1. Oil prices fell for a fifth straight session to their lowest level in almost six months, as the weakness of Chinese equities raised questions over the outlook for demand by China, the world's No. 1 commodities consumer.

2. OCBC Bank notes Malaysia's new Cabinet faces challenges from falling crude oil and other commodity prices and the risk of capital outflows as the US Fed interest rate hike looms. Malaysia is also digesting the impact of the GST amid unsettled investor sentiment.

3. The two most recent IPOs here have faced differing fortunes. iX Biopharma, listed last Wednesday, is now 45 per cent higher than its debut, closing at 29 cents yesterday. NauticAWT, which listed on Thursday, is now 8.7 per cent lower, at 42 cents.

4. Choo Chiang Holdings, a supplier and retailer of leading electrical products and accessories, is making its trading debut today and said that its IPO has been 2.3 times subscribed.

5. Asia Enterprises expects second quarter revenue to be substantially lower than a year ago. It is experiencing sluggish end-user demand for steel products from its key customer segments.