Morning Brief

There is more than 1 trade war happening with Australia joining in after Prime Minister Scott Morisson asked for an inquiry into the origins of Covid-19. This has led to China retaliating by raising tariffs on barley and blocking imports of beef. However, with China being a major export destination for Australian agriculture and commodities, what does this mean for their economy. Michael Shoebridg...

With Malaysia's infection and death rates from Covid-19 very low, Carmelo Ferlito, Senior Fellow at IDEAS argues that the Malaysian economy should open up with limited restrictions like Thailand. He also says that the policy communication has to be very clear because the fight to attract FDI will also be intense. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With Malaysia's infection and death rates from Covid-19 very low, Carmelo Ferlito, Senior Fellow at IDEAS argues that the Malaysian economy should open up with limited restrictions like Thailand. He also says that the policy communication has to be very clear because the fight to attract FDI will also be intense. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The first parliamentary sitting of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's administration takes place today - and only for today. With the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's speech the only item on the agenda, questions have arisen over why the decision has been made to forgo any kind of debate, especially in this time of crisis. So to give us more insight, we speak to Dr. Hamidin Hamid, Research Fellow at the Ilham Cent...

Japan and South Korea are two countries which have seen early success in flattening the coronavirus curve. However, all eyes are on them as they also become some of the first to restart their economies and relax movement restrictions. So for more insight into Japan and South Korea's strategies to fight the coronavirus, as well as preserve their economies from lasting damage, we speak to Jonathan B...

The deal offered to Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak’s stepson Riza Abdul Aziz surprised many quarters last week. In fact, many questions remained unanswered especially since ex-AG Tan Sri Tommy Thomas has denied that he approved the deal. P. Gunasegaram, Editor in Chief of Focus Malaysia helps us break down the chain of events and what does this mean for the other 1MDB and graft cases. See omny...

With US markets pricing in negative rates, the message to investors shifts from yields and returns to capital preservation, says Joe Kalish, chief global macro strategist at Venice, Florida-based Ned Davis Research. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the deadline for the lifting of lockdown edges closer, PJ Old Town in Selangor became the eighth area in Klang Valley to be placed under enhanced Movement Control Order (MCO) following the detection of 26 positive cases. Rajiv Rishyakaran, Assemblyman for Bukit Gasing, discusses the social and political issues. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister is only permitting government media to cover Parliament proceedings on-site. Other media houses have to watch online. This decision has been criticised by several NGOS: the National Union of Journalists, Gerakan Media Merdeka, the Center for Independent Journalism, and the International Federation of Journalists. Gayathry Venkiteswaran, Assistant Professor of Media and Communica...

As businesses resume operations under the Conditional Movement Control Order or C.M.C.O., there’s been confusion regarding testing requirements for employees. We speak to Mohan to get his thoughts on the matter and who should pay for testing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UK has the fourth highest number of Covid-19 cases in the world, not helped by Boris Johnson’s vague campaign tagline: “Stay Alert, Control The Virus". Pollster YouGov found that only 30% of voters understand the new slogan. As such, governments in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are pursuing their own policies. Patrick Diamond, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Queen Mary Uni...

UK has the fourth highest number of Covid-19 cases in the world, not helped by Boris Johnson’s vague campaign tagline: “Stay Alert, Control The Virus". Pollster YouGov found that only 30% of voters understand the new slogan. As such, governments in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are pursuing their own policies. Patrick Diamond, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Queen Mary Uni...

Contrary to street expectations, Malaysia unexpectedly eked out a 0.7% expansion in the first quarter, leading to hopes of a narrower full-year contraction due the global effects of Covid-19, says Singapore-based Khoon Goh, Head of Asia Research at ANZ Bank. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 is its ambitious plan to reform its economy and diversify away from its dependence on oil revenues. But the pandemic and oil price shock have thrown a wrench in the works. Will this impair Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's power in the Kingdom and the region? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Market watchers are divided on the question of whether companies should be given more time to adhere to strict corporate liability provisions under Section 17 of the MACC Act due to the fallout from Covid-19. But, Lya Rahman of the Institutional Investors Council Malaysia (IIC) says companies must begin complying now. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kedah will see a change in leadership as chief minister, Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir will have to vacate his position after two PKR state assemblymen switched their allegiance to support Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. Professor James Chin, Director of the Asia Institute Tasmania at the University of Tasmania outlines what to expect as we get closer to 18 May when Parliament meets See omnystudio.com/lis...

Reuniting on the second anniversary of their historic victory, Bersatu chairman, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim released a joint statement, asserting that they have again resolved their differences and are joining forces again. This came after the Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Mohamad Ariff Yusof accepted Tun Mahathir’s motion of no confidence bill on Prime...

Regional banks are getting hit by declining net interest margins, lower loan growth and higher non-performing loans. Harsh Wardhan Modi, Co-Head of Asia ex-Japan Banks Equity Research, JP Morgan discusses his expectations, and the ones that will weather the storm. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In March, the number of unemployed persons rose to over 600,000, which Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr. Uzir Mahidin said is the highest unemployment rate in a decade. Laurence Todd, Head of Research & Development at the think-tank IDEAS, discusses govt policy, youth unemployed and the potential for rehiring as lockdown ends. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The World Health Organization has come out to say that contact-tracing applications cannot replace old-fashioned interviews and surveillance, in getting ahead of the Covid-19 pandemic. With governments, including Malaysia's, beginning to encourage the public to use these apps to supplement virus mitigation efforts, we speak to Benjamin Cowling, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the U...

Attempts to reopen country economies are hindered by fears of a second wave of infection, as a vaccine for Covid-19 has yet to be found. But the World Health Organisation has said that over 120 vaccine candidates have been proposed around the world and some have entered into clinical trials. In order to get more insight, we speak to Sam Fazeli, Senior Healthcare Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence,...

In the midst of the pandemic, the wheels of politics continue to turn. We look at what is happening at Bersatu and until recently, the quiet chairman of the party - Tun Dr Mahathir. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Iqbal Ameer, CEO of Livescape Group tells us that events were the first to be cancelled but probably the last sector to recover as physical distancing is the new normal. He gives us his views on how the industry can move forward and how it has somewhat been neglected by the government despite its importance to the economy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Following Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's announcement of a Conditional Movement Control Order, several states have opted against implementing the new phase of the MCO. To find out whether this may result in lawsuits, or if it is reflective of Perikatan Nasional's weakening hold on power, we speak to Tricia Yeoh, Fellow at the Institute of Democracy and Economic Affairs. See omnystudio.com/listener for...

With Covid-19 dominating every headline, the US-China trade war seems like a thing of the past. Yet now, as both countries start to point fingers over the origin of the coronavirus, it seems that both these major economies may be at loggerheads once again. For more on this, we speak to Aaron Connelly, Research Fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, about whether this is all a...