Morning Brief

00:35 - Taking a deeper dive on the RM1.09 trillion debt and what does it mean for Malaysia when 10% of it can't pay for itself. 03:24 - Other than the youth who now have a stronger political voice, we ask Ibrahim Suffian, Programme Director, at the Merdeka Centre as to which political party stands to benefit and will it dictate future government policies. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy i...

00:30 - Wan Azmi's emergence as a significant shareholder of Scomi Group indicates a new era of sorts. 04:53 - The ringgit's recent strength suggests attractive positive carry in a backdrop of global dovishness. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Central bankers around the world are asking governments to take up the mantle of propping up economic growth after years of monetary easing. Some prominent observers warn that this is no easy task as markets can turn bearish from the lack of stimulus from interest rates. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

00:30 - US President Donald Trump has repeated a threat to impose additional tariffs on Chinese imports. 04:21 - In Hong Kong, demonstrations have continued against the Chinese government, with another 40 people arrested. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

History was created today with the first successful constitutional amendment which had bipartisan support to lower the voting age to 18. We speak to Syed Saddiq, Minister of Youth and Sports on how this will change the political landscape for Malaysia and  what other initiatives we can expect from his ministry. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

00:30 - Headline GDP's numbers for China look alarming but for a deeper dive of the numbers, we speak to Yue Su, Economist, at the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) as to whether warning bells should sound or if there are bright spots in the economy. 08:35 - Citigroup post better 2nd quarter earnings that beat street expectations but some signs of the possible storm ahead as trading earnings decli...

Malaysia has approved over RM29 billion worth of FDI in the first quarter of 2019; an increase of more than 73%. For more insight, we speak to Ong Kian Ming, Deputy Minister for International Trade and Industry, about how much of this is a result of the substitution effect, FDI trends, and whether or not Malaysia will have to fear US retribution. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information...

00:30 - The Public Accounts Committee will call in several government agencies and ministries, following discrepancies detailed in the Auditor-General's report. 06:32 - The National Audit Committee has disputed claims by the Finance Minister that outstanding GST refunds amounted to RM19.5 billion as of June last year. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hypermarkets are either closing down or re-looking at existing business models as higher operational cost and competition from smaller outfits take a bite out of their profits. We discuss what their options are and what lessons can we learn from other markets. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

00:31 - Transport Minister Anthony Loke said that firms can only collect a maximum 20% commission off fares paid to drivers using e-hailing applications in light of the different terminology used on services charged by the e-hailing companies. He also said that the maximum commission that can be levied on taxi drivers is 10%. 08:07 - Former AirAsia Group Bhd chairman Datuk Pahamin Ab Rajab along w...

Hypermarkets are either closing down or re-looking at existing business models as higher operational cost and competition from smaller outfits take a bite out of their profits. We discuss what their options are and what lessons can we learn from other markets. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The diplomatic feud between Japan and South Korea seems to have deepened as Japan has restricted the materials vital to make mobile and TV components as well as chemical exports and the transfer of manufacturing technologies to Korea. A meeting between the two countries have seen little progress to bridge the divide. After the meeting, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry disputed...

Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad claims, Malaysia's overall unemployment rate of 3.3% and youth unemployment of 10.9% is nothing to be concerned about. To discuss this, and the challenges facing the labour market, we speak to Dr. Mohd Yusof Saari, Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Economics and Management at Universiti Putra Malaysia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1.11 - France has approved a 3% digital tax on tech companies making more than 750 million euros globally, with 25 million euros made in France. 3.51 - The US has relaxed the global Huawei ban, saying companies with the appropriate license will be able to sell products to Huawei, as long as it does not affect national security. We speak with Brock Silvers, Managing Director of Kaiyuan Capital, for...

Government rejects Maju's offer to take over Plus after EPF and Khazanah says no but the saga looks set to continue with another new offer on the table. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

0.48- Malaysia's tourist arrivals rose 2.7% in the first quarter of the year, but saw a drop-off in arrivals from Saudi Arabia. 8.14- Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad has laid down two conditions for anyone interested in taking over Malaysia Airlines See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Morning Run crew speak with CIMB economist Song Seng Wun on Temasek's performance, particularly in the context of capital flowing out of so-called ''risky" assets like stocks and into safe havens like bonds and cash as well as expectations for Singapore's export-oriented economy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Morning Run crew discusses looming policy measures in the local ride-hailing industry to regulate drivers and their cars by speaking with Grab Malaysia country manager Sean Goh. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bharat Joshi, Investment Director at Aberdeen Asset Management in Indonesia tells us about Jokowi's reform agenda whilst taking a deeper dive on the economy and its reliance on palm oil and coal. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bharat Joshi, Investment Director at Aberdeen Asset Management in Indonesia tells us about Jokowi's reform agenda whilst taking a deeper dive on the economy and its reliance on palm oil and coal. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to HSBC Research, policy easing may be less potent this time than in the past because of elevated global uncertainty and already high debt levels. However, Frederic insists that Asean is a region of "remarkable resilience." Also, The Morning Run crew discusses IBM buying Red Hat in $34 billion deal -- its largest acquisition yet. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has hit back against those who claimed UMNO's Supreme Council should have had a say in his return to the party's top post, saying such a move would be unfair. We speak to Amir Fareed, Director of Strategy from KRA Group, about the Malay political landscape, as well as talk about an UMNO-Bersatu tie-up. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

June saw inflows of foreign funds into Ringgit debt as the Feds turned dovish. To find out if this a trend while having a deeper dive on the outlook of the Malaysian bond market for 2nd Half of 2019, we speak to Winson Phoon, Head of Fixed Income Research at Maybank Kim Eng. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While the manufacturing sector contracts, the pick up will be seen in the services sector. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

India's Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman has presented her maiden annual budget, in the face of an economic slowdown and record-high unemployment levels. We speak to Pramod Amthe, Head of Equity Research at CGS-CIMB Securities in India, for his insights into the budget. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.