Maybank Investment Bank says Berjaya Food’s sales may continue to be depressed until geopolitical tensions ease, while the growing popularity in other coffee chains may also signal a permanent erosion in Starbucks’ brand equity

MORNING CALL: 18/11/24

In today’s edition of Evening 5: 0:06 Malaysia eases FX rules to allow foreign financial institutions to sell ringgit bonds1:38 BNM welcomes US Treasury’s removal of Malaysia from currency manipulation watch list 2:43 Khazanah-EPF consortium launches formal offer for MAHB after getting regulators’ nod 3:51 MISC likely to hold 68% stake in Bumi Armada merger, with RM14.6b combined valuation5:24 Fertiliser firm Cropmate unveils prospectus for RM52 mil IPO, priced at 20 sen apiece

EVENING 5: Malaysia eases FX rules for foreign international institutions

Sime Darby has rebranded as simply “Sime”, with a new logo that reflects its vision for the future with a renewed focus as a pure-play powerhouse in the automotive and industrial equipment sectors. Its corporate name remains Sime Darby.

NEWS: Sime Darby unveils brand refresh

The Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM) has released its 2024 factbook titled “Evolving Landscape of the Private Healthcare System: Contributions, Challenges, and Recommendations”. The publication was launched by Health Minister Datuk Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.

NEWS: APHM launches 2024 factbook

According to BIMB Securities Research, the outlook for Swift Haulage remains ‘cautiously optimistic’

MORNING CALL: 15/11/24

In today’s edition of Evening 5: 0:06 Bumi Armada explores a merger with MISC’s offshore business 1:40 MISC 3QFY2024 net profit falls 21%, flags tough LNG shipping outlook2:39 Vacant possession without occupancy rights against public policy, court rules3:59 Govt allocates RM7.06b capital injection to finance firms under MOF Inc5:23 Encorp CEO Hazurin Harun slapped with CBT charges involving RM1.05m

EVENING 5: Bumi Armada, MISC explore offshore biz merger

Health minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad defended Bank Negara Malaysia’s decision to mandate that insurers and takaful operators provide a co-payment option in all new health and medical insurance products, at a minimum of 5% of claimable expenses.

NEWS: MoH defends BNM’s insurance co-payment decision

Health minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said MoH is looking into the use of Diagnostic Related Groups (DRG) to address surging private healthcare costs. DRG is a system that categorises hospital patients based on the complexity of their cases to determine the cost of treatment rather than itemising each charge.

NEWS: MoH explores mechanism to address medical inflation

Maybank Investment Bank says Heineken Malaysia’s outlook remains positive.

MORNING CALL: 14/11/24

In today’s edition of Evening 5: 0:06 Former two-time finance minister Daim Zainuddin passes away at 861:45 Izham to stay on as Malaysia Airlines CEO after contract extended2:55 Cabinet approves RM442m upgrade for Kota Kinabalu International Airport4:21 MyAirline co-founder and three firms say they have no case to answer for5:31 Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering returns to the black in 3Q

EVENING 5: Daim Zainuddin passes away at 86

Over 200 people, including politicians, business figures, and relatives of the late Tun Daim Zainuddin have gathered at the Federal Territory Mosque to pay their last respects to Malaysia’s former twice-serving finance minister.

NEWS: Mourners bid farewell to Daim

RHB Research is raising its target price on Johor Plantations Group to RM1.50