Morning Brief

Vice President Kamala Harris of the Democratic party and Republican contender former President Donald Trump face off in a historic presidential debate for the first and likely only time in this election campaign. We discuss expectations for the debate with Bryan DeAngelis of Penta Group.  Image Credit: shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The issue of statelessness and undocumented residents in Sabah is particularly acute and complex. Last week, the Sabah state government announced that it will set up an inter-agency special committee and a task force to address these issues. What are the key challenges that need to be addressed? Suriani Kempe of Family Frontiers weighs in.  Image Credit: shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/li...

China is removing the last remaining barriers to foreign investment in manufacturing and healthcare, starting November 1st. Tommy Xie, Head, Greater China Research, OCBC Bank tells us the rationale for this and if it will attract FDI. We also look at the recent economic data to determine if there is risk of serious deflation in the world's second largest economy. Image Credit: shutterstock.com See...

Last week, news emerged that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) directed all Internet service providers to implement public DNS (Domain Name System) redirection for businesses, enterprises, and government agencies by September 30. Although Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil defended the decision, he has asked MCMC to put the plan on hold pending stakeholder engagement....

Hong Kong, which houses some of the most expensive properties in the world, is currently experiencing a crisis, with owners being forced to slash prices. The downturn in the city has persisted for around five years. Patrick Wong, Head of Bloomberg Intelligence Hong Kong & Senior Analyst - Asia Pacific Real Estate tells us if we can expect any government support and which listed players wi...

Fraud in the Social Security Organisation (SOCSO) has led to the government implementing a comprehensive overhaul of the claims system. They are also rolling out a nationwide operation to identify and address additional fraudulent activities. Lim Zi-Han, Partner, Donovan & Ho shares his insights on the strategies and reforms required to tackle these issues effectively. Image Credit: shuttersto...

Shares around the world fell on Wednesday, pummelled by a drop in tech stocks following a record sell-off of Wall Street darling Nvidia. Analysts cited a confluence of factors behind the rout, which also impacted Asian and European tech stocks. Is this recent sell-off merely a temporary market correction, or has the Magnificent Seven reached its peak? For more analysis, we’ll be speaking with Dan...

Last week, Indian regulators cleared the way for an $8.5 billion US dollar merger of Disney and Reliance, creating India’s biggest entertainment player to compete with Sony, Netflix and Amazon. How does this benefit Disney, and what are the trends shaping the broader entertainment streaming sector? We get analysis from Geetha Ranganathan of Bloomberg Intelligence. Image Credit: BizAsia See omnystu...

Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Anwar Ibrahim has met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Vladivostok, Russia, on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum where the Malaysian leader is the main attraction. Julia Roknifard, an independent expert on international relations talks to us about the significance of this meeting with Moscow continuing to remain under sanctions for its invasion of Ukraine...

Amid reports from the Malaysian Communications & Multimedia Commission having received almost 6,600 cases of cyberbullying involving youths, a 20-fold increase from three years ago, action needs to be taken immediately to address this. Datin PH Wong, Executive Director of Childline Foundation shares some insights into this worrying trend as social media and online games become increasingly pro...

Venezuela remains at a political impasse more than a month after Nicolas Maduro was declared the winner in the presidential elections. This outcome is disputed by the opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez and sparked on-going mass street demonstrations. We get updates on the situation in Venezuela with Dr. Raul Sanchez-Urribarri of La Trobe University. Image Credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/list...

Putrajaya has pledged to prioritise affordable housing projects amid concerns from some residents groups that this could result in excessive development, leading to traffic congestion. Teresa Kok, the MP for Seputeh, shares her views from her constituents' perspectives. Image Credit: shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

China’s economy is increasingly looking less likely to reach its 5% GDP growth target - what does this mean for equities? Brock Silvers of Kaiyuan Capital weighs in on whether there are silver linings amid the economic uncertainties.  Image Credit: shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia Aviation Group has temporarily reduced its flights and routes until December this year to implement corrective measures after a series of delays and flight cancellations caused the ire of many passengers. Brendan Sobie, Independent Analyst and Consultant of Sobie Aviation explains why this has happened to MAG and what they need to do to repair their reputation and restore confidence. Imag...

A recent report by the healthcare news portal CodeBlue on medical inflation featuring comments from the Chief Executive of the Life Insurance Association of Malaysia (LIAM) has sparked debate on regulatory reform for private healthcare pricing. We get industry perspectives from Datuk Dr. Kuljit Singh of the Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM) on factors driving up the cost of private...

China has experienced a series of trade retaliatory measures, including tariffs imposed by Canada and the EU, in response to its alleged dumping of cheap goods. This comes amid a weak consumer market in the world’s second-largest economy, where e-commerce giants have been warning of declining profits. Gary Ng, Senior APAC Economist at Natixis, shares his analysis of the prospects for the Chinese e...

Earlier this, the Asia Internet Coalition (AIC), an industry group, sent a letter to the Prime Minister calling for a halt to new social media licensing. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has since questioned AIC’s representation of tech companies, noting discrepancies and Grab Malaysia’s claim of not being consulted. We turn to Derek John Fernandez, a Commission Member...

With more than three million Malaysians involved in freelance work, the current labour laws are outdated. A new bill to protect gig workers will be tabled in October. We speak to Dr. Sia Chin Chin, Senior Lecturer, School of Law and Governance at Taylor’s University as to what these law should include. Image Credit: shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vietnam’s newly installed Communist Party chief To Lam has announced he will step down as president, a role he took on after the death of his predecessor, Nguyen Phu Trong. The Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai has also resigned, having violated anti-corruption rules. Dr Nguyen Khac Giang, a visiting fellow at the Vietnam Studies Programme of the ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute, shares his analysis...

The 2024 Paris Paralympics commences this week with Malaysia represented by a 30-person strong contingent and a target of four gold medals. Malaysia has achieved Paralympic gold glory since the 2016 Rio Games, but why has this not been rewarded with greater investment in para-sports? We get perspectives from Datuk Dr Ras Adiba Radzi, Chairperson of Persatuan OKU Sentral, and also a former Paralymp...

A government has yet to be formed in France more than a month after snap elections in July. This week President Emmanuel Macron rejected the nomination of Lucie Castets from the National Popular Front (NFP), the left-wing coalition that won the most seats in the elections. How long can this impasse last and how will it affect the governance of France? We get an analysis from Dr. Benjamin Barton of...

Israel and the Hezbollah group exchanged dozens of rockets and missiles over the weekend, in an escalation that drove fears of an all-out Middle East war to new heights. James Dorsey, Senior Fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies assesses the current situation which has now taken on an uneasy calm. Image Credit: shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati...

Digital Nasional Berhad  announced last Friday that Telekom Malaysia’s Share Subscription Agreement (SSA) to acquire a stake in DNB has been terminated as it failed to fulfill the the conditions. We explore the consequences of this and if it derails the country's 5G plans including the rollout of the second network. Professor Dr. Ong Kian Ming, Pro Vice Chancellor for External Engagement at T...

For decades the Registration of Criminals and Undesirable Persons Act 1969 has caused difficulties for about a million people on the list, making it difficult for them to get jobs, start a business and to basically reintegrate into society. Jerald Joseph, Chair of CSO Platform for Reform, shares his thoughts on this Act which the Home Ministry is now looking to review to give ex-offenders a real s...

Singapore's residential market appears to have cooled this year, registering a price increase of 2.3% versus a cumulative 8% in 2023. Likewise, the rental index of private residential properties fell for a third consecutive quarter. Alan Cheong, Executive Director at Savills Singapore analyses the reasons for this. Image Credit: shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.