Ringgit Performance

The ringgit (RM) dropped to RM4.36 against the US dollar, the lowest level since May 2020. 

Possible impact to the country, according to this article:

i.   Higher inflation.

ii.  Slower economic recovery

iii. Subsidies might affect fiscal balance.

Source: The Edge

Source: The Edge

Food Insecurity 2021

Excerpt from the FAO article on the food insecurity problem:

"The key drivers behind rising acute food insecurity in 2021 were: 

• conflict (main driver pushing 139 million people in 24 countries/territories into acute food insecurity, up from around 99 million in 23 countries/territories in in 2020);
• weather extremes (over 23 million people in 8 countries/territories, up from 15.7 million in 15 countries/territories);
• economic shocks - (over 30 million people in 21 countries/territories, down from over 40 million people in 17 countries/territories in 2020 mainly due to the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic)."

Image credit: Convent & Stuart Hall

The Hidden Inflation

Companies are often creative in making consumers pay for rising costs, which is not reflected in the posted price. With inflation rising around the world, this article from WSJ highlights the situation.

Source: WSJ

OPR Hike

A 3-min  read on Malaysia's recent OPR hike. 

Image credit - Scoopnest

Geometry

"There is geometry in the humming of the strings, there is music in the spacing of the spheres."

  -  Pythagoras

Credit - Andertoons

Puisi Dalam Islam (Islamic Poetry)

Of late, I am studying poetic lyrics (Rumi's Mathnawi is a must read). Interestingly, you have to find a metrical pattern of a poem. Never knew poem has to be symmetric. There is maths in everything, ^_^

Found this site (in Malay). An excerpt below:

"Pada zaman awal Islam, orang Islam tidak sahaja menerima serangan daripada orang Musyrikin dalam bentuk fizikal dan ketenteraan, malahan mereka turut dihujani serangan-serangan melalui pengucapan seni yang berbentuk puisi. 

Dengan itu, mereka membalas serangan-serangan tersebut dalam bentuk syair dan puisi. Maka lahirlah penyair dan pemuisi Islam yang handal bagi membalas serangan Musyrikin tersebut. Antara sasterawan Muslim yang bertindak sebagai benteng untuk menangkis serangan tersebut ialah Hassan ibn Thabit, Ka‘ab ibn Malik dan Abdullah ibn Rawahah."

Astronaut in the Ocean

From inflation to Russia-Ukraine war and Elon Musk, I came across the song 'Astronaut in the Ocean' by Masked Wolf. If you have time, please find the meaning behind the song. Someone describes it as 'an ocean of pain.' Perhaps, all of us need our space of solace to heal.

Eid Mubarak.

Source: Youtube

Tenet - A Palindrome

Have you seen the movie 'Tenet'? It is a 2020 science fiction thriller film directed by Christopher Nolan. I have to google many physics terms in order to understand the concept introduced in the movie. 

Please read the eBook titled 'The Inverted World', which I am currently reading. Learn something new this week.

A Palindrome Algorithm

Crisis Innovation Policy: On Inflation and Interest Rates

The recent article in the IMF Blog looks at economic growth and in Asia and the Pacific and the difficult policy trade-off.  

Suggested policy responses:

i. Protect the most vulnerable from rising fuel and food prices.

ii. Anchor medium-term fiscal policy frameworks to ensure debt sustainability.

iii. Tighten monetary policy where inflation is rising faster.

iv. Enact economic reforms to boost long-term growth (boost productivity & education reform).