The winners of Britain's election on Thursday — which looks set to end 14 years in power for the Conservative Party — will take on some of the biggest challenges faced by any new government since the end of World War Two.

The economy has struggled to grow, health and other services are under severe strain and there is little room in the public finances to fix them. The government is also lagging behind its targets for immigration and house-building.

UK election winners inherit huge challenges, from economy to health

Positive growth in the Leading Index (LI) and Coincident Index (CI) indicates Malaysia's growth momentum will remain strong in the near term, driven by rising domestic and external demand, MIDF Research said.

The research house maintains its projection that Malaysia’s economy will grow at 4.7% this year, up from 3.6% in 2023.

Rise in Leading and Coincident Indexes signals positive outlook for Malaysia in 2024 — MIDF

Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) announced that Project Nexus, a multilateral platform that seeks to enhance cross-border payments, is ready to proceed to phase four, following the successful completion of its comprehensive blueprint in phase three.

BNM: Project Nexus completes phase three of comprehensive blueprint, preparing work towards live implementation

A total of 151.86 megawatts (MW) or 20,418 installations under the Rakyat Net Energy Metering (NEM) programme are now operational, said Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA) chief executive officer Datuk Hamzah Husin.

More than 20,000 installations under Rakyat Net Energy Metering now operational — SEDA

BENAHAVIS, Spain (July 1): One way of looking at the euro zone is as a forest where dry tinder is piling up. The locals are not doing much to clear the debris, and some are wandering around with naked flames. But they know it would be foolish to throw lit matches on the forest floor. Besides...

The risk of a euro crisis is rising

Minutes before going on stage for the first presidential debate on Thursday, Donald Trump received a phone call from the mother of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, who was killed in Houston this month, allegedly by two Venezuelan men in the US illegally.

Trump focuses anti-immigration drive on murdered women and girls

UK house prices increased for a second month in June, in signs the market is stabilising after last year’s dip, according to one of the top mortgage lenders.

Nationwide Building Society said its measure of prices rose 0.2% in June after an 0.4% gain the month before. Economists had expected no change.

UK house prices grow again in June, says Nationwide 

French President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist alliance and the left-wing New Popular Front are weighing whether to pull candidates from the second round of the legislative election on Sunday to keep the ascendant far-right National Rally out of power.

Macron, French left-wing rivals race to stop Le Pen momentum

China's central bank said on Monday it would borrow treasury bonds from some primary dealers soon, outlining the specifics of a plan analysts say is aimed at putting a floor under plunging domestic interest rates.

China's central bank to borrow bonds from market under new policy plan 

The growing prospect of a Trump presidential victory is making yield curve steepeners an attractive bet as growth will likely slow and inflation quicken under such a scenario, according to Morgan Stanley.

Trump ascendancy has Morgan Stanley team touting steeper US yield curve

China is setting up a new entity that groups national oil producers and other state firms to search for ultra-deep oil and gas reserves and tackle harder-to-extract non-conventional resources, state energy group CNPC said on Monday.

China sets up new state body to drill deep for oil and gas reserves

For a decade, leaving the European Union (EU) was the question that dominated British politics. These days it barely comes up. Which is clearly how Labour Party leader Keir Starmer likes it.

He has worked diligently to win back the support of working class voters, millions of whom were lured away five years ago by Conservative Boris Johnson's promise to "get Brexit done", when Labour campaigned to leave a path open to stay in the EU.

Britain's Labour aims for closer EU ties without reopening Brexit wounds

Japan downgraded first-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) on Monday and the service-sector business mood soured in June on concerns over rising costs, offsetting a lift in factory confidence and pointing to weakness in consumption.

Japan's GDP downgrade, shaky business mood cloud BOJ hike timing

Park rangers on Japan's sacred Mount Fuji officially started this year's climbing season about 90 minutes before sunrise on Monday, levying new trail fees and limiting hiker numbers to curb overcrowding.

Japan imposes new fees on Mount Fuji climbers to limit tourists

Heineken Malaysia Bhd (KL:HEIM) has appointed Martijn Rene van Keulen as new managing director (MD), effective Monday.

Heineken Malaysia appoints Martijn Rene van Keulen as new MD

Oil and gas (O&G) support services provider Steel Hawk Bhd (KL:SKHAWK) has inked an underwriting agreement with UOB Kay Hian Securities (M) Sdn Bhd for the transfer of its listing from Bursa Malaysia’s LEAP Market to the ACE Market.

Steel Hawk inks underwriting deal with UOB Kay Hian for ACE Market transfer listing

China is likely to import record volumes of soybeans in July, drawn by lower prices and the prospect of Donald Trump returning as president and reigniting trade tensions between Beijing and the US, which was once China's top supplier of the oilseed.

The world's biggest soybean importer has booked higher volumes in recent weeks, traders and analysts said.

China poised for record July soybean imports on low prices, Trump trade fears

Below is a summary of how key Bursa Malaysia indices and the ringgit performed on Monday.

FBM KLCI up 0.51% to 1,598.20 on July 1, 2024

Engineering and project management consultant HSS Engineers Bhd's (KL:HSSEB) wholly-owned subsidiary HSS Engineering Sdn Bhd (HSSE) has secured a joint venture contract worth US$315.9 million (RM1.5 billion), its largest ever.

The contract is to provide project management consultancy and supervision services for Iraq’s Baghdad Metro rail system, a statement said Monday.

HSS Engineers subsidiary secures RM1.5 bil JV contract to manage Baghdad's metro

The Malaysian stock market is seen maintaining its momentum and breaching the 1,700-point level by end this year, driven mainly by a stronger ringgit and robust domestic economic growth.

Analysts stay sanguine on local stock market, see KLCI breaching 1,700 level by year end

Brokers are demanding cash upfront payments for the purchase of Artroniq Bhd (KL:ARTRONIQ), APB Resources Bhd (KL:APB), Notion VTec Bhd (KL:NOTION) and YNH Property Bhd (KL:YNH) shares.&nbsp;Artroniq and Notion VTec's warrants — Artroniq-WA and NOTION-WD — are also affected.

Brokers demand cash upfront from investors for Notion VTec, YNH, Artroniq and APB Resources

Kenanga Research has maintained its “underweight” rating on the property sector and said the sector's headwinds remain aplenty, including oversupply, high household debt, elevated interest rates, and weakened consumer sentiment resulting from high inflation and rising living costs.

Property sector's headwinds remain aplenty, says Kenanga Research

The Ministry of Health recently released the 2023 National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) report, revealing alarming statistics about chronic diseases in Malaysia. High cholesterol impacts about 7.5 million adults (33.3%), diabetes affects 3.6 million (15.6%), and 6.7 million (29.2%) suffer from hypertension. Disturbingly, over 80% are unaware of their conditions.

 The economics of eating well: Why Malaysians struggle with healthy diets

The federal government intends to issue a request for proposal (RFP) as an alternative approach for the RM3.46 billion Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) project, said Deputy Works Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan.

This move aims to potentially reduce the project's costs, Ahmad said, adding that the ministry had already announced its intention to issue the RFP.

Putrajaya to issue RFP as 'Plan B' for RM3.5 bil multi-lane free flow project

When Wu Cunsong and Chen Binghui founded their artificial intelligence startup two years ago in Hangzhou, China, they quickly ran into obstacles, including dearth of venture capital. This March, they did what scores of other Chinese AI firms have done and moved their company, Tabcut, 2,500 miles southwest to Singapore.

China’s AI startups head to Singapore in a bid for global growth

Social media giant Meta is too slow in taking down fraudulent posts from its platforms, making vulnerable Malaysians victims of scammers, according to private equity firm Creador, after the company was impersonated on Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp.

Meta too slow in taking down fraudulent posts from its platforms, says Creador

Any polemics related to the BlackRock issue linked to the Israeli regime could affect Malaysia's interests as a developing country, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Speaking at the July monthly assembly of the Prime Minister's Department here on Monday, Anwar reminded everyone not to be "excessive" in discussing the controversial BlackRock issue.

Don't go overboard in debating BlackRock issue, think of country's interests — Anwar

Foreign funds continued to exit Bursa Malaysia for the second consecutive week, albeit with a lower outflow of RM357.7 million last week, from RM441.1 million the prior week.

Foreign selling of local equities persisted at slower pace of RM358m last week, says MIDF

On May 1 this year, BlackRock Inc set up a multi-class investment firm in Saudi Arabia with an initial seed funding of US$5 billion (RM23.6 billion) coming from the kingdom’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).

BlackRock Riyadh Investment Management is mandated to attract additional overseas ...

Alternative Views: Cut the political semantics around the MAHB deal

Axiata Group Bhd (KL:AXIATA) has appointed Amrit Kaur as its independent non-executive director effective July 1.

Axiata appoints new director to board

Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) (KL:TENAGA) said the decision by the Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation (Petra) to maintain electricity tariffs until Dec 31 this year is neutral on the utility company and will not have any effect on its business operations.

Tenaga sees no impact from unchanged electricity tariffs

The health of the Malaysian manufacturing sector was broadly stable at the end of the second quarter of the year.

In a statement on Monday, S&amp;P Global Market Intelligence said new orders increased for the second month running, in part thanks to a rise in exports, but overall demand remained subdued.

New orders rise amid improving export sales in June — S&P Global

Investment analysts foresee Malaysia’s banking sector to continue its upward momentum underpinned by ongoing loan growth and stabilising net interest margin (NIM), as well as the potential of higher net interest income (NII). &nbsp;

The banking sector will likely continue to benefit from ongoing loan growth, improved gross domestic product (GDP) along with better margin retention, according to Kenanga Research in its monthly highlight report on Monday. This will be overshadowing industry headwinds like inflationary pressure and weaker ringgit, it noted. &nbsp;

Banking sector poised for continued growth on ongoing loan expansion, stabilising NIM, higher NII — analysts 

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Monday assured that the government will maintain the Bumiputera quota for Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) holders to continue their studies at the matriculation level.

Govt assures Bumiputera quota for matriculation will remain unchanged — Anwar

Shares in Hiap Teck Venture Bhd (KL:HIAPTEK) rose in early trade on Monday, after the steel company reported better-than-expected third quarter results.

Hiap Teck shares rise in active trade after 3Q results beat expectation

JPG Greenergy Ventures Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Johor Plantations Group Bhd, has been awarded BioNexus status by the Malaysian Bioeconomy Development Corp under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (Mosti).

Johor Plantations Group's subsidiary gets BioNexus status

Kinergy Advancement Bhd (KL:KAB) has partnered with Johor Corp (JCorp) to undertake and develop sustainable energy solutions projects with a specific focus on energy-efficient initiatives for data centers.

The project encompassing energy-efficient measures, renewable energy solutions, clean energy initiatives, and engineering construction across various energy-related facilities, was secured by Kinergy Advancement’s wholly-owned subsidiary, KAB Energy Holdings Sdn Bhd.

Kinergy Advancement collaborates with JCorp to boost sustainable energy solutions with data centres

An Opposition member of Parliament (MP) has called on the Ministry of Defence to clarify whether the Armed Forces Fund Board (LTAT) is in talks to sell the petrol station operator Boustead Petroleum Marketing Sdn Bhd (BHPetrol).

Opposition MP alleges LTAT in talks to sell BHPetrol to Saudi Aramco

Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) announced that Project Nexus, a multilateral platform that seeks to enhance cross-border payments, is ready to proceed to phase four, following the successful completion of its comprehensive blueprint in phase three.

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