Market Watch

There has been a series of mixed US economic data which has led to volatility in the US bond market with sharp swings in yield. We ask Song Seng Wun, Economic Advisor, CGS International Securities, Singapore to help us to distill rumour from fact to have a better sense of where the global economy is heading. Image Credit: freepik.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The FBMKLCI has continued to outperform other ASEAN markets save for Vietnam in 2024. We ask Jeremy Goh, Head of Research, Hong Leong Investment Bank if the markets can still rally even after a year-to-date return of 10% and what investment strategy to adopt. Image Credit: shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are concerns that cracks in the economy are starting to show with US Treasuries reacting as yields have risen of late above 4.5%. We ask Joe Quinlan, Chief Market Strategist, US Trust-BOA Private Wealth Management if that means the Federal Reserve will raise rates sooner rather than later. We also ask what is the best asset allocation strategy to adopt  in the 2nd half of this year...

The S&P 500, Nasdaq and the Nikkei closed the first half of 2024 in double-digit positive territory.  Are US and Japan equities still the preferred markets for the second half of the year? We get views and strategy suggestions from Kingsley Jones of Jevons Global.  Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The total industry volume (TIV) data for the first five months of 2024 indicate that the auto sector is on track to achieve its TIV projections of 740,000 vehicles this year. However with two years of record sales in Malaysia, the likelihood that petrol subsidies will be removed and rising cost of living pressure, could sales ultimately disappoint in the 2nd half of the year? We discuss the outloo...

2024 started on the right note for the Malaysian equity market with a year-to-date gain of 9%. Only beaten by Vietnam but doing much better than other ASEAN markets like Singapore, Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia, Imran Yusof, Head of Research, MIDF gives us the outlook for the rest of the year and what stocks to pay attention to. Image Credit: shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for...

Stock market sentiments have been somewhat mixed ahead of the release of May PCE data, the Fed's preferred inflation gauge. Why are investors being cautious and what's the best portfolio strategy ahead of US November elections? We discuss these trends with Tim Mulholland of TJM Limited. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Japanese Yen is under pressure due to US dollar strength, hitting a new low since 1996. Are we getting closer to a possible rate hike by the Bank of Japan? We discuss this and other trends with Vishnu Varathan of Mizuho Bank. Image Credit: wirestock/ freepik.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

China’s 618 e-commerce festival saw sales fall by 7% on-year, down for the first time since 2016. Amid weak domestic consumption and an ongoing property slump, will China's upcoming third plenum provide positive impetus for the economy and markets? We discuss these trends and more with Jack Kouzi of VFS Group. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, markets will be closely watching the Fed Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge, namely the Personal Consumption Expenditure (PCE) index for May, which will be out on Friday morning US time. How will the inflation data shape the Fed's next moves? We discuss this and more with Joe Quinlan, Chief Market Strategist, US Trust-BOA Private Wealth Management. Image Credit: jcomp / freepik.com &nb...

On a year to date basis, Singapore Reits continue to underperform with a return of -14% versus the broader FBMKLCI gain of 1.7%. This as the spread between the average yield of SREITs and the risk-free rate has narrowed but is it time to bottom fish? Krishna Guha, Analyst, Maybank Securities tells us whilst giving us pointers on how to spot a quality reit. Image: shutterstock.com See omnystudio.co...

AI darling Nvidia ended the previous trading week down 6.6%, losing its place as the world’s most valuable company to Microsoft. With sky-high valuations, should investors take money off the table or HODL? We discuss this and more with Kelvin Wong of OANDA.  Image Credit: Freepik.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a year with more than 80 elections due to take place, have markets priced in the political risk. Laurent Lequeue, Independent Market Analyst gives us his answer whilst we delve into when the Fed will start cutting rates considering the spate of weak US economic data. Image Credit: freepik.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the last month, the FBMKLCI has corrected by 2.1%. Is this just a healthy correction or the end of the rally we enjoyed since the beginning of the year. Sean Yap, CEO, M&A Value Partners Asset Management tells us what is the investment strategy to adopt and the sectors that we should pay attention. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With Nvidia the most valuable company in the world, there are invariably comparisons to the dot com boom. We ask Tony Nash, CEO, Complete Intelligence if that is the case and it will all end in tears or are we living in very different times. Image Credit: Pixabay.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In China, macro data for May has been mixed with industrial output lagging expectations, but retail sales beat forecast. We ask Carlos Casanova, Senior Economist at UBP if relaxing their monetary policy is a viable option whilst finding out what to expect from the all-important Plenum session in July. Image Credit: shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Malaysia marches towards its zero carbon goals by 2050, more opportunities have opened up in the renewable energy space. We speak to Ong Chee Ting, Regional Plantation Analyst, Maybank Investment Bank to find out whether RE will be a viable earnings opportunity for planters with their landbank which could be converted to large scale solar projects. Image Credit: shutterstock.com See omnystudio....

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq rose to new highs driven mainly by mega tech stocks. Jun Rong, Market Strategist at IG International tells us if this rally has legs or if there are similar opportunities in Asia. We also look at the correlation between the Japanese Yen and the Nikkei 225. Image Credit: drotbotdean / freepik.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why have markets reacted positively to the hawkish tone of the Federal Reserve? How will Elon Musk's approved $56 billion pay package impact the share price of Tesla? We discuss this and more with Tim Mulholland of TJM Limited. Image Credit: shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has revealed that Malaysia has approved approximately RM115 billion worth of investments in data centres and cloud services. This is part of the country’s push to be a sustainable Artificial Intelligence Data Centre destination in South East Asia. We speak to Adam Mohamed Rahim, Equity Research Analyst, RHB Research for which contractors will stand to benefi...

It was a big day of data releases, with May's Consumer Price Index (CPI) followed by the Federal Reserve holding rates flat albeit signalling one rate cut this year. We unpack the implications of this with Vishnu Varathan, Head of Economics & Strategy, Mizuho Bank and the timing of this cut considering the November US elections. Image Credit: stockgiu / freepik.com See omnystudio.com/listener...

Vietnam is one of the rising star economies in Southeast Asia, with GDP growth projected between 5 to 6% this year. Its stock market has also outperformed the broader region, with returns up 14% on a year to date basis. However what do we know about their growing middle class? Lance Noble, Head of China Reality Research at CLSA tells us on the back of their recently released report and how they wi...

Apple share price rallied 7% yesterday albeit not immediately after their Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) event which took place on Monday. We ask Jack Kouzi, Director for Strategy, VFS Group why the delayed reaction and are their AI announcements the much needed catalyst after a sluggish performance this year. Image Credit: shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati...

This week, there is a flurry of US data which will point to if the Federal Reserve has got a handle on inflation. Joe Quinlan, Chief Market Strategist, US Trust-BOA Private Wealth Management gives us his perspective and what this means for the Fed Fund rate whilst weighing in on the defensive options. Image Credit: vecstock/ freepik.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

First quarter result season for banks has just concluded. Chan Jit Hoong, Senior Analyst, Hong Leong Investment Bank tells us about the quality of earnings and if we can expect any negative surprises for 2024 whilst weighing in on his top buy ideas. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.