KUALA LUMPUR, April 20 -- A new survey has found food and fuel prices topping consumer worries in Malaysia and Thailand as tensions in the Strait of Hormuz keep oil markets volatile.

The study by Rakuten Insight, conducted earlier this month with 2,106 respondents, showed both countries share an identical economic worry score of 8.09 out of 10 despite diverging concerns.

"When you dig beneath them, you find two countries experiencing the same macro pressure through completely different lenses.

"For Malaysia, it is the kitchen. For Thailand, it is the fuel pump. Same thermometer reading, completely different symptoms, and that has profound implications for any business operating across both markets," Rakuten Insight Malaysia and Thailan...