Morning Brief

Although economic indicators appear positive going into 2025, SMEs are not fully convinced that this will translate to better business this year. We do a channel check with Chin Chee Seong of the SME Association of Malaysia about the headwinds concerning SMEs in the new year.

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Malaysia is taking on the role of 2025 ASEAN Chair at a time of uncertainty over geopolitical dynamics with an incoming Trump presidency. How should Malaysia position itself as the leader in tackling regional challenges? Analyst Bunn Nagara weighs issues that should be prioritised.

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Data from the Statistics Department in 2023 have revealed that nearly 98% of P-hailing and E-hailing workers were youths aged 15 to 30. Another set of data from Statista, show the value of the online ride-hailing and food delivery market in Southeast Asia trebling by this year. Jose Rizal, Chief Activist of the Malaysian eHailing Association (GEM), shares his thoughts on where Malaysia stands.

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The equity performance of ASEAN was a tale of two halves with Singapore and Malaysia both ending 2024 on a strong note whilst the laggards were Thailand and Indonesia. Andrew San, Head of EM Equities, Amundi Malaysia tells us his outlook for 2025 and what investment strategy we should adopt to outperform.

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Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s Unity Government saw a 2024 that has experienced both momentum and hurdles in 2024 amid public dissatisfaction over economic measures like subsidy cuts and the controversial partial pardon granted to Datuk Seri Najib Razak. Meanwhile, the opposition Perikatan Nasional has struggled to maintain a united front. Dr Syaza Shukri, Associate Professor, International Islamic University of Malaysia shares her thoughts as well as what she thinks 2025 might bring.

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Chinese equity markets started the year on a lackluster note albeit there was a remarkable turnaround in September when the government issued a bevy of fiscal support. However by the last quarter of the year, Chinese equities have returned half of September's 35% gain and remained in a tight trading range. What then can we expect in 2025? Yip Kah Ming, Assistant Portfolio Manager, AHAM Capital tells us.

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Two rallies are set to be held outside Menara Kinabalu on New Year's Eve following allegations of corruption involving the state's chief minister and 7 lawmakers. One rally is calling for more anti-corruption action and the other is in support of the chief minister. Dr Oh Ei Sun, Principal Adviser, Pacific Research Centre, shares his analysis on Sabah politics with state elections due to be held next year.

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Singapore is the sleeper hit amongst Asean markets, up 16% on a year to date basis. We ask Thilan Wickramasinghe, Head of Research, Singapore and Regional Head of Financials, Maybank Investment Bank as to why the city state has rallied, will this strong outperformance continue and what stocks will outperform in 2025.

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Malaysia’s agricultural self-sufficiency came under the spotlight this year given the shortage in locally produced rice. How is the Madani Government responding to the challenges of managing a ballooning food imports bill and ensuring adequate agricultural yield? We discuss this with food security expert Prof. Datin Paduka Fatimah Arshad of Universiti Putra Malaysia.

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Palm oil remains the most widely consumed vegetable oil in the world which has seen strong price momentum in 2024. We ask Alvin Tai, Global Agriculture Analyst, Bloomberg Intelligence what explains this price trend and more importantly what is the outlook for 2025 despite the headwinds.

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