Morning Brief

US-China trade tensions are redrawing Asia’s shipping map, with container lines shifting capacity towards intra-Asian routes and Southeast Asia handling a growing share of Chinese trade. Malaysia could benefit from rising cargo flows and manufacturing relocation, but tariff changes, vessel oversupply and disruption in the Strait of Hormuz are making the outlook increasingly unpredictable. Can Sout...

Cartels and bid-rigging happen behind closed doors, so the people most likely to catch them are insiders. Until now, though, they've had little to gain from speaking up and a job to lose. Amendments to Malaysia's competition laws are set to change that, with stronger protection and rewards for whistleblowers, and they're expected to be gazetted this year. We speak to Datuk Iskandar Ismail, CEO of...

ASEAN and Canada are pushing to conclude negotiations on a long-awaited free trade agreement by November, with a deal covering not only tariffs but investment, services, digital trade and regional supply chains. But several ASEAN economies, including Malaysia, already enjoy preferential access to Canada through the CPTPP. What additional opportunities could an ASEAN-wide agreement create, who stan...

How could a single weekend of Formula 1 racing deliver over RM1 billion to Malaysia’s economy? Hong Leong Investment Bank economist Felicia Ling breaks down the numbers. As Sepang steps in to host the rescheduled Bahrain Grand Prix during China’s lucrative Golden Week, Malaysia gets a rare, low-risk preview of F1’s revamped commercial power, without footing the usual USD 80 million price tag. Feli...

The Reserve Bank of Australia has raised interest rates to a 15-year high of 4.60%, its fourth increase this year, as inflation remains stubbornly elevated despite weakening household spending and housing activity. Higher fuel prices and strong construction demand are complicating the central bank’s efforts to bring prices under control, while markets anticipate further tightening. How much more p...

Asian equities are having a strong year, but the headline gains mask increasingly divergent performances across the region. Raj Singh, Portfolio Manager at Principal Asset Management, looks at what is driving the differences between China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Southeast Asia, and where he sees investment opportunities amid the AI boom. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listen...

Malaysia’s proposed Freedom of Information Bill is under renewed scrutiny after civil society groups raised concerns over broad exemptions, existing secrecy laws and the effectiveness of its appeals process. A parliamentary townhall has now given stakeholders another opportunity to shape the legislation before it returns to Parliament. What needs to change for the Bill to deliver genuine access to...

The explosion of global e-commerce platforms has transformed Malaysian retail, offering consumers unprecedented choice, but also flooding the domestic market with cheap foreign direct sellers. As local SMEs struggle to keep up, Dr. Chin Chee Seong, National President of the SME Association of Malaysia, joins The Morning Run to assess the real impact on domestic businesses. Dr. Chin highlights whic...

China’s new 134-kilometre Pinglu Canal gives its southwestern provinces a much shorter route to the sea and potentially closer access to Southeast Asian markets. For ASEAN, the waterway could open new opportunities to reach consumers in China’s interior, but it could also deepen a trade imbalance that already heavily favours Beijing. What will determine who benefits from this new trade corridor, a...

US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping have met twice this year, with the latest talks producing agreements on trade, tariffs and AI. But major disagreements over technology, rare earths and Taiwan remain unresolved. Dr Benjamin Barton of the University of Nottingham Malaysia shares his insights into what the summit tells us about the direction of US-China relations. See omnyst...

Malaysia's proposed Freedom of Information Bill has come under scrutiny from civil society groups and Parliament's Special Select Committee is now gathering public feedback. Arief Hamizan, an independent researcher on governance and civic space in Southeast Asia, shares his views on the FOI Bill's scope, exemptions, secrecy provisions and appeals process, and what would make it a meaningful right...

As Malaysia approaches Budget 2027 tabling amid pre-election expectations, the government faces a delicate balancing act between expanding fiscal support and maintaining medium-term discipline. Dr Afzanizam Abdul Rashid, Chief Economist at Bank Muamalat, joins The Morning Run to evaluate the Madani government’s true fiscal room. Dr Afzanizam examines how the Public Finance and Fiscal Responsibilit...

Malaysia's redesigned MyKad hit an immediate snag: digital services including Touch 'n Go eWallet, three digital banks, and MyDigitalID all failed to recognise the new card during verification. Amin Ashaari, CEO and Co-Founder of SoyaCincau, joins The Morning Run to discuss the friction surrounding Malaysia’s updated national ID.  He breaks down what his team's testing uncovered, where accoun...

Malaysia has revamped its Corporate Renewable Energy Supply Scheme, or CRESS, the programme that lets businesses buy green electricity straight from renewable energy developers. The changes include lower grid usage fees, a new 10-year power purchase agreement, and a deadline for plants to start operating by end-2028. That could improve developers' margins and meet the green power demand coming fro...

Prolonged hot and dry weather is putting Malaysia’s poultry farms under growing pressure, with heat stress potentially slowing chicken growth, reducing egg production and increasing the cost of keeping birds cool. While extreme temperatures do not automatically mean shortages, more frequent and prolonged heat could test the resilience of the wider food supply chain. How vulnerable is Malaysia’s po...

Bank Indonesia has kept its benchmark interest rate at 5.75% for a third consecutive meeting, balancing pressure on the rupiah against the need to support domestic growth. With oil above US$100, elevated US Treasury yields and lingering concerns over Indonesia’s policy direction weighing on investor confidence, the central bank faces a difficult external environment. Can it stabilise the rupiah wi...

Melaka's state assembly has been dissolved, setting up Malaysia's third state election this year. Barisan Nasional is defending the state after big wins in Johor and Negeri Sembilan, while Pakatan Harapan, which left the state government in July, is talking to Bersatu about a possible "PH Plus" alliance. We speak to Dr Syaza Shukri, Associate Professor of Political Science at International Islamic...

Plantation stocks have beaten the KLCI by almost 20 per cent this year, helped by higher CPO prices and better June-quarter earnings. But palm oil exports are slowing and El Nino is shaping up to be the strongest on record, so can the rally last? We speak to Nadia Subhan, Research Analyst at Affin Hwang Investment Bank, about the second-quarter results, her CPO price forecasts for 2026 and 2027, a...

Europe’s trade deficit with China has surpassed €1 billion a day, fuelling concerns that growing Chinese competition could accelerate the erosion of Europe’s industrial base. While the pressure is particularly visible in the automotive sector, Brussels argues the challenge is spreading across manufacturing and has promised to use its trade-policy tools to respond. With an October deadline approach...

The Education Ministry’s decision to remove the 30% Bumiputera equity requirement for private educational institutions under its purview has reignited a much broader debate over Malaysia’s Bumiputera economic policies. Dr Lee Hwok-Aun, Senior Fellow with the Malaysian Studies Programme at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, takes a look at this five-decade-old policy. Image Credit: Shutterstock See o...

World leaders have gathered in New York for the UN General Assembly against the backdrop of the US-Iran conflict, the war in Ukraine and deepening divisions between the major powers. Donald Trump has used his address to defend American sovereignty and criticise international institutions, while China’s Xi Jinping is prioritising direct talks with Trump over attending the gathering. Can the UN stil...

US President Donald Trump is set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House, with trade, Taiwan, artificial intelligence and the war in Iran all adding to an already complex US-China relationship. Chong Ja Ian, Associate Professor of Political Science at the National University of Singapore, shares his insights. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...

Negeri Sembilan is caught in a deepening constitutional standoff after Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir revoked the appointments of all state executive councillors, a move Menteri Besar Dato' Ismail Lasim argues should have no legal effect without the Menteri Besar’s advice. The dispute hinges on competing interpretations of Article 38 of the State Constitution, further complicated by unresolved quest...

Malaysia's average monthly salary rose 4% to RM3,803 in 2025, but the headline figure masks a deeper trend: Wage growth is decelerating, the gender pay gap is widening slightly, and youth unemployment sits at 10.2%, more than three times the national rate. Wan Amirah Wan Usamah, Research Associate at the Khazanah Research Institute, joins The Morning Run to unpack the structural fault lines behind...

Convicted felon Dato' Seri Najib Razak's conditional pardon allowing him to serve the remainder of his SRC International sentence under house arrest has exposed fresh tensions within Malaysia's Unity Government. Dr Azmi Hassan, Senior Fellow at Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research, analyses these developments and the implications for Anwar Ibrahim's coalition. Image Credit: Shutterstock See om...