Morning Brief

After spending most of last year being the most unloved market in ASEAN, Malaysian equities have outperformed regional peers this year with only a year-to-date decline of 5%, versus the likes of Indonesia and Singapore which are down by more than 20%. That said, can the KLCI continue to outperform? Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last month, a bipartisan parliamentary caucus headed by Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz was formed, to look into ways to end the “party hopping” culture in Malaysian politics. The current proposal put forth by Nazri Aziz is for Parliament to amend the Election Commission Act 1957 and enforce a party-list system, in which voters would elect parties rather than individuals. Nazri says that amendin...

Andrew MacGregor Marshall, Journalist and Author of “A Kingdom in Crisis: Thailand’s Struggle for Democracy in the 21st Century” discusses the protests against the monarchy and how it might end. Image credit: Blanscape / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Saturday, a concrete wall slab from a construction fell and hit a car along the MRR2. This is not the first such accident due to construction works. Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, Chairman, Alliance for Safe Community discusses why these accidents continue to happen, and what the government could do to promote higher safety standards. Image Credit: Alexiushan / Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener f...

We continue tracking Sabah politics as the state heads for election on 26 Sep. Dr Oh Ei Sun, Senior Fellow at Singapore Institute of International Affairs discusses themes and hot seats, and thinks the elections will not stop “frogging” as long as there is no anti-party-hopping law. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to a report by Fitch Ratings, spending on 5G will increase over the next two years but the tough economic environment will delay economic returns. The report noted that the pandemic’s effects on 5G will be short-lived as diverging capex patterns have emerged during the pandemic, with 5G priorities advancing in countries like South Korea, China, Singapore and the US. So what do...

Hawati Abdul Hamid, Senior Research Associate, at Khazanah Research Institute (KRI) estimates that informal employees form about 17% of the workforce, and more could be done to encourage them with little safety net (the “precariats”) to contribute to existing social protection schemes. For example, EPF estimates that only less than 10% of 2.7 million self-employed Malaysians are contri...

After stopping work for several months during the Movement Control Order, the construction industry is once again grinding to life- but time is money, and how much have they lost in the interim? Crest Builder Holdings is one such player who fell into the red as a result of the Covid-19 restrictions, but have they managed to pull themselves up now that work has recommenced? How will their existing...

Taps in Klang Valley recently ran dry because of pollution in Sungai Gong that caused the shutdown of water treatment plants in Selangor. In response, the Government is forming a special task force to deal with environmental crimes. Kiu Jia Yaw, Co-Chair of Bar Council Environmental and Climate Change Committee tell us what is lacking in the current laws and is enforcement is more important? See o...

Michael Kantrowitz, the Chief Investment Strategist of Cornerstone Macro, discusses the so-called K-shaped recovery, which describes the widening gap between the haves and the have-nots. Image credit: Travis Wolfe / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government's new National Digital Infrastructure Plan known as 'Jendela' intends to be a blueprint for Malaysia’s transition towards 5G technology and high-quality broadband. Question is: will all Malaysians benefit equally from this progress? And how do we ensure equitable access to connectivity? Dr. Rachel Gong, Senior Research Associate, Khazanah Research Institute, discusses. Image c...

57 years have passed since the union between Peninsula Malaysia and Sabah and Sarawak. But with many of the issues laid out in the Malaysia Agreement of 1963 yet to be resolved and the political situation still in a state of flux, it’s more important than ever before to understand the federal-state relations with East Malaysia. Tricia Yeoh, CEO, Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (...

Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's unveiling of a Perikatan-led opposition manifesto for the state of Sabah, called ‘Aku Janji’, focuses on reviving the state’s economy, state rights, infrastructure, employment, prosperity and health. But will this opposition manifesto appeal to Sabahans? Dr Azmil Tayeb, political scientist, Universiti Sains Malaysia, dicusses. Image Credi...

Subscription services are the new battlefield in the tech world as Apple attempts to monetise its database of loyal customers even further. However this will put it in conflict with Amazon and the battle to reign supreme is expected to heat up. Daniel Ives, Managing Director for Equities Research, at Wedbush Securities gives us his views while discussing Oracle's winning bid for Tik Tok. Image cre...

The government wants to standardise regulations and taxes for hotels and Airbnb operators. For an industry ravaged by Covid-19, these developments can't come any earlier. Yap Lip Seng, CEO, Malaysian Association of Hotels, discusses. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brexit negotiation have started in earnest as the 15 October deadline fast approaches. Michael Gasiorek, Professor of Economics at Sussex University tell us whether UK-EU trade negotiations have been thrown into turmoil over UK Internal Market Bill and what it means for the British economy if no deal is reached. Image Credit: Ink Drop / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy info...

With Sabah elections hogging the limelight, PAS has been noticeably absent from the headlines. Adib Zalkapli, a director of the Asia-Pacific strategic advisory firm BowerGroupAsia, discusses the party’s standing future with its allies, Perikatan Nasional and Muafakat Nasional. Harris Hamdan / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With Budget 2021 set to be tabled in November, will we see a revival of the mega-projects to pump prime the economy? Loong Chee Wei, Senior Associate Director at Affin Hwang Investment Bank tells us who stands to benefit and what projects we can expect. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sabah nominations were announced with some surprises. Dr Bridget Welsh, Honorary Research Associate at the University of Nottingham Asia Research Institute tells us the significance of nomination day and what does this say about Gabungan Rakyat Sabah and also Warisan Plus. She also weighs in on the fact that this time round, the outcome is too close to call and the campaign period is of particular...

Masayoshi's Son's Softbank is hard on the M&A trail, reportedly revisiting plans to go private, even as it considers selling ARM to NVidia while exhorting another investee, Grab, to merge with GoJek, its super-app rival. Image Credit: Tada Images / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Masayoshi's Son's Softbank is hard on the M&A trail, reportedly revisiting plans to go private, even as it considers selling ARM to NVidia while exhorting another investee, Grab, to merge with GoJek, its super-app rival. Image Credit: Tada Images / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) decided to maintain Overnight Policy Rate (OPR) at 1.75%. The global economy continues to improve but some sectors lag such as the services sector. The overall economy is still subject to downside risks and uncertainty, primarily due to the risk of a resurgence of the pandemic and weaker labour market conditions, according to BNM’s statement. Julia Goh, Senior Econ...

On Monday, SoftBank's market value fell by about $9 billion after the Financial Times broke news that the Japanese tech investor was the so-called “Nasdaq whale” that drove the US stock market to record highs in recent months. SoftBank had reportedly spent about $4 billion on options focused on tech stocks with an overall exposure of about $30 billion. However, some analysts say it can...

In the run up to Sabah’s state elections, political parties have been aggressively jockeying for seats. Yesterday we saw some surprising developments like the re-fielding of former chief minister Salleh Keruak. Dr Hamidin Abd Hamid, Research Fellow at Ilham Center helps us understand the messy, high stakes politics in Sabah as its elections might be a barometer of voter sentiment towards the...

A visit by China's Defense Minister Wei Fenghe to countries in the Southeast Asian region has raised concerns over what China's strategy is to allay tensions in the South China Sea. We speak to Ridzwan Rahmat, Principle Defence Analyst at Janes, an open-source defence intelligence company, for his thoughts on the timing of the visit, and how it will impact the upcoming ASEAN Summit, where US Secre...