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B2B Asia News
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This is a B2B Asia News Daily Update for 16 January 2026, reviewing regional and global markets, and covering the daily business news you shouldn’t miss.
Watch the video in English above.
- We start with a quick look at regional markets. Asian stocks advanced on Friday as the artificial intelligence boom regained momentum. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan scaled a record high of 761.53 points, as stellar results from Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC breathed new life into the AI trade. Japan's Nikkei fell 0.14%, weighed down in part by a recovery in the yen. In China, stocks edged lower and were set to snap a four-week winning streak, as regulators tightened margin financing rules.
- Zooming in on Cambodia’s market—the Cambodia Securities Exchange Index was down 4.22 points or 0.99%, to 421.75. Total trade volume was up with 366,063 shares changing hands at a total value of 2.3 billion riel, over 585,000 US dollars.
- On the main board, seven stocks were down and two stayed flat. ACLEDA Bank was the biggest loser of the day, followed by Royal Group Phnom Penh SEZ. Over on the growth board, DBD Engineering dropped 0.90%, JS Land fell 0.80% and Picasso City Garden once again stayed flat.
- Shifting to the exchange rate, the KHR stayed flat at 4,026 riel per US Dollar, while the US Dollar Index was slightly up from our last report to 99.27.
- Turning to global commodities, oil prices rose slightly on Friday as supply risks remained in focus despite the receding likelihood of a U.S. military strike against Iran. Brent crude gained 0.78%, to $64.26 US dollars a barrel, on course for a fourth consecutive weekly gain. U.S. West Texas Intermediate rose 0.81% to $59.67 US dollars. (1000 GMT)
- Gold prices ticked lower, extending losses from the previous session, as stronger-than-expected U.S. economic data and easing geopolitical tensions in Iran hampered bullion's bullish momentum. Spot gold eased 0.3% to $4,603.02 US dollars per ounce. U.S. gold futures for February delivery edged 0.4% lower to $4,606.70 US dollars. (0918 GMT)
- Moving on now to other business-related news,
Cambodia officially launched its first modern agricultural community dedicated to Pailin longan production, backed by a single-day export contract worth more than $5 million US dollars. The Pailin Longan Modern Agricultural Community consists of 86 families farming on 600 hectares of land. Under the signed contract, the community is expected to generate about 6,000 tonnes of Pailin longan for export per year. - The Cambodian Investment Board (CIB), under the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC), met with a delegation from Shi-jia-zhuang Hongray Group Co., Ltd. on January 15, during which the Chinese company confirmed it intends to establish a medical glove manufacturing plant with 10 production lines in Cambodia. Shi-jia-zhuang Hongray Group has 30 years of experience in producing and exporting medical gloves to the U.S. and European markets. This is the second time the company has come to visit Cambodia in order to research the investment environment.
- U.S.-based life sciences leader Charles River Laboratories (CRL) has officially inaugurated a major long-term investment phase in Cambodia, committing up to $500 million US dollars toward a biomedical research and breeding facility in Kampong Thom province. The project marks a significant expansion of American high-tech investment in the Southeast Asian nation's agricultural and scientific sectors.
Watch the 16 January 2026 Daily Update in Khmer below: