Morning Brief

The impact of the war in Ukraine has reverberated throughout the global economy, creating energy shortages, disrupting agriculture supply chains and fueling higher prices worldwide. Will these effects linger in 2023 and how much will this dampen global growth? Suan Teck Kin of UOB gives us his analysis. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ahead of the Budget 2023 tabling this afternoon, we speak to Muar MP and MUDA President Syed Saddiq on the initiatives needed for Malaysian youth to gain foothold amid uncertain economic conditions Brought to you by Mah Sing. Reinvent Spaces. Enhance Life Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

24th February marks the one year anniversary of the war in Ukraine. We speak to Denys Mykhailiuk, Chargé d'Affaires of the Ukrainian Embassy in Malaysia for an update on the situation of the ground, their war efforts and what will bring about peace. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What was envisioned as a short “special military operation” by Moscow has run for 12 months now with no end yet in sight. Despite setbacks, President Vladimir Putin in his latest state of the nation address maintained that the military operations would continue in order to protect Russian sovereignty. What are Moscow's ultimate goals in the conflict? We hear from His Excellency Naiyl Latypov, Russ...

Minister of Health Dr. Zaliha Mustafa met with junior doctors in a town hall session on Thursday to solicit feedback on the state of public healthcare and how to resolve the myriad gaps in the system. This comes as surveys of Malaysian healthcare workers signal increasing frustration over the inertia in public health reforms. We speak to Dr. Helmy Haja Mydin, Special Adviser to the Minister o...

As part of our pre-Budget Series, we check in with the international business community based here in Malaysia as to their wish list. In the October 2023 budget, there was an extension of various tax incentives on eligible green projects and the implementation of a 15% global minimum tax in 2024. But is this enough or do MNCs here really want to see a stable government first and foremost and polic...

Hong Kong has been slower than other cities to recover from the pandemic, given the long running restrictions of China’s Covid zero policy. Many will be hoping that  the latest Hong Kong budget aims can spur recovery momentum. However, the government has the tricky challenge of also reducing a high deficit that has built up over the past three years. Did this budget manage to thread the needl...

There are a myriad factors affecting the outlook for Singapore property, ranging from the strengthening currency, return of China tourists, sticky inflation and higher interest rate hikes. How would this affect the investment case for Singapore REITS? Krishna Guha of Maybank Investment Bank gives us his investment picks in this sector.  Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener f...

Budget 2023 is going to get a redo this Friday and SMEs saw the October tabling as a preview for what's to come. Since then, challenges to how SMEs operate have become clearer amid rising cost of goods, labour shortages and a less-than-encouraging economic sentiment. Datuk William Ng, Chairman of the Small and Medium Enterprises Association (SAMENTA) outlines what the sector, which accounts for mo...

Malaysian news media and journalism have come under the spotlight this past week both in and out of Parliament. In response to calls for ethical journalism standards to be adhered to, the Minister for Communications and Digital has said that his ministry will look to amend the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 to this end. But is there a solution in plain sight to address this issue apart fro...

The Malaysia Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) market is expected to have a compounded annual growth rate of 35% between 2022 and 2028. But concerns are growing that these schemes contribute to high debts levels among the vulnerable. Dato Paul Selvaraj, CEO, Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (FOMCA) tells us what policy measures should be considered to rein this issue in before it becomes a se...

Despite making up 50% of the population and electorate, women unfortunately face systemic disadvantages at the economic, social and political levels. What should the government focus on to empower women in business and the economy? Nuraizah Shamsul Baharin, president of the Women Entrepreneur Network Association (WENA) and representative of the Gender Budget Group gives her recommendations. Brough...

One of the best performing asset classes this year has been cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin is up close to 50% on a year to date basis albeit still less than half the value of its peak of 67,000 US dollar in October 2021. With the collapse of FTX, this has invited greater scrutiny by the US Securities and Exchange Commission which recently proposed changes to federal custody requirements to include asse...

The Cabinet had agreed to amend the Federal Constitution to allow children born abroad to Malaysian mothers to gain automatic Malaysian citizenship. Suriani Kempe, President of Family Frontiers tells us what are the next legal hurdles to overcome and why this change in law was much needed. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UMNO announced changes to its Supreme Council membership last week, with Selangor Umno treasurer Tengku Datuk Zafrul Aziz appointed whilst Dato’ Lokman Noor Adam who had been expelled, was readmitted. Dr Oh Ei Sun, Principal Adviser at Pacific Research Centre tells us the consequences of such moves and the importance of the upcoming state elections. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/li...

The revised Budget 2023 is to be tabled this Friday. The electrical and electronic industry accounts for 7.2% of the Gross Development Product and around 40% of exported manufactured goods making it a crucial part of the economy. The previous 2023 Budget included initiatives to attract more high-quality investments in particular the front end of the supply chain. However, will the incentives from...

With US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, we ask if US-China can reset turbulent ties spurred by the spy balloon saga? We discuss superpower geopolitics with Dr. Pradeep Taneja of Melbourne University. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Malaysia's national debt including liabilities has reached 1.5 trillion ringgit, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s administration has set their eyes on reducing opex and expanding revenue. And one elephant in the room that cannot be ignored would be the size of civil service, their emoluments and pensions. So as reduction of fiscal deficit takes priority, how should we relook at the siz...

The 2023 State of Southeast Asia report was issued last week, shedding light on how the rivalry between the US and China is seen from the perspective of those caught in the middle. How have the developments of the past year affected how those in Southeast Asia view the power competition, and the effectiveness of ASEAN as a multilateral bloc to navigate the dynamics? Sharon Seah of the ISEAS Yusof-...

There are international laws governing how children should be held in detention by governments. Is Malaysia abiding by these laws and how can we ensure the protection of children being held in state detention? We discuss this issue with child rights activist Dr. Hartini Zainuddin, Co-Founder of Yayasan Chow Kit. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Japanese economy averted recession in  the fourth quarter of 2022, expanding by an annualised 0.6%, but this was much smaller than the median forecast of 2% GDP growth. The latest data point to the challenge for incoming Bank of Japan governor, Kazuo Ueda, in normalising the bank’s ultra-loose policy without derailing the fragile economic recovery. What options does the Japanese central b...

The Minister of Defence Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan has warned of a leaner budget for military services this year, after taking into account lower government revenue. But with rising geopolitical tensions, is this the time to trim allocation for the country's defence sector? Defence analyst Ridzwan Rahmat discusses the implications for Malaysia's security apparatus. Image credit: Shutterstock Se...

The government’s debts and liabilities currently stand at a record RM1.5 trillion ringgit, or 82% of GDP according to Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Anwar Ibrahim. Wong Chen, MP for Subang has suggested that we list the national oil & gas company, Petronas. We speak to him for the thinking behind this suggestion and what could potentially be the pitfalls. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.co...

Minister for Education Fadhlina Siddique is helming a portfolio with enormous economic and social implications. As the academic year draws to a close, we discuss the policy signals so far from the government and priority areas that should be considered with Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim of PAGE. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

S$104 billion Singaporean dollars - that’s the ticket price of the 2023 Singapore Budget aimed at positioning the city state in an era of great competition. There were several initiatives to alleviate near-term cost-of-living pressures such as an increase subsidies by 3 billion dollars to lower-income households. It also aims to narrow the budget deficit to 0.1% of GDP, from a revised 0.3% gap thi...