General

Steve Cochrane, Chief APAC Economist, at Moody’s Analytics discusses the impact of the economic divergence between the countries that are controlling Covid-19 better than others, and the implications on emerging markets as the Fed might be raising interest rate sooner than expected.

Are regional markets entering a new phase of risk aversion? The Morning Run gets into this with Vishnu Varathan, Head of Economics & Strategy with Mizuho Bank. They also get into the implications of the dollar strengthening, outlooks for Singapore, China, and Vietnam, as well as expectations from the OPEC+ meeting on oil prices.

为后疫情时代的大马探路；寻大马经济未来的去处。既不是举目世界的跨国集团；也不是坐拥亿万的百强公司，难道我国的中小型企业就要这样沦陷在疫情的满目疮痍中了吗？作为东南亚国家联盟（ASEAN）成员国之一；与世界第二大经济体多年来根深蒂固的友好邦交之余，马来西亚在区域乃至国际，扮演着什么角色… 或者，该扮演什么角色？接二连三的疫情振兴配套、人民补助措施，钱究竟砸对了地方么？我们对这片多元富饶的土地，抱着太多宏观疑惑。本期节目，有『财今烤问』节目主持人、东姑阿都拉曼大学经济学副教授——黄锦荣博士，为后疫情时代的大马经济听脉开方。

Folks listen to music throughout their day and often nearing bedtime too in order to wind down. However, a recent study suggested that listening to certain songs, particularly songs that have a tendency to become earworms before bedtime could be disruptive to one’s sleep quality! This definitely goes against the popular belief that music serves as a hypnotic tool. But to get a clearer picture of this, we check in with music therapist Dr. Indra Selvarajah to better understand music’s role in our sleep hygiene, and what we can do to improve sleep quality.

IMAGE SOURCE: WAYHOME studio / SHUTTERSTOCK

As the live music sector remains at a standstill, the struggle for musicians to make ends meet continues. Last year we spoke to Musicians for Musicians, an initiative founded to help musicians to the best of their ability, such as setting up programs to teach the basics of live streaming so that musicians could still earn a living while in quarantine. Hence, we check in with the president of Persatuan Pemuzik Malaysia and Persatuan Pemuzik Tempatan Selangor, Francis Danker, to see how they’re coping this time around, talking through the works they’ve done thus far and collaborations too.

IMAGE SOURCE: FOTOGRIN / SHUTTERSTOCK

By The Way is a rapid-fire segment that gives you a snapshot of developing stories in the music world. This week, Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” hit a billion streams on Spotify, leading to a potential reissue of their iconic 1991 album ‘Nevermind’. The International Dance Music Summit published its annual report with a focus on the global impact of the pandemic on electronic dance music and observed that the market lost half its revenue in 2020. The Weeknd will be producing and starring in his own HBO drama, titled ‘The Idol’, while rapper Jay-Z launches an NFT for ‘Reasonable Doubt’ to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the album’s release.

On this week's show, we have Jack Chong, the CEO of BaWangChaJi, a tea brand originating from Yunnan, China, that's looking to bring a greater appreciation to teas in Malaysia. Many of us are probably familiar with the craze around bubble tea back in 2017 and 2018, but BaWangChaJi has positioned themselves as a more holistic, healthier, and also more intentional tea brand,with a deeper appreciation and philosophy around tea-drinking that they'd like to spread to more Malaysians.

IMAGE SOURCE: BaWangChaJi / FACEBOOK

In the news this week, we take a look at the state of the local automotive industry amidst the indefinite FMCO before discussing the E-Legend EL1 (a retro-revival Audi Quattro), the new V6-powered Ferrari 296 GTB, and 2 new Porsche 911 variants.

In Part 2, we discuss Mazda's iconic Wankel Rotary engines and how its legend lives on in the hands of 10 veteran engine builders in its 5 decade-old factory in Hiroshima, Japan.

After that, Part 3 takes a look at the new Audi Q3 Sportback - a lesser-known Audi model in Malaysia, and one that Daniel feels should have been Audi's ticket to re-establishing themselves in the Malaysian car market.

Stealing is bad, but what if the thief is also a gentleman? We'll let you ponder on that question as we review both parts of the critically acclaimed Netflix series, Lupin. Based on the classic story about gentleman thief and master of disguise, Arsène Lupin, this retelling puts the character on a path of revenge with a few plot twists and turns along the way.

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong has once again urged for the Parliament to reconvene before August 1, without waiting for the Emergency to end in a press statement released today. We look at what this latest development might mean for the country.

Image Source: Laboo Studio, Shutterstock