Malaysia’s economy grew 6% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2026. That is the second-fastest pace of growth ...

Tong's Portfolio - Malaysia’s economy is growing faster than expected — but the people are not feeling it. Why?

The pace of progress in artificial intelligence (AI) has been extraordinary. Just a year ago, generative AI was still largely used as a chatbot — useful for answering questions, summarising documents or generating snippets of code. Today, tools such as Anthropic’s Claude Code and OpenAI’s Codex can operate much more like agents: they can read files, write and modify codes, run programs, debug errors and carry out multi-step tasks with relatively little human intervention.

Tong's Portfolio - AI is changing investing — but not its rules

Every investment is a bet.

When investors buy shares because they expect corporate earnings to exceed expectations, they are betting. When traders buy oil futures because they believe conflict in the Middle East will disrupt supply, they are betting. Venture capitalists funding an artificial intelligence (AI) start-up are betting. Banks financing a new factory are betting.

Tong's Portfolio - The political economy of gambling: Who decides which bets society accepts?

Is rising leverage in the US equity market combined with elevated valuations a warning sign for investors? Per FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority), total US investor margin debt just reached an all-time high of US$1.5 trillion in June, up by nearly 50% from this time last year and more than double from the start of 2024.

Tong's Portfolio - Leverage won’t cause the next sell-off ... but it could make it worse

Malaysian initial public offerings (IPOs) do not generally perform well beyond their first few days of trading and, sometimes, not even during that period. We have examined and written extensively about the reasons for this disappointing performance, including a valuation methodology that does a poor job of valuing companies because it is backward-looking, focusing on historical profits rather than future growth potential.

Tong's Portfolio - Public markets, private gains: Why the best years of growth increasingly happen before companies go public

The National Automotive Policy (NAP) 2020 and the New Industrial Master Plan (NIMP) 2030 envision Malaysia as an automotive production and export hub for next-generation vehicles, targeting Asean and the wider Asian market. This dovetails with the nation’s broader industrial development plan to raise economic complexity, create high-value job opportunities and deepen domestic linkages.

Tong's Portfolio - The road not taken: Lessons from Malaysia’s automotive industry

Running frontier artificial intelligence (AI) is not cheap. For a time, “token maxxing” was the corporate mantra du jour. Earlier this year, companies encouraged employees to maximise their AI usage by consuming as many tokens as possible. Tokens, in this context, refer to the basic unit of computing. The assumption was that greater AI utilisation would translate into greater productivity — never mind that the relationship between AI usage and output quality is not necessarily linear.

Tong's Portfolio - Open-weight AI: Who wins when intelligence gets cheap?

The printing press industrialised ideas. The internet collapsed the cost of distributing them. Artificial intelligence (AI) is now collapsing the cost of producing them.

Tong's Portfolio - The last monopoly: Trusted judgement in an age of infinite intelligence (Part 9 of 9)

The future of media in the AI age (Part 7)”, published last week, was likely to have been too theoretical and abstract, maybe even futuristic, to many readers. But the fact is that artificial intelligence (AI) is already here and will hugely impact media. Those media companies that successfully navigated the challenge from social media may not all be also successful navigating AI.

Tong’s portfolio - The future of media in the AI age (Part 8 of 9): Trusted judgement is the edge

Parts 1 to 6 of “The Future of Media in the Digital Age” examined how search engines and social media disrupted traditional media — capturing attention, data and advertising economics. Many publishers mistook “going digital” for transformation. It wasn’t. Free content without a viable monetisation model hollowed out the industry.

Tong’s portfolio - The future of media in the AI age (Part 7/9): The interpretation economy

Since the start of the US-Israel-Iran war, we have been inundated with near-daily predictions of an imminent energy catastrophe by news commentators, analysts and experts alike — pointing to the loss of critical oil supply passing through the Strait of Hormuz, which carries roughly 20% of global oil flows. Sensationalism sells. Many politiacians, too, have been quick to lay the blame of (pre-existing) rising cost of living and affordability issues on the crisis.

Tong's Portfolio - Oil futures market was right, as expected

It has been nine years since we first started writing the series on “The Future of Media in the Digital Age” and the prognosis and predictions we made then. It is time to review what has transpired since, and why. What seems logical and rational can be proven to be wrong. Many predicted then that there would be no future for traditional and print media. Were they right? The same will be true for those who now articulate that artificial intelligence (AI) will replace all human capabilities, including cognitive.

Tong's Portfolio - The future of media in the digital age (Part 6 of 9): Why some media companies survived digital, while others did not

In our two earlier pieces titled “Two reports, two interpretations of China” and “The political economy of modern capitalism” (The Edge, June 1, 2026), we argued that many observers are looking at the same China but arriving at fundamentally different conclusions.

Tong's Portfolio - The great misreading of China: Why exports are a consequence, not a strategy

Over the past few weeks, we have explored what we believe are two dominant models of capitalism in the world today.

Tong’s portfolio: Investing where the economics take us: Today, it is America

A large plume of smoke was visible near Riyadh's main airport on Saturday after booms were heard and Saudi Arabia sent alerts overnight warning of potential danger around the capital, amid an escalation in attacks by Yemen's Houthi group.

Flames, smoke seen near Riyadh airport after Saudi warning of aerial attack threat

As Europe heads into winter, electricity markets are flashing their strongest warning since the energy crisis.

Europe’s winter power surge is biggest since energy crisis

Denmark and Greenland on Saturday said any agreement with the US would not compromise Greenland's sovereignty, after President Donald Trump said the deal would give Washington "permanent control" over the Arctic island's security, leaving its precise scope unclear.

Greenland, Denmark say US deal will not cede sovereignty

Artificial intelligence (AI) could lift European productivity by about 1% over five years, but risks widening inequality, straining power networks and increasing dependence on foreign technology unless governments deepen economic integration, an International Monetary Fund (IMF) paper said.

IMF tells EU ministers AI could boost growth but increase economic strains

DAP secretary general Anthony Loke on Saturday offered to resign as transport minister while his DAP colleagues in the Cabinet will remain in their positions.

Najib house arrest: Loke says he's the only one DAP minister to resign to prevent govt collapse as some would want it to happen

A total of 17 areas nationwide recorded air pollutant index (API) readings at unhealthy levels as of 4pm on Saturday.

Haze: 17 areas nationwide record unhealthy air pollutant index readings as of 4pm

The Prisons Department has not yet received an official letter notifying it of the Pardons Board’s decision on the conditional pardon for former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Prisons Dept yet to receive official letter on Pardons Board decision — Saifuddin Nasution

A group of more than a dozen civil society organisations has called for immediate and full disclosure of the royal pardon for Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Citizen groups demand full disclosure of documents on Najib’s pardon

Pakatan Harapan (PH) Melaka is finalising negotiations with parties that have similar aspirations, including Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), to form a PH Plus collaboration to contest the Melaka State Election.

Melaka PH, Bersatu in talks to form ‘PH Plus’ for state election, says Adly

Two vehicles bearing the Prisons Department logo were seen entering the compound of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s residence in Langgak Duta here on Saturday.

Two prison dept vehicles seen entering Najib’s Langgak Duta residence

China opened investigations into four online hotel and travel booking platforms over suspected practices that may undermine fair competition and merchants’ rights, extending a broader regulatory crackdown on the sector.

China opens probes into four online travel booking platforms

DAP secretary general Anthony Loke on Saturday offered to resign as transport minister while his DAP colleagues in the Cabinet will remain in their positions.

A sukuk programme of Zetrix AI Bhd (KL:ZETRIX) has been placed under a rating agency’s watchlist after the forced selling of its founder’s shares and as borrowings ballooned.

Zetrix AI’s sukuk programme on MARC watchlist after founder’s forced selling

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has confirmed that it recorded the statement of former Felda chairman Datuk Mohd Isa Abdul Samad at Sungai Buloh Prison on Sept 17 to assist investigations into the Op Fella case.

OP Fella probe: MACC records Isa Samad’s statement

A total of 17 areas nationwide recorded air pollutant index (API) readings at unhealthy levels as of 4pm on Saturday.

Europe’s oil refiners are paying eyewatering premiums for cargoes, as the shutdown of Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline forces the region’s buyers to scramble for alternatives with fuel prices soaring.

North Sea oil premiums soar to records as Saudis cut sales

A group of more than a dozen civil society organisations has called for immediate and full disclosure of the royal pardon for Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

The status of the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) case involving Datuk Seri Najib Razak remains unchanged following his conditional pardon, said Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Chief Commissioner Datuk Seri Abd Halim Aman.

1MDB case status unchanged following Najib’s conditional pardon — MACC

The US, Denmark and Greenland have entered into an agreement for the US to develop a significant military presence on Greenland, while prohibiting US adversaries from building their own bases on the island, Donald Trump said on Friday.

US and Denmark reach deal on Greenland, Trump says

Pakatan Harapan (PH) Melaka is finalising negotiations with parties that have similar aspirations, including Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), to form a PH Plus collaboration to contest the Melaka State Election.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has recorded statements from Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu and the ministry’s secretary-general in connection with an investigation into the delays in the supply of fertiliser in Kedah.

MACC records statement from Mohamad Sabu, sec-gen in fertiliser supply delay probe

Two vehicles bearing the Prisons Department logo were seen entering the compound of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s residence in Langgak Duta here on Saturday.

Volkswagen AG slashed its profit forecast after a sharp contraction in China and a €6 billion (US$6.9 billion or RM28.11 billion) writedown tied to sports-car maker Porsche AG, deepening concerns about the strains facing the global auto industry.

VW slashes profit outlook after China sales slump and US$6.9 bil writedown

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has issued a notice to former Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) chairman Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim and his family, requiring them to declare their assets within a month.

MACC gives Abdul Azeez and family one month to declare assets

Paramount Skydance Corp has been negotiating a settlement in recent weeks with California and other state attorneys general challenging its US$110 billion (RM449.21 billion) takeover of Warner Bros Discovery Inc, according to people familiar with the matter.

Paramount in settlement talks with US states over Warner takeover — Bloomberg

A large plume of smoke was visible near Riyadh's main airport on Saturday after booms were heard and Saudi Arabia sent alerts overnight warning of potential danger around the capital, amid an escalation in attacks by Yemen's Houthi group.

The Prisons Department has not yet received an official letter notifying it of the Pardons Board’s decision on the conditional pardon for former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

One clear sign of de-dollarization and the shift toward a multipolar monetary order is gold’s renewed prominence in global financial markets. Investors increasingly view the metal as a strategic asset; central banks are buying record amounts of it to bolster resilience against financial and geopo...

The Golden Bridge to Monetary Multipolarity: The Frontiers of Growth

Denmark and Greenland on Saturday said any agreement with the US would not compromise Greenland's sovereignty, after President Donald Trump said the deal would give Washington "permanent control" over the Arctic island's security, leaving its precise scope unclear.

Artificial intelligence (AI) could lift European productivity by about 1% over five years, but risks widening inequality, straining power networks and increasing dependence on foreign technology unless governments deepen economic integration, an International Monetary Fund (IMF) paper said.

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