PETALING JAYA: The industrial production index (IPI), a measure of the rate of change in the production of industrial commodities, will likely stage a rebound in the second quarter but at the same time, there may be a challenge for the economy to achieve the Budget 2021 growth target. The IPI contracted 2.2% in November 2020 compared […]
Read MoreAll eyes on OPR THE week opens with Bank Negara’s decision on the overnight policy rate (OPR). The monetary policy committee (MPC) of Bank Negara is expected to meet on Wednesday. According to a Bloomberg poll, it will be a close call with six analysts calling for no change and five analysts expecting a 25-basis-point […]
Read MoreWASHINGTON: President Donald Trump’s administration said on Friday Vietnam’s actions to push down the value of its currency are “unreasonable” and restrict U.S. commerce, but did not take immediate action to impose punitive tariffs. Releasing the results of its so-called Section 301 investigation into Vietnam’s currency practices, the U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) office said it […]
Read MorePETALING JAYA: Hotel operators are operating at their “bare minimum, ” according to the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH), following a near full-year of steady losses as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. MAH chief executive officer Yap Lip Seng (pic below) said the implementation of the recent movement control order (MCO) will further exacerbate […]
Read MorePETALING JAYA: The worsening Covid-19 situation that has triggered a second round of movement control order (MCO) in Malaysia has once again cast the spotlight on unemployment. Businesses are staring at a road full of uncertainties ahead even with the hint of vaccine optimism and as it is, unemployment in 2021 remains jittery. Many are […]
Read MoreKUALA LUMPUR: HSBC Group has projected Malaysia’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth for 2021 at 6.7% compared with an estimated 5.4% contraction last year. Asian economics research co-head Frederic Neumann said the Movement Control Order (MCO) 2.0 currently in place was expected to pose economic challenges at the beginning of the year. “But we are […]
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Thailand
