Goldman Sachs raised its Brent and West Texas Intermediate crude forecasts for the fourth quarter of 2026 by $6 to $60 and $56 respectively, citing lower OECD stocks, even as it continued to assume no Iran-related supply disruption and maintained its view of a surplus this year.
Malaysia’s new vehicle market rebounded by 27% to 64,298 units in January 2026, from weak year-earlier sales of 50,449 units, according to registration data released by the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA). The market benefited from additional working days last month compared with last year due to the timing of the Lunar New Year, which this year fell in February.
Analysts showed optimism that the ongoing fourth-quarter (4Q) earnings season has got off to a firmer start, with the beat-to-miss ratio improving sharply from the previous two quarters.
Japan’s factory activity expanded at its fastest pace in just over four years in February, signalling strengthening momentum in the industrial sector alongside resilient demand at home and abroad, a private survey showed on Friday.
Most Asian stocks fell on Friday as growing uncertainty over U.S. interest rates and heightened geopolitical tensions in Iran saw traders steer clear of risk-driven assets.
U.S. economic growth likely slowed to a still-solid pace in the fourth quarter because of disruptions from last year's government shutdown and a moderation in consumer spending, though tax cuts and investment in artificial intelligence were expected to drive activity this year.