India, Asean Agree To Review FTA By 2025

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 (NNN-Bernama) — India and ASEAN member countries on Monday (Aug 21)  have agreed to review their free trade pact for goods and set a goal of concluding the review by 2025, said ASEAN-India Business Council (AIBC).   AIBC co-chairman Ramesh Kodammal said a Joint Committee of the ASEAN-India Trade…

Malaysian Ringgit Opens Lower Against Firm US Dollar

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 (NNN-Bernama) — The ringgit opened lower against the US dollar Monday, as the greenback stayed firm following hawkish comments from the United States (US) Federal Reserve (Fed) chair  Jerome Powell.  Powell reiterated his defence for “higher for longer” rates at the Jackson Hole Symposium last Friday, which continued to support the greenback, said…

Malaysian Foreign Minister Undertakes Official Visit To Iran

PUTRAJAYA (Malaysia) Aug 20 (NNN-Bernama) — Malaysian Foreign minister Zambry Abdul Kadir will undertake his maiden official visit to Iran from Sunday (Aug 20) to Aug 23 at the invitation of his counterpart, Hossein Amirabdollahian.  During the visit, Zambry is expected to pay a courtesy call on Iranian leaders and hold a bilateral meeting…

Japan Will Be Transparent On Fukushima Treated Water Release Plan

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 19 (NNN-Bernama) — Japan has reaffirmed that it will maintain transparency with the international community in relation to Tokyo’s contentious proposal to discharge treated water from the decommissioned Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean.  More than 1.33 million cubic metres of water that has accumulated…

Malaysia’s Economy To Maintain Growth Trajectory In The Second Quarter – Economists

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 11 (NNN-Bernama) — Malaysia’s economy is expected to maintain its growth trajectory in the second quarter of the year (2Q 2023) albeit at a moderate rate of between 2.9 per cent and 4.2 per cent as high base effect kicks in, according to banks and research houses.…

ASEAN Member States Envisaged To Grow Stronger Amidst Current Global Geopolitical Challenges – Malaysian Foreign Minister

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 8 (NNN-Bernama) — ASEAN member states are envisaged to grow stronger as the regional bloc’s position becomes more important amid the current global geopolitical challenges, said Foreign Minister, Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir. He said therefore in light of the alarming issues evolving around the region, ASEAN remains…

Malaysia Anticipates 18 Million Foreign Visitors This Year, Says Tourism Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 8 (NNN-Bernama) — Malaysia is poised to surpass its international tourist arrival target for this year by achieving an arrival of at least 18 million visitors, exceeding the initial target of 16.1 million tourists, said the Director General of Tourism Malaysia, Ammar Abdul Ghapar. He said the…

Malaysian Ringgit Opens On A Positive Note Vs Greenback

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 7 (NNN-Bernama) — The ringgit kick-started the week on a positive note, opening higher against the US dollar Monday as the US Dollar Index (DXY) declined on Friday last week. At 9.10 am, the local note rose to 4.5430/5500 against the greenback compared with 4.5515/5565 at Friday’s close.  Bank…

Investment Momentum In Malaysia To Stay Positive For Q2 2023 — Minister

KUALA LUMPUR, July 29 (NNN-Bernama) — Malaysia’s investment momentum, which has seen strong growth since the first quarter of 2023 (Q1 2023), is expected to maintain its upward trajectory in Q2 2023, said Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz.  He said in Q1 2023 Malaysia had secured RM71.4…

Malaysian Ringgit Falls Versus Us Dollar Ahead Of Federal Open Market Committee Meeting

KUALA LUMPUR, July 25 (NNN-Bernama) — The ringgit opened lower against the US dollar Tuesday ahead of Wednesday’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) interest rate announcement.  As the US Federal Reserve is widely expected to raise interest rates by another 25 basis points, investors are looking forward to the accompanying statement to gauge…