Morning Brief

The Bank of Japan raised interest rates for only the second time in 17 years last week to about 0.25%, despite patchy economic indicators. How might this affect the growth outlook for the sluggish Japanese economy? We discuss this with Stefan Angrick of Moody’s Analytics.Image Credit: Poetra.RH / Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Second Finance Minister and Bank Negara Governor were in Singapore recently to meet with investors, the origins of the Asian Tiger economy conversation we’ve been having all week. Were investors convinced by this upbeat narrative? We get analysis from UOB economist Julia Goh, on the outlook for the Malaysian economy.Image Credit: shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government recently announced plans to set-up a Data Commission as part of efforts to improve data protection and innovation in the country. What's needed for the commission to be effective in its role? We discuss this proposal and the amendments to the Personal Data Protection Act with Kenny Lam of RDS Law.Image Credit: rawpixel.com / Freepik.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

MetMalaysia has issued a series of Level 1 heatwave alerts this week across the country, with the hotter temperatures and less rainfall also resulting in critical water shortages in the northern region. Sustainability specialist Dr. Renard Siew weighs in on the mitigation and adaptation policies needed for Malaysia to adjust to increasingly warmer weather.Image Credit: shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The era of high interest rates finally appears to be coming to an end with the Federal Reserve signaling their willingness to cut the Fed Fund rate from the current 5.25-5.5% levels. But what impact has this delay had on the investment book of Asean banks and are they issuing new debt ? Rena Kwok, Credit Analyst for Asian Financials at Bloomberg Intelligence tells us.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tensions in the Middle East on the Israel-Lebanon border have ratcheted, following the deadly rocket strike in the Israeli-occupied territory of Golan Heights on Saturday. Dr. James Dorsey, Senior Fellow, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies tells us if there is the potential of a wider war with Hezbollah.Image Credit: shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A recent comment from second finance minister Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan saying that Malaysia is making great strides to reclaim its Asian Tiger status, has elicited discussion about whether or not Malaysia ever was one. P Gunasegaram, an independent business writer shares his views on if this comparison with economies like those of Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong holds water.Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Nicolas Maduro has claimed victory in presidential elections on Sunday, an outcome that the opposition bloc claims goes against what people actually voted for. We break down the economic and political crisis in Venezuela with Dr. Raul Sanchez-Urribarri of La Trobe University. Image Credit: shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Russia’s foreign minister paid our PM Anwar Ibrahim a visit last Saturday at Seri Perdana, and according to Anwar, the meat of their discussion revolved around Malaysia’s potential membership in BRICS. We discuss how Malaysia might benefit from BRICs membership with Julia Roknifard, Assistant Professor, School of Politics, History and International Relations, University of Nottingham Malaysia.Image Credit: shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

China's consumer spending remains a concern with the slowdown seen in the F&B sector, while the gaming revenue out of Macau has underperformed. Angela Han Lee, Leisure Consumption Analyst, Team Leader of APAC Multi-Sector at Bloomberg Intelligence shares her views on where she thinks this trend is leading to.Image Credit: shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It has been revealed that to date, a total of 3.4 million of the 13.1 million EPF members under the age of 55 have withdrawn RM8.9 billion from their flexible accounts since this option was made available in May. Meanwhile, Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan assures that EPF would not be negatively impacted. Dr Hafezali Iqbal Hussain, Professor at the School of Management & Marketing Faculty of Business & Law, Taylor’s University, shares his insights.Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Singapore Food Agency's seizure of fresh and processed produce illegally imported from Malaysia on concerns of high levels of pesticides used, has brought home the awareness that what we consume in this country may require more washing than initially thought. Prof DrChai Lay Ching, a microbiologist & pro-vice-chancellor of education at Sunway University explains the issues for us.Image Credit: shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia is unenviably the country which has won the most Olympic medals without winning a gold, with 8 silver and 5 bronze. Will Paris 2024 reveal a change in our fortunes and what event(s) will present the best chance for our 26-strong contingent? T.Avineshwaran, a senior sports writer at the Star talks about how the Road to Gold programme may or may not be the catalyst that could make this elusive gold medal dream a reality.Image Credit: shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fresh from an election which saw Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party winning with a slim victory, his administration has tabled a USD23.9 billion budget for job creation, and skills development, a to support an economic growth forecast of 6.5% to 7%. Sanjay Mathur, the chief economist for Southeast Asia and India at ANZ Bank, talks about how effective this budget might be in addressing India's current economic issues.Image Credit: shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Singapore's core inflation decreased to 2.4% in June lower than expectation. It was a similar outcome for Malaysia as  CPI came in held steady at 2.0% YoY. Khoon Goh, Head of Asia Research, ANZ Bank tell us what this means for the central bank policy and it's respective currencies.Image Credit: shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs' aim in developing there Malaysia Open Budget Index was to help the rakyat (and by extension taxpayers) understand how the federal and state budgetary process works. With MyOBI into its second year, Nischal Ranjinath Muniandy, senior executive of research at IDEAS helps us understand why all this is important.Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The semiconductor industry has become a critical cog of the global economy, with Malaysia playing its part as a major microchip exporter, but how will our country fare moving forward with different pressures bearing down on the industry? Discussing this with us today is Alissa Rode, Senior Manager, Research, Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS). Image Credit: shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

China’s recent cut to the seven-day reverse repo rate aims to boost its struggling economy. With the country facing its slowest growth in over a year, there’s a pressing need for immediate economic support. Gary Ng, APAC Economist, Natixis shares his analysis on how China can balance long-term goals with urgent economic needs and the fiscal policies required to complement the rate cut and ensure sustainable growth.Image Credit: kstudio / Freepik.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US Vice President Kamala Harris appears to be on track to secure the Democratic presidential nomination, but it’s far from certain. What hurdles stand in her way and how does this shake up the November elections? We discuss what to watch for with Prof. John S. Jackson of the University of Illinois, Carbondale. Image Credit: shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since earlier this month, university students in Bangladesh have taken to the streets to demonstrate against the country’s government job quota policy, which reserves large percentages of civil service positions to descendants of “freedom fighters”. Subsequently, the protests have escalated in intensity, leading to clashes with the  armed forces, resulting in more than a 100 dead from the violence. Dr. Ali Riaz, Distinguished Professor​ at the Department of Politics and Government, Illinois State University joins us in discussing the situation in Bangladesh.Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Joe Biden has withdrawn from the presidential race, claiming that he is doing so in the best interests of the party and the country. He has also endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee to the White House. John Zogby, founder of Zogby Strategies takes us through the different scenarios in the lead up to November 5th when Americans choose their President.Image Credit: shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Putrajaya wants to review and strengthen existing cyberbullying laws which have been proven to be inadequate, This was after an individual was fined just RM100 for making offensive social media comments, which led to the tragic death by suicide of a social media influencer. Lawyer, Harpal Singh of T Harpal & Associates, gives us an idea what our existing cyberbullying law are like and how they might be improved.Image Credit: freepik.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The global tech outage on Friday plunged the world into a pre-technology world that felt unfamiliar and primitive, with flights grounded, health services disrupted, payment systems crashing and access to Microsoft services effectively blocked. It was eventually traced back to a cybersecurity firm called CrowdStrike, which provides software to a wide range of industries. CF Fong, executive chairman of LGMS Bhd, with the benefit of hindsight, talks about what happened, its impact and how we can prepare if this happens again.Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

China's Third Plenum, a once-in-five-years conclave of top officials that usually deals with major economic and political policy changes concluded yesterday. We gleam through the statement for clues as to the future economic direction of the country which faces its own set of structural issues with Koh King Kee, President of the Centre for New Inclusive Asia.Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SMEs reported a rather good first quarter boosted by strong consumer spending but now report of higher cost pressures whilst sales have slowed. We ask Chin Chee Seong, National Secretary General, SME Association as to how challenging the situation is on the ground and what measures can be taken by the SMEs to overcome these headwinds.Image Credit: shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Madani government has signalled that it will table a Freedom of Information bill in Parliament by the end of the year. What should an effective FOI law encompass? We discuss the importance and implications of an FOI law with Dr. Benjamin Loh of Taylor’s University.Image Credit: shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Loan sharks have increasingly turned to digital platforms to extend their reach, with Bukit Aman recently uncovering a loan shark syndicate that recruited henchmen via Facebook ads and then communicated tasks via Whatsapp. Dr Zaharuddin A Rahman, a shariah advisor at shariah consultancy firm, Elzar Shariah Solution, shed some light into how this has been happening and how the public can be more vigilant.Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bersatu President Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has proposed for top posts to be negotiated rather than voted on during the party elections in October. Will this shore up support for the floundering party? We get an analysis from Dr. Syaza Shukri of the International Islamic University Malaysia.Image Credit: shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So far, the reign of King Dollar continues with markets still waiting for that elusive Fed rate cut. We speak to Stephen Chiu, Chief Asia FX and Rates Strategist, Bloomberg Intelligence for his outlook for Asian currencies for the rest of 2024 whilst taking a closer look at the Ringgit.Image Credit: EyeEm / Freepik.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Republican National Convention opened today in Milwaukee in the immediate aftermath of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. How will this shape the trajectory of the US elections this year? We discuss the themes with Mark J. Rozell of George Mason University.Image Credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reports that Attorney-General Datuk Ahmad Terrirudin Salleh is expected to be appointed as a Federal Court judge, with the possibility of later assuming the role of Chief Judge of Malaya, have raised concerns about executive influence in judicial appointments. Ramkarpal Singh, a former deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform), shares his concerns on what this might mean for the independence of Malaysia's judiciary.Image Credit: vecstock / Freepik.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) foresees local e-commerce revenue achieving RM1.65 trillion by 2025. This is supported by Shopee's latest data indicating that Gen Zs prefer to shop online versus at physical stores. Ganesh Kumar Bangah, an advisor and former chairman of the National Tech Association of Malaysia (PIKOM), shares his insights.Image Credit: freepik.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Following the 19th Indian General Elections in June, Narendra Modi has become prime minister for a third consecutive term. However, his National Democratic Alliance, while winning 294 seats in the 543-seat Lok Sabha, still garnered far fewer than they expected. Dr Rahul Mishra, Associate Professor at the Centre for Indo-Pacific Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi shares his analysis.Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US election season has taken a dark turn, after former US President Donald Trump became the target of an attempted assassination at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday. We get reactions on these developments and what it means for the presidential campaign moving forward from independent pollster John Zogby.Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Datuk Zaliha Mustafa, Minister for the Federal Territories recently reaffirmed the government's commitment to the River of Life urban rejuvenation project, citing 81% completion. But with the latest Auditor General's report revealing shocking delays and missed objectives, what went wrong and how can this be fixed? We get reactions from Datuk Mumtaz Ali of Save Kuala Lumpur.Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

China’s top leaders will gather from July 15th to 18th for a highly anticipated meeting known as the Third Plenum, as this once-in-five-years conclave of top officials usually deals with major economic and political policy changes. Richard McGregor, Senior Fellow at Lowey Institute gives his perspective.Image Credit: shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bank Negara Malaysia's Policy Document on Licensing and Regulatory Framework for Digital Insurers and Takaful Operators was released this week. It will no longer limit the number of licences to just 5, but will go to any digital insurer and takaful operator that meets its requirements. Vincent Fong, Chief Editor & Country Manager of Fintech News Malaysia, explains the impact of this on Malaysian consumers.Image Credit: shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 75th anniversary of NATO is being marked by a three-day summit in Washington D.C. with the spotlight on the challenges in supporting Ukraine in the prolonged conflict with Russia, deepening relations with Indo-Pacific partners amid US-China tensions, and how the next US president could shape the future of the body. We discuss these themes with Chong Ja Ian of the NUS. Image Credit: shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul has ruled that the former 6 Bersatu MPs who pledged their support for Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim can retain their seats. Does this then undermine the anti-party hopping law? We get reactions from political scientist Dr. Wong Chin Huat of Sunway University. Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the wake of the Sungai Bakap by-elections, former Penang deputy chief minister and Urimai chairman, P Ramasamy wrote in a Free Malaysia Today article that the level of support among Malaysian Chinese for the Democratic Action Party (DAP) and the ruling government in general has fallen. Discussing this issue with us today is James Chin, Professor of Asian Studies, the University of Tasmania.Image Credit: shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is China’s consumer spending showing signs of recovery or is it still beholden to a sluggish economy? We discuss what the trends in the e-commerce sector indicate about the health of the Chinese consumer and its major online retail platforms with Catherine Lim of Bloomberg Intelligence.Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Perikatan Nasional retained the Sungai Bakap state seat in Penang with an increased majority over the Pakatan Harapan candidate during last weekend's by-election, during which voter turnout was 63.45%. Ibrahim Suffian, Programme Director at Merdeka Centre analyses the outcome of the election and its impact on Malaysia's political landscape going forward.Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The second round of voting in the French elections resulted in a surprise outcome: the left-wing coalition, the New Popular Front, was the biggest winner, followed by the centrist alliance of Emmanuel Macron, with the far-right National Rally coming in third. However, with no bloc winning a majority of seats in parliament, what does this mean for the formation of government? We get an analysis from Prof. Rainbow Murray of Queen Mary, University of London.Image Credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The ASEAN Express, a new international freight train service connecting Malaysia, Thailand, Laos and China, was launched this week to improve trade connectivity between the nations. How much could this contribute to economic growth? We discuss the impact with Dato Prof Dr Ahmad Farhan Mohd Sadullah, Vice Chancellor, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM).Image Credit: shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Singapore government seeks to strengthen money-laundering enforcement with the new Anti-Money Laundering and Other Matters Bill being tabled in parliament. Do the amendments go far enough to deter illicit crime? We discuss the implications of the bill with Cliff Lim of Dow Jones.Image Credit: shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As ballots are being tallied in the UK, what do early results tell us about the outcome? We catch up with Patrick Diamond, Professor of Public Policy at Queen Mary, University of London on whether projections of a Labour landslide are hitting the mark.Image Credit: EPA-EFESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All projections for the UK elections indicate that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the Conservative party are on the cusp of defeat - but the question is, will it be a wipeout? Ahead of the polls, we catch-up with Philip See who’s in London to gauge the mood of UK voters.Image Credit: freepik.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week the Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced a crackdown on tour buses after a fatal bus crash in Genting Highlands that killed two Chinese tourists. We speak to transport consultant Wan Agyl Wan Hassan about why it had to take a tragic accident to expose the lack of  regulatory oversight on tour buses.Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia is among the few countries that have yet to ratified the United Nations Convention Against Torture (UNCAT), despite its endorsement by 173 nations. The official explanation is due to conflicts with existing local laws. We ask Jerald Joseph, Chair of CSO Platform for Reform if this is indeed an impediment and what are the repercussions from this.Image Credit: fabrikasimf / Freepik.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Residents of Tokyo will be voting for their governor this week and the choice is down to incumbent Yuriko Koike of the Liberal Democratic Party, who is hoping to win the post for a third time, and Renho Saito from Japan’s main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party on the seat. William Pesek, a columnist with Nikkei Asia, helps us unpack what might happen in a very significant two-woman race in a very male-dominated political landscape.Image Credit: Shutterstock.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.