In the past, real estate has always been recognised as one of the best asset classes to preserve wealth and hedge against inflation. Advocates of cryptocurrency, for instance, goes as far as calling it a hedge against inflation or hedge against “fiat currency” or the “new gold”. For an asset class to constitute a hedge against inflation, the more fundamental aspect is for the asset class to consistently outperform annual inflationary pressure. My biggest takeaway though is not which asset class would be the best hedge against inflation. So, choose the asset class that you can best understand and would be happy to hold over time in the face of inflation.

PETALING JAYA: Lee Zii Jia can play as a professional player sooner than expected for Malaysia even if Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) decide to ban him for two years. There is a rule in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) that allows him to do so but he has to move to another country first. Under the BWF jurisdiction rule, it was earlier stated that a player needed to stay only for three months abroad to get an approval from the member association of that country to play. "By moving to another base, they get to continue their growth as a badminton player. These players do not have to change their citizenship and they can choose to play under their own national flag."

PUTRAJAYA: Authorities have received a total of 111 applications to date for the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme under the new policy, an indication the programme is still popular despite stricter conditions. Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said this figure was about the same as the average number of applications received under the old conditions. "This shows that despite the conditions being stricter, foreigners are not shying away from the MM2H programme," he said, pointing out that the average number of applications before were about 100 a month. Hamzah pointed out that if 1,000 new applications requiring a fixed deposit of RM1mil were approved in a year, it would mean RM1bil in fixed deposit for the country, compared to RM300mil before when the fixed deposit amount required was RM300,000. Applications for MM2H were frozen in 2020 when Malaysia closed its borders due to the pandemic and revived, with new conditions in place late last year.

ACCORDING to legend, eight people met an unfortunate demise after ignoring the curse that was written on the tomb of Tutankhamun and opened it in 1923. Verdict:FALSEThere was (and is) no curse inscribed on Tutakhamun's tomb. Most of the people who were present went on to live normal lives. David Vernon in Skeptical – a Handbook of Pseudoscience and the Paranormal, ed. Donald Laycock, David Vernon, Colin Groves, Simon Brown, Imagecraft, Canberra, 1989,3. http://www.touregypt.net/ featurestories/curse.htm

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 21): CTOS Digital Bhd saw its net profit for the fourth quarter ended Dec 31, 2021 (4QFY21) fall slightly by 8.62% to RM11.78 million from RM12.89 million in the previous year due to higher administrative expenses. Consequently, earnings per share dropped slightly to 0.5 sen from 0.7 sen previously. Meanwhile, the group also declared its third interim dividend of 0.33 sen per share, to be paid on Feb 25, 2022. The annual net profit came in below analysts’ consensus forecast of RM52.7 million for FY21, according to Bloomberg. Annual revenue went up by 15% to RM153.17 million from RM133.23 million in the previous year.

However, analysts are expecting lower dividends for FY22 as the company recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic. Thus, he expects GENM to lower its dividend or not pay anything this year. He also foresees GENM to pay a lower dividend in FY22 as the company achieves profitability. Another analyst, who declined to be named, opined that GENM may pay a 12 sen dividend in FY22 as he expects the firm to turn around by achieving RM868 million profit. However, for FY21, he expects a lower dividend of six sen because of the prolonged losses.

NEW YORK: Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase, Wall Street's premier investment banks, this week informed staff of bumper bonuses for 2021, following a record-breaking year for Wall Street dealmaking. Goldman Sachs increased its annual bonus pool for top-performing investment bankers by 40% to 50%, people with direct knowledge of the matter said. JPMorgan Chase, the largest U.S. bank, increased its annual bonus pool for top-performing investment bankers by 30% to 40%, sources with direct knowledge of the matter said. Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan declined to comment. Top performers in M&A advisory and equity capital markets enjoyed some of the biggest bonuses at both Goldman and JPMorgan, the people said.

NEW YORK (Jan 20): Oil rose modestly on Thursday, as bulls remain in charge, with benchmark Brent nearing US$90 a barrel, bolstered by strong demand and concerns about short-term supply disruptions. Trading has been dominated by supply concerns, from short-term issues like a temporary halt to flows in an Iraq-to-Turkey pipeline to a consistent shortfall from OPEC+ members in reaching targeted supply increases. "The voices of those forecasting US$100 per barrel oil are getting louder by the day," said Tamas Varga at oil brokerage PVM. Crude stocks rose by 515,000 barrels last week while gasoline inventories rose by 5.9 million barrels, boosting those inventories to their highest in a year, according to the US Energy Department. Supply concerns have mounted this week after a fire temporarily halted flows through an oil pipeline running from Iraq's Kirkuk to the Turkish port of Ceyhan on Tuesday.

PETALING JAYA: Investigations on the fake vaccination certificates have revealed that the cases were linked to paid vaccinations under the Private Purchase Vaccination, says Khairy Jamaluddin. “The results of the investigation and review by the Health Ministry with the police found that so far, all the cases detected involved the implementation of paid vaccinations conducted by the Private Purchase Vaccination. Khairy added that the private medical practitioners involved in the case had given fake vaccination reports to the ministry. He added that the dealers of the vaccines involved under the private purchase vaccination, Sinopharm and Sinovac, should tighten their standard operating procedures to avoid similar cases. Khairy also said that the investigations regarding the case are still being carried out by the police while the Health Ministry will give its full cooperation.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 20): Clean energy specialist Solarvest Holdings Bhd, insurers QBE Insurance (Malaysia) Bhd and Anora Agency Sdn Bhd collaborate to provide solar photovoltaic (PV) investors a solar investment insurance product, namely the SolarPro Line-Stoppage insurance policy. The solar investment insurance product, namely the SolarPro Line-Stoppage insurance policy, is a comprehensive general liability policy with consequential loss underwritten by QBE Malaysia, through Anora. According to the three companies, this insurance product is aimed to offer solar PV investors better coverage to ensure business continuity and peace of mind. The trio highlighted that despite the growing market size of solar PV systems in the nation, there remains a gap in the market when it comes to a truly comprehensive insurance policy for solar PV investors. Chong added that comprehensive insurance coverage would markedly reduce the risk of solar PV system investments, which will in turn encourage a greater flow of funds into the solar industry and enable higher adoption of solar energy.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 20): The exclusive nano-sized atomised water particles generating technology — nanoe technology — by Panasonic has proven its inhibitory effects against four novel coronavirus variants (SARS-CoV-1), namely Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta. Panasonic’s nanoe is an ionizer that generates "nano-sized atomised water particles" using electrostatic atomisation technology. Panasonic went on to introduce nanoe X technology, which releases up to 20 times more hydroxyl radicals than nanoe. This is where our nanoe X technology comes in, in the form of air purifiers to cleanse indoor air and the surrounding surfaces. Most Panasonic air solution products across consumer and commercial categories carry nanoe X technology, such as air purifiers and air conditioners.

IT HAS long been popularised that the Eskimo tribes living in the far north have 100 (or even more) words to describe different types of snow. Verdict:FALSEEskimos do not have a disproportionate amount of words to represent snow in their languages. The misconception stems from a statement pioneer anthropologist Franz Boas made on the language of the many groups commonly described as Eskimo. Boas' original statement noted that Eskimos had a variety of words for various snow-related concepts, however the same was true of English. On a side note, many of the people who are referred to as "Eskimo" don't actually like being called that.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 20): Malaysia Airlines Bhd is reported to have appointed Greece-based Goldair as its general sales agent (GSA) in Greece to expand the airline’s global aviation network. According to the statement, the strategic partnership is designed to increase recognition of Malaysia Airlines in Greece and to steer sales growth throughout the Greek market with a particular focus on marine travel, signalling further expansion of the airlines' sales presence and representation in Europe. Goldair is one of the largest and most esteemed organisations in the field of transport and tourism in the Greek market, the statement said. Goldair deputy managing director Nikos Sofiadis said in the statement that the beginning of the new partnership between Malaysia Airlines and Goldair is a significant milestone for the latter. "We look forward to expanding Malaysia Airlines' presence in Greece and we will work closely together to fully maximise Malaysian hospitality’s product and network potential,” Sofiadis said.

PETALING JAYA: A unit of Nestcon Bhd has bagged a RM188.5mil construction contract from Konsortium Exsim Development Sdn Bhd (KED). In a filing with Bursa Malaysia, Nestcon said its wholly-owned subsidiary, Nestcon Builders Sdn Bhd, received a letter of award (LoA) from KED to undertake the design, construction, completion, commission, maintenance and guarantee for foundation works, sub-structure works, main building works and infrastructure works for the construction of a 39-storey building in Jalan Klang Lama, Kuala Lumpur. The development will comprise of 608 units apartment suites and three units of retail shops. The overall contract period for the project is within 36 months from the date of commencement and the project is expected to be completed for handover on or before Jan 18, 2025. The acceptance of the LoA by Nestcon Builders is expected to contribute positively to the net assets per share, earnings per share and gearing of the company for the financial year ending Dec 31, 2022 and throughout the duration of the project.

JOHOR BARU: The police have busted a syndicate offering fake Covid-19 digital certificates at up to RM650 each, with the arrest of eight people including three employees of a private clinic here. "All those who purchased these certificates are anti-vaxxers who refused the immunisation," he said during a press conference here. Comm Kamarul revealed that the first arrest was made on Jan 17 when police carried out a series of raids in the city. Asked if any doctors or medical personnel were involved, Comm Kamarul said investigations are ongoing. He urged those who have purchased the digital certificates to come forward and assist in investigation by contacting investigating officer Insp Ahmad Sufian Abdullah via 012-562 6734.