Malaysia's approved investments grow 3.7 pct on year in Q1
KUALA LUMPUR, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) announced Wednesday that Malaysia secured 89.8 billion ringgit (21.18 billion U.S. dollars) in approved investments, marking a 3.7 percent year-on-year increase amid a challenging global economic backdrop.
MIDA said in a statement that these investments, spread across 1,556 projects in manufacturing, services, and primary sectors, are set to generate over 33,300 new employment opportunities for Malaysians.
"The results reflect continued investor confidence in the country's clear policies and long-term fundamentals, bucking the trend of cautious international capital flows due to geopolitical and macroeconomic volatility, as well as intensifying global competition for fresh investments," it said.
According to the statement, foreign investments dominated the investment landscape, contributing 60.4 billion ringgit or 67.3 percent of total investments, while domestic investments accounted for 29.4 billion ringgit or 32.7 percent.
"The investment environment in 2025 is expected to remain challenging due to continued geopolitical and macroeconomic headwinds stemming from the global trade war," said Zafrul Aziz, minister of investment, trade and industry.
"Although major markets' protectionist policies and supply chain frictions continue to weigh in on companies' investment decisions, Malaysia's clear policies should be able to attract more investments from Asia's growing economy, expected to expand to about 42 percent of global gross domestic product by 2040," he added. (1 ringgit equals 0.24 U.S. dollars)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
15 minutes ago
- The Star
Slovenia extends fuel price regulation to highways to prevent inflation surge
LJUBLJANA, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The Slovenian government on Thursday extended its gasoline price regulation to include highways and extended the overall policy for another six months to prevent excessive price increases. "The main goal of the government is to keep gasoline prices low for people ... Based on this decree gasoline prices on highways will no longer be higher than elsewhere in the country," Deputy Prime Minister Matej Arcon told reporters after a regular government session. The government has been regulating fuel prices outside highways since 2022. Prices are recalculated every 14 days. Under the current regulation, which was set to expire on June 17, the price outside highways is fixed at 1.437 euros per liter for unleaded gasoline. Currently, highway prices are approximately 17 percent higher than that figure. Authorities expect that the extended regulation will help contain inflation, which slowed to 1.8 percent year-on-year in May.
The Star
16 minutes ago
- The Star
U.S. stocks rebound as inflation data cools
NEW YORK, June 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended higher on Thursday, lifted by easing inflation concerns and a surge in Oracle shares, even as trade tensions and corporate headwinds kept investors cautious. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 101.85 points, or 0.24 percent, to 42,967.62. The S&P 500 added 23.02 points, or 0.38 percent, to 6,045.26. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased by 46.61 points, or 0.24 percent, to 19,662.49. Eight of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in green, with utilities and technology leading the gainers by adding 1.26 percent and 1.01 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, communication services and consumer discretionary led the laggards by losing 0.59 percent and 0.41 percent, respectively. The U.S. producer price index for May rose just 0.1 percent from April, below economist expectations of a 0.2 percent increase, suggesting modest inflationary pressure at the wholesale level, according to data issued on Thursday. On an annual basis, wholesale prices were up 2.6 percent, a slight uptick from April's 2.4 percent, but still aligned with forecasts. Core producer inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy, also came in softer than expected. "Concerns about widespread increases in producer prices due to tariffs continue to be dissuaded," said Nationwide's Ben Ayers, citing lower fuel costs as a moderating factor. Labor data added to the mixed economic picture, with weekly jobless claims holding steady at 248,000, slightly above forecasts and marking the second consecutive week at the highest level since October. "There are early warning signs in the labor market," said Navy Federal Credit Union's chief economist, Heather Long. "If layoffs worsen this summer, it will heighten fears of a recession and consumer spending pullback." "We still think the primary driver for market direction and to break out to all-time highs would be some resolution for tariffs and how they interlink with the budget and the Fed. And we see a lot of headlines about negotiations or pauses or frameworks, but we still haven't seen a single signed trade deal between the U.S. and its trade partners," said Tom Hainlin, senior investment strategist at U.S. Bank Asset Management Group. In corporate news, Boeing led Dow and S&P 500 decliners, dropping 4.79 percent after an Air India 787-8 crash. Suppliers GE Aerospace and Spirit AeroSystems also slid. Technology stocks saw mixed performance. Microsoft rose 1.32 percent, while Nvidia and Broadcom each added more than 1 percent. Apple edged higher, but Alphabet, Meta Platforms, and Tesla slipped. Tesla's 2.23 percent dip came after a four-day winning streak, during which it clawed back losses from last week's Musk-Trump controversy. The day's standout performer was Oracle, which soared 13.31 percent to a record high. The company topped quarterly earnings estimates and projected strong revenue growth, driven by robust demand for cloud and AI infrastructure services.
Borneo Post
30 minutes ago
- Borneo Post
How China's porcelain capital is attracting international talent
BEIJING (June 13): In her sunlit studio tucked away in China's porcelain capital Jingdezhen, French ceramic artist Camille Grandaty is immersed in her latest sunflower-themed series. To Grandaty, the beauty of life in a foreign land is a constant spark for creativity. As she taps open her photo gallery and scrolls through images, her playful imagination comes to life: the legendary character Wu Song sporting sneakers, the mythological Nezha with a head of blue hair – fusing whimsy and tradition, the East with the West. A thousand years ago, Jingdezhen porcelain journeyed across the Maritime Silk Road. Today, the city continues to attract global talent – including Swiss artists, French museum professionals, and Italian traders – all united by their passion for ceramics. In recent years, Jingdezhen has seen not only a steady influx of domestic migrants but also a growing international community. Among them are nearly 5,000 foreigners who have become part of a vibrant, drifting community known locally as 'Jingpiao'. The term blends 'Jing', short for Jingdezhen, with the Chinese word piaoliu, meaning 'to drift'. Much like Beijing's Beipiao, Jingpiao refers to those who've chosen to live, create and chase dreams in this ancient porcelain capital. 'We've established several service stations specifically for foreign 'Jingpiao,' offering policy consultations, community events, and more,' said Chen You, deputy director of the service center for ceramic talent in Jingdezhen. The city supports foreign artists applying for major national and provincial talent programmes. To date, more than 20 individuals have received grants or awards in recognition of their work. To support this growing creative community, Jingdezhen has rolled out initiatives like innovation platforms, talent funds and international exchange programmes, fueling cross-border collaboration and revitalizing the city's centuries-old ceramic tradition. Thousands of miles away, Iznik, Turkey's own porcelain capital, is Jingdezhen's sister city. Cultural exchanges between the two have flourished. 'The future of ceramics depends on human creativity,' said Iznik's Deputy Mayor Ahmet Kaya, recalling his visit to Jingdezhen in a WeChat post. 'And that creativity is sparked when different cultures and mindsets meet.' After living in Jingdezhen for a decade, Grandaty is now fluent in Chinese. As she applies for a permanent residence permit, she is ready to further develop her artistic style – a fusion of Eastern and Western influences shaped by years of cross-cultural experience. – Xinhua
