Malaysia Money Matters Daily News Digest 19th Dec 2025

From record-breaking overseas contracts and surging palm oil profits to major infrastructure incentives and a fresh fuel subsidy clarification — today’s stories reveal a clear double play: aggressive expansion abroad, and fiscal cushioning at home.Corporate & Market Developments🏗️ Gamuda Wins RM8B More in Australia* Secured RM7.32B Sydney Metro West Stations contract* Added RM718M wind farm civil works* Outstanding order book now at a record RM46B — a new high* Strategy: hedge domestic volatility by anchoring growth offshore🖥️ Sunway Construction Lands RM570M Johor Data Center Deal* Client: US-based tech multinational* Year-to-date wins: RM4.6B, pushing order book to RM6.1B* Reinforces Johor’s status as a rising tech infrastructure hub🌴 United Malacca Hits Record Quarterly Profit* Net profit up 79% to RM55.4M* Driven by 15% rise in fresh fruit bunch (FFB) output andprice hikes:* Crude palm oil: +6%* Palm kernel: +35%* Declared 7 sen interim dividend⚙️ Muhibbah Engineering Secures RM850M Petronas Job* Minor EPC works on offshore wellhead platforms (Terengganu)* Long-term play: earnings contribution expected through Q1 2029Policy, Governance & National Impact🛣️ Toll Hikes Frozen for 2026 — But at a Cost* Affects 10 major highways* Federal govt to compensate RM591.6M to maintain toll rates* Watchlist: Bina Puri, Taliworks Corp, Ekovest⛽ No Shift from Budi95 to EV Rebates* Govt reaffirms Budi95’s role as targeted fuel subsidy, not an EV incentive* Covers groups like 106,000+ e-hailing drivers* Rebuttal to suggestions of redirecting toward electrification💵 Ringgit Forecast: 4.00 by End-2026* ANZ Research sees strength driven by:* Stable BNM rate policy* Resilient local economic fundamentals* Reinforces RM stability amid global currency pressuresGlobal & Geopolitical Trends🔌 Google Challenges Nvidia with TorchTPU* New chips to work with Meta-backed PyTorch* Designed to reduce reliance on Nvidia’s CUDA ecosystem* Strategic move to lower switching costs for developers* Could shift AI chip dynamics across global markets💾 Micron’s Strong Forecast Signals Chip Surge* Q4 revenue guidance: up to US$19.1B* Driven by booming AI infrastructure demand* Suggests robust pricing power returning to memory chip players🎧 Listen Now for a deep dive into Malaysia’s financial gems and global trends shaping 2025!🔗 Subscribe & Share the Malaysia Money Matters podcast on Substack, Spotify, or Apple PodcastsMalaysia Money Matters is a one-person passion project. Subscribe for free or support me as a paid subscriber—it means the world to me! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mmoneymatters.substack.com