By
B2B Asia News
on
This is a B2B Asia News Daily Update for 30 March 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 , stocks in Japan and South Korea plunged on Monday, amid reports of possible U.S. ground operations against Iran, in a war now in its second month that has kept Persian Gulf oil supplies severely disrupted.
- The Nikkei 225 , it was down 2.79% closing at 51,885.85.
- The S&P/ASX 200 closed lower Monday, dropping 55.30 points or 0.65% to 8,461.00, while KOSPI, it still fell 161.57 points overall, or 2.97 percent, to close at 5,277.30, the first time the index has finished in the 5,200 range since March 9.
- Zooming in on Cambodia’s market—the Cambodia Securities Exchange Index was up 5.27 points or 1.23% to 433.86.
- Total trade volume was up with 285,249 shares changing hands at a total value of 1.9 billion riel, or close to $492,000 US dollars.
- On the main board, three stocks were up, led by ACLEDA Bank, while others stocks stayed flat.
- Over on the growth board, JS Land and Picasso City Garden were down, DBD Engineering stayed flat.
- Shifting to the exchange rate, the Khmer riel to USD was stable at 4,001 riel per US Dollar, while the US Dollar index held above 100 on Monday after rising for four straight sessions.
- Turning to global commodities, oil prices surged significantly on Monday , spurred by escalating conflict in the Middle East. Yemeni Houthi groups attacked Israel, intensifying tensions involving the United States and Iran. The implications of this attack have sparked market concerns over potential disruptions in global energy supply.
- In early Asian trading, Brent crude for May futures increased by 2.92% to USD 115.86 per barrel.
- Meanwhile, US West Texas Intermediate crude prices rose by 3.2% to USD 102.80 per barrel.
- Gold rose on Monday as the dollar softened, but gains were capped by a surge in energy prices that fueled inflation worries and further dimmed expectations for US Federal Reserve interest rate cuts this year.
- Spot gold rose 0.8% to $4,528.74 per ounce as of after falling about 1% earlier in the session.
- US gold futures for April delivery gained 0.7% to $4,556.70
- Looking at the crypto market, Bitcoin has traded in a range centred on $70,000. The Iran war-led haven demand has been supporting bitcoin around $65,000, while rising U.S. Treasury yields have been holding back big gains beyond $75,000.
- Moving on now to other business-related news:
- Marking the 46th anniversary of the Khmer Riel's reintroduction, the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) and the UNDP launched a policy brief on dollarization within the garment and footwear sectors. On March 20, NBC Deputy Governor H.E. Yim Leat thanked the UNDP for its research, emphasizing that promoting the Khmer Riel is vital for Cambodia’s macroeconomic stability and sustainable growth.
- A delegation from Vietnam’s Comay Group inspected fish farms in Kampong Thom on 29, march to strengthen cross-border supply chains. Led by H.E. Dr. Suong Noy, the visit focused on establishing a circular trade model in Santuk district. Comay Group proposed a strategic exchange: providing high-quality fish feed to local farmers in return for purchasing Cambodian rice and cassava outputs.
- During a fuel facility inspection in Preah Sihanouk on March 30, Energy Minister H.E. Keo Rottanak confirmed that Cambodia is maintaining energy imports despite Middle East tensions and supply chain disruptions. While a new 3,400-tonne LPG shipment recently arrived, the Minister noted that monthly imports have dropped to four or five shipments (down from the usual seven or eight) due to tight global market conditions.
Watch the 30 March 2026 Daily Update in Khmer below: