Such savvy has aided his ascent in Malaysia Inc and, now, to one of the country's most powerful portfolios - one that in the past was the entitlement of the top leader.
Does the KL-born fitness buff with a penchant for triathlons possess the wherewithal to navigate the country through the current economic quagmire? Malaysia, an export-oriented economy, was already en route to its slowest growth in more than a decade. The recent"movement control order" to stem the rapidly-rising infection will hurt its macros even more, analysts say.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian ringgit has been hammered. It has crossed the RM4.30 mark against the greenback, and the country's key equity gauge is languishing at a low of more than a decade as foreign outflow intensifies. "The FM needs to be not only bold, but decisive," said Mr Kumar, suggesting that he set up an"equity fund" comprising deep-pocketed government-linked funds to support beaten down and"fundamentally-attractive" blue-chip stocks.
As chief executive of Maybank Investment Bank, he snagged multi-billion dollar mandates. Among them was the initial public offering of palm-oil giant Felda Global Ventures - the world's second-largest IPO in 2012 after Facebook.
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Economic headwinds put Malaysia's government in tough spot to bolster state earningsKUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's economy is in for a rough ride with multiple headwinds hitting it like a typhoon.. Read more at straitstimes.com.
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