Morning Brief

Bursa Malaysia saw 55 IPOs in 2024, marking a near-20-year high for the bourse. This has not gone unnoticed by Singapore companies with two receiving approval to list on Bursa Malaysia. We ask Wong Kar Choon, Disruptive Events Advisory Leader of Deloitte SEA-Malaysia if the pipeline is still strong in 2025 or are tariffs going to disrupt this.

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Oil prices have dropped to a four-year low, driven by higher output from OPEC, the US, and Brazil. Concerns over China’s demand recovery and ongoing tariff tensions add to market uncertainty. Vandana Hari, Founder and CEO of Vanda Insights, joins us to discuss the outlook for oil prices.

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The US is one of the biggest export destinations for Malaysia’s electrical and electronic products, and while our semiconductors have been exempted from the April 2nd tariffs, what knock on effects will we see affecting the sector? Although Malaysian semiconductors have been exempted from the US’s newly imposed 24% tariffs, broader concerns. remain. Discussing this with us is Andrew Chan, Director of the Malaysia Semiconductor Industry Association.

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South Korea is at a crossroads following the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-Yeol last Friday. With a snap election most likely set for June, the country is also facing rising tensions with the U.S. and the ongoing threat from North Korea. What lies ahead for South Korea? We delve into this with Prof. Donald Leslie Baker, Professor in the Asian Studies Department at the University of British Columbia.

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Sabah unveiled the Rural Agricultural Economic Revolution (RAER), a six-year initiative anchored in agro-based development and rural empowerment, backed by RM10 million in funding. Targeting idle land utilisation, RAER aspires to uplift local economies. But gaps in infrastructure and coordination question its feasibility. We seek clarity from Adrian Lasimbang, Founder of TONIBUNG and President of Pertubuhan Suara Anak Sabah.

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President Trump’s sweeping tariffs are hitting Asia hard, with China, Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia facing hefty levies going up as high as 49%. Selena Ling, the Chief Economist at OCBC Bank, breaks down the economic impact, the hardest-hit sectors, and how countries might fight back.

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Seven of the world’s largest tech companies, which have already been experiencing a brutal quarter, were hit with another blow after U.S. President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs set to disrupt their supply chains. While the Magnificent Seven had a stellar run in 2024, will they be able to sustain the rally in 2025 on the back of Trump’s tariffs? For answers, we’ll turn to Dan Ives, Managing Director at Wedbush Securities.

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Malaysia is rolling out AI-powered point-to-point speed monitoring to curb accidents but is enforcement really the best way to address road safety and to reduce accidents on our highways? Dr Law Teik Hua, Associate Professor at the Road Safety Research Centre, Universiti Putra Malaysia shares his views on this and what more can be done for road safety.

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Marine Le Pen, the head of France’s far right National Rally party was convicted of embezzlement by a Paris Court on Tuesday. Is this truly the end of the road for Le Pen’s fight for French presidency, and who could take her place if her appeals fall through? We speak to Benjamin Barton, Head of School of Politics and International Relations, University of Nottingham Malaysia for some insights.

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A minimum of 10% tariff on all exporters to the US will be imposed whilst additional duties will be slapped on 60 other countries. Preston Caldwell, Senior US Economist, Morningstar helps us breakdown what this annoucement means for the US economy and if this will cause the world's largest economy to slip into a recession.

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