Padu.

Datuk Mohd Jimmy Wong Abdullah, 64, resigned as a non-independent non-executive director on Sept 4, citing personal reasons.

Jimmy Wong joined HeiTech Padu's board on April 3, 2024 and also served on its integrity and whistleblowing board committee. He previously served as Cuscapi's chairman in 2018, but resigned less than two months after his appointment.

Separately, Wong ceased to be a substantial shareholder of HeiTech Padu on Sept 4 after MY EG Capital Sdn Bhd disposed of a 16.9% stake, equivalent to 27.5 million shares via a direct business deal. He was deemed interested in the stake by virtue of his substantial interest in Zetrix AI Bhd. 

He now retains a direct stake of 0.97%.

At the time of writing, the buyer of the block of shares was not disclosed.

The forced sell-down of Zetrix AI shares last week saw Wong offload more than 12% of his equity in the digital services company in just over a week.

It reduced Wong's total holding to 17.298% — comprising an 8.402% direct stake and an 8.896% indirect stake — from 29.49%, comprising a 15.19% direct stake and a 14.30% indirect stake.

At Monday's close, Cuscapi was flat at 4.5 sen, valuing the company at RM42.5 million. HeiTech Padu rose 6.1% to RM1.05 for a market value of RM171.1 million, while Excel Force MSC jumped nearly 22% to 19.5 sen, valuing it at RM118.9 million. - theedgemalaysia 7 Sept 2026

 

ZETRIK

How Zetrix bet on its future and lost two-thirds of its value

KUALA LUMPUR: Zetrix AI Bhd's bet on its own shares seems to have been a bad call for the artificial intelligence and blockchain company after its share price slumped nearly 67 per cent in just four trading days.

The slump, equivalent to RM3.55 billion in market value being wiped out between Aug 27 and Sept 2, came after Zetrix had been buying back its shares on the open market between January and August.

Zetrix purchased about 123.29 million shares during the eight months — including 32.46 million in July and August alone — for a total cash outlay of about RM94.2 million.

While a share buyback can signal a company's confidence in its own prospects and may be intended to increase shareholder returns, the margin call and forced selling involving shares held by its managing director and single-largest shareholder Wong Thean Soon reversed that trajectory.

On Aug 28, just two days after Zetrix made its last share buyback of 933,300 shares at 66.5 sen apiece, Wong disposed of 99.8 million shares at 29.9 sen apiece, at a time when the counter had traded around 60 sen earlier in the day.

He also offloaded two blocks of shares through his private vehicle Asia Internet Holdings Sdn Bhd on Aug 27 and 28. Some 4.29 million shares were disposed of on Aug 27 at 60.6 sen apiece, followed by another 52.3 million shares on Aug 28 at 48 sen apiece.

Over the two trading days, Wong and Asia Internet disposed of a total of RM57.5 million worth of shares as the stock tumbled.

However, it is unclear whether the disposals were part of the forced sale involving Wong's shares.

During an emergency conference call with analysts and investors, Wong acknowledged the margin pressure, saying he needed time to resolve the forced sales involving his accounts.

While Wong faced margin calls on his accounts, Zetrix is potentially sitting on millions of ringgit in paper losses on the shares it had repurchased so far this year. Zetrix's share price had not fallen below 60 sen before Aug 27.

The Main Market technology counter began 2026 at 81 sen and rose to a year-high of 89.5 sen on April 21, before gradually declining to trade between 68.5 sen and 79 sen in July.

When the company made its last purchase before the rout, Zetrix paid 66.5 sen apiece. The stock closed at 66 sen that day before falling 6.5 sen, or 9.85 per cent, to 59.5 sen on Aug 27.

VALUATION GAP WIDENS

Zetrix was already trading well below its historical valuation before the sell-off.

Based on its Aug 26 closing price of 66 sen, the stock's trailing price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio stood at 5.3 times, a 62 per cent discount to its five-year average of 14 times, MyBursa data showed.

The P/E ratio measures how much investors are paying for each ringgit of a company's earnings. Zetrix's forward P/E of 4.7 times was also 65 per cent below its five-year average of 13.5 times.

The subsequent share-price collapse pushed that discount substantially wider.

By Aug 31, Zetrix's trailing P/E stood at 2.2 times, an 84 per cent discount to its five-year average of 13.9 times, while its forward P/E of 2.1 times was also 84 per cent below its five-year average of 13.4 times.

FROM 'BUY' CALL TO CUT-LOSS

Earlier in the month, when Zetrix closed one sen, or 1.42 per cent, higher at 71.5 sen on Aug 11, Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd issued a short-term "Buy" call on the stock.

It recommended an entry price of between 72 sen and 75 sen and set a target of 80.5 sen, saying early recovery signs were emerging at the time and the earlier downtrend appeared to be easing.

Its cut-loss level was set at 68 sen. By Aug 26, the stock had already fallen below that level, closing at 66 sen. Four trading sessions later, it was worth 22 sen — a decline of 44 sen, or 66.67 per cent.

Heavy selling in Zetrix shares came amid speculation linking the company to former human resources minister Datuk Seri M Saravanan, who was charged on Aug 28 with three counts of corruption involving RM1.097 million.

Zetrix categorically denied being implicated in or associated in any way with Saravanan in relation to the charges.

In its response to Bursa's UMA query, the company said it understood that what it described as "unfounded rumours or speculation" linking it to Saravanan may have contributed to the unusual trading activity.

It said enquiries with its directors, major shareholders and other relevant parties had not uncovered any undisclosed corporate development, including negotiations or discussions, that could account for the trading activity.

At the time of writing on Sept 3, Zetrix was the most actively traded stock as it entered its fifth straight day of decline, falling another 1.5 sen, or 6.82 per cent, to a multi-year low of 20.5 sen, with more than 209 million shares changing hands.

At that price, Zetrix had a market capitalisation of about RM1.65 billion, compared with roughly RM6.53 billion at 81 sen at the start of the year — a 74.7 per cent loss in market value. - NST 4 September 2026

NextG

NexG welcomes govt decision not to acquire Datasonic

KUALA LUMPUR: NexG Bhd has welcomed the government’s decision not to acquire its subsidiary, Datasonic Technologies Sdn Bhd (DTSB), after being asked to submit an indicative price for a possible acquisition of the company.

DTSB is the provider of MyKads and has been the vendor of Malaysian passports compliant with International Civil Aviation Organisation standards since 2012.

It is also set to produce the new MyKad MyTentera and MyPOCA, with supply commitments extending over several years.

After the public-listed company suggested an indicative price of RM7.5 billion based on its internal assessment, the National Security Council (MKN) said yesterday the government was in no position to take over DTSB, but remained committed to ensuring that all parties involved continue to provide secure and trusted services to the people.

In a statement today, NexG thanked the government for its confidence in DTSB’s continued ability to supply Malaysia’s high-security identity cards without compromising security.

The company said its long-standing track record, supported by experienced local talent and in-house capabilities, demonstrated its ability to continuously deliver identity cards securely and reliably.

“DTSB remains fully committed to upholding the highest standards of security, integrity and reliability, as it has successfully done for the past 27 years,” it said.

“NexG will continue to safeguard the security and sovereignty of Malaysia’s identity cards without compromise, while working closely with relevant government agencies to continuously enhance their security features and ensure Malaysians’ identities remain safe and protected.” - BERNAMA  23 August 2026

2027 Budget

2027 budget to include initiatives to reduce M40’s burdens

PUTRAJAYA: The government’s annual budget for next year will include initiatives aimed at reducing the burdens of those in the middle income or M40 group, says Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

“We have a list of items that we have prioritised to reduce the burdens of the M40,” he told reporters after an engagement for the 2027 federal budget at the finance ministry’s headquarters here.

The government maintained targeted electricity and fuel subsidies in the 2026 budget, which the Treasury said benefits the middle class who typically use more electricity and fuel than those in the lower-income group.

Other measures targeted at the M40 in this year’s budget included the extension of childcare benefits from six to 12 years, RM1,000 in domestic-tourism relief and widened stamp duty exemptions for homebuyers.

TH probe goes beyond RCI scope

On a separate matter, Anwar said the investigations involving Tabung Haji (TH) went beyond the scope of the royal commission of inquiry (RCI) report, which only covered 2014 to 2020.

“There’s no obstruction to looking into (TH’s management) before and beyond (2014-2020). And this is what is being done by enforcement agencies and investigators,” he said.

While debating the TH RCI report in the Dewan Rakyat last week, Umno’s Tampin MP Isam Isa proposed an investigation covering the period from 2021 to 2025, as the previous RCI only covered 2014 to 2020.

Kinabatangan MP Kurniawan Naim Moktar of Umno agreed, saying the audit of TH should not “stop halfway” and that a fresh RCI should look into the pilgrim fund’s non-performing assets. - FMT 18 August 2026

BERSATU

Hadi wrong to say Bersatu automatically out of PN, says Azmin

PETALING JAYA: PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang’s claim that Bersatu is no longer part of Perikatan Nasional (PN) contradicts the coalition’s constitution, says Bersatu secretary-general Azmin Ali.

He said Hadi was wrong to claim that Bersatu automatically ceased to be part of PN after announcing plans to form a new political coalition.

“No clause in the PN constitution provides for the automatic termination of a party’s membership.

“Bersatu’s status as a PN member party can only be finalised by the presidential council, according to Clause 7A of the constitution.

“So far, the presidential council has not convened to determine Bersatu’s membership in PN. As such, Bersatu remains a legitimate member party of PN,” he said in a statement today.

Up until the Negeri Sembilan state election, Bersatu said it was still part of PN and that the coalition’s constitution required consensus among all component parties to remove any member party.

Its president, Muhyiddin Yassin, later said the party would form a new and stronger coalition with several other parties after the state election.

Hadi had claimed today that under the PN constitution, any party that chose to join or form another alliance would automatically lose its membership.

However, Azmin said Hadi had no right or veto power to determine Bersatu’s position in PN and that the PAS president’s “reckless statement” showed his lack of basic knowledge of the coalition’s constitution.

In a separate statement, Bersatu information chief Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz urged Hadi and PN chairman Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar to specify the clause in the PN constitution supporting Hadi’s claim.

“Maybe Hadi was referring to the PAS constitution. But PN is not PAS. PN’s constitution is different from PAS’s constitution. PN is not a branch of PAS,” he said.

Azmin said Bersatu would also lodge an official complaint with the Registrar of Societies over the barring of its representatives from attending a meeting of PN’s Supreme Council that discussed seat allocations and PN’s cooperation with Barisan Nasional in the Negeri Sembilan state election.

“The actions of the PN chairman and PN secretary-general (Takiyuddin Hassan) went against the coalition’s constitution,” he said. - FMT 7 AUGUST 2026