Analysis

Sea’s earnings growth is expected to face pressure from higher investment spending, rising credit costs at its financial services business and a more moderate growth outlook for e-commerce platform Shopee, despite continued expansion across its three core businesses, Maybank Investment Bank Research said on Wednesday. 

UOB KayHian has on Wednesday raise Sea's 2026/27/28 revenue forecasts by 3.9 percent/2 percent/2 percent and earnings forecasts by 3.7 percent/2.5 percent/0.4 percent, respectively, following the firm’s strong third quarter results.

Grab’s profitability strengthened in the third quarter of 2026, with group adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rising 73 percent year on year, prompting Maybank Investment Bank Research to raise its earnings forecasts and target price for the Southeast Asian superapp operator.

Revenue growth from cloud computing has emerged as the main measure of whether major US technology companies are turning heavy artificial intelligence (AI) investments into returns, as investors increasingly scrutinize cash flow and the cost of expanding infrastructure, BMI Country Risk and Industry Research said on last Friday. 

Investment in Asia-Pacific's automotive manufacturing sector is increasingly shifting towards electric vehicle (EV) supply chains, battery technologies and component production, rather than vehicle assembly, as manufacturers strengthen local production capabilities and position themselves for the transition to next-generation mobility, BMI Country Risk and…

Malaysia's technology export boom has yet to translate into stronger competitiveness, wages and investment, as the surge has been driven largely by higher global demand for memory-related products rather than gains in market share, CGS International said on Tuesday.

Greater reliance on domestic suppliers could help Malaysian technology hardware companies improve operating margins and reduce inventory holdings, although the benefits have yet to translate into stronger cash conversion, according to Kenanga Research.

Malaysia’s solar engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning (EPCC) sector could secure MYR 18 billion ($4.42 billion) to MYR 28 billion worth of contracts in 2027 and 2028, driven by accelerating demand for renewable energy from data centers and the rollout of the country’s largest utility-scale solar program, Maybank Investment Bank said on…

Data centers in Johor, Sydney, Melbourne and Batam could absorb most of the additional electricity generation planned for their respective markets over the coming years, raising concerns over power availability as cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) workloads expand, according to BMI Country Risk and Industry Research.

Malaysia’s 2027 budget maintains a gradual reduction in the fiscal deficit despite elevated subsidy and social-support spending, with a general election due by February 2028. The deficit target of 3.3 percent of GDP, from a slightly upward revised 3.6 percent in 2026, preserves the government’s medium-term consolidation path, Fitch Ratings said.