The Malaysian ringgit opened weaker against the US dollar on Wednesday at 4.0380/0445. Analysts linked the move to Brent crude rising to US$95.46 a barrel, which has lifted inflation worries and pushed market pricing for a US Federal Reserve rate hike at the September meeting to 65%. The US dollar index (DXY) was up 0.25% at 99.677 points, adding pressure on the ringgit, according to Bernama.

EP Manufacturing Bhd (EPMB) said its net profit for 2Q26 surged nearly 19-fold year on year to RM5.15 million, while revenue rose 66.6% to RM212.7 million, its highest quarterly level in at least a decade. Earnings per share increased to 1.80 sen from 0.10 sen. For the first half of 2026, net profit climbed to RM6.7 million from RM1.05 million, while revenue grew 47.2%. The company said monthly output under its collaboration projects with GWM, SAICMG and XPENG has exceeded 1,000 vehicles.

Salesforce raised its fiscal 2027 full-year revenue forecast to $46.1 billion-$46.4 billion, up from its previous outlook. The company also said it is expanding its partnership with AI company Anthropic. CEO Marc Benioff said annual recurring revenue from its AI and data products is about to cross $4 billion. Shares rose 14% in extended trading.

Bank Islam reported a 9.8% year-on-year rise in net profit to RM139.12mil for 2QFY26, while revenue increased to RM1.36bil. For the first half, gross financing grew 7.5% to RM77.9bil. Customer deposits and investment accounts rose 5.1% to RM86.9bil, and the Casatia ratio stood at 36.6%.

OpenAI said it will add advertising to ChatGPT’s Free tier and Go subscription tier across 31 European countries starting Aug 24, expanding monetization after an earlier rollout in the United States. The company is burning cash as it competes with rival Anthropic and lower-cost Chinese models. It is also preparing for an initial public offering that could value it at nearly US$1 trillion.

KPJ Healthcare reported a 27% year-on-year rise in second-quarter net profit to RM104mil, while revenue increased 17% to RM1,197mil. The group said the performance was supported by a 10% increase in inpatient admissions and a 12% rise in surgeries. It also posted higher revenue per patient as its case mix shifted toward more complex care, lifting its Patami margin to 9%.

Anthropic projects 2028 revenue of $190 billion to $200 billion, far above its current $47 billion run rate. The company’s run rate is about $9 billion at the end of 2025, and it forecasts at least $10.9 billion of revenue in the second quarter of 2026. It is also on track to post its first quarterly operating profit of $559 million.

Brazilian digital lender Nubank reported second-quarter net profit of $1.06 billion, marking its first quarter above $1 billion and beating expectations. The result was up 49% year on year on a foreign-exchange-neutral basis, while early delinquency rates edged down from the prior quarter to 4.8%. The bank said it serves nearly 139 million clients, and its shares rose about 9% in extended trading after the release.

U.S. consumer prices rose 0.1% in July, matching expectations and cooling bets on a Federal Reserve rate increase in September. Money markets now price a 34% chance of a hike, down from 55% a week earlier. Asia-Pacific equities rose broadly, with MSCI’s Asia-Pacific index up 1.08% and South Korea’s Kospi surging 3.78%. U.S. and European equity index futures edged higher, while Brent slipped 0.2% and the U.S. 10-year yield fell to 4.678%.