We are who we are, shaped by our past experiences and the lessons we learn from others. Similarly, today’s decisions on economic policies are heavily influenced by historical events, and the thinking and theses of economists-academics of the past.

Central banks cannot address supply disruptions, the cause of global inflation

WILL the Assistive Basic Income (ABI) scheme, as proposed by Barisan Nasional (BN) in its manifesto for the 15th general election, really “help” the poor as intended? Or is it a hastily crafted promise, made for political expediency, that is structurally flawed and, worse, would end up hurting th...

The State of the Nation: Why we think BN’s Assistive Basic Income is fundamentally flawed

Investments in productive assets, tangible and intangible, are critical to a country’s development. And for developing countries, in particular, foreign direct investment (FDI) is key. FDI brings with it not only capital funding but new technology, managerial expertise, know-how and skills — impo...

Grow foreign and local investments or be left behind

We mentioned CLOB (Central Limit Order Book) several times in this series of articles. For those too young to remember, here is a brief recap of the long-running saga that unfolded with the onset of the Asian financial crisis.

CLOB International was an over-the-counter market that was e...

CLOB got clobbered

The last two weeks, I wrote about how the global technology giants have ­decimated the newspaper industry. Here’s a quick recap to refresh the memory.

Newspapers had responded positively to and embraced technological innovations in working with the industry’s giants such as Facebook and...

Is there a Media 3.0 strategy for news publishers?

This is the second instalment of my views about the newspaper industry. How it was decimated by digitalisation, how it reacted and what the outcomes are. More importantly, what are the lessons we can draw from it, with every business facing similar disruptions from the onslaught of digital innova...

Went digital, also died. Going digital itself is not a strategy.

We have all heard of the cliché “You have to go digital or die”. The confluence of instant connectivity, anywhere and everywhere, to reach and be reached by millions, to make sense of both limited and limitless and unmanageable amounts of data through artificial intelligence and big data, from wh...

Go digital or die ... Is print media really dying?

Gold has performed very well as part of the broad-based global assets rally, rising as much as 36.4% this year, outperforming the Standard & Poor’s 500 index as well as the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite index. This month, the price of gold breached the US$2,000-an-ounce milestone for the first time ever, though prices have fallen back a little since. Does this gold rally have legs?

Gold regains its glitter

The Covid-19 pandemic and resulting varying degrees of lockdowns on a global scale must count as one of the most unexpected events in recent memory. It has certainly upended the upbeat global economic consensus forecasts at the start of the year.

Some analysts are daydreaming

In a little over two decades, Malaysia has gone from being one of the fastest-growing economies in the early 1990s, to the slowest in the region — in terms of per capita GDP. Not surprisingly, we failed to achieve our long-term ambition to become a high-income nation by 2020.

The stock ...

Part 4: Still paying the price for capital controls 23 years later

Indonesia said fiscal and monetary policies are in sync to cushion the economy from the rising dollar, demonstrating an all-hands-on-deck approach, with the central bank signalling they’re intervening more actively to aid the rupiah.

Indonesia takes steps to shield economy from strong dollar

Israel launched an attack on Iranian soil on Friday, sources said, in the latest tit-for-tat exchange between the two arch foes, whose decades of shadow war has broken out into the open and threatened to drag the region deeper into conflict.

Israel attacks Iran, Reuters reports, as drones shot down over Isfahan 

Five Japanese nationals survived a suicide bomb attack on their vehicle on Friday, as police in Pakistan's city of Karachi shot down a gunman accompanying the bomber, a police spokesperson said, but two passers-by were injured.

Five Japanese nationals escape Pakistan suicide blast attack

KUALA LUMPUR (April 19): Oil-and-gas services firm Yinson Holdings Bhd said on Friday that its indirect wholly owned subsidiary Yinson Production Offshore Pte Ltd (Yinson Production) has successfully placed a US$500 million five-year senior secured bond issue.

Yinson’s unit places US$500 mil five-year senior secured bonds

Sime Darby Property Bhd, Malaysia’s biggest developer in terms of landbank, has secured commitment for the remaining 30% of its industrial development fund to close at RM1 billion.

Sime Darby Property gets commitment for balance 30% of RM1b industrial development fund

EG Industries Bhd has secured a second letter of intent (LOI) from US-based Cambridge Industries Group (CIG) to produce a new 1.6 terabit optical signal transmitter and receiver for a 5G wireless network at EG Industries’ new smart factory 4.0 in Penang.

EG Industries expands partnership with US-based Cambridge Industries Group

KUALA LUMPUR (April 19): The Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) will enhance cross-border e-commerce among small and medium enterprises by partnering Amazon in a programme that allows products to be sold internationally via Amazon’s e-stores.

Matrade, Amazon collaborate to enhance cross-border e-commerce among SMEs

KUALA LUMPUR (April 19): MKH Oil Palm (East Kalimantan) Bhd’s initial public offering (IPO) has been oversubscribed by 8.43 times ahead of its listing on the Bursa Malaysia Main Market on April 30.

Main-Market bound MKH Oil Palm’s IPO oversubscribed by 8.43 times

West Ham United forward Michail Antonio criticised the refereeing in Thursday's Europa League quarter-final against Bayer Leverkusen and said his side were "playing against 14".

West Ham's Antonio hits out at officials after Europa exit

Saudi Arabia will need a higher oil price than previously thought this year as the Opec+ leader spearheads the group’s production cuts, according to the International Monetary Fund.

Saudi Arabia needs oil price near US$100, IMF says

Israel launched an attack on Iranian soil on Friday, sources said, in the latest tit-for-tat exchange between the two arch foes, whose decades of shadow war has broken out into the open and threatened to drag the region deeper into conflict.

Shares of Awanbiru Technology Bhd (Awantec) fell as much as 53% on Friday, prompting Bursa Malaysia to suspend the counter’s intraday short selling (IDSS).&nbsp;

Awantec shares plunge 53%, intraday short selling suspended 

PIE Industrial Bhd, whose share price extended its rally to a new all-time high on Thursday on reports that it has secured a new customer, confirmed the matter and said it is expecting the new customer to contribute an additional RM2.5 billion revenue to the group, of which RM1 billion will be recognised as early as next year.

PIE Industrial confirms bagging new client, expects additional RM2.5 bil revenue

Shares of Sapura Energy Bhd will be suspended from trading pending an announcement, the company said on Friday.

Trading in Sapura Energy suspended pending announcement 

The oil-rich Malaysian state of Sarawak in Borneo is aiming to transform itself into a centre for clean hydrogen energy, betting that its ability to harness an abundance of hydropower can help it defy challenges that are clouding the fuel’s prospects elsewhere.

 Sarawak aiming to transform itself into a centre for clean hydrogen energy

RHB Investment Bank Bhd (RHB IB) on Friday upgraded Public Bank Bhd to “buy” from “neutral”, with a higher target price (TP) of RM4.80 (from RM4.70).

RHB upgrades Public Bank to ‘buy’, raises target price to RM4.80

Asian shares and bond yields sank on Friday while safe-haven currencies, gold and crude oil jumped after reports Israel attacked Iran in a continuing series of assaults that have increased concerns of a wider Middle East conflict.

Stocks sink, oil jumps after Israeli attack on Iran

Malaysia's economy grew by 3.9% in the first quarter of 2024 (1Q2024), as compared to 3.0% in the previous quarter, according to Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) advance gross domestic product (GDP) estimates.

Malaysia's economy grew 3.9% in 1Q2024, advance estimate shows

Apple said on Friday it had removed Meta Platforms' WhatsApp and Threads from its App Store in China after being ordered to do so by the Chinese government, which cited national security concerns.

Apple pulls WhatsApp, Threads from China app store after Beijing order

The Malaysian rubber glove industry has demonstrated resilience and adaptability amidst challenging global dynamics, with optimism for a rebound in 2024, with an anticipated surge to approximately 450 billion pieces by 2027 despite a downturn in 2023, according to the Malaysian Rubber Glove Manufacturers Association (Margma).

Margma optimistic of rebound in 2024, expects surge to 450 billion pieces by 2027

The escalating tensions in the Middle East have influenced market sentiment and shifted investors' emphasis to the energy, finance and plantation sectors, which helped boost the FBM KLCI higher by midday on Friday.

KLCI up 0.43% with focus on energy, plantation, financial stocks

Bursa Malaysia Bhd’s core net profit may have risen 34% in the first quarter, from a year earlier, on higher securities and derivatives trading activity when the exchange operator reports its results, Hong Leong Investment Bank said.

Bursa Malaysia 1Q earnings likely up 34% y-o-y, HLIB projects

Malaysia’s exports contracted at a slower than expected pace in March mainly due to lower foreign demand for electronics while shipments to China fell, official data Friday showed.

Malaysia’s March exports down 0.8%, imports surge 12.5%

The US on Thursday effectively stopped the United Nations from recognising a Palestinian state by casting a veto in the Security Council to deny the Palestinian Authority full membershipof the world body.

US stops UN from recognising a Palestinian state through membership

RHB Retail Research said Inari Amertron Bhd is poised to challenge the RM3.27 resistance level once again, which would make this its fourth attempt this year.

Inari poised to challenge RM3.27 resistance, says RHB Retail Research 

KUALA LUMPUR (April 19): MKH Oil Palm (East Kalimantan) Bhd’s initial public offering (IPO) has been oversubscribed by 8.43 times ahead of its listing on the Bursa Malaysia Main Market on April 30.&nbsp;

The amount of reserves in banking system — a key determinant for the Federal Reserve to continue shrinking its balance sheet — dropped by the most in two years as Americans paid income tax bills out of their bank accounts.

US bank reserve balances see largest drop since 2022 tax season

The planned merger of Axiata Group Bhd, Malaysia’s largest telecommunications company by revenue, with India’s Bharti Airtel Ltd raises concerns as the latter's subsidiary Airtel Lanka is currently a loss-making company, analysts said.

Malaysia’s Axiata merger with Bharti Airtel of India raises earnings concern — analysts

Melaka State Secretary Datuk Zaidi Johari died of a heart attack this morning. He was 54.

According to a statement from the Melaka Chief Minister’s Office, Zaidi breathed his last at about 8.15am at Hospital Melaka here.

Melaka State Secretary Zaidi dies of heart attack

Cocoa futures hit a new high in New York — topping US$11,000 (RM52,624) a metric tonne — as the pace of processing in chocolate factories holds up even in the face of a global supply crunch and record prices.

Asia Analytica

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Asia Analytica

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