Morning Brief

The east coast states of Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang are seeing some of the worst flooding in recent years, with tens of thousands of people evacuated from their homes. We get updates on the situation on the ground with Dato’ Dr Ahmad Faizal Mohd Perdaus of Mercy Malaysia, as well as recommendations for longer term policy action needed for flood mitigation. 

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On December 18, Menara Ilham, a building owned by the family of former Finance Minister Tun Daim Zainuddin, was seized by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission. According to news reports, the seizure was in response to Tun Daim’s refusal to declare his and his family’s financial holdings to the MACC. We speak with Dr Edmund Terence Gomez, Former Professor at the Faculty of Economics and Administration of Universiti Malaya on the background of this investigation.

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ASEAN markets have been lacklustre this year, beset by both internal and external developments that have dragged investor sentiment. Some of the headwinds include the absence of the much anticipated economic recovery in China, while US economic strength dominated foreign investor interest. We speak with Jerry Goh, Asean Equities Investment Manager, ABDRN for a view of the equity market.

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The Federal Reserve raised rates 11 times since 2022 to pause since July at 5.25- 5.50%. This slowdown in rate rises led to a rebound in global bond markets including Malaysia with the S&P Malaysia Bond Index up 5.9% on a year to date basis. But can we expect a repeat for 2024? Ang Beng Kuan, Head of Investments, Hong Leong Islamic Asset Management tells us.

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The Magnificent Seven were the main catalyst of a US equity market rally this year. Dan Ives , Managing Director of Wedbush Securities shares his insights on whether this trend will continue into 2024, his Christmas wishlist and if one should buy into the AI frenzy.

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Newly appointed Human Resources Minister Steven Sim has recently announced that the ministry will be drafting the country’s first National Human Resources Policy. Dr Geoffrey Williams, Economist & Professor, Malaysia University of Science and Technology tells us what should be the priorities and deliverables of this new policy.

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The Magnificent Seven were the main catalyst of a US equity market rally this year. Dan Ives, Managing Director of Wedbush Securities shares his insights on whether this trend will continue into 2024, his Christmas wishlist and if one should buy into the AI frenzy.

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Malaysian cyber laws are not updated as fast as the change in technology. Increased cyber threats put our personal data at risk, adding a hurdle to Malaysia’s digital journey. We speak with Dr Selvakumar Manickam, Associate Professor, Universiti Sains Malaysia to hear what is needed to ensure our data is safe and make those who are negligent more accountable.

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In March, law and institutional reform minister, Datuk Seri Azalina appointed Farah Nini Dusuki as the Children’s Commissioner to Suhakam for a 3 year role. We speak to Datuk Dr Hartini Zainuddin, Co-Founder, Yayasan Chow Kit to find out what should be the priorities of this role and is there sufficient interministerial coordination of policies related to children.

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Malaysians' access to nutritional food is getting tighter due to food price inflation. Coupled with shrinking agricultural land and a smaller farming community, the country's food security is at risk. We speak to Deepak S. Moorthy, Expert Associate Partner, Head of Food and Agriculture, McKinsey Southeast Asia on how Malaysia can expand its food production to feed its population.

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