2 days ago
Singapore considering sixth desalination plant to safeguard water security
PUB says a tender will be called on Dec 26 for a study for such a facility
Business Headlines & Market News
Business Headlines and Stock Market News by Singapore Financial News Publishers
2 days ago
Oil rises as market weighs Venezuela supply risks
Brent and WTI prices are on track to drop about 16% and 18%, respectively, this year
2 days ago
Structural growth driving generous dividends from banks
Goola Warden - Local banks are emerging as a hybrid of sorts, trapped in the sweet spot between growth stocks and yield stocks. Whether banks can continue with their generous dividends and capital returns will depend on their growth prospects. The local banks’ minimum payout ratios are 50% of net profit. Hence, ...
2 days ago
Boom or bust? Analysts have wildly different views on South Korean chip players like SK Hynix
Kwan Wei Kevin Tan - South Korea’s flagship Kospi index has been on a tear in 2025, driven by the country’s corporate “Value-Up” programme to boost shareholder returns as well as its critical role in chip manufacturing. Memory chip makers like SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics have seen their stocks go up by 217% ...
2 days ago
Analysts see upside for Pop Mart, but Labubu collectors think otherwise
Kwan Wei Kevin Tan - Ripple Sim bought her first Labubu dolls in August 2024 and hasn’t stopped since. The event stylist reports spending over $3,000 on her collection, which includes more than 50 Labubu figures in various sizes and costumes. That’s not including all the other toys she has bought from Pop Mart. The ...
2 days ago
Oil price steady as market mulls potential supply risks
LONDON, Dec 26 : Oil prices were stable on Friday as investors weighed potential supply risks from developing geopolitical tensions in a thinly-attended post-Christmas session, after the U.S. carried out airstrikes against Islamic State militants in Nigeria and added greater economic pressure on ...
2 days ago
Oil rises slightly as market weighs supply risks
Dec 26 : Oil prices rose slightly on Friday after the U.S. put greater economic pressure on Venezuelan oil shipments and carried out airstrikes against Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria at the request of the government in Abuja.Brent crude futures rose 6 cents, or 0.1 per cent, to $62. ...
2 days ago
Oil falls $1 on looming supply glut, hopes for Ukraine peace deal
HOUSTON, Dec 26 : Oil prices fell by more than $1 a barrel on Friday as investors weighed a looming global supply glut and a reduced war risk premium, amid hopes of a Ukraine peace deal ahead of talks this weekend between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and U.S. President Donald Trump.Bre ...
2 days ago
It’s not just K-pop. Korean instant noodles are taking over the world too
Kwan Wei Kevin Tan - For most people, instant noodles are a convenience food and something to be quickly whipped together for a late-night supper. But for some fans of ramyeon, the Korean version of instant noodles, the simple dish is their number one go-to food option, even when they are dining out as well. Chloe Lim o ...
2 days ago
Internal vs external: hot potato or hot AIR?
Goola Warden - The debate over an internally managed REIT model versus an externally managed REIT model may have been put to rest following the performance of CapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust (CICT) and Link REIT. On the other hand, Singapore now has its first internally managed REIT: Alpha Integrated REIT ( ...
2 days ago
More than 80% of billionaires want children to succeed independently: UBS survey
Lin Daoyi - A study by UBS found that 82% of its billionaire clients hope their children will succeed in their own right without relying on inheritance. This finding was one of many shared in the UBS Billionaire Ambitions Report 2025, which was issued on Dec 4. The report cited billionaire parents’ aspiration ...
2 days ago
When family is not in the prospectus
Lin Daoyi - Investors should review the business’s succession plans, particularly for family-run companies, before taking the plunge The story of Hanmi Pharmaceutical serves as a cautionary tale for investors seeking to put their money in family-run businesses. Between May and July 2024, the share price of Ha ...
2 days ago
For Eu Yan Sang’s Richard Eu, seven Cs beat five
Lin Daoyi - Japanese companies, increasingly focused on growth, have stepped up major overseas acquisitions, including in Singapore. In March 2024, Sumitomo Life took control of the remaining shares in SingLife in a deal valuing the insurer at $4.6 billion, after first investing in the locally based group. Last ...
2 days ago
Oil demand to remain resilient despite immediate headwinds
Lin Daoyi - The price of oil hovered around US$60 ($77.85) in early December, down more than 20% from the 2025 high of more than US$78. Analysts have noted that unstable trade tensions and uncertainty have affected the world economy and demand for oil. Exacerbating the volatility is Opec+’s decision to unwind ...
2 days ago
Property developers’ value unlock programme: who is next?
Goola Warden - The large and mid-cap Singapore Exchange-listed developers are trading at discounts to their book value (see Table 1). There are a couple of ways to narrow the discount: divest assets and receive cash, or securitise the assets and receive some cash and a valuation. Some of the large-cap developers h ...
2 days ago
Is the AI boom a bubble or a bet on execution?
Nurdianah Md Nur - By 2030, half of the new economic value created by digital businesses across the Asia Pacific and Japan will come from companies investing in and successfully scaling AI today. By 2027, International Data Corp expects 60% of organisations to have deployed multi-agent systems, or autonomous AI agents ...
2 days ago
Asean, pick your standards
Daryl Guppy - One of the most consequential debates in Asean is taking place, if not behind closed doors, then with little publicity. The resolution of the debate has far-reaching implications for the free flow of trade within the region and with China. The US’s new strategic focus on economic warfare, as revea ...
2 days ago
How to invest if you have a lot of time on your hands
Thiveyen Kathirrasan - This article is the third and final in the “How to invest if you have time constraints” series, even though there are none in this case. Read the first two here and here. This guide is for investors willing to spend significant time assessing and valuing stocks. It is for investors who prioritis ...
2 days ago
Japan cuts issuance of longest bonds as fiscal worries drive selloff
TOKYO, Dec 26 : Japan's finance ministry will over the next fiscal year issue the fewest super-long government bonds, known as JGBs, in 17 years, according to a plan approved by the cabinet on Friday.The reduction by nearly a fifth from the previous fiscal year to bonds worth around 17.4 tri ...
2 days ago
Will the Fed be allowed to do its job?
Gary Gensler - As candidates vie to become the next chair of the US Federal Reserve, they should heed the hockey legend Wayne Gretzky’s advice to “skate to where the puck is going, not where it has been.” With many economic pucks in play — from sticky inflation, mounting deficits, and an AI investment boom ...
2 days ago
Has Southeast Asia built up some immunity against Trump’s tariffs?
Suan Teck Kin - US President Donald Trump’s tariffs have raised fears of a global trade slowdown, but Southeast Asia continues to attract investments. While reliable data on foreign direct investments (FDI) tends to have severe time lags, the early signs are encouraging. Our analysis of Southeast Asia’s six lar ...
2 days ago
Asean between America and China
Derwin Pereira - To put it in market terms, America is no longer the price-setter in international relations and China is no longer a price-taker. Yet, China is far from being the price-setter itself and America is in no mood to become a price-taker. All third countries are caught in this transitional struggle, and ...
3 days ago
Sembcorp acquires Indian solar power project for S$246 million
Shikhar Gupta - The company’s gross renewable energy capacity installed and under development in India has now climbed to over 7.6 GW
3 days ago
M Ravi’s death: Friend charged with taking drugs with the ex-lawyer in Boon Keng Road flat
Shawn Loo Zhi Jian is expected to be back in court on Jan 2, 2026
3 days ago
Man who admitted to taking drugs with ex-lawyer M Ravi to be charged on Dec 26
M Ravi’s death is currently being investigated by the police
3 days ago
Malaysia’s ex-PM Najib faces verdict in his biggest 1MDB trial
The case is among the biggest in the sprawling which has stretched from Singapore to Switzerland
3 days ago
Stocks to watch: Sembcorp Industries, Keppel Reit
Shikhar Gupta - [SINGAPORE] The following companies saw new developments that may affect trading of their securities on Friday (Dec 26):
3 days ago
Keppel REIT launches $886.3 million preferential offering to fund acquisition of one-third stake in MBFC Tower 3
Kwan Wei Kevin Tan - Keppel REIT says it is launching an $886.3 million preferential offering for 923,189,327 new units on Dec 26. According to a Dec 26 bourse filing, the offering will close on Jan 9, and the new units will commence trading on Jan 19. In an earlier bourse filing on Dec 11, Keppel REIT says it will be a ...
3 days ago
Keppel REIT launches $886.3 mil preferential offering to fund acquisition of one-third stake in MBFC Tower 3
Kwan Wei Kevin Tan - Keppel REIT says it is launching an $886.3 million preferential offering for 923,189,327 new units on Dec 26. According to a Dec 26 bourse filing, the offering will close on Jan 9, and the new units will commence trading on Jan 19. In an earlier bourse filing on Dec 11, Keppel REIT says it will be a ...
3 days ago
US rare earth buyers still see China curbs despite Trump deal
The Asian nation’s overall exports of the raw materials have risen since last year
3 days ago
Core inflation in Japan's capital slows in December but stays above BOJ target
TOKYO, Dec 26 : Core consumer prices in Japan's capital rose 2.3 per cent in December from a year earlier, data showed on Friday, staying above the central bank's 2 per cent target and firming the case for further interest rate hikes.The increase in the Tokyo core consumer price index, ...
3 days ago
Core inflation in Japan's capital slows in December but no bar for further BOJ hikes
TOKYO: Core consumer inflation in Japan's capital slowed in December on moderating cost pressure for food but stayed above the central bank's 2 per cent target, data showed on Friday (Dec 26), firming the case for further interest rate hikes.The data backs up the Bank of Japan's vi ...
3 days ago
Japan proposes record budget spending while curbing fresh debt
TOKYO, Dec 26 : Japan's government on Friday proposed record spending for next fiscal year while curbing debt issuance, underscoring Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's challenge in boosting the economy while inflation remains above the central bank's target.Her cabinet approved a draf ...
3 days ago
China silver fund plunges after string of moves to quell frenzy
Other Chinese funds linked to the metals have also seen big gains and warnings to investors