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B2B Asia News
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This is a B2B Asia News Daily Update for 18 May 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 mostly retreated and oil prices jumped on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump warned Tehran that the "clock is ticking" as U.S.-Iran negotiations over a permanent end to the war stall.
- Tokyo's Nikkei 225 fell 0.9%, a decline led by technology-related stocks, after it reached all-time intraday high levels last week.
- Seoul's Kospi jumped 0.9% after trading lower earlier in the day.
- Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 1.6%.
- Zooming in on Cambodia’s market—the Cambodia Securities Exchange Index was up 1.18 points or 0.28% to 426.48
- Total trade volume was down with 221,451 shares changing hands at a total value of 1.18 billion riel or over $296,000 US dollars.
- On the main board, four stocks were up, led by Sihanoukville Autonomous Port (PAS), while four stocks were down, with Pestech Cambodia as the biggest loser of the day.
- Over on the growth board, DBD Engineering and JS Land were up, while Picasso City Garden stayed flat.
- Shifting to the exchange rate, the Khmer riel to USD weakened slightly to 4,014 riel per US Dollar, while the US Dollar index hovered around 99.15.
- Turning to global commodities, oil prices extended gains on Monday, driven by increasingly bleak prospects for peace in the Middle East after an attack on a nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates. Brent crude futures were up 0.52% at $109.83 US dollars a barrel after touching $112 dollars for their highest since May 5.
- U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was up 0.75% at $106.21 US dollars after touching its highest since April 30 at $108.70 US dollars. The front-month June contract expires on Tuesday. (0808 GMT)
- Gold edged higher on Monday from a more than one-and-a-half-month low hit earlier in the session, although gains were capped as rising fears of inflation and elevated interest rates pushed global bond yields higher. Spot gold was up 0.2% at $4,546.04 US dollars per ounce, after hitting its lowest level since March 30 earlier in the session.
- U.S. gold futures for June delivery lost 0.3% to $4,549.70 US dollars. (0907 GMT)
- Looking at the crypto market, Bitcoin fell below $77,000 dollars on Monday in Asia as rising oil prices and Treasury yields pressured risk assets. The move comes as macro conditions have become less favourable for crypto. According to Binance Research, Glassnode data showed that nearly 60% of bitcoin supply has not moved in more than a year, while BTC balances on exchanges are at a six-year low.
- Moving on now to other business-related news:
- The Ministry of Tourism, the Pursat Provincial Administration, and private sector partners reaffirmed their joint commitment to promoting and developing tourism in Pursat province on May 17, with the vision of transforming the province into a high-end tourism destination capable of attracting both domestic and international visitors. The development of Samanea Wellness Resort represents an additional new tourism product and a high-value asset for Pursat province as well as for Cambodia as a whole.
- The Ministry of Commerce announced on May 17 that Her Excellency Kha Leng, Secretary of State at the commerce ministry, presided over the "Hunan-Cambodia Economic, Trade, and Investment Promotion Conference" in Chongqing, Hunan Province, China on May 13. The event was organised by the Cambodia Confederation of Investors Association (CCIA) in collaboration with a Chinese counterpart, with the aim of strengthening friendly relations and cooperation between Cambodia and China’s Hunan Province, creating new opportunities for trade, investment, and economic development.
- On May 18, the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the Association of Banks in Cambodia (ABC), and the Cambodia Microfinance Association (CMA) launched the ILO Financial Education Certification Programme to boost financial literacy and responsible finance. The initiative features a five-day Training of Trainers course from May 18 to 22, equipping banking and microfinance professionals to deliver financial education nationwide. At the launch, the ILO Cambodia National Coordinator called the programme a "strategic milestone" and highlighted the country's rapid shift to digital wage payments, noting that 80% of garment factories registered with Better Factories Cambodia have digitised payroll, reaching over 650,000 workers.
Watch the 18 May 2026 Daily Update in Khmer below: