Morning Brief

The Forest City Special Financial Zone (SFZ) in Johor was launched last Friday and is set to offer a range of investment incentives, including a reduced corporate income tax rate of between 0% and 5%, as well as a 0% tax rate for family wealth offices, which is a first in Malaysia. Are these tax breaks sufficient to accelerate investments in Forest City after a slow start? Business commentator Pankaj C. Kumar weighs in.

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The National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) is set to take legal actions against 430,000 borrowers who still owe about RM6 billion in unpaid student loans. Some have been accused of being irresponsible but could they be suffering from the impact of stagnant wages and/or rising cost of living? Dr Amirul Rafiq Abu Rahim, a research associate at Khazanah Research Institute gives us some perspectives.

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Despite China’s New Energy Vehicle deliveries hitting a record in the first half of this year, major Chinese EV makers delivered mixed results in August, even with continued government incentives. Ray Kwok, Director of Research Department, CGS International Securities Hong Kong Limited, helps us understand the EV landscape in China along with the challenges he is anticipating.

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Sri Lankans have elected Anura Kumara Dissanayake as their new president, following a second tally of preferential votes, the first time in the country's history. Dr Chulanee Attanayake, a researcher at Swinburne University of Technology, explains why this is significant as also for the first time, the president is not from a political dynasty. Plus, he will also navigate the country out of the economic collapse it experienced in 2022.

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The Penang DAP elections were held over the weekend and saw Human Resource Minister Steven Sim named its chairman, replacing Chow Kon Yeow, who did not contest. Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh was elected deputy chairman. Dr Oh Ei Sun, Principal Adviser at the Pacific Research Centre, takes a look at the outcome of the vote and helps us make sense of the party's path forward.

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Recently, Thailand’s cabinet approved a cash handout plan totaling almost THB146 billion , or USD4.4 billion. The baht is also seeing its biggest rally since 1998. Poon Panichpibool, Markets Strategist at Krung Thai Bank helps put these developments into perspective and what it might mean for Thailand's economy with a new prime minister now in place.

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With under 2 months before Americans vote for the next president of the United States, campaigning has already been marred by two assassination attempts on the Republican candidate, Donald Trump. John Zogby, the founder of political survey companies John Zogby Strategies, shares his views on how heated campaigning has become as a result of rhetoric and how both the Harris and Trump teams might adjust their strategies in the final lap.

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The US Federal Reserve has kicked off a historic easing cycle with a 50 basis point cut in its benchmark interest rate. What does this mean for the outlook of the US economy  and how will this factor into the subsequent trajectory of Fed monetary policy as we head into the final quarter of the year? Olu Sonola, Head of US Economic Research at Fitch Ratings gives us his analysis.

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The recent operational challenges faced by Malaysia Airlines in recent weeks have highlighted the talent retention issue in the country. This is amid reports that more than 60 of the local carrier's engineers had left for better-paying jobs in Singapore. Nic Chambers, Managing Director of recruitment agency Michael Page Malaysia helps put into context the problems Malaysia faces in retaining talent in an increasingly competitive market.

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Perikatan Nasional has rejected the MOU offered by the Madani government to resolve the issue of equal constituency development funds for the opposition. PN claims the MOU could threaten the rights of Malays and Bumiputeras, clash with cultural values, and limit MPs' freedom of speech. Independent political analyst, Adib Zalkapli, shares his insights into this development along with his take on the upcoming Mahkota by-election.

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