2020 GDP projection kept at -5.5% to -3.5% despite Covid-19 resurgence
According to Bursa Malaysia Bhd’s chief executive officer Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift, its education programmes are aimed to increase investor awareness of financial frauds and scams, which are on the rise, as financial products become more complex. An educated investor is less likely to fall prey to financial frauds. He sounded the exchange’s ceremonial gong in front of the session’s virtual audience to mark the ‘Ring the Bell for Financial Literacy’ ceremony held on Wednesday in conjunction with World Investor Week 2020. It is a global initiative by the World Federation of Exchanges to promote financial literacy and boost financial inclusion. This year, nearly 40 exchanges have come together in support of this cause. He added that Bursa Malaysia has a strong commitment towards advocating financial literacy in its marketplace and the wider community. It is an important agenda, not just for encouraging retail participation but also to enhance investor protection through education. Bursa Malaysia, over the last 12 months, had accelerated the use of digital technology to effectively reach large segments of the population and promote financial inclusion. In June, the exchange had launched Bursa Academy, a comprehensive one-stop e-learning platform targeted at retail investors across the securities, derivatives and Islamic capital markets. Since its launch, Bursa Academy has continued to grow in traction, registering close to 93,000 users with more than 217,000 pageviews as at end-September 2020. Through its digital learning webinars conducted at the onset of the pandemic, the exchange has reached out to 51,943 investors.
2020 GDP projection kept at -5.5% to -3.5% despite Covid-19 resurgence
According to Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, there is no further deceleration of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) projection despite the sudden rise in Covid-19 infections and the 2020 growth projection remains between -5.5% and -3.5%. The second wave is very much concentrated and more than 60% is confined. We did not implement a movement control order (MCO) so all business activities are allowed to go on. However for this year, Malaysia, along with 150 other countries, is undergoing a recession. But come 2021 the economy would pick up and Malaysia’s GDP growth is expected to be around 5.5% to 8%, a projection that is in line with the stronger GDP forecast by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF). The government had announced various stimulus packages which would end this year but will continue to look at various avenues to save the people’s livelihood and focus on the recovery momentum in the upcoming Budget 2021.
More small- and mid-cap companies aim to have 30% of board comprising women directors
According to the Securities Commission of Malaysia (SC), gender diversity on boards of listed companies showed slight improvement at 24.82% of the top 100 listed companies as at Aug 31, 2020, up from 23.68% in 2018. Across all listed companies, the ratio stood at 16.96% as at Aug 31 compared with 15.69% in 2018. There are five companies with all-male boards on the top 100 listed companies, namely Comfort Glove Bhd, Focus Dynamics Group Bhd, Frontken Corp Bhd, Guan Chong Bhd and Pentamaster Corp Bhd. Overall, the number of companies with all-male boards stood at 248. The data shows that there’s progress in relation to gender diversity on the boards. However, it appears unlikely to achieve the 30% target [for the top 100 PLCs] by Dec 31, 2020. While the SC, together with other relevant stakeholders will continue to drive greater gender diversity on boards, other measures and interventions are also being considered to accelerate progress. It is worth noting that the number of large companies that had adopted the target of having 30% or more women directors in 2019 remained at 42, the same as in 2018. Among mid-cap companies, however, the number of adopters increased to 28 in 2019 (25 in 2018) and among small-cap companies, the number of adopters rose to 342 in 2019 (302 in 2018) according to data in the CG Monitor 2020. Overall, a total of 412 companies adopted the target in 2019, up from 369 in 2018. There are 682 public-listed companies with at least one woman director on the board, up from 634 in 2018. A total of 165 listed companies here have complied with the target of having 30% women directors, up from 145 in 2018. In 2019, women accounted for 21% of new board appointments. The trend of appointing younger women directors continued, with 41% of women directors below 50 years old and 11% below 40 years old. More listed companies adopted best practices as outlined in the Malaysian Code on Corporate Governance (MCCG) in 2019, compared to the year before. Areas which show an increase in adoption include the two-tier voting process and board practices to determine the remuneration of directors and senior management. The CG Monitor 2020, which is available on the SC’s website, also presents observations on three thematic reviews on the adoption of two-tier resolutions, board remuneration of listed companies on the FTSE Bursa Malaysia Top 100 Index and the conduct of fully virtual general meetings by listed companies since the Movement Control Order.
OPEC, in major shift, says oil demand to plateau in late 2030s
According to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the world oil demand will plateau in the late 2030s and could by then have begun to decline in a major shift for the producer group that reflects the lasting impact of the coronavirus crisis on the economy and consumer habits. The prediction, made in its 2020 World Oil Outlook, comes amid a growing number of other forecasts that the pandemic may prove the tipping point for peak oil demand. Oil use will rise to 107.2 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2030 from 90.7 million bpd in 2020, a 1.1 million bpd below its 2030 forecast last year and over 10 million bpd below its 2007 prediction of 2030 demand. Global oil demand will grow at relatively healthy rates during the first part of the forecast period before demand plateaus during the second half. Future demand will likely remain persistently below past projections due to the lingering effects of the COVID-19-related shutdowns and their impact on the global economy and consumer behaviour. While oil use to fuel cars, trucks and industry will rebound as economies recover, it voiced concern that future growth may be partly offset by factors like a post-pandemic shift to homeworking and teleconferencing over commuting, as well as efficiency improvements and a shift to electric cars. Even before the pandemic, rising climate activism in the West and widening use of alternative fuels were putting the strength of long-term oil demand under more scrutiny. This year will also see potential for demand to begin to decline after 2030 given developments like faster adoption of electric cars, more fuel efficiency and a larger reduction in business and leisure travel after the pandemic. This year OPEC, with Russia and other allies, a grouping known as OPEC+, agreed record output cuts of 9.7 million bpd, the equivalent of 10% of global supply.
This week, on Thursday (08Oct), the Ringgit gained to 4.1555 against the USD from 4.1595 on Monday (05Oct). Meanwhile, the Ringgit was 3.0573 to the Sing Dollar on Thursday (08Oct). On Monday (05Oct), the FBM KLCI was up 12.13 points (0.81%) to 1512.43 from previous Friday’s close of 1500.30. As at Friday (09Oct) 10:00am, the FBM KLCI continued marginally upwards for the week gaining only 4.2 points to 1516.63 dragged by a surge in Covid-19 infections, continued political uncertainty and lacklustre regional markets. Meanwhile US stocks were higher after the close on Thursday despite uncertainty over proposed stimulus aid as investors’ focus on value stocks saw gains in the Financial Services, Industrials and Energy sectors. At the close, the Dow added 122.05 points (+0.43%) to 28,425.51 and the NASDAQ climbed 56.38 points (+0.50%) to 11,420.98.
FBM KLCI 3 Years Chart
