MONTHLY NEWS SCAN
Tinjauan Berita Bulanan
Compiled by IDS
Vol. 18 Issue 6
IDS Online http://www.ids.org.my
HIGHLIGHTS
FOKUS
• Euro crisis is over, says France’s
Francois Hollande
• US economy adds 175,000 jobs in
May
• Ekonomi negara dijangka terus
baik
• 15% sukuk growth seen
• Sabah expects more investments
• Najib lulus pinjaman RM235
juta bina loji rawatan air baru di
Keningau
INTERNATIONAL
ANTARABANGSA
Euro crisis is over, says France’s
Francois Hollande: French President
Francois Hollande has declared an
end to the eurozone debt crisis, which
has gripped the region for the past
four years. “What you need to
understand here in Japan is that the
crisis in Europe is over,” he told
Japanese business leaders on a trip to
the Far East. Much of Europe is
suffering from high unemployment
and recession. As recently as April,
there were fears about the future of
the euro due to confusion over
bailing out Cyprus. (9 June, BBC
News)
US economy adds 175,000 jobs in
May: US employment rose by
slightly more than economists had
predicted during May. The latest US
non-farm payrolls show that 175,000
jobs were created last month. But the
unemployment rate increased slightly
to 7.6%. Shares had mostly fallen in
the run up to the figures, as investors
worried that a strong report could
lead the Fed to slow its bond-buying
programme. That programme has
fired up a rally in the US equities
market this year. At close on Wall
Street on Friday, the Dow Jones had
climbed 207.50 points, or 1.38%, to
15248.12. The broader S&P 500 rose
20.82 points to 1643.38, while the
Nasdaq added 45.17 points to
3469.22. (7 June, BBC News)
World Bank cuts China growth
forecast: The World Bank has cut its
growth forecast for China amid
warnings of slower but more stable
1 – 30 June 2013
global growth over the coming
months. The bank now expects the
China to grow 7.7% in 2013, down
from its earlier projection of 8.4%. It
also cut the forecast for global
economic growth to 2.2% from 2.4%.
The bank said growth in China, the
world's second-largest economy, had
slowed as policymakers look to
rebalance its growth model. Over the
past few decades China has relied
heavily on exports and governmentled investment to boost its economy.
(13 June, BBC News)
U.K. unemployment declines as
recovery
gains
momentum:
economy: U.K. jobless claims fell
more than economists forecast in
May and a wider measure of
unemployment
also
declined,
providing further evidence that an
economic recovery is under way.
Jobless claims fell 8,600 from April
to 1.51 million, leaving the rate at a 2
1/2-year low of 4.5 percent, the
Office for National Statistics said
today in London. Unemployment as
measured by International Labour
Organisation methods fell 5,000 in
the three months through April to
2.51 million, a rate of 7.8 percent.
Employment rose 24,000 to a record
29.8 million. (2 June, Bloomberg)
Japan revises growth to 4.1% in
first quarter in boost for Abe:
Japan’s economy grew more than the
government initially estimated in the
first quarter, helping Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe to sustain confidence in
his campaign to defeat deflation.
Gross domestic product expanded an
annualized 4.1 percent, compared
with a preliminary calculation of 3.5
percent, the Cabinet Office said in
Tokyo today. The current-account
surplus for April was 750 billion yen
($7.6 billion), the finance ministry
said in a separate release. (10 June,
Bloomberg)
French jobless rate climbs to
highest level in 15 years: French
unemployment rose to 10.8% in the
first quarter of the year - its highest
level since 1998, official estimates
have shown. The jobless rate grew
from 10.5% in the last quarter of
2012, the official Insee statistics
agency said. The French economy
went into a recession after seeing
GDP fall by 0.2% in the first quarter.
President Francois Hollande has
MONTHLY NEWS SCAN (Tinjauan Berita Bulanan)
1 – 30 June 2013
pledged to boost jobs and growth, but
demand has been sapped by the
eurozone crisis. (6 June, BBC News)
German central bank cuts growth
forecasts for 2013 and 2014:
Germany’s central bank has cut its
growth forecast for the country, but
says the outlook for the economy has
“become brighter”. The Bundesbank
expects the economy to grow by
0.3% this year, down from an earlier
forecast of 0.4%. In 2014, it expects
1.5% growth, down from a previous
estimate of 1.9%. The Bundesbank
suggested that the worst could be
over for the eurozone, saying that in
the euro area “the economy appears
to be bottoming out”. “Nevertheless,
the Bundesbank sees continuing
structural problems as standing in the
way of a rapid improvement,” it
added. “This is likely to place a
major strain on the German
economy.” (7 June, BBC News)
Australia’s economic growth rate
misses forecasts: Australia’s growth
was lower than forecast in the first
three months of the year, as a dip in
investment offset gains in exports and
consumer spending. The economy
expanded at an annual rate of 2.5% in
the January to March quarter.
Compared with the previous three
months, growth was 0.6%. Most
analysts had forecast an annual
growth rate of closer to 2.7%. Some
analysts said that the weaker than
expected data was likely to increase
calls for a cut in interest rates. (5
June, BBC News)
Eurozone’s
manufacturing
downturn eases in May: The pace
of decline in the eurozone’s
manufacturing sector eased in May as
new orders picked up, according to a
closely-watched survey. Markit’s
Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI)
for the eurozone manufacturing
sector rose to 48.3 from April’s 46.7,
marking its highest level in 15
months. A reading below 50 indicates
shrinking activity. However, the
sector has now contracted for 22
months in a row, according to the
Markit survey. In Germany, Europe’s
largest economy, the PMI figure rose
to 49.4, just below the 50 threshold
and marking its highest level for
three months. (3 June, BBC News)
1
NATIONAL
NASIONAL
15% sukuk growth seen: The
Islamic finance industry will grow
15% annually in the next decade,
after syariah- compliant banking
assets surged in Asia in the past year,
according to a global standardssetting body. Holdings in Malaysia
rose 27% to RM344bil in the 12
months to April 30, according to the
central bank. In Indonesia, they
climbed 43% to 144.3 trillion rupiah
(US$15.2bil), official data show.
Rising consumer demand for banking
services was helping drive the
market, Jaseem Ahmed, secretary
general of the Kuala Lumpur-based
Islamic Financial Services Board
(IFSB), said in a June 21 interview.
(29 June, The Star)
Aktifkan peranan sektor ketiga:
Kerajaan perlu memberi galakan
kepada sektor ketiga yang diterajui
oleh badan-badan bukan kerajaan
(NGO)
untuk
bersama-sama
membangunkan ekonomi negara.
Pengerusi Majlis Amanah Rakyat
(Mara), Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh
berkata, langkah itu perlu kerana
pembabitan sektor ketiga mampu
mengurangkan
bebanan
dan
tanggungjawab yang dipikul oleh
kerajaan dalam membangunkan
negara. Mengambil Turki sebagai
contoh, Idris berkata, NGO-NGO di
negara itu telah membuktikan
bahawa sektor ketiga juga berupaya
mengerak dan memakmurkan negara
itu. (11 Jun, Utusan Malaysia)
Manufacturing
boosts
April
industrial output 3.2% on-year:
Malaysia’s industrial production
index (IPI) rose 3.2% in April from a
year
ago,
boosted
by
the
manufacturing and electricity sectors.
The Statistics Department said on
Monday the manufacturing and
electricity indices rose 5.7% and
3.4% respectively. However, mining
declined 3.6%. On the manufacturing
sector, it said the increases were due
to petroleum, chemical, rubber and
plastic products (10.4%); transport
equipment and other manufacturers
(12.2%); and non-metallic mineral
products, basic metal and fabricated
(11 June, The Star)
1 – 30 June 2013
Export
of
medical
devices
projected to hit RM12.5bil:
Malaysia’s export of medical devices
is expected to hit RM12.5bil this year
compared with RM11.7bil in 2011.
The Association of Malaysian
Medical Industries (AMMI) outgoing
chairman Daniel Lim said of the
RM12.5bil, about RM4.5bil worth of
devices was expected to be exported
by AMMI members. Speaking at a
briefing prior to AMMI AGM, Lim
said that AMMI’s 43 members
produced RM4.9bil worth medical
device products last year, of which
82% or RM4.3bil was exported and
the remainder sold in Malaysia (23
June, The Star)
May inflation rate up 1.7% onyear: Malaysia’s inflation rate in
May, measured by the consumer
price index, rose 1.7% from a year
ago, mainly due to food and nonalcoholic beverages and non-food.
The Statistics Department said on
Friday the index for food and nonalcoholic beverages and non-food
increased
3.0%
and
1.2%
respectively from a year ago. It said
the CPI, when compared with April,
increased by 0.2%. For the period
January to May, the inflation rate
increased by 2.1% to 104.5 compared
with 102.4 in the previous
corresponding period (22 June, The
Star)
Subsidi jejaskan industri gas:
Harga gas perlu ditentukan oleh
pasaran kerana pemberian subsidi
secara berterusan bagi bahan bakar
itu telah menjejaskan industri
tersebut. Presiden dan Ketua Pegawai
Eksekutif Petroliam Nasional Bhd.,
Tan Sri Shamsul Azhar Abbas
berkata, peserta industri kini sudah
mempunyai
fleksibiliti
untuk
menguruskan
risiko,
jaminan
keselamatan
dan
memenuhi
permintaan berdasarkan harga yang
ditentukan pasaran. Menurut beliau,
pemberian
subsidi
telah
menyebabkan kepincangan ketelusan,
mengurangkan
persaingan
dan
menghalang kemasukan pelaburan
baru. (5 Jun, Utusan Malaysia)
Gabenor Bank Negara Malaysia
(BNM), Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz
berkata, Keluaran Dalam Negara
Kasar
(KDNK)
akan
kekal
memandangkan ekonomi domestik
kukuh, permintaan perbelanjaan
tinggi, aktiviti pelaburan dan
pelaburan
swasta
yang
memberangsangkan. “Kita masih
yakin pertumbuhan ekonomi akan
berada sekitar empat hingga lima
peratus. (8 Jun, Utusan Malaysia)
Harga minyak sawit dijangka
terendah 20 bulan: Harga minyak
sawit mentah dijangka mengalami
penurunan sebanyak sembilan peratus
kepada paras terendah dalam tempoh
20 bulan ekoran kelembapan di China
dan Eropah yang mengekang
permintaan. Pengarah di Godrej
International Ltd., Dorab Mistry
berkata, kontrak hadapan bakal
menjunam
serendah
RM2,700
berbanding RM2,968 setan metrik
ekoran tiadanya rangsangan baru
Amerika Syarikat (AS) untuk
menghidupkan kembali pertumbuhan
menolak unjuran asal harga komoditi
tersebut bakal mencecah RM4,000
setan metrik. (9 Jun, Utusan
Malaysia)
Kepentingan
negara
jadi
keutamaan
dalam
TPP:
Kepentingan negara menjadi perkara
paling utama yang menjadi pegangan
Malaysia
semasa
mengadakan
rundingan Perkongsian Trans-Pasifik
(TPP). Menurut Menteri Perdagangan
Antarabangsa dan Industri, Datuk
Seri Mustapa Mohamed, perkara ini
telah diamalkan dalam setiap
rundingan
yang
membabitkan
perdagangan dengan negara-negara
luar termasuklah semasa rundingan
Perjanjian Perdagangan Bebas (FTA)
sebelum
ini.
Katanya,
dalam
rundingan TPP kali ini, perkara yang
membabitkan perolehan kerajaan
turut dibincangkan kerana negaranegara
menganggotai
TPP
menunjukkan minat terhadap pasaran
Malaysia. (21 Jun, Utusan Malaysia)
Eksport jatuh tidak jejas KDNK:
Pertumbuhan
ekonomi
negara
dijangka kekal sekitar empat hingga
lima peratus pada tahun ini,
walaupun
eksport
mengalami
penyusutan berbanding tahun lalu.
MONTHLY NEWS SCAN (Tinjauan Berita Bulanan)
2
LOCAL
TEMPATAN
Sabah expects more investments:
Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri
Musa Aman expects more investors
to come to the state this year and this
will help boost its economy. He said
this confidence was based on the
good investment performance in the
first quarter of the year, which saw
Sabah getting the highest private
investments of RM10bil. The value
of investments in various sectors for
the whole of last year reached
RM13.7bil. “We hope that more
investors will come to Sabah and we
now lead the other states in being
able to attract investments,” he said
on Saturday. (25 June, The Star)
Najib lulus pinjaman RM235 juta
bina loji rawatan air baru di
Keningau: Datuk Seri Najib Tun
Razak hari ini mengumumkan
bahawa
kerajaan
Persekutuan
meluluskan pinjaman berjumlah
RM235 juta kepada kerajaan negeri
Sabah untuk membina sebuah loji
rawatan air baharu untuk manfaat
kira-kira
200,000
penduduk
Keningau. Perdana Menteri berkata
pada masa ini segala dokumen
mengenainya sedang disiapkan dan
projek berkenaan akan dilaksanakan
sebaik sahaja proses penyediaan
dokumen berkenaan selesai. (17 Jun,
New Sabah Times)
RM6.3
juta
peruntukan
pelancongan Sandakan: Kira-kira
RM6.3 juta diperuntukkan untuk
membangunkan sektor pelancongan
di sini yang membabitkan sebuah
Pusat Konservasi Beruang Matahari
Borneo (BSBCC) termasuk Orang
Utan dan juga Hutan Simpan.
Bercakap kepada pemberita petang
kelmarin,
Menteri
Pelancongan
Malaysia, Datuk Seri Dr. Ng Yen
Yen, memberitahu sebanyak RM1.6
juta
diperuntukkan
untuk
membangunkan BSBCC di Pusat
Pemuliharaan Orang Utan Sepilok itu
termasuklah menjalankan kajian
pendidikan dan pameran untuk
menarik lebih ramai pelancong
berkunjung ke pusat yang kini
menjadi daya tarikan sebagai pusat
sedunia ini. (13 Jun, New Sabah
Times)
Lok Kawi – Sindumin road to be
upgraded: The government will
1 – 30 June 2013
upgrade the Lok Kawi-Sindumin
road to reduce traffic congestion and
provide better facility to road users.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Datuk
Seri Anifah Aman said the
government was very concerned
about the needs of the people and
would try to provide them the best
infrastructure facilities. “Tan Sri
Bernard Dompok and I have
requested the Prime Minister, Datuk
Seri Najib Tun Razak for the Lok
Kawi-Sindumin road to be upgraded.
(11 June, New Sabah Times)
1,875 keluarga miskin terima
bantuan 1Azam: Seramai 1,875
keluarga miskin di Sabah yang
berdaftar dengan e-Kasih dikenal
pasti sebagai penerima bantuan di
bawah program Akhiri Zaman
Miskin
atau
Teman
1Azam.
Pembantu Menteri Pembangunan
Sumber dan Teknologi Maklumat
negeri, Datuk Jainab Ahmad berkata,
setiap daerah akan menerima 75
bantuan peralatan untuk memulakan
perniagaan. “Ia merupakan satu
pendekatan yang mengoptimumkan
potensi individu berdasarkan bidang
kemahiran mereka supaya tidak terus
bergantung
kepada
bantuan
kerajaan,” katanya selepas majlis
penyerahan
barangan
bantuan
program
Teman
1Azam
di
Penampang, dekat Kota Kinabalu
semalam. (29 Jun, Utusan Malaysia)
Projek naiktaraf jalan raya di tiga
kampung disambut baik rakyat:
Projek naik taraf jalan di tiga
kampung dalam kawasan Dewan
Undangan Negeri (DUN) Sook
kawasan Parlimen Pensiangan yang
telah lama dinantikan penduduk kini
bakal dilaksana pada bila-bila masa.
Melalui lawatan kerja yang dilakukan
oleh Menteri Kerja Raya Malaysia,
Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansoor, barubaru ini telah mengumumkan
peruntukan Kerajaan Persekutuan
sebanyak RM11 juta bagi tujuan naik
taraf jalan yang akan memberi
manfaat kepada 3,000 penduduk di
sekitarnya disambut dengan penuh
kegembiraan. (29 Jun, New Sabah
Times)
K’jaan lulus RM54j atasi masalah
air di Menumbok: Tidak ada
masalah
yang
tidak
boleh
diselesaikan justeru kerajaan akan
sentiasa bersedia mendengar setiap
permasalahan yang disuarakan oleh
rakyat. “Sebagai contoh banyak
masalah-masalah
utama
yang
berkaitan
dengan
keperluan
pembangunan
untuk
rakyat
dilaksanakan untuk diselesaikan
seperti projek RM54 juta untuk kerjakerja membaik pulih bekalan air ke
Menumbok,” kata Setiausaha Politik
kepada
Menteri
Pembangunan
Infrastruktur Isnin Haji Aliasnih.
Beliau berkata kerja-kerja mengganti
paip utama dari Loji Limbawang ke
Kayul sedang dilaksanakan oleh
kontraktor. Isnin yang juga Timbalan
Ketua Umno Bahagian Beaufort
berkata demikian semasa merasmikan
mesyuarat berkelompok 7 cawangan
Umno KDM Kebulu pada Isnin. (13
June, New Sabah Times)
RM14.5 juta untuk golongan
nelayan: Sebanyak RM14.5 juta
disalurkan oleh kerajaan kepada
golongan nelayan di Sabah menerusi
Program Pembaikan Rumah Nelayan,
Kementerian Pertanian dan Industri
Asas Tani, sehingga setakat Jun
2012. Kelmarin, seramai 120 nelayan
di daerah ini turut menerima wang
bantuan mereka iaitu sebanyak
RM12,000 seorang, yang melibatkan
peruntukan bernilai RM 1.4 juta.
Wang
bantuan
berkenaan
disampaikan oleh Ahli Parlimen
Semporna
merangkap
Menteri
Kemajuan Luar Bandar dan Wilayah,
Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal dalam
satu majlis di Semporna. (6 Jun, New
Sabah Times)
RM11 juta naik taraf jalan di
Pensiangan: Lebih 3,000 penduduk
Kampung Mailo, Sodomon dan Biah
Skim di sini mampu menarik nafas
lega apabila kerajaan mengotakan
janji membina kemudahan jalan raya
yang lebih baik bagi menghubungkan
kampung mereka ke jalan utama
Keningau-Nabawan.
Kementerian
Kerja Raya pada Mac lalu menerima
permohonan daripada Ahli Parlimen
Pensiangan, Tan Sri Joseph Kurup
untuk menaik taraf kedua-dua batang
Jalan Mailo Sodomon sepanjang 1.85
kilometer dan Jalan Biah Skim
sepanjang 5.23 kilometer. Menteri
Kerja Raya, Datuk Seri Shaziman
Abu Mansor berkata, susulan
daripada itu pihak kementerian telah
bersetuju meluluskan peruntukan
sebanyak RM11 juta, iaitu RM5 juta
untuk Jalan Mailo Sodomon dan
Jalan Biah Skim; RM3 juta untuk
Jalan Lingkaran Biah serta RM2 juta
untuk jalan kecil. (26 Jun, Utusan
Malaysia)
MONTHLY NEWS SCAN (Tinjauan Berita Bulanan)
3
SELECTED FACTS AND FIGURES
FAKTA MUTAKHIR
(Source: 11 June, The Department of Statistics Malaysia)
PRODUCT PRICE INDEX, MALAYSIA (2005=100)
Index
Percentage change
PPI
Domestic Economy
Local Production
Import
May 2012
Apr 2012
May 2013
129.5
137.6
113.4
124.5
130.5
112.6
123.5
129.3
111.9
Apr 2012May 2013
-0.8
-0.9
-0.6
May 2012May 2013
-4.6
-6.0
-1.4
(Source: 28 June, Department of Statistics Malaysia)
GROSS FIXED CAPITAL FORMATION (GFCF) - TYPE OF ASSETS AT CONSTANT 2005 PRICES, 2012
Other assets, 1.6%
Biological cultivated
resources, 1.5%
Transport equipment,
13.5%
Structure, 46.9%
Intellectual property
products, 9.4%
ICT equipment &
other machinery &
equipment
27.1%
(Source: 25 June, The Department of Statistics Malaysia)
INTERNATIONAL MERCHANDISE IMPORTS, AUSTRALIA, MAY 2013
1 – 30 June 2013
MONTHLY NEWS SCAN (Tinjauan Berita Bulanan)
4
March 2013
April 2013
May 2013
$m
$m
$m
Food and live animals
800
737
830
Beverages and tobacco
164
168
164
Crude materials, inedible, except fuels
152
208
241
3 318
3 357
3 646
32
47
37
Chemicals and related products, n.e.s.
2 018
1 922
2 132
Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material
2 019
1 929
2 277
Machinery and transport equipment
6 985
7 108
7 575
Miscellaneous manufactured articles
2 020
2 222
2 447
550
926
758
18 059
18 623
20 106
Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials
Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes
Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere in the SITC
TOTAL
(Source: 19 June, Australian Bureau of Statistics)
THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX FOR JAPAN IN MAY 2013 WAS 99.8(2010=100)
Index
Monthly
Change(%)
Annual Change(%)
All items
99.8
0.1
-0.3
(All items, less imputed rent)
99.9
0.2
-0.3
Food
98.7
-0.1
-1.5
Housing
99.1
-0.1
-0.4
Fuel, light and water charges
111.7
2.2
4.6
Furniture and household utensils
90.0
-0.5
-2.5
Clothes and footwear
101.3
-0.1
0.1
Medical care
98.0
0.1
-0.8
Transportation and communication
102.8
0.0
0.5
Education
98.8
0.0
0.5
Culture and recreation
93.7
0.3
-1.6
Miscellaneous
104.3
0.0
0.6
All items, less fresh food
100.0
0.2
0.0
All items, less food (less alcoholic
beverages) and energy
98.5
0.1
-0.4
Goods
99.4
0.2
-0.6
Services
100.1
0.0
0.0
(10 Major Group Index)
(Goods and Service Group Index)
(Source: 28 June, Japan Statistic Bureau)
1 – 30 June 2013
MONTHLY NEWS SCAN (Tinjauan Berita Bulanan)
5