GE14: Looking Back

KUALA LUMPUR (May 18): Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali will be meeting with Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad at the latest tomorrow, and seek an audience with the Sultan of Selangor after that, to decide if he will continue to helm Selangor or help with the Federal ...

Selangor MB Azmin says he 'certainly won't' hold two posts at the same time

KUALA LUMPUR (May 18): Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has announced the Pakatan Harapan government's Cabinet line-up in a statement today, comprising 15 Ministers including the Prime Minister and his deputy, who will be sworn in at the Istana Negara on Monday (May 21) at 11.30am.

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Dr Mahathir lets go of Education Ministry portfolio, announces full Cabinet line-up

SINGAPORE (May 16): Yesterday, the new Pakatan Harapan (PH)-led government announced that Malaysia’s 6% goods and service tax (GST) will be zero-rated from Jun 1 onwards, effectively abolishing it.

Malaysia’s newly elected prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad, had vowed during his campaign ...

Is Malaysia's farewell to its GST a little too rushed?

KUALA LUMPUR (May 17): Malaysia can reduce its fiscal deficit to around -2.7% or -2.8% in 2018 if the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government holds up to its promise for an efficient and prudent government, according to AmBank Research. 

In a note today, AmBank chief economist and head of ...

Malaysia's fiscal deficit may be reduced if PH holds up promise to clean up government, says AmBank Research

PETALING JAYA (May 16): PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong pardoned him of all  charges because the ruler recognised that there were elements of "miscarriage of justice" in his detention.

“He (the King) followed the development of the case, ...

Anwar: 'King pardoned me because there was miscarriage of justice'

KUALA LUMPUR (May 16): More than 10 police cars and a Black Maria (a police truck used to transport prisoners) arrived at the residence of former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on Jalan Langgak Duta, Taman Duta here tonight, Bernama reported.

The lorry believed to be bringing...

Police cars and Black Maria parked outside Najib's house

SINGAPORE (May 16): The five-member Council of Eminent Persons, a team of special advisors announced by Malaysia’s prime minister Mahathir Mohamad on May 12, has hit the ground running.

Led by former Finance Minister Daim Zainuddin, the council also includes former Bank Negara Malaysia ...

Malaysia's special advisory council committed to meet first 100-day promises, says Maybank

KUALA LUMPUR (May 15): Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad plans to play a background role in the government even after he hands over the reins of power to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in one to two years' time.

Dr Mahathir said PKR de facto leader Anwar, who is expected to be released f...

 Dr Mahathir to have a 'background' role even after Anwar takes over as PM

KUALA LUMPUR (May 14): Umno has given its acting president Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi the green light to negotiate with other political parties on forming the government or opposition blocs.

Zahid said the Umno supreme council, which decided this at a meeting today, imposed the condition ...

Umno mandates Zahid to negotiate with other parties

PUTRAJAYA (May 14): Attorney General Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali has been told to go on leave and his duties will be taken over by Solicitor General Datuk Engku Nor Faizah Engku Atek.

At a press conference today, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the arrangement was due to the ...

Apandi to go on leave, Solicitor General to assume AG's role, PM says

GEORGE TOWN (May 14): DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said the Anti-Fake News Act will be abolished, as promised in Pakatan Harapan’s general election manifesto.

“Pakatan’s position has always been that the Act would be abolished but I will clarify with Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir...

Anti-Fake News Act will be abolished as promised, says Guan Eng

(May 13) AirAsia boss Tan Sri Tony Fernandes has apologised for buckling under intense pressure from the Najib administration by showing that he supported the Barisan Nasional (BN) government by flying the former prime minister on a plane with a BN theme.

On May 7, former Prime Minister...

AirAsia's Tony Fernandes apologises for buckling under intense pressure

GEORGE TOWN (May 13): Newly appointed Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said the new government has steady hands to handle any volatility that could affect the Malaysian stock market following Pakatan Harapan’s takeover of Putrajaya in the 14th general elections.

“We have steady hands handl...

Government has steady hands to handle market jitters, says Finance Minister-designate 

Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte said on Saturday she would have President Ferdinand Marcos Jr assassinated if she herself were killed, prompting Marcos' office to vow "immediate proper action".

In widening rift, Sara Duterte says she would have Marcos assassinated if she is killed

The Ministry of Transport has proposed the establishment of a dedicated logistics hub in Nilai or Enstek, Negeri Sembilan, to further bolster Malaysia’s logistics sector.

Loke proposes new logistics hub in Nilai or Enstek

President-elect Donald Trump may have campaigned hard against high inflation, but by the time of his Nov 5 election victory financial professionals had moved on from rising prices and begun worrying about rising US debt, possible recession, and risks to global trade as among the top threats to the stability of the financial sector, according to a new Federal Reserve (Fed) survey released on Friday.

Fed survey finds inflation fading as a risk next to debt, trade wars

Bitcoin touched a record high on Friday, with its sights set firmly on the US$100,000 (RM446,800) barrier, in a stellar rally for the cryptocurrency sparked by expectations of a more friendly regulatory environment under a Donald Trump administration.

Bitcoin at record highs, sets sights on US$100,000

The health of the US consumer and the retail sector will be in focus in the coming week, as Black Friday kicks off a holiday shopping season that could shed light on how buyers are grappling with higher prices.

Black Friday puts consumer spending in market's glare with stocks near records

Nvidia chief executive officer Jensen Huang said on Saturday that global collaboration and cooperation in technology will continue, even if the incoming US administration imposes stricter export controls on advanced computing products.

Nvidia CEO says global cooperation in tech will continue under Trump administration

A US bribery indictment of Indian billionaire Gautam Adani is linked to one contract of Adani Green Energy comprising some 10% of its business, and none of the conglomerate's other companies are accused of wrongdoing, the group's chief financial officer (CFO) said on Saturday.

Adani CFO defends against US charges, says linked to one business contract

As of the end of October, Malaysia’s 5G coverage in populated areas had reached 82.1%, up from 80.2% last year, while internet coverage in populated areas stood at 98.38%, compared with 97.07% in 2023.

Malaysia's 5G coverage hit 82.1%, internet access near 100% at end-October — ministry

Lattice Semiconductor Corp is considering making an offer for all of Intel Corp’s Altera, people familiar with the matter said, in a twist that could complicate the chip giant’s plans to sell a minority stake in the unit.

Lattice Semiconductor mulling offer for Intel’s Altera unit, Bloomberg reports

Saudi Arabia’s sovereign rating was upgraded by Moody’s Ratings for the first time since the company first assessed the kingdom in 2016.

The rating company took the kingdom’s creditworthiness up a notch to Aa3, its fourth-highest grade, according to a statement on Friday. The Moody’s rating is now above those of Fitch Ratings and S&P Global Ratings.

Saudi Arabia’s rating upgraded by Moody’s for first time

A record-high US$7 trillion (RM31.28 trillion) of cash is currently sitting "on the sidelines" in money market funds (MMFs). Anyone hoping to see a significant chunk of this flooding the wider investment field in the coming months may be disappointed.

America's US$7 tril cash stash isn't going anywhere

When Kumpulan Wang Persaraan (Diperbadankan) (KWAP) was established in 2007, with an initial fund of RM41.9 billion, the federal government’s pension and gratuity obligations stood at a mere RM8.25 billion, just 6.7% of its total operating expenditure (opex).

The pension conundrum: KWAP pushes for thoughtful reform amid growing charges

The government has increased the rooftop solar capacity by another 300MW for the commercial and industrial segment, and by 50MW for households.&nbsp;

Additional rooftop solar quota for M'sian businesses, households

The corporate earnings reporting season for the July-September quarter comes to a close this week. Among the companies slated to announce their financial results are banking groups Malayan Banking Bhd (KL:MAYBANK), Public Bank Bhd (KL:PBBANK), RHB Bank Bhd (KL:RHBBANK) and Hong Leong Bank Bhd (KL:HLBANK) as well as utility giant Tenaga Nasional Bhd (KL:TENAGA).

The Week Ahead: Spotlight on corporate earnings of banks, Tenaga and Opec+ meeting

President-elect Donald Trump on Friday said he will nominate prominent investor&nbsp;Scott Bessent&nbsp;as the US&nbsp;Treasury secretary, a key Cabinet position with vast influence over economic, regulatory and international affairs.

Trump taps tax reform, deregulation advocate Scott Bessent for Treasury

Keck Seng (M) Bhd (KL:KSENG) booked an unrealised foreign exchange (forex) loss of RM81.84 million in the third quarter ended Sept 30, 2024 (3QFY2024), which in turn dragged the group into the red.&nbsp;

Unrealised forex loss of RM81.8 mil pulls Keck Seng into the red in 3Q

Global&nbsp;stocks registered&nbsp;a strong weekly gain on Friday, while US&nbsp;Treasury yields&nbsp;slipped as&nbsp;markets&nbsp;eyed President-elect&nbsp;Donald Trump's likely policies&nbsp;and their&nbsp;impact on the US&nbsp;economy, even as bitcoin traded near the US$100,000 (RM446,800) threshold.

Stocks notch strong weekly gain, US yields slip as markets eye Trump policies

Amazon.com Inc&nbsp;is investing an additional US$4 billion (RM17.87 billion) in artificial intelligence (AI) startup Anthropic, boosting its stake in one of OpenAI’s chief rivals.

Amazon invests additional US$4b in AI firm Anthropic

US&nbsp;bank Citigroup has received approval to establish&nbsp;its regional headquarters in Saudi Arabia's Riyadh, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters on Friday.

Citi granted licence for regional headquarters in Saudi Arabia, memo shows

Nvidia&nbsp;chief executive officer Jensen Huang said on Saturday that global collaboration and cooperation in technology will continue, even if the incoming US&nbsp;administration imposes stricter export controls on advanced computing products.

The banks most reluctant to tap the US&nbsp;central bank's discount window to shore up their capital are in fact those who face the highest failure risk, according to new research from the New York Federal Reserve (Fed) that turns the notion of bank emergency borrowing stigma on its head.

New York Fed paper challenges notion of discount window stigma

UK retail sales declined more than expected in October, as uncertainty over Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves first budget prompted consumers to hold back spending.

UK retail sales fell more than expected amid budget anxiety

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s Cabinet approved a stimulus package that’s slightly bigger than last year’s, as he followed up on a pledge to ramp up support for households and businesses struggling to cope with higher costs.

Japan’s Cabinet approves stimulus in show of progress for Ishiba

Bitcoin touched a record high on Friday, with its sights set firmly on the US$100,000 (RM446,800) barrier, in a stellar rally for the cryptocurrency sparked by expectations of a more friendly regulatory environment under a&nbsp;Donald Trump&nbsp;administration.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is scheduled to officiate the Two Years of Madani Government (2TM) Programme and the 2024 National Convention on Public Service Reform in the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on Saturday.

PM to officiate 'two years of Madani govt' programme, national convention on public service reform on Saturday

The Ministry of Transport has proposed the establishment of a dedicated logistics hub in Nilai or Enstek, Negeri Sembilan, to further bolster Malaysia’s logistics sector.

Saudi Arabia’s sovereign rating was upgraded by Moody’s Ratings for the first time since the company first assessed the kingdom in 2016.

The rating&nbsp;company took the kingdom’s creditworthiness up a notch to Aa3, its fourth-highest grade, according to a statement on Friday. The Moody’s rating is now above those of Fitch Ratings and S&amp;P Global Ratings.&nbsp;

As of the end of October, Malaysia’s 5G coverage in populated areas had reached 82.1%, up from 80.2% last year, while internet coverage in populated areas stood at 98.38%, compared with&nbsp;97.07% in 2023.

China’s rise has challenged America’s undisputed hegemony over the world economy – a status the United States has enjoyed since the Soviet Union’s collapse. While some American national-security elites seek continued US primacy, others seem resigned to an increasingly bipolar world. A more likely...

Roads To Prosperity:  Middle powers will make a multipolar world

A US&nbsp;bribery indictment of Indian billionaire Gautam Adani is linked to one contract of Adani Green Energy comprising some 10% of its business, and none of the conglomerate's other companies are accused of wrongdoing, the group's chief financial officer (CFO) said on Saturday.

GE14

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