MONTHLY NEWS SCAN
Tinjauan Berita Bulanan
Compiled by IDS
Vol. 17 Issue 9
HIGHLIGHTS
FOKUS
• Global economy in twilight zone
as stocks suggest growth1
• Euro-Zone trade surplus widens,
wages rise
• IMF tell how Malaysia escaped
worst effects of global crisis
• KDNK 2013 tumbuh antara 4.55.5%
• Sabah’s poverty rate declining
• RM1b naik taraf jalan di Sabah
INTERNATIONAL
ANTARABANGSA
Global economy in twilight zone as
stocks suggest growth1: The world
economy is sliding into a “twilight
zone,” trapped between outright
expansion and renewed recession. “It
could go either way,” said Joachim
Fels, chief economist at Morgan
Stanley in London, who coined the
description in an Aug. 15 report. “It
doesn’t take much to tip us into a
global recession.” The quandary is
forcing central banks back to the fore,
with the Federal Reserve last week
embarking upon a third round of
quantitative easing and the European
Central Bank standing ready to buy
bonds. (18 September, Bloomberg)
Euro-Zone trade surplus widens,
wages rise: The euro zone’s trade
surplus widened in July as imports
fell, while wages picked up in the
second quarter, suggesting the
currency area’s economy is unlikely
to contract deeply this quarter. The
European Union’s official statistics
agency Eurostat said Monday that
exports of goods to the rest of the
world exceeded imports by €15.6
billion ($20.48 billion), up from
June’s €13.6 billion surplus. In a
separate report, Eurostat said hourly
wages in the second quarter were
1.6% higher than in the same period
of 2011, accelerating from a 1.5%
rate of growth in the first quarter. (17
September, The Wall Street Journal)
South Korea gets $5.2bn stimulus
boost as economy slows: South
Korea has unveiled a fresh $5.2bn
(£3.2bn) stimulus package, in a bid to
1 – 30 September 2012
1 – 30 September 2012
IDS Online http://www.ids.org.my
boost domestic demand as a
slowdown in exports continues to
hurt its economy. The package will
include tax breaks on personal
incomes and purchases of homes and
cars. South Korea’s exports, which
account for almost half its economic
output, have been hurt by slowing
demand from the US and eurozone.
Last week, Seoul said that its second
quarter growth had missed estimates.
(10 September, BBC News)
Japan revises down growth
numbers for second quarter: Japan
has revised down its growth numbers
for the second quarter, raising
concerns about a slowdown in the
world’s third-largest economy. The
government said that economy grew
at an annual rate of 0.7% during the
April to June period. That is down
from its earlier estimate of 1.4%.
Compared with the previous quarter,
the economy grew by 0.2%, also
lower than the previous figure of
0.3%. Slowing exports and subdued
domestic demand have hurt Japan’s
growth. (10 September, BBC News)
Russia to refrain from rate
increase on growth concerns:
Russia’s central bank will probably
refrain from raising interest rates to
contain surging consumer prices as
economic expansion comes under
pressure from deteriorating global
demand. Monetary-policy makers
will hold the refinancing rate at 8
percent, a quarter-point above the
record low, at a meeting tomorrow,
according to 12 of 15 economists in a
Bloomberg survey. Three forecast a
quarter-point
increase.
(12
September, Bloomberg)
UK trade deficit narrows in July as
oil exports rise: The UK’s trade
deficit narrowed in July, led by an
increase in oil exports to the
European Union. The deficit in July
totalled £1.5bn, compared with
£4.3bn in June, the official figures
showed. Exports of goods rose 9% to
£25.8bn, while imports shed 2.1% to
£32.9bn. For services, exports fell
0.9% to £15.6bn, while imports
declined
0.4%
to
£10bn.
Commerzbank
economist
Peter
Dixon said July’s figures were better
than expected. (11 September, BBC
News)
Singapore exports drop more than
estimated
on
electronics:
Singapore’s exports fell more than
economists estimated in August as
shipments of electronics dropped and
companies sold fewer goods to
Europe. The country’s currency
weakened. Non-oil domestic exports
slid 10.6 percent from a year earlier,
after a revised 5.7 percent increase in
July, the trade promotion agency said
in a statement today. The decline, the
first since March, exceeded all 15
estimates in a Bloomberg News
survey, where the median was for a 4
percent drop. (17 September,
Bloomberg)
N.Z.’s economic growth slows less
than forecast; kiwi gains: New
Zealand’s economic growth slowed
less than economists forecast last
quarter amid stronger farm output
and construction, bolstering a local
currency that’s the strongest among
major developed nations this year.
Gross domestic product rose 0.6
percent in the three months ended
June 30 from the previous quarter,
when it expanded a revised 1 percent,
Statistics New Zealand said in a
report released today in Wellington.
Growth was stronger than the central
bank’s 0.4 percent projection, which
was also the median estimate in a
Bloomberg News survey of 10
economists.
(20
September,
Bloomberg)
France budget: Taxes favoured
over spending cuts: France has
unveiled its budget for 2013,
avoiding big austerity spending cuts
in favour of higher taxes on the
wealthy and big businesses. French
Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault
confirmed that there is to be a new
75% tax rate for people earning more
than 1m euros (£800,000; $1.3m) a
year. But he insisted that nine out of
10 citizens will not see their income
taxes rise in the new budget. The
government plans to raise 20bn euros
in extra revenue. That compares to
10bn euros in spending cuts. (28
September, BBC News)
MONTHLY NEWS SCAN (Tinjauan Berita Bulanan)
1
NATIONAL
NASIONAL
IMF tells how Malaysia escaped
worst effects of global crisis:
Malaysia’s low
foreign bank
presence and the “very” low level of
foreign assets in its banks’ balance
sheets may have helped the country
avert the worst effects of the global
financial crisis, says the International
Monetary Fund (IMF). Malaysia has
low reliance on foreign liabilities
compared with its peers, the fund said
in its latest Global Financial Stability
Report. The report highlighted
Australia,
Canada,
India
and
Malaysia as having a relatively low
degree of exposure to international
banking and avoided the worst effects
of the worldwide crisis. (27
September, Business Times)
KDNK 2013 tumbuh antara 4.5 5.5%: Perkembangan pesat ekonomi
negara
membangun
dijangka
memainkan peranan penting kepada
negara untuk mencatatkan keluaran
dalam negara kasar (KDNK) di
antara 4.5 peratus hingga 5.5 peratus
bagi tahun 2013. Selain kedudukan
ekonomi negara maju yang kekal
sederhana,
faktor
penggunaan
domestik turut menjadi penggalak
pertumbuhan ekonomi negara. Bagi
2013, pelaksanaan fiskal negara terus
mencabar memandangkan kerajaan
perlu memenuhi pelbagai keperluan
atau matlamat yang berbeza. Usaha
pembangunan
berterusan
perlu
diteruskan bagi mengekalkan daya
saing negara dan pada masa sama,
mengawal perbelanjaan negara. (29
September, Utusan Malaysia)
IPI grows at slow 1.4pc in July on
weaker exports: The Malaysian
Industrial Production Index (IPI)
grew at a slower pace at 1.4 per cent
in July, on the back of weaker
exports. It came in below market
expectations as the index was
dragged down by mining activities.
The
mining
index,
however,
registered a decrease of 10.4 per cent,
due to the decrease in natural gas
index and crude oil index of 3.4 per
cent and 25.1 per cent, respectively.
The Statistics Department said the
IPI’s expansion was due to increases
in the manufacturing and electricity
sectors by 5.5 per cent and 2.8 per
cent, respectively. The major subsectors which reported increases were
petroleum, chemical, rubber and
plastic products and also transport
equipment and other manufactures.
(11 September, Business Times)
1 – 30 September 2012
‘Malaysia-Russia trade to soar’:
Trade between Malaysia and Russia
this year is expected to expand by 11
percent from the US$2 billion
(RM6.18 billion) recorded last year
through greater diversification of
economic linkages in areas such as
nano technology, energy and space
exploration. Russia’s ambassador to
Malaysia, Lyudmila G. Vorobyeva,
said there is also potential for tie-ups
in the tourism and education sectors
and in infrastructure development.
She also did not rule out the
possibility of a free trade agreement
(FTA) with Malaysia. “If we have
offers from Malaysia, why not?” she
said when asked on a possible FTA
with Malaysia during a media
briefing yesterday. (12 September,
Business Times)
CPO exports to pick up: The
Malaysian export of crude palm oil
(CPO) is expected to pick up in the
coming months, supported by the
opening of more markets from
emerging
economies
and
a
substantial discount to soybean oil.
Malaysian
Palm Oil
Council
chairman Datuk Lee Yeow Chor is
confident upcoming export figures
for the country will strengthen as
more markets open up in emerging
economies, especially from Africa,
Middle East and India. “This will
also be aided by supported by
substantial discount of palm oil to
soy bean oil at about US$200 per
tonne now,” he told reporters after
delivering welcoming remarks at
International Palm Oil Sustainability
Conference 2012 here in Putrajaya
yesterday. (11 September, The Star)
Exports down on slower economic
activities in major markets:
Malaysia’s exports fell 1.9% to
RM58.12bil in July compared with
the same month a year ago as its
major export markets, including
China and the European Union (EU),
reported slower economic activities.
“Slower economic activities in China,
South Korea, India and the EU
contributed to lower exports to these
markets in July 2012,” the Statistics
Department said. In July, total
imports rose by 9.5% to RM54.5bil
on-year following increased domestic
development and manufacturing
activities. Total trade in July grew
3.3% to RM112.62bil from a year
ago, mainly due to expansion in trade
by 11.4% with Asean; 1.3% with
China and 5.9% with the United
States. (8 September, The Star)
Industri getah jana RM52.9b:
Industri
getah
disasarkan
menyumbang kira-kira
RM52.9
bilion kepada pendapatan kasar
negara (GNI) pada 2020 dengan kirakira RM30 bilion atau 56.7 peratus
daripada jumlah itu disumbangkan
oleh industri pembuatan sarung
tangan. Timbalan Perdana Menteri,
Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin berkata,
menyedari potensi industri getah,
Program Transformasi Ekonomi
(ETP) yang dilaksanakan kerajaan
akan terus mempromosikan industri
tersebut sebagai salah satu sektor
penting dalam menjana pertumbuhan
ekonomi negara. (5 September,
Utusan Malaysia)
RM4.5 bilion lagi majukan luar
bandar: Sebanyak RM4.5 bilion
disediakan di bawah Program
Transformasi Kerajaan (GTP) 2.0
untuk melaksanakan pelbagai projek
pembangunan luar bandar termasuk
jalan, bekalan air dan elektrik serta
satu program baru yang diberi nama
Desa Lestari di seluruh negara tahun
depan. Perkara itu dinyatakan
Perdana Menteri, Dato’ Seri Najib
Tun Razak ketika membentangkan
Bajet 2013 di Dewan Rakyat hari ini.
Sambil melahirkan rasa syukur di
atas peruntukan tersebut, Menteri
Kemajuan Luar Bandar dan Wilayah,
Dato’ Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal
berkata, ia perlu memandangkan
pembinaan infrastruktur luar bandar
akan terus memberi impak yang
positif terhadap pembangunan di
kawasan berkenaan. (29 September,
Utusan Malaysia)
Industri
bioteknologi
jana
perolehan RM695.5 bilion: Industri
bioteknologi mempunyai masa depan
cerah di peringkat global dengan
keupayaannya
untuk
menjana
perolehan
mencecah
sehingga
AS$229 bilion (RM695.5 bilion)
serta mampu melahirkan usahawan
baru dan muda di negara ini. Menteri
Sains, Teknologi dan Inovasi, Datuk
Seri Dr. Maximus Johnity Ongkili
memberitahu,
daripada
jumlah
tersebut, sebanyak AS$83 bilion
(RM252 bilion) dihasilkan menerusi
industri herba bioteknologi. “Potensi
industri bioteknologi cukup besar
bagi negara ini yang kaya dengan
sumber semula jadi dan biodiversiti
apabila hampir 1,200 jenis tumbuhan
herba boleh menampung kegunaan
perubatan dan kesihatan, selain
beratus spesies herba masih belum
dieksploitasi sepenuhnya,” katanya.
(19 September, Utusan Malaysia)
MONTHLY NEWS SCAN (Tinjauan Berita Bulanan)
2
LOCAL
TEMPATAN
Sabah’s poverty rate declining: The
poverty rate in Sabah will continue to
decline based on a study which
showed a drop of 4.5 per cent from
24.2 per cent in 2004 to 19.7 percent
in 2009. Expressing confidence,
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Haji
Aman said the biggest decline in
poverty rate was 13.2 per cent which
was recorded in the interior – from 29
per cent in 2004 to 15.8 per cent five
years later. Musa who is also Finance
Minister said this clearly reflected the
commitment of both the state and
federal governments in addressing
poverty in the country. (7 September,
New Sabah Times)
RM1b naik taraf jalan di Sabah:
Kementerian
Kerja
Raya
memperuntukkan lebih RM1 bilion
bagi menaik taraf tiga jalan utama
sepanjang 132.7 kilometer di Sabah
bermula hujung tahun ini. Menteri
Kerja Raya, Datuk Seri Shaziman
Abu Mansor berkata, pada masa ini
pihaknya sedang giat membuat reka
bentuk pelan sebelum tender
dikeluarkan secara berperingkat.
“Tiga jalan utama itu ialah projek
menaik taraf dari Jalan Dongongon
ke Simpang Papar Spur sepanjang 42
kilometer sebanyak RM600 juta dan
Jalan
Kota
Kinabalu-Sindumin
sepanjang 9. 2 kilometer yang bakal
menelan kos RM218 juta. (16
September, Utusan Malaysia)
RM225
juta
untuk
projek
kebajikan: Kerajaan membelanjakan
RM225 juta setahun bagi membiayai
pelbagai bantuan kebajikan kepada
kumpulan rakyat yang dikenal pasti
tidak bernasib baik di negeri ini.
Menteri Pembangunan Masyarakat
dan Hal Ehwal Pengguna negeri,
Datuk Azizah Mohd. Dun berkata,
menerusi bantuan berkenaan ia
membuktikan
kerajaan
Barisan
Nasional
(BN)
tidak
pernah
mengabaikan
kebajikan
rakyat.
“Bantuan ini adalah ikhlas daripada
kerajaan bagi memastikan kebajikan
dan kesejahteraan rakyat terus
terbela,” katanya. Beliau berkata
demikian kepada para pemberita pada
Majlis Jelajah Sayang dan Hari Raya
Aidilfitri di Kampung Kekuro, di
Beaufort semalam. (15 September,
Utusan Malaysia)
1 – 30 September 2012
Sabah business friendly – Musa:
The State Government will continue
to formulate policies and procedures
that support a business friendly
environment, said Chief Minister
Datuk Seri Musa Haji Aman. Being
the second largest state in Malaysia,
he said there are vast opportunities in
Sabah especially in agriculture,
tourism and manufacturing as well as
oil and gas. “These sectors are
mapped out under several initiatives
like the Sabah Development Corridor
(SDC) and the federal governmentled
Economic
Transformation
Programme (ETP),” he said during a
meeting with Wu Bangguo, a
member of the Standing Committee
of the Political Bureau of the Central
Committee of the Communist Party
of China here in Kota Kinabalu
yesterday. (20 September, New
Sabah Times)
RM50 million Tawau CIQ ready
April: The congestion issue at the
ferry terminal here will be resolved
once the new ferry terminal costing
RM50 million is ready by April next
year. Sabah Federal Secretary Dato
Abu Bakar Hassan said the
construction began in August 2010
and it would be able accommodate
eight ferries and eight small boats at a
time. The new terminal would also
house the Customs, Immigration and
Quarantine (CIQ) office for the
convenience of local and foreign
visitors, including tourists. (20
September, Daily Express)
Klinik Bot Laut di kawasan pulau
di Tawau, Semporna: Perkhidmatan
Klinik Bot Laut bagi kawasan Pulau
Sebatik dan pulau di perairan
Semporna bakal dilaksana tahun
hadapan. Pengarah Jabatan Kesihatan
Negeri, Dr. Mohd. Yusof Ibrahim
berkata
jabatannya
akan
menyediakan perkhidmatan tersebut
bagi masyarakat yang tinggal di
sekitar kawasan pulau mendapatkan
rawatan kesihatan. Menurutnya,
kerajaan telahpun memberi kelulusan
untuk melaksanakannya dan akan
dilancarkan menjelang awal tahun
hadapan. “Penduduk yang tinggal di
kawasan pulau-pulau akan mendapat
manfaat dari perkhidmatan kesihatan
ini kerana dapat memudahkan
mereka mendapat rawatan kesihatan
dengan dan mengurangkan kos
perjalanan mereka,” katanya. (30
September, New Sabah Times)
Bright future for furniture makers:
There is bright prospect in the
furniture sector for Sabah and the
State Government welcomes the
move to make the state a garden
furniture industry hub, said Datuk
Seri Musa Haji Aman. Opening a
“Seminar on Sabah Furniture
Industry – A Potential Hub for
Outdoor Furniture” held at Pacific
Sutera Harbour, near here in Kota
Kinabalu yesterday, the Chief
Minister said the current world
furniture trade was estimated at
USD107 billion. The timber industry,
he said, was the backbone of the
socio-economic development and the
main source of state revenue,
contributing about RM100 million
annually. (25 Seeptember, New
Sabah Times)
1MDB peruntuk RM26 juta:
Yayasan 1Malaysia Development
Berhad
(1MDB)
menyalurkan
peruntukan sebanyak RM26 juta
tahun ini bagi melaksanakan program
Nadi Kasih di negeri ini. Majlis
pelaksanaan program di peringkat
negeri itu dilancarkan Ketua Menteri,
Datuk Seri Musa Aman di Kota
Kinabalu hari ini. Dalam ucapannya,
Musa berkata, kerajaan negeri amat
menghargai usaha Perdana Menteri,
Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak yang
telah menggerakkan inisiatif murni
program itu menerusi 1MDB. (28
September, Utusan Malaysia)
800 penduduk Kalabakan dapat
komputer riba 1Malaysia: Seramai
800 penduduk di kawasan Parlimen
Kalabakan
semalam
menerima
bantuan komputer riba 1Malaysia
daripada kerajaan bagi menggalakkan
mereka
memanfaatkan
dunia
teknologi maklumat. Ahli Parlimen
Kalabakan, Datuk Seri Abdul Ghapur
Salleh berkata, dengan kemudahan
itu, para penerima akan dapat
melayari Internet dan mengetahui apa
yang berlaku di dalam dan luar
negara. “Saya berharap kemudahan
ini dapat dimanfaatkan sebaikbaiknya
dan
bukannya
disalahgunakan. Pemberian bantuan
ini
menunjukkan
keprihatinan
kerajaan terhadap rakyat. Oleh itu,
kita harus menghargai usaha kerajaan
iaitu dengan memberi sokongan padu
pada pilihan raya,” katanya pada
majlis penyampaian komputer riba
1Malaysia itu di Tawau kelmarin. (26
September, Utusan Malaysia)
MONTHLY NEWS SCAN (Tinjauan Berita Bulanan)
3
SELECTED FACTS AND FIGURES
FAKTA MUTAKHIR
MALAYSIA PRODUCER PRICE INDEX (PPI), AUGUST 2012
(2005=100)
Index
PPI
August
2011
129.4
137.9
112.5
Domestic Economy
Local Production
Import
July
2012
128.7
136.3
113.9
Percentage change
August
2012
128.8
136.6
113.5
Jul 2012Aug 2012
0.1
0.2
-0.4
Aug 2011Aug 2012
-0.5
-0.9
0.9
(Source: 28 September, The Department of Statistics Malaysia)
ASEAN+3’S RELIANCE ON US$/EURO FUNDING (BONDS AND LOANS) CONTINUE TO SHRINK
Asean countries
Local currency bond markets
(US$ billion)
298
250
209
111
83
19
971
218
345
114
Malaysia
Thailand
Singapore
Indonesia
Philippines
Vietnam
Total @ Mar 2012
Total @ Dec 2000
Growth rate (%)
Total @ Dec1997
US$ bond market
29
9
69
34
43
3
186
56
233
46
(Source: 28 September, Business Times)
PERCENTAGE CHANGE OF PPI (2005=100) FOR LOCAL PRODUCTION BY CATEGORY (MSIC 2000)
AND STAGE OF PROCESSING, MALAYSIA
Category
Code
Total
Weight
Aug
2011
Index
Jul
2012
Aug
2012
100.0
137.9
136.3
136.6
Percentage change
Jul 2012Aug
Aug 2012
2011Aug
2012
0.2
-0.9
Agriculture
Fishing
Mining
Manufacturing
Electricity, gas and water supply
PPI by stage of processing
A
B
C
D
E
6.60
0.81
9.83
80.00
2.76
100.0
192.63
138.2
197.2
126.8
120.0
137.9
182.5
156.1
185.3
126.8
120.3
136.3
170.8
156.3
199.6
126.4
120.4
136.6
-6.4
0.1
7.7
-0.3
0.1
0.2
-11.3
13.1
1.2
-0.2
0.3
-0.9
Crude materials for further
processing
Intermediate materials, supplies
and components
Finished goods
1
2
14.88
54.62
196.7
137.0
183.2
137.4
189.1
136.3
3.2
-0.8
-3.9
-0.5
3
30.50
110.8
111.3
111.5
0.2
0.6
(Source: 28 September, The Department of Statistics Malaysia)
1 – 30 September 2012
MONTHLY NEWS SCAN (Tinjauan Berita Bulanan)
4
MALAYSIA IMPORTS JAN-JUL 2012, PERCENTAGE SHARE
Vietnam
8.4%
Philippines
2.8%
Other ASEAN
Countries
0.8%
Indonesia
19.3%
Singapore
47.5%
Thailand
21.2%
(Source: 7 September, The Department of Statistics Malaysia)
MALAYSIA EXPORTS, JAN-JUL 2012, PERCENTAGE SHARE
Other ASEAN
Countries
2.8%
Philippines
5.7%
Vietnam
6.2%
Indonesia
14.7%
Singapore
50.3%
Thailand
20.4%
(Source: 7 September, The Department of Statistics Malaysia)
1 – 30 September 2012
MONTHLY NEWS SCAN (Tinjauan Berita Bulanan)
5