Bank Negara seen focusing more on core inflation

MONDAY, MAY 7 KUALA LUMPUR- Release of Bank Negara's foreign reserves as at 30 April 2018 at 1500 (0700 GMT) KUALA LUMPUR- HSS Engineers Bhd post-Annual General Meeting (AGM) press conference, Pinnacle 1, Level M1, Connexion Conference & Event Centre @ The Vertical, No 8, Jalan Kerinchi, Bangsar South City, Kuala Lumpur at 1215 (0415 GMT)

PETALING JAYA: Bank Negara’s slightly more cautious tone on the state of the economy when it announced the overnight policy rate (OPR) is a reflection of the more challenging environment and growth risks that the country faces at the moment, says HSBC Global Research.

“However, we don’t see this as a sign that Bank Negara is turning more dovish. In fact, private consumption remains strong growing at 8% year-on-year (y-o-y) in the second quarter, while private investment has also been quite resilient growing at 6.1%,” the research house said.