General

With the FMCO underway and businesses restricted by rules and regulations almost as stringent as the first MCO, small-scale entrepreneurs are going to need all the aid they can get from the government to survive this phase of the pandemic. As such, the government has announced that nearly one million micro small and medium enterprises will start to benefit from the Prihatin Special Grant (GKP 3.0) this week.

The Ministry of Finance has announced payments for all government services will be cashless by 2022, but some parties don’t see what’s the rush.

The tiffin culture was widespread across Asia and was popular until the 1960s. It was first established in the late 18th century during the British colonial era with the function of transporting and storing food, mostly used by Chinese and Indian women. We speak to Christina Kaw, the founder of The Tiffin Company on her efforts in keeping the tiffin culture alive while maintaining the Baba and Nyonya heritage with a modern twist. While maintaining its elegance, they actively try to reduce carbon footprint as well.

The pandemic has put a stop to many recreational activities, such as going to the cinema and travelling abroad. Calvin Ho, executive director of Sunway Theme Parks, chimes in on how the theme parks and the attractions industry in general have been affected by the recurring lockdowns and ever-changing regulations.

The Singapore equity market has outperformed in the region on a year-to-date basis but has the easy money been made? Geoff Howie, Market Strategist at Singapore Exchange tells us this and what other themes may emerge in the 2nd half of 2021.

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Bangi MP, Dr. Ong Kian Ming shares his perspective on the current lock down measures taking place in MCO 3.0+ following his published article '20 issues we are unsure of during the total lockdown'

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What is technology's role in wage stagnation? Are market power and the skewed distribution of wealth cyclical in nature? Does Antitrust need to change? Roshan Kanesan explores all this and more with economist Jan Eeeckhout - Author of "The Profit Paradox: How Thriving Firms Threaten the Future of Work"

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Dr Hamidin Abd Hamid from the Ilham Centre helps us unpack the hybrid Parliament, Sarawak elections, party elections and the implications of the Agong’s meeting with the political leaders in the lead up to the special conference of rulers happening next week.

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India is tentatively re-opening its economy, though the Modi administration remains under fire for what critics say has been an 'irrational' vaccine rollout program.

Sanjay Mathur, Chief Economist for Southeast Asia and India, ANZ Bank, explains.

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Asian markets remain rangebound as they wait for fresh developments on the vaccine and Covid front, though in the meantime, oil is a recovery beneficiary, notes Michael Lai, Executive Director of Wealth Advisory at OCBC Bank (Malaysia) Bhd.