Morning Brief

There has been public outcry over the decision by the Petaling Jaya City Council to introduce a 90 sen charge for non-Malaysians who use the PJ City Bus service beginning January 15th. Adrian Pereira, Director of the North South Initiative, a social justice advocacy group tells us the wider implications of this move. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last year, initial hopes for a revival of the stalled nuclear deal between the West and Iran were dashed, with Tehran instead coming under further western sanctions for supplying arms to Russia. Tehran is also grappling with a protest movement that’s described as the biggest challenge to the Islamic Republic in decades. Meanwhile in Israel, a new government has been sworn in, helmed by an old hand...

2022 saw the revival of the aviation and tourism sector with the loosening of border restrictions spurring the demand for revenge travel. However this was not without turbulence and is 2023 the year where travel returns to pre-pandemic levels? Hannah Pearson, Founder, Pear Anderson tells us whilst also giving us her views as to whether Malaysia will be a top tourist destination in this region. Ima...

Ahead of Budget 2023 that’s due to be tabled in February, opposition MP Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim recently groused about the long-standing issue of unequal allocation for parliamentarians across the aisle. How should the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) mechanism be reformed to avoid the political resentment and patronage issues of the present system? We get policy recommendations from Danesh...

With the festive season extending from Christmas right into Chinese New Year this month, retailers anticipate that consumer activity will remain high going into the Year of the Rabbit. However with labour shortage still affecting many sectors in Malaysia and worries of inflation this year, will the next few weeks set the tone for the rest of the retail year? Datuk Wira Ameer Ali Mydin, managing di...

As the world's 2nd largest economy readies for a reopening, how should Malaysia prepare for the influx of Chinese tourists especially since there are reports of high covid cases in their country? Dr Khoo Yoong Khean, Scientific Officer, Duke-NUS Centre for Outbreak Preparedness gives us those answers. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The sale of the KL Tower concession from TM to little known entity Hydroshoppe Sdn. Bhd. for RM3.8 million has drawn scrutiny, given that the business made an annual profit to the tune of RM20 million in 2019. Business commentator P. Gunasegaram gives us a breakdown on the corruption concerns that this deal raises. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2022 was a rocky year for all key members of ASEAN with the lingering effects from the COVID-19 variant of Omicron, the Russia-Ukraine war and rising inflation globally. As we start the new year in 2023 with the US and EU likely heading for a recession, coupled with an abrupt reopening by China and a likely surge in tourist arrivals, what does this hold for Asean economies and currencies? Also, wh...

With Malaysia’s core inflation remaining high, Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli has called for a collective effort to battle inflation. Recently, he has received flak for stating consumers are partly to be blamed for high food prices, and for suggesting them to avoid buying staple food such as chicken when food prices go up. However, is this the right advice for consumers feeling pinched by rising fo...

In a surprising move, China overturned its zero Covid policy by removing almost all the restrictions, including reopening its borders. However, this coincides with a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases in China. Countries such as the US, Italy, Japan and India have taken preemptive measures to contain the spread of the virus by announcing test requirements for inbound travellers from China. How impactful...

For the last 10 years, the return of the FBMKLCI has been a dismal -11%. Will 2023 prove to be a turning point for Malaysia? Imran Yusof, Head of Research at MIDF Amanah Investment Bank tells us while giving us his FBMKLCI target and top stock picks. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After winning just 30 seats at the GE15, what will be the mood at Umno's General Assembly? We ask Dr Azmi Hassan, Senior Fellow, Nusantara Academy of Strategic Research that question and who might throw their hat into the ring to be the next President of the party. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Nikkei 225 is down 10% for the year while Japan’s GDP shrank an annualised 0.8 percent in the third quarter, as global recession risks and higher import costs weighed on consumption. Also, core inflation climbed 3.7 percent in November which is at its four-decade high and raising pressure on the central bank to roll back its massive stimulus. Japan has bucked the trend and continues to keep in...

Recently, health news portal Code Blue has raised the alarm on overcrowding at emergency wards in public hospitals. This can be seen in hospitals such as the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital in Ipoh, where critically ill non-Covid patients had to wait for up to six days in the emergency department. In response to this, Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa announced that the ministry will address this....

Recently on social media, renowned healthcare expert Prof. Dr. Adeeba Kamaruzzaman lamented the fact that Malaysia was losing its best and brightest medical graduates to Singapore every year. This reignited a long, ongoing debate on how to tackle the pervasive brain drain in key economic sectors. Dr Niaz Asadullah, Southeast Asia Lead at the Global Labor Organisation, Professor of Economics, at Mo...

Extra ingredients are usually a welcome addition in a dish but not when it comes to rodents and insects. We speak to Jeremy Lim, Vice-President at Persatuan Pemilik Restoran dan Bistro as to what are the minimum health and safety standards for the F&B sector and is compliance and enforcement the real issue? Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Shanghai Composite Index is down 15% year-to-date but has bounced off its October lows following the China Party Congress meeting that month. Since then, there were a slew of changes with regards to Covid-19 restrictions which were fast and abrupt. More recently China said it will remove quarantine requirements for inbound travellers from January 8. Has the Chinese economy passed its most chal...

How can the Federal Territories be better managed? We discuss the decision to park the Federal Territories portfolio under the Prime Minister’s Department with Koh Cha-Ly, CEO of Urbanmetry and whether DBKL can shift from being an effective execution entity to a more strategic policy setting. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The technology heavy Nasdaq index is down 34% year-to-date, trading at close to year lows. Even Cathie Wood’s Ark Investment Management has lost almost $50 billion in assets from its stable of exchange traded funds since its 2021 peak. With the market expecting interest rates to peak in the US in 1Q23 with a Fed Funds rate of just above 5%, does this mean that the worst is behind us and funds coul...

2022 began on a high note for China with the successful hosting of the Beijing Winter Olympics in February, despite the strict zero-Covid policy in place. In contrast, as the year comes to a close, China is going through a rocky period following the loosening of pandemic restrictions this month; as a result Covid-19 infections are skyrocketing and impacting economic productivity. How will Presiden...

Dato’ Sri Anwar Ibrahim’s government announced further progress towards abolishing the mandatory death penalty. Minister of Law and Institutional Reform Datuk Seri Azalina Othman said that the government would table a series of bills related to amending the law in the coming February parliamentary sitting. What is the significance of abolishing the mandatory death penalty and what kind of implicat...

2022 has been the year of the King US dollar, with the greenback surging to a fresh two decade high in September. Recently, currency markets reacted with surprise to the Bank Of Japan taking a slightly hawkish tone and tightening policy, causing the yen to soar to a four month high against the dollar. How will currencies in APAC perform in 2023 and what are the risks involved? For answers, we spea...

Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Anwar Ibrahim is considering scrapping the National Centre for Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption (GIACC), the overseer of the National Anti-Corruption Plan (NACP) that was launched in 2019. Would the government’s anti-corruption efforts be hindered by the abolishment of this agency or can existing agencies fill the vacuum? Cynthia Gabriel, Executive Director of the...

The implementation of the amended Employment Act 1955 will come into effect on January 1, 2023 after a postponement from September this year. Chin Chee Seong, National Secretary General of the SME Association of Malaysia tells us why their organisation is advocating for a delay of this legislation and their reasons for it whilst giving us an outlook for 2023. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omn...

The oil and gas sector has been one of the better performing sectors this year, despite volatility in demand due to geopolitical tensions and China’s zero Covid policy. And while demand uncertainty will carry on into the first half of 2023, analysts are largely upbeat about the prospects for oil and gas in the new year, specially on the back of Petronas’ recently released activity outlook for 2023...