Morning Brief

The second reading of the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Bill 2023, also known as the generation end game initiative was postponed to a date to be announced later. As a refresher, the bill was tabled for its first reading in June this year before being sent to the Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSSC) for further review. And then on Wednesday, the health ministry announced t...

On October 14th, Australia will hold a referendum on whether the constitution should be amended to give recognition to Indigenous Australians and create a body, known as the Voice, that would provide a channel of communication to the government. We’ll discuss what the debate on this proposal reveals about Australian society and politics with Paul Strangio, Emeritus Professor at Monash University....

Malaysia has long grappled with the challenge of broadening its tax base without alienating the people. How will the government navigate this balancing act? We speak to Soh Lian Seng, Head of Tax at KPMG for his expectations of Budget 2024 and the different levers available for broadening the tax base. Brought to you by Mah Sing. Reinvent Spaces. Enhance Life. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See om...

Has the business of MyAirline crash landed in less than a year? Early this morning, the low cost carrier announced it is temporarily suspending all operations until further notice, due to financial difficulties. We get reactions from independent aviation analyst Brendan Sobie on the challenges of keeping a budget airline afloat and the role of the regulator in this scenario. Image credit: Shutters...

The National Service Training Programme is making a comeback, with a mid-2024 target. This time around the government will use existing military camps, spend a fifth less than it did the first time around and shorter training period of 45 days. Architects of Diversity has prepared a white paper on its review and recommendations for PLKN 3.0. AOD co-founder, Jason Wee, shares his views. Image credi...

Thailand Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin embarked on his maiden visit to Malaysia this week after assuming office last month. How might Malaysia-Thailand bilateral relations take shape under his government? Thomas Daniel of ISIS Malaysia discusses the synergies between our two countries.  Image credit: Bernama See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Monday, the government tabled the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Bill, also known as the EECA, for the first reading in Parliament. The proposed law is part of broader efforts to reduce Malaysia’s carbon emissions by mandating high-intensive energy users to manage energy consumption. How might this law work in practice? We discuss the implications of the bill with sustainability and climate...

On Monday, oil prices recorded their highest jump in six months in reaction to the escalation of conflict in the Middle East. We discuss with Ho Pei Hwa, Regional Energy Analyst, DBS Bank whether the price rally is temporary and other factors that will influence oil markets for the remainder of the year. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tourism players are keeping their fingers crossed for incentives to be included when Budget 2024 is unveiled on October 13th, to give a much needed boost to the snail-paced recovery of the sector post-Covid-19. Dato' Sri Naresh Mohan, Group President & CEO of Trinidad Group Malaysia and an exco member with the Kuala Lumpur Tourism Association, shares with us what the industry is hoping for tha...

Malaysia's semiconductor industry, a major contributor to the country's exports with a global market share of 7%, has been plagued by issues ranging from supply chain disruptions and labour shortages. Dato' Seri Wong Siew Hai, President of the Malaysia Semiconductor Industry Association shares what the problems its members are facing and what they hope they will see when Budget 2024 is tabled this...

Consumer data coming out of China's eight-day Golden Week holiday indicate that spending per capita has surpassed pre-pandemic levels. What does this mean for Chinese economic recovery? Does this mean recovery is full steam ahead for China? Marvin Chen, China and North Asia Equity Strategist at Bloomberg Intelligence discusses key trends and headwinds for China and emerging markets.  Ima...

On Saturday, the Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, leading Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to declare war on Hamas and launch retaliatory air strikes. We speak to Middle East expert Dr. James Dorsey for his read on the latest escalation of violence and its geopolitical implications. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...

The F&B sector has been a tale of mixed fortunes in the post-pandemic era, weighed down by supply chain disruptions, currency volatility, labour shortages and rising cost of living concerns. What are F&B players looking for in Budget 2024 to cushion the economic uncertainties? We hear from Patrick Sim, council member of the MRCA F&B Division and Managing Director of Secret Recipe...

Barisan Nasional retained the Pelangai state seat with a reduced majority of 2,949 votes compared to GE15. Despite the win, support for Perikatan Nasional has increased. Does this prove that Felda schemes are no longer a BN fortress? Helping us unpack the turnout, we speak to Adib Zalkapli, Director, BowerGroupAsia. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information...

Credit markets took the jobs data report which showed that US employment surged more than expected in September very badly. Treasuries were sold off with the 10 year note spiking by as much as 16 basis points to 4.885%. Winson Phoon, Head of Fixed Income Research, Maybank Investment Bank tells us what a 5% bond market means for governments and corporates even here in Asia. Image credit: Shuttersto...

With Budget 2024 slated to be tabled next Friday, we speak to different industry leaders to find out what is on their wish list. Datuk Shamsuddin Bardan, the Executive Director of the Malaysian Employers Federation shares with us what the private sector employers hope to see from Budget 2024, how they intend to reduce the gender gap in the labour force and the transition to a more sustainable busi...

The World Bank has trimmed Malaysia's GDP from 4.3% to 3.9%. We speak to their Malaysian lead economist Dr Apurva Sanghi to find out the reasons for this and also how can we attract more foreign direct investment compared to our regional neighbours. We also attempt to answer why our Ringgit continues to weaken despite a generally positive outlook. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/...

Citigroup this week upgraded its growth forecast for China to 5% amid signs the economy is bottoming out. Do investors see the light at the end of a long tunnel? We discuss the outlook for Chinese equities as data from Golden Week comes out, as well as the latest twist in the Evergrande property saga with Brock Silvers, CIO of Kaiyuan Capital. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudi...

There were some 72,000 scam cases reported from 2020 until May last year, resulting in losses exceeding RM5.2 billion; those were just what was reported. It is also sobering to note that very likely the personal data of Malaysians are also available on the dark web. CF Fong, CEO, LGMS Berhad who is also a cyber security consultant and a part of the government's Digital Advisory Committee offers so...

The Penang Chinese Chamber of Commerce had questioned how the directly negotiated sale of state-owned land in Byram, South Seberang Perai to a private company was done, alleging that the RM646 million price tag is significantly below market. However, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, defended the transaction on the basis that the involved land is still undeveloped. Sri Murniati Yusuf, Chief Operating...

Beijing has made remarkable strides in the electric vehicle market, both in terms of adoption and manufacturing driven by government policy and generous tax breaks. We speak to Joanna Chen, analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence as to who are the winners for this industry and if they have plans for global domination. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin McCarthy was ousted as Speaker of the US House of Representatives in a dramatic roll-call, after eight Republicans voted against their party leader and sided with 208 Democrats to seal his removal. What repercussions does this have on significant bills ahead like the Spending Bill. John Zogby, Founder of John Zogby Strategies tells us whilst we discuss possible successors. Image credit: Shut...

The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living is mulling a proposal that only those who have special IDs can buy the subsidised cooking oil packets. At the same time, the government is embarking on establishing a household socioeconomic database, known as the Central Database Hub or PADU to improve the monitoring and efficiency of government aid distribution. Where does the proposal for specia...

Although EV sales in Malaysia are expected to quadruple this year, according to BMI-Fitch Solutions, this only accounts for 1.8% penetration in the auto sector. How can the government incentivise the adoption of EVs to achieve the lofty target of 80% penetration by 2050? We discuss policy recommendations with Datuk Shahrol Halmi, President, Malaysian Electric Vehicle Owners' Club (MyEVOC). Image c...

Singapore’s transnational money laundering case has dominated headlines and parliamentary sitting agendas as it has put a spotlight on the city’s state stringent anti-crime image. Cliff Lim, Director of Risk & Compliance, Dow Jones shares with us the complexity of identifying illicit transactions, and how legal frameworks should be improved. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/li...