Morning Brief

While some businesses have suffered, others seem to have gained on the back of the demand for video conferencing and virtual communication as people work from home. Zoom Video Communications has seen its user base grow from 10 million last year to about 200 million users daily, but its popularity has not been without issues. They have come under increased scrutiny for a series of privacy and security lapses, which has dampened some enthusiasm for the company. That said, the stock has beat the market in recent weeks. Is this short-sighted or is Zoom the next big thing in tech?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alyaa Alhadjri, journalist and representative from Gerakan Media Merdeka outlines her concerns about the government’s directive against fake news.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bailouts of Malaysia's carriers have occurred multiple times since the last century. But with a global pandemic that has disintegrated travel worldwide, could this time be different, warranting a bailout, but on economic grounds? Nigel Wong, Honorary Secretary General of The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta), explains.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Morning Run crew looks at the front pages of the newspapers, and also discusses the Enhanced MCO, stock buybacks, the MCO impact to the retail sector, the fight between the US and WHO, and news around 1MDB.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While the oil deal struck this week was historic, oil prices still remain under pressure with Brent prices dipping below $30 per barrel, we speak to Roger for his view on ways to better support oil markets better. We also get into reasons the US has not committed to any cuts themselves, his thoughts around the Bloomberg report that Saudi Arabia slashed its selling prices to Asian customers what this signals for the price war and how far big oil consumers, like China and India, can support demand by adding to their strategic reserves.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some 80,000 public university students have to remain on campus during the MCO. However there has been no clear guidelines from the Ministry of Higher Education on how to educate students; lecturers and students are now in limbo. Dr Noraishah Mydin Haji Abdul Aziz, Secretary, Universiti Malaya Academic Staff Union paints a dire picture of what’s happening on ground.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thomas Rookmaaker, Director for Sovereign Ratings, Fitch Ratings, explains why he lowered Malaysia’s outlook from stable to negative for its long-term foreign currency issuer default ratingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia has the highest percentage of men tested positive for Covid-19. Social butterflies, please stay at home! Our public healthcare system has not yet reached its limit but MOH Director-General cautions that we only have two weeks of PPE supply due to worldwide shortage. Local university students are not allowed to return home to avoid mass movement of people. But worry not, they will be well fed. And Vaisakhi celebrations continue online. Meanwhile, for the first time, value of local glovemakers have over taken casino and airport operator.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

OPEC+ announced a record production cut of nearly 10 million barrels per day, putting an end to the price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia that has contributed to the rock bottom oil prices we’ve been seeing these past few weeks. With US President Donald Trump playing a role here, pushing a deal as low oil prices take a toll on the U.S. shale industry. We speak to James to better understand the dynamics involved in the negotiations and its impacts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Datuk Ruben Emir Gnanalingam, Group Managing Director, of Westports Holdings tells his outlook and what’s happening on the ground at Westports as non-essential cargo pile up waiting to be transported out.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Focus Malaysia Editor-in-Chief P. Gunasegaram discusses the economic implications of an extended movement control order as well as the threats to meaningful economic reform with the appointment of politicians to key GLC posts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Morning Run crew looks at the front pages of the newspapers, and discusses the additional sectors that will be allowed to operate under the third phase of movement control order (MCO), as well as Singapore's stricter measures and Germany's quick response to supporting SMEs.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Under the MCO, schools will remain closed until further notice. Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim, Chairperson, Parents Action Group For Education, discusses the possible effects on schoolchildren.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Nurliana Kamaruddin, Senior Lecturer, Asia-Europe Institute Universiti Malaya and specialist in South Korean politics assesses the Democratic Party’s chances of returning to power in the country’s upcoming elections.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With many Malaysians now stuck at home under a Movement Control Order, the Department of Statistics Malaysia has found that average household spending has reduced by 55%. Shoppers' behaviour has also changed considerably and for more insight into this, we speak to Luca De Nard, Managing Director of Nielsen Malaysia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Morning Run crew looks at the front pages of the newspapers, and discusses plans to ease economies around the world back into motion, once the Covid-19 outbreak comes under control. We also take a look at whether Malaysians are financially prepared, for a potential MCO extension.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Although there have been additional stimulus provided for SMEs, there remains gaps with some groups left out. Dr. Ong Kian Ming, Former Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry and MP for Bangi tells us what else can be done especially post MCO whilst reminding us of the importance for Parliament as a check and balance.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The global auto sector is facing challenging times with the coronavirus pandemic as sales plummet while the cash burn remains high. We speak to Bruce Clark, Senior Vice President at Moody’s Investors Service for his views on who the survivors will be post Covid-19 and whether we can expect M&A in this space with the current overcapacity.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Morning Run Crew takes a look at the front pages of the newspapers, and discusses the latest updates on the Movement Control Order as well as the Democratic Presidential Race in the US.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Kelvin Yii, Member of Parliament for Bandar Kuching tells us how the East Malaysian state is coping with the Covid-19 pandemic whilst talking about the plight of the Orang Asal and also how important it is to set aside political differences during this difficult period.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dato' Mohd Arief Emran bin Arifin, Dispute Resolution Partner at Wong & Partners explains what is a force majeure clause and when can it be invoked while suggesting that the best way forward for Malaysia might be a Covid-19 Bill like the one Singapore has implemented.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is the first global leader to be hospitalised after contracting Covid-19, giving rise to questions over how effective the UK government will be while its leader is indisposed. For insight on how the UK has been handling the pandemic, we speak to Patrick Diamond, Associate Professor of Public Policy at the Queen Mary University of London, about Downing Street's response, economic mitigation, and Brexit.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Indonesia has reported relatively few cases of Covid 19 despite global cases hitting more than a million. Is this pure luck or a case of under testing? We ask Aaron Connelly, Research Fellow at International Institute for Strategic Studies for his view on what the real situation on the ground is for Indonesia and is their health care system prepared for a pandemic?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Internet usage has surged since the start of the MCO and Malaysians experienced slowdowns in download speeds. However, a survey has shown that consumers are happy with how the telcos have managed their bandwidths.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Oh Ei Sun, Senior Fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs gives us his views on the recent appointments, resignations and also dismissals of key positions in government linked agencies. He says that the moves are unsurprising as this was also the case when Pakatan Harapan came into power in 2018 and that despite the health and economic crisis we are facing, more such moves are to be expected.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Twenty five million aviation related jobs are at risk globally during this covid-19 pandemic while the survival of Malaysia Airlines is still in question although there may be a white knight.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Singapore goes into a 1-month "Circuit Breaker" period starting today after a recent rise in local Covid 19 infections. In response to this which affects as much as one third of all employment, the government has announced the 3rd stimulus package. Lee Ju Ye, Economist at Maybank Kim Eng in Singapore breaks down the details of this package and why was it necessary.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The retail sector in the U.S. was already suffering from an "apocalypse" as mall traffic declined and department stores around the country were forced to close. Now, with the COVID-19 outbreak, things just got a lot worse. How will the retail sector emerge from this crisis? Will any of them escape unscathed? We speak to Morningstar analyst David Swartz for insights on the troubled industry.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Movement Control Order has affected Malaysians from all walks of life but for some, this has had an even more negative impact. Dr. Bridget Welsh, Honorary Research Associate at the University of Nottingham Asia Research Institute tells who these vulnerable groups are and how should we be responding to them in these times whilst also looking at things more holistically to solve the issues in the long run.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Perikatan Nasional government has been replacing leadership at various state agencies like Khazanah Nasional, MARA and the Human Resources Development Fund, replacing those appointed by Pakatan Harapan. Meanwhile, Bersatu party elections have been postponed due to COVID-19. The Morning Run crew discusses the top business and political news of the day.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government has recently unveiled an additional RM 10 bil. stimulus, aimed at addressing the concerns of small and medium enterprises as they navigate the struggles of staying above water during the movement control order. Is the package enough and will it be effective? We turn to Michael Kang, President of the SME Association of Malaysia for his thoughts and reactions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

01:40 - MTUC asks to ensure that the wellbeing of employees are still considered when the additional stimulus package is announced by the government. 06:06 - MAVCOM says that a bailout for airlines should only used at a last resort while the priority is connectivity for Malaysian and the 50,000 employees in the aviation industry.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

China is restarting its engine, as the coronavirus outbreak in the country dies down. The question on everyone's mind is, how quickly will they recover, particularly as the rest of the world suffers through the Covid-19 pandemic? For insight, we speak to Tommy Xie, Head of Greater China Research at OCBC Bank, about whether a V-shaped recovery is still realistic.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With flattening the Covid 19 infection curve a priority for the Malaysian government, we speak to Kahlil Anwar, Member of the MIER Health Financing Group to talk about the whether the MCO has achieved the objective. We also ask when the cases will peak based on their projections and whether our figures are better than global averages.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As expected, Bank Negara has lowered the country's growth target from 0.5% to -2%, highlighting the risks to the economy from Covid 19. Julia Goh, Senior Economist at UOB Bank provides a deeper analysis on the central bank's Economic Monetary Review report whilst giving their house view on the economy and warning of a new twin risk.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The economic repercussions of Covid-19 has led to a downgrade of Malaysia's banking sector, according to Willie Tanoto, a Director in Fitch Ratings’ Asia-Pacific Banking Team, which continues to monitor the impact on all sectors of the economy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With cases and mortalities rising daily, it's clear that America's fragmented, complex and overlapping healthcare system is unprepared for what has rapidly spiralled into a global pandemic, says Gustav Ando, Head of Life Sciences and Industry Services at IHS Markit.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In its early days, the Movement Control Order (MCO) led to closure of farmer markets (pasar tani) and disrupted the agriculture supply chain, resulting in food wastages. Since then, the Federal Agriculture Marketing Authority (FAMA) has announced the re-opening of these informal markets with precautions in selected locations. We discuss with Azulita Salim, Director-General of Farmers' Organisation Authority (LPP), on the challenges faced by food producers due to the MCO.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia to contract 0.1% in 2020 if conditions persist, says World Bank's Richard RecordSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

P. Gunasegaram, Editor-in-Chief, Focus Malaysia talks about his version of a Makcik Kiah and alternative ways to support the B40 community.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

P. Gunasegaram, Editor-in-Chief, Focus Malaysia talks about his version of a Makcik Kiah and alternative ways to support the B40 community.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Global oil prices are in a free fall. Rob Barnett, Senior Energy Analyst, Bloomberg Intelligence helps us make sense of what’s going on and when might prices recover.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Financial Times reports that almost 630,000 retail outlets in the US have been forced to close due to Covid-19 fears. As further shutdowns are implemented across the US and people are staying home, there is little to no income coming in for non-essential retailers. The National Retail Federation calculates that the industry could lose $430 billion in revenues over the next three months. How many stores will be able to reopen if and when the crisis passes?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Under the Movement Control Order (MCO), the government has imposed roadblocks and closures, deployed drones, and arrested people for not complying. Melissa Sasidaran, Director, at Lawyers For Liberty, talks about what is happening on the ground.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As fasting month looms during Covid-19, the national dialogue shifts to the Ramadan bazaar, mass gatherings which have traditionally offered pretty traders and low income households sustenance and wages.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Datuk Michael Kang, President of the SME Association of Malaysia, feels short-changed by the govt stimulus program, saying the sector, which employs some 10 million people and accounts for 38% of national GDP, has insufficient aid to sustain beyond the immediate term.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 3-week national lockdown which began on March 25th. However there has been much criticism of the initiative as many people buy food with the money they earn each day, and many more fall into poverty under the lockdown. So much so that #ModiMadeDisaster was trending on Twitter in India on Sunday.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Denis Low, President of Malaysian Rubber Glove Manufacturers Association (MARGMA) warns there will be a chronic global shortage of medical rubber gloves, which could result in higher infections among frontline medics. We speak to him on the severity of the situation and whether there will be enough gloves in Malaysia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last Friday, the Perikatan Nasional government unveiled a RM250 billion stimulus package against the social and economic fallouts from the pandemic, the largest stimulus package the country has unveiled ever since the Global Financial crisis of 2008/2009.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last Friday, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin unveiled his next round of stimulus package to bring it to a total of RM250 billion. Christopher Choong, Deputy Director of Research, at Khazanah Research Institute talks about what else the government could do.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.