Malaysia Market Falls below 1,500

FBM KLCI closes down 22.6 points at 1,496.72 — The Edge (Link)

There it is, people. The KLCI has fallen from its peak of 1,611 in Jun 2020 to below 1,500 now. I have warned in the past that its upward trend past 1,500 defies the dire economic conditions on the ground. What now? I do caution investors to be very careful now, and not recklessly buy up every tom dick and harry companies (hint hint, gloves companies… and also any other companies going into making gloves). 

While the global economy is still undergoing a protracted recession with the Covid-19 pandemic raging on (I am looking at you, America) and vaccines nowhere in sight, there are still many fundamentally good companies out there that we can invest in for the long term at fair prices. I would say the current down market will be ideal to get into positions for stocks that you want to hold for the long term.

E-Sports and Gaming in Southeast Asia

The COVID-19 pandemic has lifted eSports and gaming industry particularly in Southeast Asia on the back of rising income per capita and increase in smartphone penetration. One Esports chief executive officer Carlos Alimurung said global growth is around eight per cent per year while the eSports audience in Southeast Asia is growing 26 per cent a year. — The Edge (Link)

I AM HYPED!!! with caps locks and exclamations marks. I still remember the days when people would just make fun of people who play games, and that they are shut ins with no life. Games for spectator views will never make commercial sense, blar blar blar. International 2019 for Dota 2, had a price pool of $30m. League of Legends brought in 100 million viewers. For perspective, Super Bowl (Forbes) had 98 million viewers and the NBA finals (Statista) had 15 million viewers. 

Game streaming platforms like Twitch, Youtube Gaming, Facebook Gaming, have it viable for gamers to generate considerable income for themselves and have in some instances supported some people’s livelihood during the Covid-19 pandemic. I am glad that the rise of e-sports and game streaming has reduce the stigma towards people who play games, and made it mainstream in today’s environments. I have to admit, that if Amazon decides to list Twitch, I am VERY tempted to buy the stock. The only downside to this is that Dr Disrespect is not with Twitch, that’s a bummer.