Bitcoin bubble embodies our bipolar year of optimism and doubt
As 2017 draws to a close, the breaking out of the champagne to celebrate the US tax cuts and the record stock market prices suggest that bubbles will continue into 2018. In hindsight, 2017 was a most...
View ArticleDid Bannon know best? Without cooperation, a clash of civilisations with...
The break between US President Donald Trump and his former adviser, Steve Bannon, over revelations in a new book prove that Trump felt Bannon was a loose cannon. Having crafted Trump’s inaugural...
View ArticleAs Trump’s tax cut proposal proves, income inequality is rooted in our quest...
The idea that human beings should be equal is very old. The fight against inequality between French citizens and the royalty drove the 18th-century intellectual Rousseau to write “Man is born free, but...
View ArticleInequality can’t be solved by nations alone – it will take civil society, too
In my last column, I asked why we were blind to inequality. The more important question is what we can do about it. Fifty years ago, Martin Luther King Jnr argued for the “the shift from a...
View ArticleWill the chaotic age of Trump lead to a shift in our understanding of the world?
The new year is always a good time to think about the future. Last year was a year of prosperity and low market volatility. Unlike 2007, when the subprime crisis broke out in the US, there seemed to be...
View ArticleHow interest rates and central bank tea leaves will determine the financial...
All markets function on a heady mix of greed and fear. When the markets are bullish, the investors know no fear and regulators think they walk on water. When fear grips the markets, all eyes are on the...
View ArticleTrump’s threat of a trade war is driven by the West’s fear of the rise of the...
Hardly a week goes by without another tweet storm from Washington DC. “You’re fired” was heard by both secretary of state Rex Tillerson and the administration’s top economic adviser Gary Cohn...
View ArticleTrade war, inequality, populist revolt: baby boomers should reflect on their...
Easter weekend is a time for remembrance of life and death. Millions of Christians around the world remember the crucifixion and return of Jesus Christ for the salvation of all. Similarly, very soon it...
View ArticleDonald Trump has a point – even with advanced technology, manufacturing is...
Spring is the season of big meetings – Davos, Boao and, coming this weekend, the Spring Meetings of the IMF/World Bank in Washington. Here, the Davos men (and increasingly women) gather with the...
View ArticleMarket volatility is the new normal in our crumbling world order
At a time when the world is wondering how to make sense of sharp swings in foreign policy, the two Koreas’ historic rapprochement must bring a great sense of relief for anyone who cares about peace....
View ArticleNow Mahathir must heed Malaysians’ wish for change – by protecting the rule...
Most Malaysians like myself went to bed in the early hours of Thursday morning after hearing the news that the Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope) coalition of four parties had won a simple majority of...
View ArticleWith blockchain’s rise, financial regulation must keep up with Industry 4.0...
Most people are somewhat aware of the fourth industrial revolution. The first industrial revolution occurred with the rise of steam power and developments in iron and steel manufacturing. The second...
View ArticleGermany alone can save the European Union, but will it?
Is Europe in an existential crisis? Yes, according to George Soros, who spoke at the European Council on Foreign Relations last week. Five days later, I heard him elaborate on this view at the Trento...
View ArticleCryptocurrencies and blockchain are not the road to riches for all
Technology has created lots of jargon that most of us don’t understand. Most of us have mental blocks against new things that we don’t understand. Some people are born clever. Some become clever...
View ArticleAs AI makes inroads, people, companies and nations must digitise or watch...
When Amazon bought the online pharmacy Pillpack last week for around US$1 billion, the stock market valuation of several large pharmacy retail chains fell by US$14 billion. That is the power of clicks...
View ArticleDonald Trump’s European trip signals the end of a unipolar world, and all...
Anyone who enjoyed a tremendous Fifa World Cup tournament in Russia and Wimbledon tennis last weekend could not have been disappointed by US President Donald Trump’s stunning journey east to call on...
View ArticleClimate change, inequality and financial crises show the old order is...
What do we mean by social progress? That is the theme explored by the International Panel on Social Progress, a group of over 300 academics, including Nobel laureate Amartya Sen. After four years of...
View ArticleKnowledge is king: China and the US are not in a trade war, but a race to the...
It’s not a trade war, stupid! In today’s world, when everything hinges on technology, competition and conflict between states is really about who gets to Industry 4.0 faster than the others. Hence,...
View ArticleGlobal finance can be a creator of wealth or a weapon of mass destruction. As...
This year marks the 50th anniversary of 1968, when many baby boomers like myself came of age.I was studying at the University of Bristol that year, as my generation of students was protesting against...
View ArticleHow Malaysia can overcome identity politics and create inclusive growth amid...
Was it only 55 years ago when the Federation of Malaysia was formed on September 16, 1963? On that day, I was super proud to witness at the parade ground in Jesselton (today Kota Kinabalu) the...
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