Category: Consumer & Inflation

Studies on the Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) industry have noted its impressive exponential growth in the past 30 years in terms of total volume of sales and number of salespersons involved. The purpose of this study is to identify the reasons why Malaysians join and continue to remain in the industry. It was found that the… Continue reading Why Malaysians Join and Stay on in a Multi-Level Marketing Company

The credit card wars are increasingly making easy the availability of credit to ever-riskier customers. MIERScan, 30 April 2007. Download

Despite the healthy economic growth, persistent remarks on the rise in the cost of living are heard. The difficult part is that there is elusive, scarce and incomplete info on the cost of living at the national level, since spending is also based on personal priorities. Publication: MIERScan, 14 May 2007.  Download

Maintaining a low and stable inflation rate has become one of the challenges in the macroeconomic management of most countries.   Among others, Malaysia has a very unique experience in terms of inflation.  The economy has experienced episodes of high (1973-1973, 1980-1981) and low (1985-1987) regimes of inflation, and was able to contain low and stable… Continue reading Inflation in Malaysia

Following the hike in fuel prices, interest rates and, more recently, electricity rates, there has been growing concern about the return of the inflation spectre. They crimp consumer confidence, while businesses attempt to balance their books by passing the burden of higher costs to the consumers. Download

The expectation is that, inflationary pressures would gather pace in the coming months. However, given the ineffectiveness of the interest rate policy tool in containing oilinduced price increases and in view of the transient nature of inflation, Bank Negara would remain hesitant to raise rates, as long as the economic momentum is still on a… Continue reading Reining in Inflation