Market Watch

The past week we have seen tariffs imposed, then delayed, bond yields surging coupled with shifting global alliances. Laurent Lequeu, an independent market analyst & writer of the Macro Butler newsletter shares his observations on the trajectory of current events. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The major banks have reported their earnings but it's the outlook that markets are paying attention to. We ask Joe Quinlan, Chief Market Strategist, US Trust-BOA Private Wealth Management as to what he noticed from that and what does this mean for markets in the coming quarters. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Singapore’s Central bank has eased its monetary policy settings, reducing the rate of appreciation of the exchange rate. This as the 2025 growth forecast has been downgraded to 0-2% from the previous 1-3% on the back of the uncertain external environment. We speak to Geoff Howie, Market Strategist, Singapore Exchange as to what impact that has on markets and does the island state still retain thei...

Over the weekend, US announced exemptions to tariffs for selected electronic products albeit warning that it is just temporary. Yeap Jun Rong, Market Strategist at IG International tells us what impact the tariff storm has on equity markets and why the US dollar has been so weak of late. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Markets reversed gains after the U.S. imposed 145% tariffs on Chinese imports, heightening investor anxiety. While inflation came in lower at 2.4%, it reflects pre-tariff conditions, raising questions about the Fed’s next move. With safe havens faltering and U.S.-China tensions escalating, investors are reassessing portfolios amid hopes of de-escalation and strong earnings ahead. What do these ren...

Markets rallied following President Trump’s 90-day suspension of global tariffs, excluding China. Analysts suggest bond market turmoil spurred the policy shift. Yet, recession fears, trade tensions, and shifting Fed expectations persist. Investors now face critical questions around portfolio positioning, economic resilience, and the true trajectory of the US-China trade conflict. Joe Quinlan, Chie...

When US President Donald Trump announced sweeping trade tariffs, the greenback, as measured by the Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index, recorded its largest drop on record. Meanwhile, Asia's trade-sensitive currencies also tumbled to multiyear lows, with Southeast Asian assets bearing the brunt of the sell-off. Christopher Wong, FX Strategist, OCBC tells us what are the factors that determine forex moveme...

The FBM-KLCI has sagged 14% on a year-to-date basis in anticipation of exorbitant US tariffs of 24%. Where are the defensive pockets in Malaysian equities that can withstand the present volatility? We get analysis from Imran Yusof of MIDF. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With US reciprocal tariffs set to come into force this week, economists are revising their growth estimates for the global economy. We discuss how tariffs will impact monetary and fiscal policy-making in Asia with Carlos Casanova of UBP. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Indonesian equity market had been closed for the Eid holidays which meant that it was unscathed by the tariff announcements. However with it due to reopen today, we ask Jerry Goh Asia Equities Investment Director, Aberdeen Investments for his views on how markets will react and what are the pain points the economy faces due to the tariffs. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/list...

Vishnu Varathan, Head of Economics & Strategy, Mizuho Bank reflects on how markets respond as President Donald Trump threatens to impose an additional 50% on China, why Jerome Powell remains non-commital and the implications to King Dollar. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite a free trade agreement, low tariffs on US goods and a trade deficit, Singapore was also hit with a baseline 10% tariff. Thilan Wickramasinghe, Head of Research, Singapore at Maybank Investment Bank tells us whether the island state can still retain its defensive, safe haven status and what are the top buy ideas. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...

US markets have had their worst week since 2020 and are likely to remain volatile as investors take a risk off approach. We speak to Kingsley Jones, Chief Investment Officer, Jevons Global as to who will be most impacted by the tariffs and what is investment strategy to adopt. Image Credits: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US markets went into freefall due to the higher than expected tarrif hikes which up ends the existing economic systems. We ask Tim Mulholland, President, TJM Limited, Chicago whether it is too soon to bottom fish or is it time to change the asset allocation strategy as volatility becomes the norm. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US President Donald Trump annouced sweeping tariffs where there would be a minimum 10% on all exporters to the US. We ask Joe Quinlan, Chief Market Strategist, US Trust-BOA Private Wealth Management if markets will continue to correct sharply on this annoucement and what are the safe haven assets in this tariff storm. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati...

Although the FBMKLCI is down 8% on a year to date basis, is it time to be write off the Malaysian equity market? Lim Sue Lin, Co-Head of Research, Maybank Investment Bank tells us the five domestic themes that provide investment opportunities and the top buys ideas for the market. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US markets had their weakest quarter since 2022 whilst strong outflows continue to Asean. This on the back of the impending tariff announcements by President Donald Trump. We ask Peter Lim, Chief Research Officer, Trident Analytics if the bad news is already in the price and if not, what are the safe haven assets to consider. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for priva...

According to the MSCI AC Asia Pacific Index, Asian equities are up about 4% year to date. But which markets are the outperformers, and can this rally continue? Ken Wong, Client Portfolio Manager, Asian Equities, Eastspring Investments will be discussing the outlook of Asian equities with us. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Although 4th quarter US GDP numbers appeared healthy at 2.4%, Kelvin Wong, Senior Market Analyst, OANDA warns that this is backward looking data. We ask him what data points to pay attention to for a better picture of the economy whilst asking for his investment strategy. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia has achieved RM378.5bn in approved investments in 2024, a record. Much of this due to the mushrooming of data centres in the country. Redza Abdul Rahman, Director of Research, BIMB Securities tells us which sectors and specifically what companies stand to benefit from the data centre boom. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Trump announced a 25% tariff on imports of foreign-made autos which is set to take effect on April 2nd. We speak to Tony Nash, CEO, Complete Intelligence as to the impact it will have on the listed auto players and also car demand. We also discuss the reasons for the recent copper price rally. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Indonesian rupiah has fallen to its lowest levels since the Asian Financial Crisis, prompting the central bank to intervene. We ask Carlos Casanova, Senior Economist, UBP what explains the weakness and whether there is any contagion effect on other Asian currencies. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Malaysian automotive industry has experienced a slow start in 2025, with February's Total Industry Volume (TIV) reaching only 64,000 units, 0.6% lower from a year ago. Daniel Wong, an analyst at Hong Leong Investment Bank, breaks down this set of data and what we can expect for the rest of 2025 as the entry of EVs appear to disrupt the market. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/...

US markets rebounded from heavy selling the previous week amid signals that the Trump administration could take a softer approach on tariffs. But will this change investors' outlook on the US economy trajectory? We discuss global market trends with Jameel Ahmad of online trading brokerage GTC. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia’s property market shows signs of slowing in 2025, with a 12% drop in loan applications and an 8% decline in approvals. Despite developers’ 5% earnings growth in the end of 2024, challenges persist, including over 30,000 unsold units in Kuala Lumpur, Johor, and Perak. Rising interest rates add pressure. We explore strategies and top picks with Jessica Low, Senior Analyst at MIDF Research....