Morning Brief

The upcoming US elections are being seen as the most consequential in recent history, with Vice-President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump what is the sentiment in the US ahead of elections? We speak to BFM correspondent Dhanya Nair on factors that could influence the outcome. 

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The Minister of Housing and Local Government Nga Kor Ming announced that under new anti-corruption criteria introduced this year, twelve local authorities (PBTs) have had their ratings downgraded. How are PBTs assessed for their anti-corruption efforts? We get views from Pushpan Murugiah, CEO of the Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) on how these developments could reshape accountability in local governance.

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Big Tech earnings are in the spotlight as 5 of the 7 Magnificents report their third quarter results, amid a focus on the AI revolution and how the upcoming US presidential elections might impact future performances. Dan Ives, Managing Director at Wedbush Securities, shares his views.

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Japan's ruling coalition, the Liberal Democratic Party, led by PM Shigeru Ishiba, has failed to secure a parliamentary majority following a snap election he decided to call. Voters appear to be punishing the LDP over a funding scandal and inflation. Michael Čuček, Assistant Professor of Asian Studies at Temple University, Japan Campus shares his insights into what might transpire in the coming days and weeks. 

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The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living is looking to review commission fees imposed by e-commerce platforms on sellers. Eng Kin Hoong, President of Malaysia Cross Border E-Commerce Association discusses whether the government should indeed step in to regulate the commission e-commerce platforms take from sellers.

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Budget 2025's focus on Malaysia's real estate sector included a RM10 billion ringgit allocation for the Housing Credit Guarantee Scheme as well as tax relief and RM900 million ringgit for affordable home initiatives. Datuk Chang Kim Loong, Honorary Secretary-General of the National House Buyers Association shares his thoughts on the budget announcement.

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There have been a spate of human trafficking cases reported of late, most prominently stemming from the GISB probe. How robust is Malaysia's anti-trafficking regime and what are the gaps that need to be addressed? We discuss the situation with Dr Haezreena Begum Abdul Hamid, criminologist at Universiti Malaya.

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Budget 2025 is Malaysia’s largest ever budget at RM421 billion and comes with plans to increase the minimum wage as well as the possibility of the removal of RON95 petrol subsidies, among others. Dr Afif Bahardin, Secretary of Perikatan Nasional Selangor, shares his views on where the plans for next year's spending met the mark and where they failed and what could have been done better.

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The International Monetary Fund or IMF and the World Bank will start their annual meetings today in Washington which are overshadowed by a report that warns that public debt will rise above USD100 trillion. Brian Coulton, Fitch Ratings’ Chief Economist tells us why we should be concerned about this and the consequences of ignoring it.

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Budget 2025 saw a RM1 billion sovereign fund for the electrical and electronics sector and high-value activities as well as training funds allocated for several universities, to support local players in the semiconductor industry. Andrew Chan, Director, at the Malaysia Semiconductor Industry Association (MSIA) tells us how much the sector might benefit from these funds and schemes.

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