ASEAN Countries

Malaysia can continue to provide subsidies for a widely used fuel, according to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, amid the surge in oil prices worldwide due the Middle East conflict. The government has decided to 'keep the price for RON95 fuel at 1.99 ringgit per litre ($0.51) despite a spike in prices. Checks with the state energy company Petronas have confirmed this. Anwar, in a televised statement, said that the?reserves of oil will last until May. Anwar stated that the government was able to protect the people against the full impact of the rising prices for oil and other essentials. He...

Investors are rethinking popular themes and trades of 2026 due to the escalating conflict in the Middle East. Global equities have plummeted, the dollar has risen and traders have reduced their bets on rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. Investors have been preparing for growth this year. "A stagflationary surprise was not part of the plan", said ING's head of global markets Chris Turner. Investors are cautious and still have more to unwind. Here are five popular topics that have been "upended" by the conflict in Middle East. 1/ DOLLAR SHORTS SQUEEZED According to data released by the U.S. regulator...

The oil prices are soaring, while the share market is tumbling on the fear that the escalating U.S./Israeli war against Iran will cut energy'supplies and hamstring industry?all over the world. The following?are?actions?that governments are taking, or plan to take?to reduce the impact of war on their economies. SOUTH KOREAN PLANS FUEL CAPITAL South Korean President Lee Jae Myung announced?on?Monday that the authorities will cap domestic fuel prices?for?the first?time in almost 30 years. He said that the country would also "look for energy sources beyond those shipped through the Strait of Hormuz" and a 100 trillion won (67 billion dollars) programme...

As her landmark trial continues in Los Angeles, a California woman will?testify in court? on Thursday about the harm that?using Google's YouTube and?Meta Platforms’ Instagram as a child caused her mental health. Kaley G.M. In court, Kaley G.M. Her lawyers claim that the companies wanted to make money 'by hooking children onto their services, despite their knowledge of how social media can harm their mental health. Kaley G.M. Kaley G.M. This case is part of a global backlash against social-media companies for alleged harms caused to children and teenagers. Australia has banned children under 16 from using such platforms. Other...

Trafigura's Nyrstar unit has announced that it shipped its first shipment of commercial-grade Antimony from the?Port Pirie Metals Processing Facility in South Australia on Monday. This is a "milestone" for the country as they strive to improve their domestic supply chains. In a statement, the company announced that the first shipment will be delivered to a local manufacturer. The company expects to export future cargoes?to clients in Europe, Asia and America. Antimony is used in semiconductors, automotive components, and defence applications. Canberra has designated it as a 'priority critical mineral' and part of the U.S. Australia critical minerals framework to...

Trafigura, a global energy trading company, has a plan to restore African woodlands. It has selected its first four projects for carbon removal and plans to invest at least $1 billion in each project over. The projects are part of the Miombo Restoration Alliance - a public-private partnership with 11 governments in central and southern Africa. They cover over 675,000 acres and aim to restore forests that will remove more than 50 million tons climate-damaging gasses. The alliance, which will be launched at New York Climate week?2024, aims to restore Miombo Woodlands, an eco-system that supports more than 300 million...

Trafigura, a trading house, has sold its first shipment of Venezuelan crude oil, as part of an agreement between Caracas, Venezuela, and Washington for the supply of 50 million barrels of oil. The Spanish refiner Repsol is expected to receive a shipment of this quantity. Two sources stated that the cargo should be delivered to Repsol by mid-February. Trafigura and Repsol have declined to comment. The agreement would be one of the first to sell Venezuelan oil in Europe since the United States captured Venezuela's leader at the beginning of this month, and struck an agreement with Caracas for the...

Trafigura, a trading house, sold a 'cargo' of Venezuelan oil, to a Spanish refiner. Vitol, a rival, was preparing to export Venezuelan fuel as shipments from the OPEC nation accelerated, according to oil industry sources. U.S. officials reported that Vitol, Trafigura and other companies obtained their first U.S. licensing to load and export Venezuelan crude oil earlier this month. Initial sales reached $500 million or approximately 11 million barrels last week, they said. U.S. officials said that other companies, such as U.S. giant Chevron, were waiting for Washington's exemptions from U.S. sanctions against Venezuela before expanding exports. According to industry...

Petroliam Nasional Berhad, Malaysia's national energy company On 'Monday, it filed a motion with the top court of the country to clarify the legal and regulatory framework governing its operations in Sarawak. The filing comes after negotiations between Petronas, a Sarawak-based energy company, and Petros about gas distribution in the State stalled. The talks have been in a deadlock since 2024 due to competing regulatory claims. Petronas stated in a press release that it was requesting a Federal Court determination on the legal position?applicable for its Sarawak operations so as to ensure compliance with relevant laws?and governance framework. The statement...

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto inaugurated on Monday the $7.4-billion?upgrade to Pertamina’s Balikpapan Refinery. This upgrade increased the facility’s capacity for refining from 260,000 barrels per day to 360,000, making it the largest refinery in the country. Pertamina, Indonesia's state-owned energy company, has spent years improving its refinery capacity and efficiency to meet the rising demand for energy in the country. Energy Minister Bahlil lahadalia stated that the upgrade would enable the refinery's production to increase of 92-octane and 95-octane?and 98?octane?gasoline. He said that private retailers will buy local products made by Pertamina. He did not give a timeframe. Bahlil stated...

Commodities trading houses Trafigura &?Vitol agreed to provide marketing and logistical services for the sale of Venezuelan oil, at the request of?U.S. A Trafigura spokesperson confirmed this via email. First reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the discussions, that both companies were in negotiations with the U.S. Government for such deals. They were in competition with U.S. producers of oil and other commodities traders for lucrative deals to export Venezuelan oil. U.S. officials have said that they want to control Venezuelan Oil Sales Indefinitely After the U.S. captured South American country's president Nicolas Maduro Saturday. Richard Holtum, the Chief...

The Vietnamese parliament approved on Thursday a revised bill that limits the exports of?rare earths refined and reaffirms an ore -export ban. This is in an effort to support a domestic industry that has been struggling for years to extract its significant reserves. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Vietnam has one of the largest reserves of rare earths in the world. However, earlier this year, the government agency significantly reduced its estimate of the?reserves of the country to 3.5 millions metric tons from 22 million tonnes. The new law states that "deep processing must be associated with building...

Share markets are down on concerns that a U.S. - Israeli war against Iran is escalating and will lead to a squeeze on energy supplies around the world. Here are some?actions? that governments have taken?or? plan to take in order to lessen the impact the war has on their economies. SOUTH KOREAN PLANS FUEL CAPITAL South Korean President Lee Jae Myung announced on Monday that the government would be capping domestic fuel prices for nearly 30 years. The country will also look for sources ?of energy beyond supplies shipped via the Strait of Hormuz, and a 100 trillion won ($67...

Indonesia's Finance Minister?said? on Monday that the country will absorb the shock of a rise in oil prices by increasing the allocation to fuel subsidies and using the state budget. Indonesia has budgeted 381.3 billion rupiah (22.50billion dollars) for energy subsides and to compensate Pertamina, the state energy company and PLN, the utility company for their efforts to maintain some fuel and electricity prices at an affordable level. The budget is based on assumptions that Indonesian crude oil prices will average $70 per barrel in 2026 and the average rupiah rate of exchange for dollars will be 16,500. Oil prices...

The U.S./Israel war on Iran caused a disruption in crude and feedstock imports from the Middle East, forcing several Asian refineries and companies to declare force majeure and cut back production. Asian steam crackers have declared force majeure on petrochemical deliveries to customers, despite sourcing more than 60% of their feedstock for naphtha from the Middle East. Three operators said they were reducing run rates in order to carry over some of the feedstock they have into next month. This will allow them to keep their plants operating and avoid shutting down even if they don't get enough imports. Two...

LSEG data on Thursday showed that Singapore's light distillate stocks reached a'record high this week. This was due to a 'deep contango -structure of?gasoline price, which encouraged storing amid lower demand. In a contango-structure, the prices for immediate delivery are lower than those for future deliveries. Enterprise Singapore released data showing that Singapore's oil products onshore inventory, held by up to 14 major oil companies and oil storage firms, rose by 1.496 millions barrels during the week ending February 18. The contango in the gasoline market is so deep that everyone would like to "roll" (sell their current positions to...

The chief of Indonesia's sovereign fund, 'Danantara Indonesia,' announced that the fund launched six projects worth $7 billion in the 'natural resources processing' sector, including an energy refinery for green energy by Pertamina. Rosan Roeslani, CEO of the company, stated that other projects include construction of aluminum and alumina smelters as well as an ethanol plant. These projects are part of the '18 priority projects for the sector of natural resources processing that the government will launch this year, with a total investment amounting to 618 trillion Rupiah (US$36.7 billion). Roeslani stated during the launch that "the president stressed the...

Two sources said that a deal between Indian Oil Corp. and global trader Vitol, to form a joint venture for equal trading, has been delayed because of differences regarding certain clauses in the contract. Sources said that these?included the volume of IOC crude purchases that would come under joint venture control and the timing for an exit clause for a trader. IOC hoped to seal the deal with Vitol during the India Energy Week conference held last week. The country's largest refiner wanted the traders'?expertise and their global network in order to expand its presence on the international crude and...

Friday, the premium for high-sulfur fuel oil in Asia over the West reached its highest level in eight months as traders expect more Venezuelan crude oil and fuel oil to be shipped to the United States than to Asia in the coming months. LSEG data show that the East-West 380cst HSFO swap for the first month of 2026, a measure used to compare HSFO prices in Asia, Europe and America, has risen above $27 a barrel, a price last seen in May 2025. This value has nearly doubled since the beginning of 2026. It is more profitable for traders to...

A refinery spokesperson confirmed that Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical, Vietnam's largest refiner, continues to run its 200,000 barrel per day refinery between 100% and 105% of capacity despite ongoing maintenance on derivative units. There will be no major impact on main refinery operations, the spokesperson said, adding the November partial shutdown will include some works at its hydrogen manufacturing unit and a catalyst change at its residue hydrodesulphurisation unit. Multiple sources familiar with the situation said that at least one unit producing gasoline is also scheduled to close during this time period. During high refining rates, the refiner is...

Aster Chemicals & Energy, a Singaporean company, has declared force majeure for petrochemicals from its naphtha cracked on Bukom Island. This was revealed in a letter that sources who were directly involved with the matter saw on Thursday. The letter attributed force majeure to "unexpected events" at the ethylene cracker plant, which had been scheduled for maintenance since August 1. In the letter sent to customers, it was not stated which products were affected. The company didn't immediately respond to our request for a comment. It remains unclear how long the 1.1-million-ton-per-year (tpy) unit will be shut, though sources with...

Malaysian palm futures ended lower on Thursday after four sessions of gains. Investors booked profits while an Indonesian industry group reportedly lobbied the government to postpone the B50 biofuel mandate. The benchmark contract for palm oil delivery in October on the Bursa Derivatives exchange lost 30 ringgit or 0.68% to 4,405 Ringgit ($1,046.32) per metric ton. A local news website quoted Eddy Martono, the chairman of the palm oil industry GAPKI as saying that the plan could lead to a decrease in palm oil exports. GAPKI was told that it did not submit a written request, but a government official...

Three industry sources familiar with the matter have confirmed that India's GAIL, the state-owned gas company in India, is in the initial stages of talks to purchase liquefied gas from the proposed Alaskan LNG project. This comes as South Asia expands its capacity for imports. The discussions with Glenfarne developer come at a time when India is working to increase its energy imports to the United States in order to narrow its surplus trade as part of an broader trade deal with Washington, to avoid the impositions of heavy U.S. Tariffs. The sources stated that GAIL's talks are preliminary, as...

Singapore's domestic non-oil exports dropped 3.5% from the same period a year ago, according to government data released on Tuesday. This was in contrast with analyst expectations, as shipments into the United States plummeted a month after Washington announced new tariffs. The drop was compared to a poll prediction of an 8.0% growth year-on-year, and came after a 12.4% increase in April. Electronics shipments rose slightly, but petrochemicals and non-monetary gold as well as specialised machinery dropped. Brian Lee, an economist at Maybank, said that a boost in exports caused by frontloading is cooling. This can be seen in the...