Billy O'Riley compares Malaysia's household income with the US
JOHOR BARU: American conservative commentator Bill O'Reilly has once again taken a jab at Malaysia, this time by comparing household per capita income between the country and the United States.
Sinar Harian reported that O'Reilly claimed that Malaysia's household per capita income stands at US$5,731 (RM25,061) per year, while the United States records US$42,220 (RM184,628).
'That's an eightfold difference,' he said in a TikTok video.
'Malaysia is angry at me—this is a ridiculous story,' he added.
Previously, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim slammed O'Reilly's remarks, which claimed Southeast Asia 'has no money,' calling them arrogant and ignorant.
Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister, said the comment not only reflected O'Reilly's ignorance of the current realities in Southeast Asia but also revealed a narrow-minded worldview influenced by racial sentiment and colonial ideology.
O'Reilly also admitted that he views himself as a coloniser.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
![MARKET PULSE AM JUNE 10, 2025 [WATCH]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.nst.com.my%2Fassets%2FNST-Logo%402x.png%3Fid%3Db37a17055cb1ffea01f5&w=48&q=75){kind=small}
New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
MARKET PULSE AM JUNE 10, 2025 [WATCH]
KUALA LUMPUR: News on the latest moves on the stock and crypto markets. Paradigm REIT opened flat on its Main Market debut today, unchanged against its IPO price of RM1 per unit. In early trade, the REIT moved within a narrow range, between 99.5 sen and RM1.02, with over 11 million units changing hands. Bursa Malaysia saw choppy trading earlier today, tracking Wall Street's mixed performance amid ongoing caution over the outcome of US-China trade talks. The FBM KLCI is expected to trend within the 1,515 to 1,525 range. In the cryptocurrency market, Bitcoin climbed to RM462,888. Ethereum and Solana have followed suit, trading at RM11,374 and RM676, respectively. That's it for Market Pulse.
New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
Stocks rise, dollar tentative ahead of US-China talks outcome
SINGAPORE: Stocks were buoyant and the dollar remained on guard on Tuesday as trade talks between the United States and China were set to extend to a second day, with tentative signs tensions between the world's two largest economies could be easing. US President Donald Trump put a positive spin on the talks at Lancaster House in London, which wrapped up for the night on Monday and were set to resume at 0900 GMT on Tuesday. "The fact that we're still up here near record highs, does suggest that we are seeing the market accept what has been said by Trump and when you look at some of the other comments from Lutnick and Bessent, to me it seems to suggest that they are relatively happy with the progress," said Tony Sycamore, a market analyst at IG. "But the market always likes to see some concrete announcements." As Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer were set to meet for the second day with their Chinese counterparts, much of investors' focus has been on the progress of the talks. Any progress in the negotiations is likely to provide relief to markets given Trump's chaotic tariffs and swings in China-US trade ties have undermined the world's two biggest economies and hobbled global growth. Stocks advanced in Asia, extending their rise from the start of the week. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan advanced 0.5 per cent, while Nasdaq futures gained 0.62 per cent. S&P 500 futures edged 0.43 per cent higher. EUROSTOXX 50 futures and FTSE futures both added roughly 0.1 per cent each. In Tokyo, attention was also on the Japanese government bond (JGB) market, following news that Japan is considering buying back some super-long government bonds issued in the past at low interest rates. The yield on the 10-year JGB fell one basis point to 1.46 per cent in early trade, while the 30-year yield slid 5 bps to 2.86 per cent. Yields on super-long JGBs rose to record levels last month due to dwindling demand from traditional buyers such as life insurers, and jitters over steadily rising debt levels globally. "The volatility at the super-long segment of the curve stems from a supply-demand imbalance that has been brewing since the BOJ embarked on balance sheet normalisation," said Justin Heng, APAC rates strategist at HSBC Global Investment Research. Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato said on Tuesday the government will conduct appropriate debt management policies while communicating closely with market participants. In currencies, the dollar attempted to regain its footing after falling on Monday. Against the yen, the dollar was up 0.45 per cent to 145.25. The euro fell 0.28 per cent to US$1.1387 while sterling slipped 0.2 per cent to US$1.3523. Trump's erratic trade policies and worries over Washington's growing debt pile have dented investor confidence in US assets, in turn undermining the dollar, which has already fallen more than 8 per cent for the year. The next test for the greenback will be on Wednesday, when US inflation data comes due. Expectations are for core consumer prices to have picked up slightly in May, which could push back against bets of imminent Federal Reserve rate cuts. The producer price index (PPI) report will be released a day later. "May's US CPI and PPI data will be scrutinised for signs of lingering inflationary pressures," said Convera's FX and macro strategist Kevin Ford. "If core CPI remains elevated, expectations for rate cuts could be pushed beyond the June 18 FOMC meeting." Traders see the Fed keeping rates on hold at its policy meeting next week, but have priced in roughly 44 bps worth of easing by December. In the oil market, prices edged up, with Brent crude futures gaining 0.24 per cent to US$67.20 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate crude was last up 0.25 per cent at US$65.45 per barrel after hitting a more than two-month high earlier in the session. Spot gold fell 0.5 per cent to US$3,310.40 an ounce.
New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
Gold falls as traders watch US-China trade talks in London
NEW YORK: Gold declined on Tuesday as market participants awaited further developments from ongoing US-China trade talks in London, with negotiations extending into a second day. Spot gold fell 0.5 per cent to US$3,311.16 an ounce, as of 0125 GMT. US gold futures also fell 0.7 per cent to US$3,330.90. High-level trade talks between the US and Chinese officials are extending into a second day, with discussions encompassing issues ranging from tariffs to rare earth restrictions. "With these key the US-China trade talks still in the works, gold is trading reservedly until we see what if any progress is made between the two global superpowers," said Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade. US President Donald Trump said his administration was "doing well" in the negotiations and noted positive reports from the talks. Last month, both sides agreed to a temporary pause tariffs, offering some relief to financial markets. "If traders come away from the US-China talks this week thinking that the two nations remain on track to achieve a broader trade deal, safe-haven demand for assets such as gold could ease." Data from China showed export growth slowed to a three-month low in May as US tariffs impacted shipments, while factory-gate deflation worsened to its deepest level in two years. Meanwhile, investors are now awaiting US inflation data on Wednesday for more cues on the Federal Reserve's monetary policy path. "If CPI has ticked marginally higher that would be an expected result, but if it jumps then that could raise some alarm bells for investors, and any resulting flight to safety could help the gold price," Waterer said. Gold gains appeal during uncertain geopolitical and economic times and tends to do well when interest rates are low. Elsewhere, spot silver was down 0.6 per cent to US$36.51 per ounce, platinum dropped 0.8 per cent to US$1,210.46, while palladium fell 0.2 per cent to US$1,071.75.
