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A country’s economic competitiveness hinges on a solid foundation of quality human capital. The MADANI “Empowering the People” economic framework anchors the government’s commitment to human capital development with measurable goals, including positioning Malaysia in the top 12 of the Global Competitiveness Index (2023: 27th) and top 25 of the Human Development Index (HDI) (2021: …

Gains in productivity and education are integral to wage policies Read More »

The palm oil market is expected to show a slightly positive price trend going into 2024. Crude palm oil futures prices for the remainder of the year and into 2024 are projected to range between RM3,700/metric tonne (MT) and RM4,100/MT. The edible oils market is currently recovering from the substantial selling pressures witnessed in sunflower …

Crude palm oil outlook: MARC Ratings forecasts slightly positive trend Read More »

The global interest rates outlook is at a crossroads following aggressive monetary policy tightening in advanced economies. The nascent global economic recovery has been uneven thus far, with a confluence of factors shaping the economic landscape and adding uncertainties to the global and domestic interest rate outlook. This includes persistently elevated inflation in the advanced …

MARC Ratings releases forecasts of key monetary variables: A cautiously optimistic 2024 outlook Read More »

The worldwide energy landscape is currently experiencing a complex interplay of factors that are shaping the oil market’s near-term price outlook. Amid ongoing geopolitical conflicts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, supply disruptions, expectations of steady global gross domestic product (GDP) growth in 2024, and the persistence of medium-term oil dependency despite evolving environmental …

Oil price outlook: MARC Ratings anticipates higher prices Read More »

On October 13, 2023, the Malaysian government tabled its Budget for 2024, the largest on record with an allocation of RM393.8 billion (Budget 2023: RM388.1 billion), albeit slightly lower than the spending amount for 2023 estimated at RM397.1 billion. The government has allocated for a higher operating expenditure of RM303.8 billion (2023 estimate: RM300.1 billion), …

Budget 2024: Reforms on the horizon, further fiscal consolidation would be beneficial Read More »

Malaysia continues to maintain its policy commitment to worker welfare, through its ongoing review of wage policies. In July 2023, Malaysia increased the minimum wage from RM1,200 to RM1,500, extending its applicability to micro-enterprises with a staff size of less than five. The minimum wage of RM1,500 was already in effect since May 2022 for …

Recommendations on Malaysia’s ongoing development of wage policies Read More »