MALAYSIA - CAPITAL MARKETS - Malaysia sukuk sales on track for record

Sales of Malaysian ringgit- denominated Islamic bonds are poised to beat the 2007 record as companies tap into lower borrowing costs to fund government infrastructure projects.

Offerings of the debt rose 76 per cent to RM32.9 billion (US$10.4 billion) this year from the same period in 2010, approaching the all-time high of RM38.7 billion, data compiled by Bloomberg show. Ringgit government bonds yielded 373 basis points less than the average yield on local-currency notes in developing nations on Sept. 22, the biggest gap since July 29, according to JPMorgan’s GBI-EM indexes.  (source)

CAPITAL MARKETS - AmIslamic launches ASEAN Equity fund - focus also Indonesia

Hot on the heels of launching its Asia-Pacific fund last month, AmIslamic Funds Management, the Shari'ah-compliant investment subsidiary of Malaysia's AmBank Group, has launched the AmASEAN Equity fund. 

The new fund will target medium- to long-term capital growth by investing in a portfolio of equities in the ASEAN markets with specific focus on the markets of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines and Thailand, known as the ASEAN 5. (source)