There are opportunities and risks when you look at Malaysian stocks. I was born in Penang but now call Singapore home. The first difference you’ll notice between both countries is the language. Penang’s main dialect is a local variant of hokkien which is different from Singapore’s own hokkien. But you can quickly catch on to the local lingo. There are enough similar words between both hokkien versions to understand each other. Likewise, the language of capital and business does not differ much, whether we are in Malaysia or Singapore.

The same language of business

If Abraham Maslow were alive today, he may have listed “internet connection” as a basic human need. In Singapore, we would turn to Singtel (SGX: Z74), Keppel Corp’s (SGX: BN4) M1 and StarHub (SGX: CC3) for our mobile data needs.  Malaysia has its own dominant trio in Maxis Berhad (KLSE: 6012), CelcomDiGi and U Mobile. There’s a reason why there are only a few major players....