Morning Brief

After his inauguration, President Donald Trump wasted no time in implementing major changes to U.S. policy. He focused on reversing many of President Joe Biden’s initiatives, from addressing inflation and energy production to tighter immigration policies. John Zogby, Founder of John Zogby Strategies shares his insights into how these changes could shape the future of the U.S.

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Following delays in Gateway Development Alliance's offer to Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd private at RM11 per share, the conditional acceptance level for the deal was recently lowered from 90% to 85%. Khair Mirza, Head of Airport Investor Resource at Modalis Infrastructure Partners Inc, shares his perspectives.

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After the Nikkei 225 rallied by almost 20% last year, has the easy money been made for Japanese equities? Ken Nagano, Senior Portfolio Manager at Nomura Asset Management tells us his views, the investment strategy to adopt and their top ideas for 2025.

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Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Anwar Ibrahim recently called for the Electoral Commission to look into ways that would ensure all Malaysians can exercise their right to vote, including those residing abroad. What kind of reforms should be considered? We discuss this with Danesh Prakash Chacko of Tindak Malaysia.

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Prime Minister Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim recently visited Brussels, where he announced the revival of Malaysia-EU Free Trade Agreement negotiations. Can the two sides bring the FTA to fruition after more than a decade in hiatus? We discuss the opportunities and challenges in bilateral ties with Karl Godderis of EUROCHAM Malaysia.

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Asian economies are set to face an uncertain 2025 as they grapple with domestic challenges and "America First" policies under the Donald Trump administration. This is reflected in the weakening of many Asian currencies against a stronger U.S. dollar. We’ll be speaking with Khoon Goh, Head of Asia Research at ANZ Bank, about what these developments mean for economies in Asia and their respective monetary policies.

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The High Court has ruled that pensions for retired civil servants should be adjusted based on their final salary, in line with the 2016 Public Services Department circular. This decision challenges the previous 2% flat annual increase introduced by the 2013 Pension Adjustment Act and requires the government to settle outstanding pension arrears within three months. We discuss the implications of this decision with Dr Lee Hwok-Aun, Senior Fellow, Malaysian Studies Programme, ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.

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With the government considering a digital finance policy which could pave the way for Malaysia to recognize the use of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology, financial experts warn that this could present unnecessary risks. Aaron Tang, President of the Malaysian Digital Asset Platform Association (MDAPA) helps us unpack the implications of this potential policy change.

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January 20th marks the official inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th US President, and the lead-up to his second term is vastly different from 2017. What are the immediate moves expected once Trump returns to the White House? We discuss expectations for Trump 2.0 with Wendy Schiller of Brown University. 

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The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) launched the Belanjawanku Guide 2024/2025 in tandem with its new Retirement Income Adequacy (RIA) Framework to help Malaysians improve their financial management towards a decent living post-retirement. We speak to Balqais Yusoff, Head of Policy and Strategy Department at EPF for insights.

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