Malaysia Morning News For January 1, 2019

Malaysia sees total foreign outflow of RM11.65b
Malaysia has seen a total foreign net outflow of RM11.65 billion from Bursa Malaysia as at December 28, 2018, registering the largest yearly foreign net outflow since 2015, says Malaysian Industrial Development Finance Bhd (MIDF) Amanah Investment Bank Bhd.
— Malay Mail

BNM : Malaysia’s official reserve assets at US$102.03b as at end-Nov
Malaysia’s official reserve assets amounted to US$102.03 billion as at end-November 2018, while other foreign currency assets stood at US$51.6 million for the same period, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) said.
— The Edge Markets

Malaysia’s economic outlook very encouraging, claims finance minister
Malaysia’s economic indicators are very encouraging despite the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration being a new government, said Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng.
— Channel NewsAsia

Malaysia’s PPI down 2.9% in Nov
The Producer Price Index (PPI) for local production decreased 2.9% on a year-on-year basis in November 2018 as compared to 0.7% in October 2018, mainly due to agriculture, forestry & fishing (-22.7%), manufacturing (-1.8%) and water supply (-0.1%).
— The Sun Daily

MAHB to upgrade KLIA communication infrastructure
Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) will be upgrading its communication infrastructure at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) for the next three months, starting from Jan 1, 2019.
— The Star Online

Malaysia’s Dec palm oil exports rise 4.4% — ITS
Exports of Malaysian palm oil products for December rose 4.4% to 1,278,661 tonnes from 1,224,898 tonnes shipped during November, cargo surveyor Intertek Testing Services said on Monday.
— The Edge Markets

Bank Negara official reserve assets at US$102.03b at end-Nov
Bank Negara Malaysia’s (BNM) international reserve assets amounted to US$102.03 billion, while other foreign currency assets amounted to US$51.6 million as at end-November 2018.
— The Sun Daily

Happy new year 2019, Malaysia!
A slight drizzle in the evening did not dampen the spirit of Malaysians, who ushered in 2019 with much gusto throughout the country.
— The Star Online

Malaysia to see big jump in P2P financing
Malaysia could see a big jump in peer-to-peer (P2P) financing in 2019 as the awareness level rises, says to Funding Societies Malaysia (FSM).
— The Borneo Post

SmartBite biting into the KL food delivery pie
The human touch is the difference between the next big thing and a flop, and this is something SmartBite founder Gabriele Fadda is very much aware of.
— New Straits Times

Merge Energy shareholders told to reject offer
Minority shareholders of Merge Energy Bhd have been advised to reject the unconditional mandatory takeover offer by several vendors.
— New Straits Times

2018 sees sea change in Malaysia’s approach towards trade pacts
The year 2018 saw a sea change in Malaysia’s political and economic landscapes, with a high-profile trade war and tit-for-tat action between the world’s two largest economies serving as a backdrop to what could be an eventful year for international trade pacts.
— The Star Online

Never ending Bumi policy dashes hope for ‘New Malaysia’
We will be starting the new year with our hopes for a ‘new’ Malaysia dashed by the announcement of Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad that the Bumiputera Agenda (expiry date 1990) will continue.
— FMT

I will honour my promise to only serve as Malaysia’s interim prime minister: Mahathir
Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad reiterated on Sunday (Dec 30) that he will abide by his promise to only serve as an interim prime minister, despite the calls for him to continue to hold the post until the next general election.
— Channel NewsAsia

Malayan Pantheras achieve a first for Malaysia at Cambridge robotics contest
Earlier this year, 11 youngsters made our country proud by being the first Malaysian team to compete at the Pi Wars competition at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.
— The Star Online

Putting into context the myth of lazy natives
Ethnic, religious and political groups in power have systematically used ideology as tools to subjugate the masses. Historically, colonial empires were skilled at this.
— FMT

Fintech activity at the forefront in 2018
Very much like 2017, the financial landscape in 2018 is dominated by banks’ further push into digitisation, otherwise known as financial technology (fintech).
— New Straits Times

Hyflux gets Maybank approval to extend deadline again until Jan 31
Singapore-listed Hyflux Ltd has obtained a month’s extension until Jan 31, 2019 from Malayan Banking Bhd to ink a binding agreement for its Tuaspring integrated water and power plant (IWPP).
— The Star Online

Talam Transform Q3 net loss widens
Talam Transform Bhd’s net loss for the third quarter ended Oct 31, 2018 widened to RM3.91 million from RM3.51 million a year ago due to a provision for impairment of inventory.
— The Sun Daily

Public Mutual declares distributions of more than RM86mil
Public Mutual Bhd declared distributions of more than RM86mil for 10 funds.
— The Star Online

Low fixed broadband ARPU to persist
Telecommunication service providers are set for a prolonged headache over fixed broadband revenue to be generated from each of their subscribers.
— New Straits Times

Scientex second top loser after reporting lower Q1 earnings
Scientex Bhd was the second top loser on the local bourse this morning after it posted a 25.9% lower net profit for the first quarter ended Oct 31, 2018.
— The Sun Daily

Canon deepens its commitment to make photography accessible for everyone
Canon Marketing (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd launched three new cameras under the brand’s EOS series which includes the EOS M50 mirrorless camera.
— The Borneo Post

Feature photo Mohammad Firdaus Mokpink

This week’s morning news photo focuses on the death, pain, and loss that typically occurs at this time of year on Asean roads due to drunk driving, speeding, and a failure to wear protective helmets when travelling on motorbikes.

Find our previous morning news feature photos in the AEC News Today Morning News Feature Photos gallery where you will find a pictorial display of daily life throughout the Asean Economic Community (AEC).

Malaysia morning news by AEC News Today is your one stop source for Malaysia news on matters of governance and policies affecting Asean business communities. It is published M-F by AEC News Today: Governance, not government; policies not politics.