Morning Brief

Budget 2025 is Malaysia’s largest ever budget at RM421 billion and comes with plans to increase the minimum wage as well as the possibility of the removal of RON95 petrol subsidies, among others. Dr Afif Bahardin, Secretary of Perikatan Nasional Selangor, shares his views on where the plans for next year's spending met the mark and where they failed and what could have been done better. Brought to...

The International Monetary Fund or IMF and the World Bank will start their annual meetings today in Washington which are overshadowed by a report that warns that public debt will rise above USD100 trillion. Brian Coulton, Fitch Ratings’ Chief Economist tells us why we should be concerned about this and the consequences of ignoring it. Image Credit: shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for...

Budget 2025 saw a RM1 billion sovereign fund for the electrical and electronics sector and high-value activities as well as training funds allocated for several universities, to support local players in the semiconductor industry. Andrew Chan, Director, at the Malaysia Semiconductor Industry Association (MSIA) tells us how much the sector might benefit from these funds and schemes. Brought to you...

In Budget 2025, the government allocated RM2.6 billion to the Communications Ministry and RM1.3 billion to the Digital Ministry for a range of initiatives, including improving access to the internet. So how do telcos fit into this mix, especially as our country looks to advance its digital economy? For more perspectives, we speak with Suresh Sidhu, CEO of EdgePoint Infrastructure. Brought to you b...

Is Hong Kong's housing market showing signs of recovery, especially in the luxury sector, after a prolonged downturn? Especially after Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd., the city's largest developer, asold over 200 apartments in one day, and used home sales surged by 60% in early October. Questions we pose to Patrick Wong, Head of Bloomberg Intelligence Hong Kong & Senior Analyst - Asia Pacific Rea...

With Russia hosting the 16th BRICS summit in its southwestern city of Kazan, three years after the Kremlin invaded Ukraine; President Vladimir Putin said that the gathering would be one of the largest foreign policy events, with some of the most powerful leaders in attendance. How significant is this gathering, and what message does it send to the West? We speak to Dr Julia Roknifard, an independe...

Education received the highest allocation in Budget 2025 of RM64 billion. Are the budget initiatives put forth as ambitious as the headline figure suggests? We discuss how far Budget 2025 goes in advancing quality education with Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim of the Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE). Brought to you by Mah Sing. Reinvent Spaces. Enhance Life. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com Se...

The government is set to introduce a new law that will make house arrest a potential sentence for minor crimes, with the proposal expected to be tabled in parliament next year. How should this legislation take shape? Criminal lawyer Goh Cia Yee walks through the finer details that need clarification in the drafting of the bill. Image Credit: shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

Budget 2025 allocated RM45.3 billion to the Health Ministry, nearly 10% more than the previous year. Among the items mentioned in the Budget included an increase in on-call allowance for medical and dental officers, a hike in the sugar-sweetened beverage tax, along more than RM1.5 billion ringgit to upgrade infrastructure and facilities. Dr Farhan Rusli, Fellow for the Institute of Research and De...

In recent months, oil prices have been trading in a wide range between USD68 to USD85 bbl on the back of geopolitical tensions in the middle east and the expectations of improving demand from China. We speak to Vandana Hari, Founder & CEO, Vanda Insights for her views on how oil prices will trade for the last quarter of 2024 and even 2025. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/list...

Despite the SME sector receiving a financing boost of RM40 billion ringgit and a RM3.2 billion ringgit micro-loans support for small traders, the introduction of more sales / sugar taxes, a higher minimum wage and a 2% dividend tax raises concerns about increased financial pressure on consumers and businesses. Chin Chee Seong, National President of SME Association of Malaysia shares his perspectiv...

As we unpack Budget 2025 through a macroeconomic lens we speak to Julia Goh, Senior Economist at UOB to find out whether the Madani government has managed to strike a balance between fiscal responsibility and encouraging economic growth with the Budget being the largest on record. Brought to you by Mah Sing. Reinvent Spaces. Enhance Life. Image Credit: shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/list...

The Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry, along with the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA), has been supervising nearly 18 billion ringgit of investments from Chinese companies into Malaysia. Although China has been Malaysia’s largest trading partner since 2009, the cumulative amount of Chinese investments still lags behind those from the US, Japan, and even Singapore. Joining u...

The government has a fiscal deficit target of 4.3% for 2024 and 3.0-3.5% for 2025. To achieve that goal, widening the government's revenue base seems obvious. Is tax reform the solution and what should the government focus on? Soh Lian Seng, Head of Tax at KPMG Malaysia gives us his views. Brought to by Mah Sing. Reinvent Spaces. Enhance Life. Image Credit: shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/list...

Malaysia's F&B sector recorded RM229 billion in revenue last year and is projected to grow at an annual rate of 8% until 2027. Dato’ Jawahar Ali Taib Khan, President of Persatuan Pengusaha Restoran Muslim Malaysia (PRESMA), shares his wishlist and addresses issues facing the industry, from subsidy cuts to the introduction of new taxes amongst market participants. Brought to you By Man Sing. Re...

Joko Widodo will be handing over Indonesia's presidency to the elected Prabowo Subianto, after a decade in power where he governed for two terms. Johannes Nugroho, a writer and political analyst discusses the legacy that Jokowi is leaving behind while anticipating what Prabowo might bring to Indonesian politics. Image Credit: shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last year’s budget reflected the renewed ambition of the Madani Government to accelerate the country’s energy transition and catalyse new investments in the green economy. But this cannot be divorced from the broader climate action agenda of reducing carbon emissions, including the importance of nature-based policies. How can Budget 2025 best balance all the necessary elements for an effective nat...

China's property sector has been experiencing a prolonged downturn since its 2021 peak, prompting Beijing to come up with various stimuli to address the issues. Kristy Hung, the senior industry analyst of Asia real estate at Bloomberg Intelligence analyses the impact of these measures and whether or not more could be done. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy info...

Singapore’s economy grew by 4.1% in the third quarter this year, beating economist projections and outpacing Q2 growth of 2.9%. Meanwhile, the Monetary Authority of Singapore also maintained its policy settings amid inflation outlook risk. We discuss what’s in store for the Singapore economy for the remainder of the year with Selena Ling of OCBC Bank. Image Credit: shutterstock.com See omnystudio....

Tourism and hospitality players are hoping for an RM85 million allocation when Budget 2025 is tabled, to improve Malaysia's tourism industry. This comes as Malaysia achieved 60% of its full-year target of 27.3 million international tourists for 2024. Nigel Wong, President at Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA), shares his insights. Brought to you By Mah Sing. Reinvent Spaces. E...

Beijing held a long-awaited press conference last Saturday to reveal some details on the fiscal stimulus such as the issuing of special bonds and making it easier for local governments to borrow money, though no figures have been revealed yet. We speak to Brock Silvers, CIO of Kaiyuan Capital to get his input on whether the latest stimulus package will indeed help boost China’s floundering economy...

As part of our pre-budget series, we explore the demands and expectations of construction players. In Budget 2024, the government rolled out several big-ticket projects, such as the Pan Borneo Sabah Phase 1-B and the Penang LRT. Will this year be the same or even better? We speak with Oliver Wee, President of the Master Builders Association Malaysia (MBAM), about his budget wish list. Brought to y...

Global supply chains have faced numerous challenges this year, everything from geopolitics to severe weather to limited vessel capacity and most recently a port workers' strike in the US. Chris Rogers, Head of Supply Chain Research at S&P Global Market Intelligence gives us an analysis of the current situation and what this might signal for the future. Image Credit: shutterstock.com See omnyst...

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security recently announced several reforms to the agri-food sector, including the potential removal of egg subsidies and the consolidation of enforcement agencies. How effective will these measures be in strengthening Malaysia’s agricultural productivity and food security? We discuss the issues at play with food security expert Prof. Dr. Fatimah Arshad. Image...

Yesterday marked the Opening Ceremony of the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits and Related Meetings in Vientiane, Laos. Regional leaders, including our Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, have arrived to participate in the discussions. This year’s summit tagline is “Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience.” Bunn Nagara, Director and Senior Fellow at the BRI Caucus for Asia-Pacific, will join us to s...