Morning Brief

Every year, almost on schedule, parts of Malaysia get inundated causing untold damage and sometimes, tragically, loss of lives. This year is no different, with climate change playing a very noticeable part. Nora Kantin, an Orang Asli resident of Kampung Lambok in Kuala Betis, Gua Musang, Kelantan is among those deeply affected by this natural disaster. She shares her experience. Image credit: Nora...

Stronger non-oil export numbers and manufacturing activity drive Singapore’s economy to achieve stable growth in 2024. Positive tailwinds in the semiconductor space help propel it further. Adrian Loh of UOB Kay Hian shares his views on Singapore’s economic and market outlook. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

China has been experiencing strong outflow from its economy as foreign fund managers maintain only core exposure to their equity portfolios. Marvin Chen, Senior Asia Equity Strategist, Bloomberg Intelligence shares his views on why they are underweight on China and what will drive the country’s market in 2024. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...

The east coast states of Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang are seeing some of the worst flooding in recent years, with tens of thousands of people evacuated from their homes. We get updates on the situation on the ground with Dato’ Dr Ahmad Faizal Mohd Perdaus of Mercy Malaysia, as well as recommendations for longer term policy action needed for flood mitigation.  Image credit: Shutterstock.com...

On December 18, Menara Ilham, a building owned by the family of former Finance Minister Tun Daim Zainuddin, was seized by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission. According to news reports, the seizure was in response to Tun Daim’s refusal to declare his and his family’s financial holdings to the MACC. We speak with Dr Edmund Terence Gomez, Former Professor at the Faculty of Economics and Adminis...

ASEAN markets have been lacklustre this year, beset by both internal and external developments that have dragged investor sentiment. Some of the headwinds include the absence of the much anticipated economic recovery in China, while US economic strength dominated foreign investor interest. We speak with Jerry Goh, Asean Equities Investment Manager, ABDRN for a view of the equity market....

The Federal Reserve raised rates 11 times since 2022 to pause since July at 5.25- 5.50%. This slowdown in rate rises led to a rebound in global bond markets including Malaysia with the S&P Malaysia Bond Index up 5.9% on a year to date basis. But can we expect a repeat for 2024? Ang Beng Kuan, Head of Investments, Hong Leong Islamic Asset Management tells us. Image credit: Shutterstoc...

The Magnificent Seven were the main catalyst of a US equity market rally this year. Dan Ives , Managing Director of Wedbush Securities shares his insights on whether this trend will continue into 2024, his Christmas wishlist and if one should buy into the AI frenzy. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Newly appointed Human Resources Minister Steven Sim has recently announced that the ministry will be drafting the country’s first National Human Resources Policy. Dr Geoffrey Williams, Economist & Professor, Malaysia University of Science and Technology tells us what should be the priorities and deliverables of this new policy. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listen...

The Magnificent Seven were the main catalyst of a US equity market rally this year. Dan Ives, Managing Director of Wedbush Securities shares his insights on whether this trend will continue into 2024, his Christmas wishlist and if one should buy into the AI frenzy. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysian cyber laws are not updated as fast as the change in technology. Increased cyber threats put our personal data at risk, adding a hurdle to Malaysia’s digital journey. We speak with Dr Selvakumar Manickam, Associate Professor, Universiti Sains Malaysia to hear what is needed to ensure our data is safe and make those who are negligent more accountable. Image credit: Shutterstock.com Se...

In March, law and institutional reform minister, Datuk Seri Azalina appointed Farah Nini Dusuki as the Children’s Commissioner to Suhakam for a 3 year role. We speak to Datuk Dr Hartini Zainuddin, Co-Founder, Yayasan Chow Kit to find out what should be the priorities of this role and is there sufficient interministerial coordination of policies related to children. Image credit: Shutterstock....

Malaysians' access to nutritional food is getting tighter due to food price inflation. Coupled with shrinking agricultural land and a smaller farming community, the country's food security is at risk. We speak to Deepak S. Moorthy, Expert Associate Partner, Head of Food and Agriculture, McKinsey Southeast Asia on how Malaysia can expand its food production to feed its population. Image c...

Asia Pacific economies are hoping for a China recovery in 2024 but they do not see a clear roadmap towards this. China’s Government plans to address the downturn their own way but the market thinks otherwise. Furthermore, state owned banks may be asked to bail out property developers which will strain the financial system. Peter Lewis, Founder & Director of Peter Lewis Consulting gives us an o...

Asia Pacific economies are hoping for a China recovery in 2024 but they do not see a clear roadmap towards this. China’s Government plans to address the downturn their own way but the market thinks otherwise. Furthermore, state owned banks may be asked to bail out property developers which will strain the financial system. Peter Lewis, Founder & Director of Peter Lewis Consulting gives us an o...

CGS CIMB expects Malaysia's Economy to be in better shape in 2024. This on the back of policy clarity and rollout of Budget 2024 with the execution of its various projects which will help propel the local equity market upwards. Chehan Perera, Head of Research and Strategist, CGS- CIMB Securities speaks to us about what is driving the upside and where we should position ourselves as we face a recov...

There have been calls by the government to reinstate local council elections, starting with the capital city first in efforts to strengthen democracy in the federal territories. Newly appointed FT Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa has said she will discuss the proposal but that she has other pressing priorities. We check in with Danesh Prakash Chacko, Director, Tindak Malaysia as to why there should be n...

Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi was declared the victor in Egypt’s presidential election for a 3rd time winning 90% of the vote. With an economy in crisis as inflation reached record levels of 40% in August and food prices up 65% on year, what will be Sisi's legacy be? Dr James Dorsey, Senior Fellow, S.Rajaratnam School of International Studies tells us. Image credit: Bernama See omnystudio.com/lis...

Covid numbers are rising again. Patient numbers are still manageable and public health practitioners do not see the need of an MCO. Assistant Professor Dr Farhan Rusli, Public Health Medicine Specialist, International Islamic University Malaysia speaks to us about the right strategy for Covid-19 management, why the public ought to get booster shots and whether MySejahtera could make a co...

The government has relaxed the requirements for the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme. Now featuring a three-tiered system, would the revised measures be able to attract a wider pool of applicants? We speak to Andy Davison, founder and CEO of The Expat Group Media for his thoughts on the revamped programme. Image credit: Ministry of Foreign Affairs Malaysia See omnystudio.com/listener...

Over the weekend, four of the five biggest shipping companies in the world have suspended passage through a Red Sea strait due to attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen. Kenneth Loh, APAC shipping & logistics analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence discusses how this could impact the global freight shipping industry, and his 2024 outlook for APAC players. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com...

Palm oil prices have been sluggish this year, with futures hovering at the RM3,600 ringgit mark. Is there any catalyst for the upside in 2024? We discuss the trends impacting palm oil markets with Dr. Sathia Varqa, co-founder of Palm Oil Analytics. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa has been tasked to run the FT Ministry. This comes at an important time when there is an urgent need to address the urban poor and for more national level representation of not only Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur but also Labuan. Cha-Ly Koh, CEO and Founder of Urbanmetry discusses with us the many items the new Minister has to resolve from her in-tray...

Starting Jan 1st, 2024, a 10% tax will be levied on the online purchases of goods from overseas costing below RM500. This is ostensibly aimed at providing a level playing field for local retailers, who have received strong competition from overseas retailers on online shopping portals like Lazada and Shopee, while replenishing the nation's coffers. We speak to Senthuran Elalingam, Indirect Tax Par...

With concerns that the global economy may slow down in 2024, where will the aviation industry land, after having reached 98% of pre-Covid levels as at October this year? Ahmad Maghfur Usman, Equity Analyst at Nomura Malaysia also takes us through its outlook for the related energy sector, which recently saw a downward revision by the International Energy Agency. Image credit: Shutterstock.com...