KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s central bank is expected to leave its key interest rate at a record low on Thursday to help support the economy’s recovery as coronavirus cases rise, even as it has benefited from strong external demand. All 13 economists polled by Reuters saw Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) keeping its overnight policy rate at […]
Read MoreKUALA LUMPUR: The government should consider implementing a windfall tax on industries that benefit greatly from the COVID-19 crisis, according to Khazanah Research Institute senior advisor Professor Dr Jomo Kwame Sundaram. “This is precisely the time when you must reform taxes, as you have it (windfall tax) all the time amid extraordinarily high petroleum prices […]
Read MoreKUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s leading index (LI) rose at a faster pace in February, hinting at improved sentiment and an upbeat near-term economic prospect. The index increased 8.5% year-on-year (y-o-y) in February (January: 8.2% y-o-y), marking the highest reading since September 2020. Compared with the previous month, the increase in LI accelerated to 1.1% month-on-month (m-o-m) […]
Read MoreKUALA LUMPUR: The headline IHS Markit Malaysia Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose to 53.9 in April from 49.9 in March, indicating a solid improvement in the health of the manufacturing sector. The PMI is a composite single-figure indicator of manufacturing performance. IHS Markit chief business economist Chris Williamson said the expansion was the strongest […]
Read More[SINGAPORE] Travel on compassionate grounds between Singapore and Malaysia will be allowed from May 17, amid Covid-19 restrictions that ban the bulk of cross-border movement. The details of such travel arrangements will be released later, but these will include steps like testing visitors for the coronavirus as well as the need for quarantine, said Singapore’s […]
Read MorePETALING JAYA: The pace of economic recovery in the second quarter (Q2) will shape how Malaysia’s gross domestic product (GDP) will fare in the second half of the year as the number of Covid-19 cases spike, according to economists. The number of cases recently surpassed the 3,000-mark and this may put a dampener on the […]
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