Morning Brief

The implementation of the amended Employment Act 1955 will come into effect on January 1, 2023 after a postponement from September this year. Chin Chee Seong, National Secretary General of the SME Association of Malaysia tells us why their organisation is advocating for a delay of this legislation and their reasons for it whilst giving us an outlook for 2023.

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The implementation of the amended Employment Act 1955 will come into effect on January 1, 2023 after a postponement from September this year. Chin Chee Seong, National Secretary General of the SME Association of Malaysia tells us why their organisation is advocating for a delay of this legislation and their reasons for it whilst giving us an outlook for 2023.

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The oil and gas sector has been one of the better performing sectors this year, despite volatility in demand due to geopolitical tensions and China’s zero Covid policy. And while demand uncertainty will carry on into the first half of 2023, analysts are largely upbeat about the prospects for oil and gas in the new year, specially on the back of Petronas’ recently released activity outlook for 2023 to 2025. TJ Liaw of Maybank Investment Bank gives us the key takeaways.

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The Jakarta Composite Index is still up by 3.6% year-to-date and remains one of the few Asia markets still in positive territory. The economy appears to be on a stronger footing and inflation more contained and the November print coming in at 5.4%. Meanwhile, Bank Indonesia expects GDP for 2023 to expand from 4.5% to 5.3%. What does all this mean for Indonesia equities going in 2023 and which sectors should investors be focusing on? For answers, we speak to Jerry Goh, ASEAN Equities, Investment Manager, ABRDN.

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One of the persistent economic themes this year has been the shortage of foreign workers in key sectors such as plantations, construction and services. Why have bottlenecks persisted despite agreements signed with source countries? We discuss ways to alleviate the labour shortage with political economist Khor Yu Leng.

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One of the persistent economic themes this year has been the shortage of foreign workers in key sectors such as plantations, construction and services. Why have bottlenecks persisted despite agreements signed with source countries? We discuss ways to alleviate the labour shortage with political economist Khor Yu Leng.

Image credit: Hafiz Johari / Shutterstock.com

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The floods on the east coast have become a regular fixture during monsoon season, but this year is shaping up to be one of the worst in recent record for some areas. How are relief and rescue efforts being coordinated between government authorities and civil society, and what kind of help is most needed from those on the ground? For more insights, we speak to Amran Mahzan, Executive Director of MATCH Foundation.

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From early 2020, a surge in global demand for PCs and logistics disruptions created the perfect storm for semiconductor shortages. This pushed lead times to reach a new high of around 20 weeks in April last year. The chip shortage situation has brought attention to the outsized role played by Asia in semiconductor manufacturing. But with recession headwinds impacting the global economy and US Chip Act restricting exports to China, will the boom last for Asia Pacific’s semiconductor industry? For insights, we speak to Alex Holmes, Senior Economist, Oxford Economics.

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The 15th Parliament convened yesterday for the first time since the general elections with the current seating chart reflecting the new political alliances in Malaysia. Crucially, the Prime Minister also succeeded in passing the motion of confidence via a voice vote. What tone does this sitting set for the agenda of the new government? Political analyst Dr. Oh Ei Sun weighs in with his analysis.

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The 15th Parliament convened yesterday for the first time since the general elections with the current seating chart reflecting the new political alliances in Malaysia. Crucially, the Prime Minister also succeeded in passing the motion of confidence via a voice vote. What tone does this sitting set for the agenda of the new government? Political analyst Dr. Oh Ei Sun weighs in with his analysis.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.