MONTHLY NEWS SCAN
Tinjauan Berita Bulanan
Compiled by IDS
Vol. 17 Issue 8
1 – 31 August 2012
IDS Online http://www.ids.org.my
HIGHLIGHTS
FOKUS
• Eurozone economy shrinks by
0.2%
• G-7 countries call for increased
oil output to meet demand
• Malaysia
diiktiraf
pusat
kewangan Islam
• Germans say Malaysia one of the
most attractive investment spots
• RM112m boost for Sabah schools
• Kota Belud pusat industri
minyak, gas Sabah
INTERNATIONAL
ANTARABANGSA
currency retreated and investors
increased bets on an interest-rate cut.
The jobless rate gained to 6.8 percent
from 6.7 percent in the first quarter,
Statistics New Zealand said in a
report today in Wellington. The
median estimate in a Bloomberg
survey was 6.5 percent. Employment
dropped by 0.1 percent, or 2,000
jobs, from the first quarter, when it
increased 0.4 percent. (9 August,
Bloomberg)
Singapore trims growth forecast on
global slowdown risks: Singapore cut
the upper end of its economic growth
forecast for 2012 as a global
slowdown from Europe to China
weighs on the island’s expansion.
The Southeast Asian country’s gross
domestic product will probably rise
1.5 percent to 2.5 percent this year,
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said
in a televised message yesterday on
the eve of the city state’s National
Day. The government previously
predicted growth of 1 percent to 3
percent. The economy grew 1.7
percent in the first half, he said.
“Europe and the U.S. face serious
economic problems,” Lee said. “Asia
is doing better than other regions, but
China and India are slowing down.”
(9 August, Bloomberg)
Russia holds rates for eighth
month as inflation quickens:
Russia’s central bank refrained from
raising borrowing costs for an eighth
month even as inflation accelerated,
saying higher interbank rates were
already subduing lending growth.
Bank Rossii’s main refinancing rate
was left at 8 percent, a quarter-point
above the record low, the Moscowbased central bank said in a statement
on its website today. The decision
was predicted by 18 of 19 analysts in
a Bloomberg survey. The overnight
auction-based repurchase rate was
kept at 5.25 percent and the overnight
deposit rate will stay at 4 percent. (10
August, Bloomberg)
Australians’ confidence wanes,
wages
gain
in
conundrum:
Economy: Australian consumer
confidence fell by the most in five
months even as wages climbed,
sending mixed signals on the
economy as the central bank weighs
whether to hold interest rates at a
developed-world
high.
The
sentiment index dropped 2.5 percent
to 96.6, according to a Westpac
Banking
Corp.
(WBC)
and
Melbourne Institute Aug. 6-10 survey
of 1,200 consumers released in
Sydney today. A government report
showed the wage-price index, which
measures hourly pay rates excluding
bonuses, rose 3.7 percent in the
second quarter from 12 months
earlier as mine workers’ pay surged.
(15 August, Bloomberg)
German business confidence falls
again, says IFO: German business
confidence has fallen for the fourth
month in a row to a 29-month low,
according to the closely-watched IFO
survey. The index compiled by the
think tank fell to 102.3 in August
from a downwardly revised 103.2 in
July. The survey of 7,000 firms
suggests businesses are increasingly
nervous about Germany’s ability to
withstand the weak eurozone
economy. Growth in Europe’s largest
economy slowed between April and
June to 0.3%. “Enterprises are
increasingly pessimistic about their
business
development,”
IFO
president Hans-Werner Sinn said.
“The German economy is weakening
further.” (27 August, BBC News)
Japan cuts economic view amid
slowing exports: The Japanese
government cut its view of the
economy in August for the first time
in 10 months as slowing exports
weighed on production and consumer
spending failed to expand. In its
monthly economic report released
Tuesday, the government said the
economy is “on the way to recovery
at a moderate pace” but added that
“weak movements have been seen
recently.” The government expects
reconstruction-related spending after
the March 11, 2011, earthquake and
tsunami to continue to support
domestic demand, but downside risks
remain amid an unclear outlook for
the global economy. (27 August, The
Wall Street Journal)
French
leaders
return—to
worsening economic outlook: The
French government returned from
vacation on Wednesday facing the
rising challenge of cutting the deficit
and delivering on election promises,
while acknowledging it may have
been overly optimistic about the
strength of the economy. Over the
summer, France’s economic outlook
has fallen sharply, and many
economists now see gross-domesticproduct growth below the 1.2% the
government has forecast for next
year. The average 2013 GDP growth
forecast in August of economists
polled by Consensus Economics fell
to 0.5% from 0.7% in July. (22
August, The Wall Street Journal)
Eurozone economy shrinks by
0.2%: The economy of the eurozone
shrank 0.2% in the three months from
April to June compared with the
previous quarter. The figures from
Eurostat covering the 17 countries
that use the euro followed zero
growth in the previous quarter.
Europe’s biggest economy, Germany,
grew by 0.3% in the second quarter,
helped by exports and domestic
consumption. France announced its
economy had recorded zero growth in
the period, which was better than had
been expected. The French economy
had also posted zero growth in the
previous two quarters. (14 August,
BBC News)
G-7 countries call for increased oil
output to meet demand: The Group
of Seven nations called on oilproducing countries to increase
output and are monitoring the threats
to their economies posed by high oil
prices, according to a joint statement
issued today by the U.S. Treasury
Department. “We remain vigilant of
the risks to the global economy,” the
G-7 said. “In this context and mindful
of the substantial risks posed by
elevated oil prices, we are monitoring
the situation in oil markets closely.”
The G-7 said it’s prepared to call
upon the International Energy
Agency, a 28-member group of oil
consuming countries, “to take
appropriate action to ensure that the
market is fully and timely supplied.”
(28 August, Bloomberg)
N.Z. jobless rate rises to two-year
high of 6.8%; Kiwi falls: New
Zealand’s
unemployment
rate
unexpectedly rose to a two-year high
last quarter, adding to evidence of a
weak economic recovery. The local
1 – 31 August 2012
MONTHLY NEWS SCAN (Tinjauan Berita Bulanan)
1
NATIONAL
NASIONAL
Malaysia diiktiraf pusat kewangan
Islam: Jemputan Sudan untuk
Malaysia
menubuhkan
bank
kewangan Islam di negara itu
membuktikan
bahawa
dunia
mengiktiraf Malaysia sebagai pusat
dan hub kewangan Islam. Menteri
Kewangan Kedua, Datuk Seri Ahmad
Husni Hanadzlah berkata, kerajaan
bagaimanapun perlu berbincang
dengan bank yang terlibat berhubung
jemputan
itu.
“Berhubung
permohonan daripada negara Sudan,
perkara ini kita perlu berbincang
dengan pihak bank, sama ada mereka
bersedia untuk pergi ke Sudan atau
tidak,” katanya kepada pemberita
selepas program membeli-belah
bersama anak-anak yatim di sebuah
pasar raya di Ipoh, semalam. (13
Ogos, Utusan Malaysia)
Germans say Malaysia one of the
most attractive investment spots:
German companies remain optimistic
about Malaysia’s economic and
business
prospects.
MalaysianGerman Chamber of Commerce and
Industry (MGCC) executive director
Alexander Stedtfeld said Germany’s
investment in Malaysia was expected
to remain broad based as it has been
all along. “Malaysia is one of the
most attractive business destinations
with a business friendly environment,
competitive cost structure, a wellskilled workforce as well as a base
for regional activities,” Stedtfeld
said. (10 August, Business Times)
Industri mineral berkembang:
Industri mineral Malaysia, yang
menghasilkan mineral utama bernilai
RM6.18 bilion tahun lepas, dijangka
berkembang tahun ini dan seterusnya,
didorong oleh peningkatan aktiviti
penerokaan dengan permintaan yang
kukuh. Dianggarkan nilai mineral
utama yang dikeluarkan pada 2010
adalah RM3.99 bilion. Jumlah
kelulusan dan pembaharuan bagi
lesen cari gali dan pajakan
perlombongan meningkat tahun lepas
dengan
kira-kira
50
pajakan
perlombongan baru diberikan oleh
pihak berkuasa negeri tahun lepas
dengan 152 pajakan perlombongan
yang dikeluarkan pada 2010. (25
Ogos, Utusan Malaysia)
Ekonomi suku ketiga, keempat
negara dijangka terus meningkat:
Keluaran Dalam Negara Kasar
(KDNK) dijangka terus mencatatkan
1 – 31 August 2012
pertumbuhan positif pada suku ketiga
dan keempat tahun ini ekoran
peningkatan pengeluaran minyak
mentah termasuk pelaburan swasta.
Menteri Kewangan Kedua, Datuk
Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah
berkata, kekuatan dalaman yang
dimiliki Malaysia itu juga dilihat
mampu
memperteguhkan
pertumbuhan
ekonomi
negara
biarpun perkembangannya turut
dipengaruhi oleh persekitaran global.
Beliau berkata, kedudukan ekonomi
negara turut berada dalam keadaan
stabil
memandangkan
eksport
Malaysia kelima negara Eropah yang
berdepan krisis ekonomi seperti
Greece, Ireland, Itali, Portugal dan
Sepanyol adalah rendah iaitu hanya
melibatkan 1.5 peratus. (20 Ogos,
Utusan Malaysia)
‘Malaysia and Cambodia can
boost trade links’: Malaysia and
Cambodia are set for stronger trade
and economic ties in the future by
riding on the robustness of various
business sectors. They include
banking, tourism, agriculture, textile,
manufacturing,
port,
energy,
infrastructure,
telecommunications
and property. International Trade and
Industry Minister Datuk Seri
Mustapa Mohamed said bilateral
trade between the two countries has
been growing at an average rate of 10
per cent for the past 10 years, well
above the growth of world trade at
six to seven per cent. “Cambodia is
one of the fastest growing Asean
economies right now and there are
many Malaysian businessmen with
many success stories here. (28
August, Business Times)
Malaysia’s
June
industrial
production index up 3.7% on-year:
Malaysia’s industrial production
index (IPI) recorded a 3.7% growth
in June from a year ago, but it
declined 1.9% from May. The
Statistics Department said on
Thursday the manufacturing index
recorded a 4.8% increase and
electricity 5.9% but there was a 0.3%
decline in the mining index. “The
manufacturing output in June 2012
registered a growth of 4.8%, on yearon-year basis. Output for May 2012
increased 6.7% (revised) as compared
with the same month last year,” it
said. “The output for the mining
sector recorded a marginal decrease
of 0.3% in June 2012 as compared
with the same month of 2011,” it
said. (9 August, The Star)
Malaysian economy to perform
well relative to other Asian nations:
The Malaysian economy is poised to
continue well relative to other Asian
nations as it is supported by strong
private consumption growth, says
Anthony Yau, Head of Asian
Emerging Markets at State Street
Global Advisors. He said the
country’s
economy
compared
favourably to other Asian nations in
terms of Gross Domestic Product
(GDP) growth. “Private consumption
has been the primary driver here as it
is among the strongest in the region
and continues to be supported by
widespread pay raises for civil
servants heading into the elections,”
he told Bernama. Yaw said populist
government policies should continue
to sustain domestic demand and
subsequent GDP growth. (9 August,
The Star)
Malaysia industrial output growth
slips: Industrial output in Malaysia
grew by 3.7 percent in June,
supported by stronger manufacturing
activities during the month. It was
slower from May’s 7.6 percent but
not unexpected said economists.
According
to
the
Statistics
Department, increases in activities
during June were mostly in transport
equipment and other manufactures,
petroleum, chemical, rubber and
plastic products. Alliance Bank chief
economist Manokaran Mottain said
June data showed that the
manufacturing activity is still on a
low gear, as it has posted a marginal
drop of 0.4 percent month-on-month.
(10 August, Business Times)
Exports
exceed
market
expectations: Malaysia’s exports
surged in June, pointing to a better
outlook for the economy in the
second quarter. However, economists
cautioned that the strength in external
demand is not likely to last, given the
uncertainties hovering in the global
economy. Exports exceeded market
expectations and a Business Times
poll, registering a growth of 5.4 per
cent to RM60.97 billion compared
with June 2011, while imports
increased by 3.6 per cent to RM51.78
billion. The International Trade and
Industry Ministry (MITI) said exports
of manufactured goods rose by 5.8
per cent and electrical and electronic
products, which are the largest subsector with a 33.6 percent share,
registered a 2.1 per cent increase. (9
August, Business Times)
MONTHLY NEWS SCAN (Tinjauan Berita Bulanan)
2
LOCAL
TEMPATAN
RM112m boost for Sabah schools:
The Federal Government has
allocated RM112 million for 429
government
schools,
Mission
schools,
Chinese
national-type
schools (SJKC) and governmentaided religious schools in Sabah
under its special stimulus package for
schools this year. Most of this or
RM95.9m goes to 283 government
schools, while RM10.8m are for 70
national-type
Chinese
schools,
RM3.7m for 74 Mission schools and
for two government-aided religious
schools, RM1.5m. This is part of the
RM900m allocated for schools
nationwide under the said stimulus
package meant to provide assistance
in
building,
upgrading
and
maintaining the schools concerned. (8
August, Daily Express)
Kota Belud pusat industri minyak,
gas Sabah: Penemuan telaga minyak
baru di perairan Kota Belud akan
membolehkan daerah itu menjadi
pusat industri minyak dan gas di
negeri ini. Ahli Parlimen Kota Belud,
Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan
berkata, justeru itu, kerajaan negeri
akan mengeksploitasi potensi industri
minyak dan gas di daerah itu sebaik
mungkin.
“Kita
telah
membincangkan
mengenai
pembangunan minyak dan gas dan
Ketua Menteri, Datuk Seri Musa
Aman secara prinsipnya telah
bersetuju mewujudkan satu pusat
kejuruteraan minyak dan gas di Kuala
Abai. “Kita berharap agensi yang
menerajui projek itu adalah agensi
yang paling berjaya dalam industri
itu,” katanya pada majlis Rumah
Terbuka Aidilfitri anjuran beliau
yang turut dihadiri oleh Musa, di
Tuaran semalam. (23 Ogos, Utusan
Malaysia)
K’jaan lulus intensif pengeluaran
getah kepada 23,738 pekebun
kecil:
Kerajaan
Negeri
telah
meluluskan insentif pengeluaran
getah untuk seramai 23,738 pekebun
kecil getah, kata Pembantu Menteri
Pembangunan Masyarakat dan Hal
Ehwal Pengguna, Datuk Herbert
Timbon Lagadan. Katanya, Lembaga
Industri Getah Sabah (LIGS) telah
diberi
tanggungjawab
untuk
mengendalikan dan melaksanakan
Skim Insentif Pengeluaran Getah dan
kadar insentif yang akan diberikan
adalah berdasarkan kepada hasil
1 – 31 August 2012
keluaran getah milik pekebun kecil
yang dijual kepada LIGS. (16 Ogos,
New Sabah Times)
Clean water soon for Pulau Gaya:
Gaya Island will soon have clean
water after the round-the-clock power
supply as the government strives to
improve the living condition of the
islanders. Deputy Chief Minister
Datuk Seri Yahya Hussin said the
government has allocated RM93
million to provide clean water to four
villages, namely Kesuapan, Lok
Baru, Lok Urai and Pulau Gaya on
the island. “The water project has just
kicked off early this month under the
first phase and by next year, the
island will enjoy uninterrupted clean
water,” he said. Yahya said the
residents in the four villages have just
begun enjoying 24-hour power
supply last Friday. (5 August, New
Sabah Times)
Togudon folks to get electricity
soon: Residents of Kampung
Togudon, Penampang have been
assured of power supply to their
homes soon. Sabah Electricity Sdn
Bhd
(SESB)
representatives
yesterday revealed that power supply
are already available and that it was
only a matter of connecting the
power to their homes. The assurance
was given during a dialogue held at
the village, located about 25km from
here near the Tambunan border, in
the presence of Moyog assemblyman
Datuk Donald Mojuntin. Also present
were Datuk Philip Lasimbang, who is
the political secretary to Penampang
MP Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, district
officer William Sampil, village head
Gamato Galagub and Village
Security and Development committee
chairman, Dalin Emmanuel. (24
August, New Sabah Times)
Tambunan’s water woes to end
next year, says Pairin: Five million
ringgit has been allocated to resolve
the water problem here. Deputy Chief
Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin
Kitingan said the water supply
interruptions which often happened
during the rainy season would be
overcome by February next year.
Pairin who is also Infrastructure
Development Minister said this when
he inspected upgrading work at the
water intake at Sungai Tondulu
yesterday. He said he was happy with
the work progress. Meanwhile,
district water engineer Geofry Lausi
said the upgrading work which
started in April was now 53 per cent
completed. (5 August, New Sabah
Times)
RISDA developing 6,500 hectares
for Sabah’s replanting assistance
programme:
Rubber
Industry
Smallholders Development Authority
(RISDA) is developing 6,500
hectares (ha) of land in Sabah
through the replanting assistance
programme. State RISDA Deputy
Director Ramli Tumin said the
development will be implemented
this year involving 3,000 participants
comprising smallholders and targeted
at rural areas. He said a total of
RM37 million is allocated for the
programme aimed at helping
participants generate income and lift
them out of poverty. Through this
programme, they will be given
assistance of RM14,000 per ha
covering fertiliser, seedlings and
cash, he told Bernama after the
launch
of
RISDA
village
development by Beluran Member of
Parliament, Datuk Ronald Kiandee,
here in Telupid today. (12 August,
New Sabah Times)
Two projects in Tawau involving
public-private cooperation to take
off soon: Two projects in Tawau
worth millions of Ringgit and which
will have a positive impact on the
nation’s economy are in the process
of implementation involving publicprivate sector collaboration. Chief
Secretary to the Government Datuk
Seri Ali Hamsa said one of the
projects was the geothermal power
plant in Apas Kiri involving a private
investment of RM500 million and
capable of generating 30MW of
electricity (during the first phase of
the project), while the other was the
Sipadan Mangrove Resort project. On
the geothermal project which will
commence soon, he said although it
involved a large private sector
investment, the government had put
in 10 per cent of the investment
value. (13 August, New Sabah
Times)
SEDCO peruntuk RM7 juta untuk
bina 28 unit rumah kedai di Sabah
tahun
depan:
Perbadanan
Pembangunan
Ekonomi
Sabah
(SEDCO) memperuntukkan kira-kira
RM7 juta tahun depan bagi membina
28 unit rumah kedai untuk usahawan
Bumiputera
di
negeri
ini.
Pengerusinya Datuk Mohd Arifin Md
Arif berkata daripada jumlah itu, 12
unit akan dibina di Pelantung, Beluran manakala masing-masing lapan
unit dibangunkan di Rancangan
Sungai Manila, Sandakan dan pekan
Tengilan di Tamparuli. (29 Ogos,
New Sabah Times)
MONTHLY NEWS SCAN (Tinjauan Berita Bulanan)
3
SELECTED FACTS AND FIGURES
FAKTA MUTAKHIR
INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION INDEX (IPI), MALAYSIA, JUNE 2012
Seasonally Adjusted Index
Sector
Original Index
Index
% Changes
Month-on-month
Index
% Changes
Year-on-year
111.8
-1.9
111.4
3.7
Mining Index
84.9
-1.1
80.5
-0.3
Manufacturing Index
122.5
-0.4
124.3
4.8
Electricity Index
130.6
0.5
132.3
5.9
IPI
(Source: 9 August, Department of Statistics Malaysia)
INDEX OF DISTRIBUTIVE TRADE, MALAYSIA, SECOND QUARTER 2012
Sub-sector
Original
Volume Index
% Change
Seasonally
YoY
Adjusted
4.0
122.7
% Change
QoQ
2.4
Index Distributive Trade
122.3
Index of Wholesale Trade
125.5
3.1
125.5
2.8
Index of Retail Trade
120.7
3.7
121.9
1.4
Index of Motor Vehicles
118.1
7.1
117.7
3.4
(Source: 13 August, Department of Statistics Malaysia)
PERFORMANCE OF DISTRIBUTIVE TRADE SECTOR, MALAYSIA, SECOND QUARTER 2012
Sector
Distributive Trade
Sales value
Second Quarter
% Change
(RM million)
YoY
QoQ
208,607
6.7
2.3
Number of persons
Second Quarter
% Change
(Number)
YoY
QoQ
1,551,816
1.3
-0.1
Wholesale Trade
107,481
3.9
2.2
309,964
2.0
0.4
Retail Trade
70,237
9.3
1.8
924,679
1.2
-0.2
Motor Vehicles
30,889
10.7
4.0
236,173
0.5
-0.7
(Source: 16 August, Department of Statistics Malaysia)
1 – 31 August 2012
MONTHLY NEWS SCAN (Tinjauan Berita Bulanan)
4
MALAYSIA’S PERFORMANCE OF THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR
Percentage change (%)
Quarter
No. of projects
Value of construction
work done (RM ‘000)
(QoQ)
(YoY)
8,818
8,585
7,648
20,348,855
17,725,906
15,040,543
14.8
0.4
-3.1
35.3
14.2
-6.0
Q2/ 2012
Q1/2012
Q2/2011
(Source: 17 August, Department of Statistics Malaysia)
MALAYSIA’S MAIN EXPORT MARKETS
Market
June 2012
June 2011
RM million
Total exports
China
Singapore
Japan
United States
Hong Kong
Australia
Thailand
South Korea
Indonesia
India
60,974.7
8,294.0
7,917.5
7,095.8
5,252.1
2,905.1
2,753.4
2,693.4
2,490.5
2,447.0
2,386.8
57,855.0
7,324.8
7,808.1
5,683.2
5,008.7
2,574.6
2,395.2
3,158.2
2,388.5
1,847.8
2,674.3
(Source: 9 August, Business Times)
PERCENTAGE CHANGE OF PPI (2005=100) FOR LOCAL PRODUCTION BY CATEGORY (MSIC 2000)
AND STAGE OF PROCESSING, MALAYSIA
Category
Code
Jul
2011
Index
Jun
2012
Jul
2012
100.00
137.0
135.1
136.3
0.9
-0.5
A
B
C
D
E
6.60
0.81
9.83
80.00
2.76
193.0
137.6
187.3
126.9
118.0
180.5
155.1
172.8
126.9
120.7
182.5
156.1
185.3
126.8
120.3
1.1
0.6
7.2
-0.1
-0.3
-5.4
13.
-1.1
-0.1
1.9
1
100.00
14.88
137.0
190.0
135.1
174.1
136.3
183.2
0.9
5.2
-0.5
-3.6
2
54.62
137.2
137.7
137.4
-0.2
0.1
3
30.50
111.0
111.3
111.3
0.0
0.3
Total
Agriculture
Fishing
Mining
Manufacturing
Electricity, gas and water supply
PPI by stage of processing
Crude materials for further
processing
Intermediate materials, supplies
and components
Finished goods
weight
Percentage
Jun 2012Jul 2011Jul 2012
Jul 2012
PPI: Producer Price Index
(Source: 30 August, Department of Statistics Malaysia)
1 – 31 August 2012
MONTHLY NEWS SCAN (Tinjauan Berita Bulanan)
5