With the U.S. election over, what ripple effects will the political shifts bring to Malaysia’s market? Join us as we explore the aftermath, adjustments, and opportunities on the horizon. Don’t miss out—tune in on Wednesday, November 13, at 8 p.m. for an exclusive live stream hosted by Nanyang Siang Pau (NYSP) in collaboration with KOLs Zeff Tan and Max Tan Kyzen from Moomoo. We’ll cover the post-election outlook, market reactions, and offer f...

TRX Shopping Center initially attracted attention across the city upon opening, but now market insiders have found that high foot traffic may not necessarily translate into high sales volume.
After conducting on-site research, the Kenag Investment Bank's research report released today pointed out that although the opening effect of TRX Shopping Center is good, the foot traffic does not necessarily mean an increase in sales of luxury brands.
Analysts said: "When the mall first opened in November 2023, it attracted a large number of shoppers to explore the newly launched luxury brands."
"However, most retail tenants of the shopping center now believe that the previous hype is gradually fading, leading to a significant decrease in the number of shoppers coming to the store."
Interviewed retailers also pointed out that during the busy lunch period, foot traffic concentrated on the bottom dining floor of the mall does not directly drive sales of luxury brands.
The survey results also show that the sales of luxury brands in the mall have been declining since mid-2024.
"This is mainly attributed to seasonal factors, as there are no festive events such as Lunar New Year or Eid to effectively stimulate consumer spending."
From a pricing perspective, the rate at which luxury brands raise prices has also slowed down because in the current economic environment, retailers have adopted more cautious pricing measures to maintain competitiveness and attract sales.
The survey found that the price increase range of respondents is mainly within 5%.
Ringgit appreciation adversely affects sales volume.
In addition, surveyed retailers also indicated that affluent consumer cohorts tend to choose to purchase luxury goods abroad when the ringgit is strong, which further...

The appreciation of the Malaysian Ringgit against the US Dollar was just a flash in the pan. As the US election intensifies, coupled with our country's economic dependence on exports to the US and overvaluation, the Ringgit is more vulnerable to political fluctuations.
Bloomberg reported that since October, the Malaysian Ringgit, along with the Thai Baht, as well as emerging market currencies like the Chilean Peso, South Korean Won, and Brazilian Real, have all declined by about 4% against the US Dollar, showing weakness.
Apart from the impact of the Fed's slowing rate cut expectations, the weak performance of the Malaysian Ringgit is also attributed to disappointing Chinese stimulus measures and the increased tariff risks following Trump's victory.
After China's "Eleven" Golden Week, several incentive measures were released, which did not meet market expectations and reduced confidence in China's economic stimulus. However, compared to the Chinese factors, the impact of the tariff proposal that Trump may implement after being elected president on the currency performance is greater, after all, the United States is one of the three major export markets for Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, Brazil, and Chile.
The Ringgit and Thai Baht appreciated against the US Dollar by approximately 14% in the third quarter. Based on the high base effect, the future trends of both currencies may be more fragile.
The Fed's interest rate cut once pushed the Ringgit from the level of 4.60 to near 4.00, reaching a peak of 4.096 on September 30.
However, as market expectations for the Fed to slow down interest rate cuts strengthen, coupled with the uncertainty of the US election and the rise of global risk aversion, the demand for the US Dollar has increased, causing the Ringgit's gains to be reversed.
At 12:30 noon, the Ringgit against the US Dollar has fallen to 4.3428, partially offsetting the gains in September.
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💵 Malaysian Ringgit M...

The 2025 fiscal budget is about to be announced, analysts predict that the exemption of import taxes and consumption taxes for electric vehicles may not be extended; therefore, the focus of the automotive industry is on how the budget will further promote incentives for local assembly of electric vehicles.
Industrial investment bank released a report today, analyzing the prospects of the Malaysian automotive market, indicating that the main focus of the current automotive market still revolves around accelerating the popularization of electric vehicles. The upcoming budget is expected to focus on developing the electric vehicle ecosystem, driving incentives, and supporting the construction of public charging stations.
"We believe that the government may introduce new incentive policies to attract more original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to manufacture and assemble electric vehicles locally."
With more consumers choosing electric vehicles, the prospects for the Malaysian electric vehicle market look promising, but analysts point out that the market's true boom may have to wait until 2025, when the tax exemption for whole imported electric vehicles priced at 0.1 million ringgit expires, and more economical electric vehicles produced by local manufacturers enter the market.
"With the release of Baoteng's first electric vehicle e.MAS 7, as well as plans for the second domestically produced vehicle to launch an electric vehicle by the end of 2025, we believe the government will prioritize providing incentives to encourage local assembly of electric vehicles."
He added that the popularity of electric vehicles is rapidly increasing, with 5,100 electric vehicles registered in the third quarter of 2024, a staggering increase of 74% year-on-year; bringing the total to 58,000 vehicles in the first 9 months, a growth of 114%. Among them,...