By
B2B Asia News
on
This is a B2B Asia News Daily Update for 29 July 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 markets faced severe volatility, with South Korea’s KOSPI plummeting 5.98% amid panic selling, triggering circuit breakers for the second consecutive day—a historic first.
- Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 1.49%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index closed 1.96% higher, while the Shanghai Composite Index closed up 0.40%.
- Zooming in on Cambodia’s market—the Cambodia Securities Exchange Index was up 1.29 points or 0.28% to 454.65. Total trade volume was down with 165,172 shares changing hands at a total value of 459.6 million riel or over $140,000 US dollars.
- On the main board, six stocks were up, led by Grand Twins International, while only one stock, Royal Group Phnom Penh SEZ, was down.
- Over on the growth board, JS Land and DBD Engineering were up, while Picasso City Garden was down.
- Shifting to the exchange rate, the Khmer riel to USD remained stable at 4,042 riel per US Dollar, while the US Dollar index hovered around 101.34.
- Looking at global commodities, oil prices jumped more than 3% on Wednesday as tensions in the Middle East escalated following U.S. and Saudi strikes in Iraq and an intercepted Iranian missile attack on U.S. forces, while U.S. crude inventories fell.
- Brent futures rose 3.6% to $87.13 US dollars a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude gained 3.5% to $82.06 US dollars a barrel. (0824 GMT)
- Gold prices edged up, supported by some technical buying, as investors hunkered down for the U.S. Federal Reserve's interest rate decision later today.
- Spot gold gained 0.22% to $4,036.09 US dollars per ounce, while U.S gold futures for August delivery were steady at $4,037.3 US dollars. (0908 GMT)
Looking at the crypto market, Bitcoin slipped near the $63,000 mark as a chip stock sell-off, ETF outflows, $510 million dollar liquidations and Fed uncertainty weighed on sentiment. The cryptocurrency was trading at the $63,973 US dollar mark.
- Moving on now to other business-related news,
- On July 29, H.E. Hem Vanndy, Minister of Industry, Science, Technology briefed the Senate on the three draft laws on the approval of ASEAN agreements and mutual recognition arrangements, following their earlier unanimous approval by the National Assembly. The Senate unanimously adopted the three draft laws, with all 58 senators voting in favour. The three draft laws are: The Draft Law on the Approval of the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Mutual Recognition Arrangements (AFAMRA) (establishing the framework for developing sectoral mutual recognition arrangements for priority products and services); The Draft Law on the Approval of the ASEAN Sectoral Mutual Recognition Arrangement for Building and Construction Materials (supporting trade in building and construction materials within the ASEAN market); and The Draft Law on the Approval of the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Type Approval for Automotive Products (supporting trade in automotive products within the ASEAN market).
- The Cambodian Minister of Water Resources and Meteorology led a delegation to visit the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) in Helsinki, Finland, on July 29, seeking for cooperation on meteorological development with Finland. The Minister and his delegation held discussions with Harri Pietarila, Director of Technical Services, and the FMI technical team to learn from Finland's experience in meteorological science, operational forecasting, digital innovation, and institutional development.
- The President of the National Assembly of Cambodia, on July 29, visited 108 Military Central Hospital in Hanoi, highlighting Cambodia and Vietnam's commitment to strengthening healthcare cooperation and people-to-people exchanges. The programme formed part of her three-day official and friendship visit, reflecting the two countries' shared commitment to advancing practical, people-centred cooperation for the benefit of their peoples.
Watch the 29 July 2026 Daily Update in Khmer below: