Morning Brief

On Thursday, Japan declared a state of emergency in the wider Tokyo region, in order to bring the drastic rise in Covid-19 cases under control. But will this soft lockdown be effective in bringing down case numbers? We speak to Jonathan Berkshire Miller, Senior Fellow at the Japan Institute of International Affairs, to find out more. Image Credit: image_vulture / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.co...

The Prime Minister is expected to announce new MCO measures today. We speak to Datuk Shamsuddin Bardan, Executive Director of Malaysian Employers Federation, on their concerns and alternative measures to a tighter MCO. Image Credit: Abdul Razak Latif / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Record daily cases and a public healthcare system at breaking point has Malaysians once again on the back foot. Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on Public Health, Tan Sri Dr Jemilah Mahmood, discusses measures, advice to the PM, vaccinations and immunity. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With daily cases rising alarmingly in Malaysia, we speak to Azrul Mohd Khalib, CEO of Galen Centre for Health & Social Policy, on whether public healthcare is stretched and whether tighter restrictions would help bring the infection numbers down. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Days into the new year and Bitcoin is leading a surge in the cryptocurrency market. TM Lee, Founder of CoinGecko, discusses the reasons behind the rally and whether Bitcoin will ever hit the mainstream. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Floods are an annual affair in Malaysia, displacing thousands and with devastating consequences for those affected. Dato' Dr Ahmad Faizal Perdaus, President of MERCY Malaysia, tells us what the situation on the ground is like, what state governments are doing and whether Covid-19 further complicate issues. Image Credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Merdeka Center survey recently showed that most Barisan Nasional supporters want Umno to remain part of the Perikatan Nasional government. But ties between Umno and splinter party Bersatu have become strained of late, and questions have arisen over potential partnerships that Umno may forge as it positions itself for GE15. We speak to Ibrahim Suffian, Programme Director at the Merdeka Centre, fo...

News of the Georgia runoffs was eclipsed by the siege at the US Congress after a mob of President Donald Trump's supporters stormed the building and forced the debate on President-elect Joe Biden's victory in the Electoral College to be suspended. Robert Shapiro, Professor of Government at Columbia University, tells us what happened and the impact that it might have on the Republican party while w...

The competition for foreign direct investment (FDI) will be fierce this year, as every economy strives to chart a sustainable path to recovery in the wake of the pandemic. But there are concerns that Malaysia is falling behind in terms of attracting FDI, both in long-term and short-term investments. We discuss Malaysia’s comparative advantage (or lack thereof) compared to regional peers with...

The recent cancellation of the High-Speed Rail project connecting Kuala Lumpur to Singapore has raised questions over the conduct and transparency of megaprojects here in the country. Mixed messages, opaque governance, and political appointments to the GLCs surrounding these projects do not make matters easier, so we reached out to Tricia Yeoh, CEO of the Institute of Democracy and Economic Affair...

2020 saw a record number of sovereign rating downgrades by Fitch Ratings. James McCormack, their Global Head of Sovereign Ratings, tells us the reason for this and their outlook for global recovery in 2021. Image Credit: Willy Barton / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reports have filtered in this week that two of Indonesia's biggest tech startups are looking to tie the knot. Ride-hailing and payments player Gojek and local e-commerce platform Tokopedia are said to be in merger talks, which could create a company valued at as much as $18 billion. We speak to Varun Mittal, Global Emerging Markets FinTech Leader at EY, about what both sides stand to gain from thi...

The Sarawak state election is expected to take place this year. Frequent political commentator James Chin weighs in on the evolving contesting coalitions, issues that will take centre stage, and the feasibility of holding GE15 this year. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2021 is poised to be a year of recovery for many industries, but the fact remains that the pandemic will continue to be a challenge for most people and businesses. To find out the outlook for SMEs and the challenges ahead, we speak with Datuk Michael Kang, President of the SME Association of Malaysia. Image Credit: Aisyaqilumaranas / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...

Oil prices have recovered from the lows seen back in April last year when Brent fell to US$16 per barrel, while WTI hit negative US$40. The price crash resulted in OPEC instituting the biggest production cuts in history, slashing 10 million barrels of oil per day. But in 2021, will OPEC continue to maintain its production cuts, and what is the outlook for oil prices? Yong-Liang Por, Consultant at...

The digital divide has grown larger this past year, with so many children unable to physically attend school. Now that the government has announced that schools will reopen in the country over the first quarter of the year, we ask Chan Soon Seng, CEO of Teach For Malaysia, about the feasibility of this move, as well as whether parents, students, and teachers will be able to cope. Image Credit: Mhi...

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought a decade of expansion in the global automotive industry to a staggering halt, resulting in widespread plant closures and job losses. The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) predicts double-digit growth for the sector, but can it make up for the losses seen in 2020? To find out, we speak with Arushi Kotecha, Research Analyst at the EIU. Image Credit: seyephoto / Shut...

The Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project is officially off the table after an agreement failed to materialise between both countries. P. Gunasegaram, Editorial Consultant for the news portal The Vibes, gives us his views on whether the HSR is viable and if it should continue if the line stops in Johor, or if the funds can be put to better use. Image Credit: FreshStock / Shutterstoc...

The Securities Commission has issued a new guidance note to clarify what constitutes legal and licensed investment advice. Linnet Lee, CEO of the Financial Planning Association of Malaysia (FPAM), weighs in on this and highlights what to look out for when seeking investment advice. Image Credit: William Potter / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The continued SST exemption is good for the car industry, but for how long? What are structural issues that need to be addressed to spur the industry in the long-term? The Morning Run speaks to Daniel Fernandez, founder of automotive news website dsf.my and co-host of BFM's Cruise Control, about this. We also get into the key trends and biggest winners from the SST exemption, as well as Daniel's o...

Michael Gasiorek, Professor of Economics at Sussex University, discusses the merits of the Brexit deal and ensuing negotiations for the financial services industry to give UK banks equivalent access to the EU market. Image Credit: Melinda Nagy / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The live events industry has been severely impacted by the pandemic. Iqbal Ameer, CEO of Livescape Group, pleas for the government to allow live events and assures that SOP measures can be followed. Image Credit: Sheng Lee / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lockdowns and a pandemic have left both students and teachers in the lurch, trying to adapt to online learning and with no certainty of when national exams will take place. And with borders still shut, private higher education institutions have also been unable to tap the international student market. How will these universities survive the coming year ahead? To find out, we speak to Geoffrey Will...

Why does Daniel Ives of Wedbush Securities think that tech will gain 23% in 2021? Find out with The Morning Run on this episode of Market Watch. They get into the justification for Apple's valuation and autonomous ambitions, who will win in the ongoing cloud war between Amazon and Microsoft, whether Big Tech will have to change its business model under increased regulatory scrutiny, and the overlo...

There were 18 IPOs in Malaysia this year, down from last year’s record number of 30. Wong Kar Choon, Disruptive Events Advisory Leader at Deloitte Malaysia, reviews the IPOs and his outlook for 2021. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.