Morning Brief

Southeast Asia saw the addition of 40 million new internet service users in 2020, with 1 in 3 starting to use digital services as a result of Covid-19. According to the e-Conomy SEA Report put together by Bain, Temasek, and Google, the region’s internet economy is poised to triple by the year 2025. For more insight, we speak to Alessandro Cannarsi, Partner in Private Equity and Digital Pract...

The retail sector has been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic and successive economic lockdowns, with no end in sight as globally cases are on the rise. The Malaysia Retail Industry Report estimated that over 50,000 stores are expected to close over the next few months. So, following the release of Budget 2021 last Friday, we speak to Shirley Tay, President of the Malaysia Retail Chain Association...

This year, Alibaba pulled in a whopping $74 billion from its Singles Day sales, doubling its previous record. Could this be an indication of how much Chinese consumer spending has recovered? We speak to Catherine Lim, Asia Senior Consumer Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. Image Credit: Christopher Penler / Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Budget 2021 was tabled for its first reading in Parliament on Friday, amidst hopes the country will be able to return to growth by 2021. In order to do that, the task of attracting more foreign direct investments (FDI) will be more important than ever. We're asking InvestKL CEO, Muhammad Azmi Zulkifli, whether Budget 2021 has sweetened the deal enough to bring more investors into the country. Imag...

The third wave of the Covid-19 outbreak in the country has seen Sabah rapidly become the worst affected state, with the total number of infections in mid-October overtaking both Selangor and Kuala Lumpur combined. Its frontliners and its people are in desperate need of aid, so on the back of Sabah's allocation of RM5.1 billion in development expenditure in Budget 2021, we speak to Dr Firdausi Suff...

In the newly announced Budget 2021, RM9 billion will be allocated to generating and retaining jobs. This includes hiring incentives, reskilling programs, short-term employment programs in the public sector and GLCs, and targeted wage subsidies. But was there enough to ensure long-term growth in the labour market? We discuss the potential effectiveness and scope of these measures, the concentration...

We’re one step closer to getting a Covid-19 vaccine, but on the back of this positive news, what concerns should we be paying attention to? The Pfizer and BioNTech team have announced that the vaccine they’re developing is 90% effective in protecting people from the transmission of the Covid-19 virus in global trials. Based on the interim analysis, which will continue till December, th...

The government of the day is allocating RM50 billion to Budget 2021 for education, where a large chunk of it will go into improving, maintaining and repairing public schools. Is this allocation enough to address the impact that the pandemic has had on schools and students? We speak to Professor Nor Faridah Abdul Manaf for her thoughts here, as well as her view on the most pressing education issues...

Datuk Ahmad Asri Hamid, Chief Executive of the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB), tells us how this sector and the broader economy will benefit from the RM15 billion allocated for infrastructure projects. He also reminds us of the importance of raising the bar for small to medium construction players to enable them to compete, whilst also encouraging them towards mechanization. Image...

Budget 2021 contained a slew of initiatives to address the social protection needs of vulnerable groups who are suffering from the economic fallout of Covid-19. Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop, Chairman of Khazanah Research Institute, gives us his views on the initiatives announced and whether it goes far enough. He also reminds us of the role that government-linked companies (GLCs) can play in providi...

As President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take the helm, how might US foreign policy change? We speak to Dr Malcom Cook for his thoughts here, the international community's reaction to the election, how countries in Southeast Asia will view this, and what this means for China's influence in the region. Image Credit: Ron Adar / Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Budget 2021 is the largest to date at RM322.5 billion with goodies for the rakyat and businesses. Sim Kwang Gek, Tax Leader of Deloitte Malaysia, breaks down the details of it, explaining the tax breaks available and also the initiatives that will spur investments. Brought to you by Mah Sing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At a gargantuan RM322.5 billion, Budget 2021 is Malaysia’s biggest spending plan on record, aimed at staving off the Covid-19 crisis and supporting economic recovery. However, its affordability, optimistic assumptions on government revenue and a widening fiscal deficit that is estimated at -5.4% of GDP for 2021, remain material impediments to an effective implementation. Wellian Wiranto, Eco...

Budget 2021 is the largest to date at RM322.5 billion with goodies for the rakyat and businesses. Sim Kwang Gek, Tax Leader of Deloitte Malaysia, breaks down the details of it, explaining the tax breaks available and also the initiatives that will spur investments. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joe Biden is now US President-Elect, but he inherits a divided country, crippled economy and a society still in the throes of Covid-19. Robert Shapiro, Professor of Government at Columbia University, discusses Biden's immediate, medium, and long-term priorities for America. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joe Biden is now US President-Elect, but he inherits a divided country, crippled economy and a society still in the throes of Covid-19. Robert Shapiro, Professor of Government at Columbia University, discusses Biden's immediate, medium, and long-term priorities for America. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SMEs remain the backbone of the Malaysian economy, contributing close to 40% of the GDP and hiring more than 50% of the country's workforce. So, does Budget 2021 offer enough incentives to help this sector overcome the crisis? Datuk Michael Kang, President of the SME Association of Malaysia, gives us his views. Brought to you by Mah Sing. Image Credit: Uwe Aranas / Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/...

Covid-19 has kicked off many changes in the way we travel, shop, and work. There are also signs that the pandemic may have long-term effects on our urban populations, with flight from cities to suburban areas expected. In the UK, however, the housing market appears to be booming. For more insights, we speak to Iwona Hovenko, Real Estate Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. Image Credit: ZGPhotograph...

Neither candidate has won, and it looks like the race will come down to four states. Biden appears quietly optimistic and calls for patience, while President Trump has been threatening legal action against states he has lost. We get some insight here from Matt Dickinson about the differing approaches between both camps, as well as the potential legal mess and state of play in Georgia, Arizona, Pen...

Suhaimi Ilias, Chief Economist at Maybank Kim Eng, discusses his predictions for Budget 2021, including the possibility of a windfall tax. Brought to you by Mah Sing. Image Credit: jamesteohart / Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ng Sue Lynn, Executive Director and Head of Indirect Tax at KPMG Tax Services, weighs in on where she thinks the government needs to prioritise in Budget 2021 for productive gains, and the likelihood of additional taxes to pad up government revenue. Brought to you by Mah Sing. Image Credit: SHAH AIZAD / Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lim Guan Eng, Former Finance Minister, explains Pakatan Harapan’s stand for Budget 2021 and where the lines of support will be drawn if the Budget does not include their recommendations. Image Credit: Holger Kleine / Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the first two days surrounding the US elections, neither President Donald Trump nor former Vice President Joe Biden has managed to secure the majority of 270 votes in the electoral college. Trump has already claimed victory, however, alleging fraud and pledging to bring the issue to the courts. To help us understand what comes next, we speak to Andrew Cohen, Associate Professor at Carleton Univ...

All eyes are on the US, where the results have yet to become clear as to who will lead the country into the next four years. With the S&P500 charting its best-ever day after an election, we speak to Ed Clissold, Chief US Strategist at Ned Davis Research, about how markets react to this highly volatile election. Image Credit: Marek Masik / Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...

Parliament has tabled amendments to the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 (OSHA), which will now cover all workplaces and increase fines by 10 times for non-compliance. Kwan Will Sen, Partner at Lim Chee Wee Partnership, helps us understand the changes and what companies need to do next. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.