Can Malaysia's economy survive a Black Swan event in 2023?

As 2023 dawns, research houses and economists are in consensus that Malaysia will likely dodge a recession this year, with a majority of them forecasting economic growth at between 4 percent and 4.5 percent. Bank Negara Malaysia's forecast is for the economy to expand by 4 percent-5 percent in 2023, according to its governor Nor Shamsiah Mohd Yunus. While the consensus is that Malaysia's economic outlook is relatively benign, it will be foolish for policymakers not to be prepared for events that could plunge the economy into a downward spiral. Unexpected shocks that can cause catastrophic damage to economies are sometimes referred to as a 'Black Swan' event. These are infrequent events...