Morning Brief

The US is the largest source for foreign direct investment or FDI in Malaysia, accounting for USD38 billion in new commitments over the past two years, according to government statistics. However, given the US-China geopolitical rivalry increasing competition in the ASEAN region, is Malaysia still an attractive destination for US investors? The latest Economic Impact Survey conducted by the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) presents insights into how American corporations view the business environment here. We discuss some of the findings with CEO Siobhan Das.

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The Thai Election Commission is submitting a motion to the Constitutional Court for the highly popular Move Forward Party (MFP) to be disbanded. Can the MFP, which won the most electoral seats in the elections last year but failed to form government, survive the latest legal onslaught? We discuss the implications with political scientist Dr. Termsak of ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.

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The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) is struggling to find a host for the 2026 Commonwealth Games after the Australian state of Victoria backed out. The government is reportedly considering an offer from the CGF for Malaysia to take on the role of host, which has elicited varied responses from both critics and enthusiasts. Journalist T. Avineshwaran of the Star Media Group weighs in on the debate.

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Recently the government decided to bring forward the last date for migrant workers to enter the country to May 31st instead of end September whilst also cancelling any unused visas. What impact does this policy flip flop have on businesses and the broader economy? Dato' Nathan K Suppiah, Vice President, Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers tells us.

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Back in December, the Madani government announced a revamp of the Malaysia My Second Home or MM2H programme that includes new regulations for MM2H agents. However, agents are currently in limbo as they have yet to receive instructions on the renewal of their licences with the March 31st deadline looming. We discuss confusion in the industry over the new guidelines for MM2H with Andy Davison of The Expat Group Media.

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After a two year winter for cryptos, Bitcoin hit new highs this week whilst Ethereum also broke past USD4000 for the first time since December 2021. We speak to Sam Reynolds, senior reporter, Coindesk to find out the reasons for this price surge and will the rally continue.

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China just concluded their Two Sessions meetings where a 5% GDP target for 2024 was revealed. However some say that the announcements were short on details but what could be gleamed from meetings? Marvin Chen, Senior Asia Equity Strategist, Bloomberg Intelligence tells us what impact this has on the equity market and what can be expected from result season.

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Tensions have flared between the Philippines and China over skirmishes in the South China Sea. How are stakeholders in the region responding to the ongoing flashpoint? We discuss the latest developments with security analyst Ridzwan Rahmat of defence consultancy Janes.

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The government revealed that the level of productivity per worker in Malaysia rose to around RM96,700 in 2023, marking a 0.87% increase from the previous year. This falls below the 2-3% productivity growth target - what accounts for the shortfall? We discuss how best to improve productivity data with economist Dr. Geoffrey Williams of MUST.

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Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil drew flak for his remarks that the Cabinet would contact the Dewan Rakyat Speaker’s office over false statements issued by MPs, although this was later clarified. How can the separation of powers between the executive and legislative powers be better enforced? We discuss this with lawyer N. Surendran.

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