Morning Brief

With President-elect Donald Trump set to take office for his second term in January, there is a lot of speculation on what his foreign policy might look like, particularly US-Asean relations. Dr Prashanth Parameswaran, a fellow at the Wilson Center and founder of the ASEAN Wonk newsletter, looks at the various possible scenarios when the Trump administration gets to work for the next four years.

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Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 US presidential election brings with it potential shifts in how Asian fixed income markets will behave. For one, Trump's stance on fiscal expansion and trade protectionism could keep US interest rates higher for longer with a stronger dollar, creating pressure on regional debt. Jason Yu, Head of Multi Asset and Fixed Income Management, Asia at Schroders, shares his insights.

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Germany’s governing coalition has collapsed after Chancellor Olaf Scholz sacked his finance minister, following disagreements over the country’s weak economy. To address the crisis, Scholz has called for a confidence vote on Jan 15 and if he fails to secure support, Germany could face elections as early as March. Dr Frederick Kliem, Managing Director of Episteme Consultants, shares his views.

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China has announced a five-year package totaling CNY10 trillion to tackle local government debt problems, while signalling that more economic support would come next year and the year after that. Ho Woei Chen, an economist & senior vice president at UOB, shares her views on how effective Beijing's stimuli might be in the wake of slowing China growth and an impending Trump administration until 2028.

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The award of the second 5G spectrum has taken many by surprise when U Mobile, the smallest of telco players won it. However, this has raised more questions as to the reasons, technical specifications and also the benefit to the country for this award that the regulator, MCMC has yet to answer. Professor Dr Ong Kian Ming, Pro Vice Chancellor for External Engagement, at Taylor's University gives us his perspective and the implications of this on Malaysia Inc.

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Following the death of an 18-year-old boy on a Penang express bus after being electrocuted while charging his phone, concerns have been raised over the safety of electrical components in public transport. What are the regulations that apply and could this be better enforced? We speak with Dr Law Teik Hua, Associate Professor at Road Safety Research Centre of Universiti Putra Malaysia for more insights.

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Despite the political uncertainty in Japan after a shocking LDP loss and a Trump Presidency, the Japanese equity markets continue to do well, up 18%. We speak to Max Godwin, Portfolio Manager, Japan Equities, Eastspring Investments Singapore as to what is the best investment strategy to adopt and what sectors to pay attention to.

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Republican candidate Donald Trump has been elected the 47th president of the United States. The 78-year-old pulled off a stunning political comeback in one of the most polarised contests for the White House in the country’s history. Joining us to discuss the results of the 2024 US presidential election is John S. Jackson, Visiting Professor at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.

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Since 2023, the Ministry of Health received more than 300 complaints over complications from aesthetic procedures done at illegal beauty premises. Despite existing legislation, why are these cases becoming more prevalent? We discuss the state of enforcement and public awareness about cosmetic procedures with Datuk Dr Thirunavukarasu Rajoo, President-Elect, at the Malaysian Medical Association.

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Who will be the next resident of the White House? We discuss expectations for the presidential elections, including the timeline of results and trends to watch with Samuel Garett, Research Associate at the United States Studies Centre, University of Sydney. 

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