THE call for Malaysia to increase the retirement age, due to its ageing population and high number of citizens with insufficient savings, has grown louder as the Covid-19 pandemic has further eroded their savings.
THE retail sector, with sales growth expected at 13.1% this year after falling 2.3% in 2021, is expected to stay buoyant for the time being, amidst risks of high inflation, interest rate hikes and possible global recession.
EXPORTS expanded strongly in June, growing by 38.8% year-on-year (y-o-y), but palm oil exports could face stiffer competition from Indonesia and oil and gas shipments could moderate on softening energy prices.
IN times of rising inflation, funding the hefty RM77.3bil subsidy bill has become so important that mega projects which carry substantial spin-off effects, may be delayed to make way for the subsidies.
THE US Federal Reserve’s (Fed) aggressive interest rate hike may have brought some certainty regarding its inflation control, but has also thrown up challenges to strike a fine balance and avoid a hard landing.