Fintech: A New Frontier in Finance
10 min read
In the world of finance, there is a consensus that technology-driven change is inevitable, and that it brings with it massive potential for disruption.[1] Cen...
The strange rise and sudden fall of the Chinese stock market
6 min read
At the end of 2014, China had a very normal stock market1. Measured by the size of the stock market, China’s market capitalisation of US$4tril, close to 4...
Winners and losers as the Ringgit falls
4 min read
China’s Yuan devaluation prompted a global sell-off in emerging markets’ currencies.China’s Yuan devaluation prompted a global sell-off...
Is fiscal federalism the answer?
3 min read
THE complaint that state governments are given insufficient funds to operate at the local level is as old as the nation’s half-century history.Malaysia...
Penang's economic fate: A tale of three cities
9 min read
CHARLES DICKENS ASIDE, there was another A Tale of Two Cities told by Alwyn Young, about economic growth in Singapore and Hong Kong. They are two of four Asian...
Thinking of investing in properties?
5 min read
HAVE WE BEEN MISSING OUT? This is often asked in relation to where we should park our money, after hearing stories about windfalls from property gains. The re...
Capital movements and Penang’s manufacturing sector
11 min read
BUSINESS NEWS in the past few months has highlighted concerns about capital flight – how Malaysia’s foreign reserves have fallen sizeably despite a...
Much has changed, but much remains the same
9 min read
Fifteen years or so ago, Malaysia’s Second Industrial Master Plan introduced the strategy of “manufacturing plus-plus” which was fondly descri...
Unravelling the figures
8 min read
The Bank Negara (Penang branch) building on Light Street.Official numbers for the Malaysian economy are released twice every year, in March by Bank Negara...
Moving beyond manufacturing
7 min read
AS A MAJOR manufacturing country, Malaysia is necessarily a huge market for many imported commodities. It is important to clearly identify the more expensive im...
Buses bring economic benefits
10 min read
IntroductionIt is not customary for Malaysians to see cost and benefit reports for public investments, even though fiscal spending on development projects h...
A matrix to predict Penang’s population distribution
9 min read
There is a policy document, I am told, that says 40% of Penangites shall, in the near future, be living on the island and the other 60%, on the mainland. One...