Morning Brief

There are a myriad factors affecting the outlook for Singapore property, ranging from the strengthening currency, return of China tourists, sticky inflation and higher interest rate hikes. How would this affect the investment case for Singapore REITS? Krishna Guha of Maybank Investment Bank gives us his investment picks in this sector. 

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There are a myriad factors affecting the outlook for Singapore property, ranging from the strengthening currency, return of China tourists, sticky inflation and higher interest rate hikes. How would this affect the investment case for Singapore REITS? Krishna Guha of Maybank Investment Bank gives us his investment picks in this sector. 

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Budget 2023 is going to get a redo this Friday and SMEs saw the October tabling as a preview for what's to come. Since then, challenges to how SMEs operate have become clearer amid rising cost of goods, labour shortages and a less-than-encouraging economic sentiment. Datuk William Ng, Chairman of the Small and Medium Enterprises Association (SAMENTA) outlines what the sector, which accounts for more than 90% of total business establishments in Malaysia, might be hoping to get.

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Malaysian news media and journalism have come under the spotlight this past week both in and out of Parliament. In response to calls for ethical journalism standards to be adhered to, the Minister for Communications and Digital has said that his ministry will look to amend the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 to this end. But is there a solution in plain sight to address this issue apart from legislative changes? Media expert Dr. Benjamin Loh makes the case for setting up an independent media council to improve journalism ethics.

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The Malaysia Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) market is expected to have a compounded annual growth rate of 35% between 2022 and 2028. But concerns are growing that these schemes contribute to high debts levels among the vulnerable. Dato Paul Selvaraj, CEO, Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (FOMCA) tells us what policy measures should be considered to rein this issue in before it becomes a serious problem for Malaysians.

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The Malaysia Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) market is expected to have a compounded annual growth rate of 35% between 2022 and 2028. But concerns are growing that these schemes contribute to high debts levels among the vulnerable. Dato Paul Selvaraj, CEO, Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (FOMCA) tells us what policy measures should be considered to rein this issue in before it becomes a serious problem for Malaysians.

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Despite making up 50% of the population and electorate, women unfortunately face systemic disadvantages at the economic, social and political levels. What should the government focus on to empower women in business and the economy? Nuraizah Shamsul Baharin, president of the Women Entrepreneur Network Association (WENA) and representative of the Gender Budget Group gives her recommendations.

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One of the best performing asset classes this year has been cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin is up close to 50% on a year to date basis albeit still less than half the value of its peak of 67,000 US dollar in October 2021. With the collapse of FTX, this has invited greater scrutiny by the US Securities and Exchange Commission which recently proposed changes to federal custody requirements to include assets like crypto. How will this pan out and what has been the reason for the sudden surge in cryptocurrency prices? For answers, we speak to Zhong Yang Chan, Head Of Research, CoinGecko.

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The Cabinet had agreed to amend the Federal Constitution to allow children born abroad to Malaysian mothers to gain automatic Malaysian citizenship. Suriani Kempe, President of Family Frontiers tells us what are the next legal hurdles to overcome and why this change in law was much needed.

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UMNO announced changes to its Supreme Council membership last week, with Selangor Umno treasurer Tengku Datuk Zafrul Aziz appointed whilst Dato’ Lokman Noor Adam who had been expelled, was readmitted. Dr Oh Ei Sun, Principal Adviser at Pacific Research Centre tells us the consequences of such moves and the importance of the upcoming state elections.

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