General

With so much emphasis on the E and S in ESG, is governance taking a backseat in corporate Malaysia? The Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) has continued to be progressive with its issuance of the fifth iteration of the Malaysian Code on Corporate Governance. But, can more be done to ensure better governance in Malaysia? We discuss this with Michele Kythe Lim, President & CEO of Institute of Corporate Directors Malaysia (ICDM).

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The KL Property Index is down by a whopping 55% year-to-date, faring far worse than FBM KLCI which is down by 6%. This underperformance has been driven by a combination of issues such as higher interest rates which raises the repayments of consumers, overall worsening inflationary pressures and uncertainty on the general elections which was only recently concluded. With all these confluence of factors continue to drive share prices lower or will the fortunes for the sector finally turn in 2023? For answers, we speak to Loong Kok Wen, Senior Analyst at RHB Research Institute.

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The 15th Parliament convened yesterday for the first time since the general elections with the current seating chart reflecting the new political alliances in Malaysia. Crucially, the Prime Minister also succeeded in passing the motion of confidence via a voice vote. What tone does this sitting set for the agenda of the new government? Political analyst Dr. Oh Ei Sun weighs in with his analysis.

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As the era of ultra low interest rates comes to an end and a global recession looms overhead, how are regional private equity players adapting to the challenging macroeconomic conditions? Dato’ Sri Nicholas Bloy, co-founder and Managing Partner of Navis Capital Partners discusses the outlook for private equity in the APAC region as well as their latest foray into private credit markets.

Despite the challenging and illustrious year, the banking sector stood resilient to weather the economy's transition to endemic. In fact, the banking sector played a key role in uplifting the economy. Dato Sulaiman of AmBank Group discusses the challenges and opportunities in the coming year for AmBank and how the bank continues to innovate to meet the demands of this current day and age.

The glove industry rose like a phoenix in 2020 where it was the strongest beneficiary of the Covid-19 pandemic. The sharp expansion in average selling prices led to many small players jumping on the bandwagon, and even saw the rise of China as a glove manufacturer. Now, however, the industry has since fallen hard and is now reeling from overcapacity issues, deteriorating average selling prices and rising gas prices. What does the future hold for glove makers and when will the supply demand dynamics achieve equilibrium? For more insight, we speak to Dr Supramaniam Shanmugam, President, MARGMA.

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As the war in Ukraine continues with Russia intensifying their efforts, targeting infrastructure, we speak to Denys Mykhailiuk, Chargé d'Affaires at the Ukrainian Embassy in Malaysia for an update on the situation. We also ask if the Ukrainians are prepared for a cold long winter and if peace will prove elusive.

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A handful of major companies like Nike, FedEx will be reporting this week, but is it a foregone conclusion that we are facing not just an economic recession but also an earnings recession? Joe Quinlan, Chief Market Strategist at US Trust-BOA Private Wealth Management tells us while diving into that debate of EM vs. DM.

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With our eyes set on unearthing the freshest flavors from unexpected places, we widen our scope with hand-picked musical gems from all across Asia. Closing off the year with some of our favourite Asian releases throughout 2022.

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Parekh & Singh - Je Suis la Pomme Rouge

Subsonic Eye - Hurt Your Head

Elephant Gym - Witches

The Chairs - Aphrodite

Sunset Rollercoaster, Michael Seyer - Jellyfish

TRRP - Here To Stay

Danilla - KIW”

The Intermission Intermission Band - Blood On The Disco Floor

Sobs - Friday Night

Tomggg, Vira Talisa - Turn The Lights On

Yeek - Long Time No See

HYBS - GO Higher

Diskoria, Adinda - Bersinar Bersamamu

We end this year’s monthly round up with a summary of what happened at The Game Awards 2022, as well as other industry-related news, including Yuji Naka getting into trouble again and God of War live action to be produced soon by Amazon. Games that were released in December include Swordship, High on Life and River City Girls 2.