7 hours ago
Asia set to pledge US$30 billion in energy, mineral deals with US
Overall, some 18 nations are set to participate, including Australia, Bangladesh and South Korea
Business Headlines & Market News
Business Headlines and Stock Market News by Singapore Financial News Publishers
7 hours ago
UI Boustead REIT seeks multiple growth levers after listing
Teo Zheng Long - Singapore’s industrial REIT space is poised to be more crowded with the listing of UI Boustead REIT (SGX: UIBU ) . With 23 properties under its belt, 21 of which are leasehold in Singapore and two freehold in Japan, its entire portfolio is valued at $1.9 billion. Of the approximately 677.17 millio ...
7 hours ago
Japan’s stock market a safe haven in turbulent times
Andrew Sheng - After three lost decades, the Japanese stock market has recovered with a roar in the last three years. After the spectacular bursting of the Japanese asset price bubble in 1990, the first decade saw the Nikkei 225 index drop from a 1989 peak of 39,000 to 7,600 in the following decade, with a brief r ...
7 hours ago
Will the Strait of Malacca keep the Strait of Hormuz flowing?
Nirgunan Tiruchelvam - The Yom Kippur War of 1973 was a sudden conflict that caused a worldwide oil shortage. Oil prices tripled to US$200 in today’s money. This happened before I started covering markets. The event is etched in my family’s memory. My late parents were then living outside Boston. Angry motorists were ...
7 hours ago
Apple cuts China App Store fees to fend off local regulators
The move is effective on Mar 15 and applies to apps for both iOS and iPadOS, the company says
7 hours ago
Apple lowers App Store cut in China to fend off local regulators
The move is effective on Mar 15 and applies to apps for both iOS and iPadOS, the company says
8 hours ago
Kevin Warsh is in for a rude awakening
Nouriel Roubini - Now that Kevin Warsh has been nominated as the next chair of the US Federal Reserve Board (Fed), it is worth asking how different a Warsh Fed would be from the current one. President Donald Trump had made it clear that he wants a Fed chair who will push for lower policy rates to juice the economy an ...
8 hours ago
Narrowing Hongkong Land’s P/NAV as fund management vehicle takes hold
Goola Warden - Since Michael Smith became group CEO of Hongkong Land (HKL) in April 2024, its share price has nearly tripled from US$2.99 to US$8.38 ($10.73) as of March 6. In October 2024, Smith unveiled a new strategy for the Singapore-listed, Hong Kong-based developer. Hongkong Land planned to double underlying ...
8 hours ago
Fuel price hikes unlikely to spark immediate inflation in Malaysia: economists
Tan Ai Leng - Rising fuel prices are manageable now, but a prolonged oil shock could test the country’s fiscal buffer
8 hours ago
One-fifth of Australian teens still use TikTok, SnapChat after social media ban
Platforms must block people aged under 16 or face a fine of up to A$49.5 million (S$45 million)
8 hours ago
Iran’s energy warfare strategy
Avri Schechter - As the US-Israeli war with Iran escalates, the infrastructure and transit routes that sustain global energy flows are increasingly drawing fire, rattling financial markets. But the biggest risk is not necessarily a sustained loss of the physical supply of oil. It is that the tightly integrated energ ...
8 hours ago
Epic Fury vs True Promise
Chew Sutat - The scenario of the 1997 film Wag The Dog, suggested by this column in Issue 1229, has arrived. With “fake” popularity polls slipping, and the MAGA base not letting the Epstein files go away quietly, rising job losses and the unfavourable ruling on tariffs by the Supreme Court, President Donald ...
8 hours ago
China’s BYD open to building cars in Canada, buying out rivals
The automaker has grown to prominence by producing both all-electric and hybrid gas-electric vehicles
8 hours ago
South Korea police raid transport ministry in widening Jeju Air crash probe
The crash killed 179 people
8 hours ago
Singapore space push opens doors for Addvalue’s satellite business
Therese Soh - It aims to realise the business’ full potential via strategic options, particularly US opportunities
8 hours ago
Addvalue to leverage Singapore’s space push to lift its satellite business further
Therese Soh - It aims to realise the business’ full potential via strategic options, particularly US opportunities
8 hours ago
Addvalue to leverage Singapore’s space push to lift its satellite business
Therese Soh - It aims to realise the business’ full potential via strategic options, particularly US opportunities
8 hours ago
Anthropic, Pentagon, Iran and the future of wars
Assif Shameen - Two weeks ago, Israel and the US began a massive coordinated attack on Iran that left its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei and defence top brass dead. The attacks triggered an ongoing war in which Iran has retaliated by launching waves of missile and drone strikes across the Middle Eas ...
8 hours ago
War in the Middle East: The worst is not over for Asia
Manu Bhaskaran - US President Donald Trump may claim that the war will end “very soon”, but the situation in the Middle East is escalating rapidly. Iran’s retaliation is pulling more countries into the conflict, while Israel has broadened its offensive to include Lebanon and intensified its attacks on Iran. Wi ...
8 hours ago
Screening for undervalued O&G companies
Thiveyen Kathirrasan - Given the surge and significant volatility in crude oil prices over the past few weeks, investors should be cautious when investing in commodities. One way to reduce risk is to invest in stocks or companies whose primary business involves commodities, as discussed in the previous issue. This article ...
8 hours ago
Savills to acquire Eastdil Secured from Temasek-led consortium for some US$1.11 bil
Jovi Ho - London-listed international real estate services provider Savills is acquiring Manhattan-based real estate investment bank Eastdil Secured in a deal that values the latter at some US$1.11 billion ($1.41 billion). The combined group will be the number two advisory firm globally for prime commercial r ...
8 hours ago
Malaysia says airlines may suspend some flights on fuel costs
Jet fuel accounts for almost half of airlines’ operating costs, Malaysia’s Transport Minister Anthony Loke says
9 hours ago
China is ‘steady as she goes’ before a fair wind
Daryl Guppy - Global chaos has overwhelmed much of the reporting of China’s Two Sessions which set the economic outlook and strategy for the next year. The reporting focus is on the lower growth targets for China. The 4.5 to 5% target should come as no surprise: as large economies mature, their growth slows. It ...
9 hours ago
Gold set for second weekly decline as oil prices rally further
Bullion has still gained around 18% so far this year and has largely held above the US$5,000-an-ounce threshold
9 hours ago
Sembcorp’s prospects lifted by Middle East conflict and Alinta acquisition
Lin Daoyi - Slightly more than a week after Israel and the US commence assaulting Iran, the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman, is effectively unnavigable as maritime insurers have stopped providing coverage for vessels travelling through the Persian Gulf amid increasing risk of ships bei ...
9 hours ago
Large caps lead active value realisation in February
Smartkarma Research - Singapore’s equity market entered February with robust momentum. On Budget day, the Straits Times Index crossed the 5,000 mark for the first time in its history, reflecting strong bank earnings, policy support, and renewed capital inflows. At the same time, policymakers reinforced the market’s s ...
9 hours ago
Meta delays rollout of new AI model after performance concerns
Its rivals Google, OpenAI and Anthropic are acknowledged as ahead in foundational AI models
9 hours ago
JPMorgan, UBS dropped hedge fund embroiled in Hong Kong probe
Regulators have also warned banks over the quality of IPO applications
9 hours ago
Nordic Group emerges as an alternative defence and security play to ST Engineering
Teo Zheng Long - As violence escalated in the Middle East, most investors quickly took profits and ran. The smarter move, however, might be to hold firm and trust the long game. “Fundamentals will eventually reassert themselves, barring a significant broadening out or worsening of the conflict,” say OCBC Group R ...
9 hours ago
Frencken’s 2H comes in line but poised for pick-up in semiconductor-related demand
The Edge Singapore - Frencken Group’s earnings for its 2HFY2025 ended Dec 31, 2025 increased by just 1.1% y-o-y, on the back of 2.9% y-o-y increase in revenue, largely in line with expectations. However, prospects of a significant recovery, led by stronger, clearer demand from its semiconductor customers, have led ana ...
9 hours ago
Qantas to pay US$74 million to customers for cancelled COVID-19 flights
SYDNEY: Australia's Qantas Airways said on Friday (Mar 13) it would pay out A$105 million (US$74 million) to settle a class action alleging it misled customers and failed to provide ticket refunds for flights cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic.The class action on behalf of Australian passen ...
9 hours ago
Margins may dip but UltraGreen.ai poised for more growth with more regulatory approvals
The Edge Singapore - UltraGreen.ai, a global market leader in the sale of indocyanine green (ICG) used in surgeries, reported FY2025 ended Dec 31, 2025 earnings of US$75.6 million ($96.9 million) for its first financial report card since its IPO last December, an increase of 35% over the preceding FY2024. Revenue in the ...
9 hours ago
China’s OpenClaw frenzy tests Xi’s approach to regulate AI
Tech giants and consumers have rushed to embrace the agentic AI phenomenon in the past few weeks and at its peak
10 hours ago
Nikkei drops 1.7% as Middle East tensions boost oil prices
It was on track for a second straight weekly decline