Morning Brief

Jean-Marc Roda, Economist at the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), tells us that little can be done to change the mindset of the EU when it comes to the ban that will be enforced in 2030. Instead, focus should be on improving the productivity of the smallholders to ensure that their income levels are maintained. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy infor...

Jean-Marc Roda, Economist at the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), tells us that little can be done to change the mindset of the EU when it comes to the ban that will be enforced in 2030. Instead, focus should be on improving the productivity of the smallholders to ensure that their income levels are maintained. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy infor...

Coty banks on the star power of Kylie Jenner by paying USD 600 million for a 51% stake in her cosmetic brand. We ask Rebecca Scheuneman, Equity Analyst at Morningstar, what she thinks of this strategy and ask if there are alternative ways to appeal to the fickle and demanding millennia market in the beauty business. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With universities now turned into makeshift bunkers, hundreds of student protesters remain trapped behind police barricades in the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. They are split between surrender and staying on, despite injuries and the increasingly dire threat of basic supplies running out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With universities now turned into makeshift bunkers, hundreds of student protesters remain trapped behind police barricades in the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. They are split between surrender and staying on, despite injuries and the increasingly dire threat of basic supplies running out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Human Resources Minister M. Kulasegaran told the Dewan Rakyat that a final decision will be made by next month on whether to allow refugees to work. We speak to Datuk Shamsuddin Bardan, Executive Director of the Malaysian Employers Federation, who has welcomed the idea but simultaneously advocates caution on the misuse of the refugee status as a backdoor for illegal migrant workers. See omnystudio...

Human Resources Minister M. Kulasegaran told the Dewan Rakyat that a final decision will be made by next month on whether to allow refugees to work. We speak to Datuk Shamsuddin Bardan, Executive Director of the Malaysian Employers Federation, who has welcomed the idea but simultaneously advocates caution on the misuse of the refugee status as a backdoor for illegal migrant workers. See omnystudio...

This proverbial tortoise and hare story has no happy ending. Perhaps ministers declaring where they send their kids to school should be up there with asset declaration. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This proverbial tortoise and hare story has no happy ending. Perhaps ministers declaring where they send their kids to school should be up there with asset declaration. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The global water and wastewater treatment market is expected to reach over USD200 billion by 2025. For an idea of how developed the waste-water industry is in Malaysia, we speak to Indah Water Konsortium CEO Narendran Maniam on projects in the pipeline. Julian and Shou Ning also discuss the perceptions towards the sanitation economy in Malaysia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

01:20 - Fed Chairman Jerome Powell has reminded President Donald Trump that the central bank would continue to dictate monetary policy in a "non-political" manner, focusing on its dual mandate of stable inflation and maximum employment. The rest is noise. 05:51 - The Saudi kingdom has keep Aramco IPO local as international institutional investor appetite is poor. See omnystudio.com/listener for pr...

Decades later, the effects of the recession and Asian financial crisis is still felt when the Housing and Local Government Ministry identified a total of 200 abandoned projects. Dr Carmelo Ferlito, Senior Fellow at the Institute of Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) shares his macro insight on why these forsaken projects continue to linger around the housing markets. Meanwhile, General Da...

The traditional source of stable income for retirees from interest rates is dwindling. This is because interest rates are very low and in many cases even negative. We take a look at how pensions and retirees can deal with this. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Penang DAP vice-chairman, Zairil Khir Johari views Pakatan Harapan's disastrous showing in Tg Piai as reflecting the volatile voting pattern there while not denying bigger underlying factors. We ask him what's next for PH. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Julia Goh, Senior Economist at UOB Malaysia, dissects the 3rd quarter GDP numbers whilst giving us a glimpse of what to expect for the year ahead. She also weighs in on her expectations of Bank Negara's next move on the Overnight Policy Rate against this backdrop of slowing global growth and the continuing US- China trade war. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

00:05 - In the Sri Lankan elections, the Rajapaksa family was returned to the presidency, indicating yet another volte-face in foreign policy, once again to a pro-China stance. 05:51 - In Hong Kong, student protests are taking a dangerous spiral, diminishing hopes for an amicable and constructive resolution to the five-month old impasse. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amir Fareed, Strategy Director at KRA Group, gets granular on the laundry list of reasons behind Pakatan's fourth-straight by-election loss. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amir Fareed, Strategy Director at KRA Group, gets granular on the laundry list of reasons behind Pakatan's fourth-straight by-election loss. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

00:05 - With the stakes as high as they are for the ninth by-election since GE14 for Pakatan Harapan, Bersih is pointing out the ruling govt is busy flouting electoral standards, likely fearful of losing yet more traction among local voters. 08:47 - The jury appears to be out in terms of whether the Malaysian real estate market will recover in 2019. But experts like Raine and Horne and Property Gu...

Moody's investors service are forecasting that global sovereign ratings risks for the $63 trillion in debt at the 142 member nations it rates are rising, due in large part to the trade disputes between the Americans and the Chinese. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Moody's investors service are forecasting that global sovereign ratings risks for the $63 trillion in debt at the 142 member nations it rates are rising, due in large part to the trade disputes between the Americans and the Chinese. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Petronas has awarded 60% of its contracts to local vendors bar those with technical limitations such as in deep sea exploration, which have otherwise gone to foreign firms.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Disney+ was launched recently on the 12th of November so the big question is will Netflix lose their ground or is there space for all in this new era? To find out more, we speak to Tony Gunnarsson, Principal Analyst for Pay-TV and OTT Video at consulting firm Ovum. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to a HSBC survey, four out of five Malaysian businesses are expecting sales growth next year despite demand slowdown due to uncertain global headwinds. For more on this, we speak to Andrew Sill, Head of Commercial Banking at HSBC Malaysia, to ask why this contradiction exist and also what are the priorities of these businesses. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Iran has resumed enriching uranium at its underground Fordow nuclear site, another step further from the 2015 Nuclear Accords. For more insight, we speak to Professor James Dorsey, senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies and the Middle East Institute in Singapore, about whether this measure is truly for peaceful purposes, and what led Iran to this seeming point of no ret...