Last week, we spoke to Joachim Sebastian, managing director of Everpeaks Consulting about a letter he wrote to the PM, which highlighted the red tape that SMEs would have to go through in order to get some of the benefits announced in the Prihatin Stimulus Package. In light of the most recent addition to the stimulus package - one which is more focused on helping SMEs - Joachim joins us again on the show to share whether he thinks it addresses the issues he previously brought up.

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.

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.

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.

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.

With uncertainty the name of the game in global markets, Joe Quinlan, Chief Market Strategist at US Trust-BOA Private Wealth Management says that it might be too early to be overweight in oil, European and Asian assets.

It's all hands on deck for the Southeast Asian superapp as its core ride-hailing product struggles to deal with a mammoth drop in orders due to movement restriction orders. Ditto its food merchants, as deliveries become its main revenue. Sean Goh, Grab's Malaysia Country Manager, explains.

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.

With our eyes set on unearthing the freshest flavours from unexpected places, we widen our scope with hand-picked musical gems from all across Asia. Local songwriter and producer OJ Law dropped by the studio (before the MCO started) to tell us more about his brand new album called "All Filter". 

--

OJ Law - Reissues
OJ Law interview PART 1
OJ Law Musang King
OJ Law interview PART 2
OJ Law - Black Cab
Cro Magnon - Windy Lady (Ft. さかいゆう)
Akira Ishikawa & Count Buffalo - Sunrise
Jugo Djarot - Busana
Fur - Walking Back Home (Live)
Diskoria - Serenata Jiwa Lara (Ft. Dian Sastrowardoyo)
OFFONOFF - Good2me (Ft. Punchnello)
Jeebanoff - Good Thing
Plasui Plasui - Chocolate
YEW - หลบ Behind The Eyes
Kikagaku Moyo - Orange Peel
Hujan - Tunggu Sekejap
Zee Avi - Good Things
Hideto Sasaki, Toshiyuki Sekine Quartet + 1 - Soultrane

Ross has a chat to author,Neil Humphreys, ex footballers, Gary Stevens & Sasikumar Ramu and TV host, Roshan Narayan about the situation where they are living, how they would like the current football season sorted and also find out how they have been filling their time during the pandemic.