Morning Brief

UK Chancellor for the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt tabled the Spring Budget last week, touting it as a “budget for growth" as he highlights ambitious plans to revamp childcare, pensions and business investments. We discuss the implications of this for the UK economy and markets with Craig Erlam of OANDA. Photo credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The SVB banking meltdown in the US sparked a wave of negative sentiment across the world, with banking stocks taking a hit. How much exposure does the Malaysian banking industry have to the crisis? We discuss this with economist Firdaos Rosli. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government recently announced the formation of a Cabinet committee to resolve traffic congestion, as well as an upcoming public transportation framework to address long-standing issues faced by urban commuters. What solutions should the government consider to end the traffic jam nightmare of Klang Valley commuters and improve the effectiveness and experience of Malaysian public transport? Tran...

How old will you be in 2056? According to the World Bank, 20% of the Malaysian population will be older than 65. What kind of policy measures should be put in place to address Malaysia’s ageing demographic? We discuss the proposal to enact a Senior Citizen Bill with PC Gan of Homage Malaysia. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With GDP expanding by 2.6% for the full 2022 year, Thailand posted the slowest growth rate among the major ASEAN economies. As the tourist arrivals pick-up with the reopening of China's borders, how much of a boost will tourism give Thailand’s GDP this year? Image credit: 123rf.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Budget 2023 last month highlighted the need for the government to strengthen its fiscal standing by improving tax collection revenue. However, the issue is how do you expand the tax base? There are suggestions for a luxury goods tax, as well as a capital gains tax. Dr Veerinderjeet Singh, Chairman of Tricor Malaysia breaks down the arguments for us and shares what he thinks about the much-debated...

Malaysia risks losing out in hundreds of millions of ringgit in revenues from concerts and live events which are known to draw foreign tourists to the country. All this because of updated guidelines from PUSPAL, the central authority governing foreign filming and performances, that prohibit events from happening during religious holidays and even how performers are dressed. Rizal Kamal, President...

Last year CPO prices at one point reached a record high of over RM6000 ringgit per metric tonne in April, as a result of heightened demand due to the Ukraine war and issues affecting production supply. It’s currently trading at a much more modest RM3970 ringgit, down 4% on a year to date basis. How will CPO prices trend in the months ahead? Alvin Tay of Bloomberg Intelligence discusses the outlook...

Given the 10th Prime Minister’s reformist credentials, there are high hopes that his Cabinet will deliver many of the long-awaited changes in political and institutional governance that can strengthen Malaysian democracy. The CSO Platform for Reform, a coalition of 60 civil society organisations in Malaysia, released its 100-day report card this week, assessing Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s performan...

With another MRT line set to be operational tomorrow, the Klang Valley's transit system is starting to take shape. What will this mean for property development in the region? Should developers build at transit centres or should transit centres be built at where people already are? Datuk NK Tong, the Real Estate & Housing Developers' Association Malaysia's president breaks it down for us. Image...

The banking and crypto-currency sectors faced a triple whammy this past week, with the failure of Silvergate Capital, Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in quick succession. The three were central banking partners to the crypto sector, acting as conduits between regulated financial institutions, centralised crypto services, and decentralised finance. How much of a setback are these development...

Last week, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced plans to allow those in dire financial straits to apply for personal loans using their EPF funds as a form of collateral. Would the proposal placate those calling for another round of EPF withdrawals? We discuss ideas to revamp Malaysia's retirement system to address demographic challenges with Dr. Lee Hwok-Aun of the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak I...

Bersatu conducted their annual general meeting over the weekend, with the party rallying behind beleaguered party president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. How will the corruption charges against Bersatu leaders impact their chances at the state elections? We discuss the scenarios with Adib Zalkapli of BowerGroup Asia. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

France's Senate has passed by a vote of 195 to 112, President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform plan to raise the retirement age by two years, from 62 to 64. It also proposes to increase the number of years of work required to claim a full pension. This proposal has sparked protests since 2018. Emeritus Professor of History Peter McPhee of the University of Melbourne breaks down how this might impa...

Since the reopening of the nation’s border in April last year, Malaysia has recorded more than 10 million tourist arrivals and 28 billion ringgit in tourist receipts but with a ban on luxury tax and shopping inclusion in tourists itinerary, we speak to Nigel Wong, Honorary Treasurer & Spokesperson, Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) to get his perspective on the long term...

Indonesia's GDP growth climbed to its strongest in nine years last year, and has been betting big on the EV industry. We ask Anthony Nafte, Senior Economist at CLSA the outlook for ASEAN economies and Indonesia's progress to transform itself to an EV hub. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Khair Mirza, Managing Partner, Integral Capital helps us answer the question to how should investments be prioritised to ensure that Malaysia’s existing airport infrastructure is improved as well as cater for expansion taking place across the country. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Silicon Valley Bank is the first US bank to collapse in a decade followed by New York's Signature Bank. We ask Christopher Whalen, investment banker and Chairman at Whalen Global Advisors about what gave rise to these fallouts and the key developments to watch out for. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was charged in the KL High Court today with several counts of corruption under the MACC Act as well as the Anti-Money Laundering Act. What does this mean for the political career of the Pagoh MP and the prospects for the Perikatan Nasional coalition that he leads? Political analyst Dr. Oh Ei Sun weighs in.  Image credit: Bernama See omnystud...

Bank Negara’s Monetary Policy Committee maintained the OPR rate at 2.75% in yesterday’s meeting. We parse through BNM’s statement and signals for the economy with Abdul Mui'zz Morhalim, Economist, MIDF Research. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two years ago, the UN agreed to commemorate March 10th as International Day for Women Judges to raise awareness on the important role of women in the judiciary and legal system. Women make up half of the legal profession in Malaysia, but it wasn’t until recently that we see more women take on prominent roles in senior leadership of the judiciary. Annabel Kok, Partner at RDS Law shares her reflecti...

This week, the White House endorsed a bipartisan bill, known as the RESTRICT Act, that could give the President powers to ban or force the sale of foreign-owned technology platforms if they pose a national security threat. The RESTRICT Act would ensnare the TikTok app, owned by Chinese company Bytedance, which is viewed by lawmakers as a possible security backdoor for the CCP government to US data...

This week in Parliament, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said that the government is willing to relinquish its discretion in appointing the chief commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to Parliament. How will placing the MACC under the parliamentary purview improve its independence? We discuss measures needed to strengthen the anti-graft body's role with Sudhagaran...

The EU is set to introduce the Deforestation-Free Products Regulation (EUDR) that would require companies to produce a due diligence report with "verifiable" information that commodities such as palm oil, cocoa, soy and timber were not grown on land deforested after 2020. Will the new EUDR become another trade barrier for palm oil when it comes into force and how prepared are Malaysian palm o...

China's National People’s Congress on Sunday saw the world’s second largest economy setting its lowest GDP growth target in decades at 5% for 2023. Beijing has also highlighted uncertain global challenges amid high youth unemployment. Lance Noble, Head of China Reality Research at CLSA, talks to us about where China might be heading, two months after it abandoned its zero-Covid policy and reopened...