ASEAN Speaks

In this final podcast episode for 2020, our strategists will share on their preferred markets and how you can position for 2021. Currencies is also an equally important criterion when investing in foreign markets, so find out how ASEAN currencies will benefit amidst a low USD environment, and firming commodity prices. ASEAN banks have been trending well of late as compared to the medical gloves sector. Will banks’ performance persist, and based on the latest 1QFY21 results of the gloves sector, is the best yet to come?

In today’s podcast, our conversations on the ASEAN capital markets will cover Fitch’s latest downgrade on Malaysia’s sovereign credit rating, Malaysia’s 3Q earnings season and our portfolio positioning strategy going into 2021. We will also go to Thailand and ask why our strategists have turned bullish on the Thai banking and property sectors despite student protests, slow tourism recovery and high household debt.

With Singapore’s manufacturing data still weak and the country being a proxy to global trade and demand, what does this say about the trajectory of recovery? Thailand’s export numbers are also similarly weak and the strength of the Thai Baht doesn’t help. This week, our equity and macro strategists will give their perspectives on these key developments, and what it means for different asset classes. We will also give a run down of Maybank Kim Eng's top calls for ASEAN banks as well as the Indonesian Property & Mining sectors.

Our specialists will speak on Malaysia’s 2021 Budget and how the construction sector is faring in this climate. We will also discuss about Bank Indonesia's latest rate cut and also why Maybank Kim Eng's technology analysts are overweight tech stocks in Singapore and Malaysia. Finally, we find out which countries are the biggest winners from the RCEP trade agreement and the implications for the FX market.

Welcome to the ASEAN Speaks’ podcast. This week, we will be speaking with Maybank Kim Eng’s Chief economist, Suhaimi Ilias, to get the lay-of-the land on key macro and policy trends. With our market strategists, Suhaimi will then assess if the positive market vibes over the last 1-2 weeks signal a silver lining in the skies for corporate earnings recovery in Malaysia, and how this sentiment may influence US treasury and ASEAN government bond yields.

Today’s conversation is with Maybank Kim Eng’s strategists on several major events and their impact on Asia’s capital markets. Topics include the implications of Joe Biden’s presidential election win and the USD; Malaysia’s 2021 budget and the read through on the country’s equities and fixed income markets; and lastly, whether the bounce in Singapore bank shares is a foreshadow of more positive developments to come.

Welcome to the ASEAN Speaks podcast. Today, the conversations will feature Maybank Kim Eng Research where our specialists will speak on four important themes: 1) a preview of Malaysia’s budget; 2) the industrial sectors where the V-shaped recovery is most evident in ASEAN; and 3) implications for the plantation and energy sectors if Biden wins the US presidential election.

Domestic politics in the US have been making headlines of late, but how often do we hear about China’s internal factionalism? What do we understand about President Xi Jinping, and the enigma behind the man? Dr Tan Kong Yam, former Chief Economist of Singapore and World Bank Senior Economist in Beijing, has spent much of his career engaging China on its economic policies. This podcast covers both sides of the equation how local polemics impact US-China relations.

The goal of developing sustainable business practices is to preserve the long-term viability of People, Planet and Profits. This podcast interview is with Datuk Abdul Farid Alias (Maybank's Group President & Chief Executive Officer), Dato' Mohamed Rafique Merican (Group Chief Executive Officer, Maybank Islamic), and Ami Moris (Chief Executive Officer, Maybank Kim Eng Group).

Stricken by the COVID-19 shutdown, China is now among the fastest to recover. The burning issue is: What happens to all of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects in ASEAN countries, many of which have closed their borders to contain the pandemic? From new ports and hydropower projects to railroads criss- crossing Asia, China’s massive infrastructure projects under the BRI have left awe and controversy in their wake. Find out what’s next for the BRI at our Captains Speak session with Mukhtar Hussain, Head of Belt and Road Initiative for Asia Pacific at HSBC, and Chairman of HSBC Singapore PLC.