Bee wah Tan School of Economics, Finance and Banking, Universiti Utara Malaysia   School of Economics, Finance and Banking, Universiti Utara Malaysia Sintok, Kedah Darul Aman 06010 Malaysia   tan.bee.wah@uum.edu.my   http://www.sefb.uum.edu.my/           JEL Areas: E2 : Macroeconomics: Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment: General (includes Measurement and Data) F4 : Macroeconomic Aspects of International Trade and Finance: General