Back-to-back Qualtrics, EA debt sales to test debt investors' appetites in volatile market
March 18 : A group of banks led by JPMorgan Chase plans to market a debt package tied to software firm Qualtrics' purchase of peer Press Ganey Forsta after concluding a debt sale for the take-private of game publisher Electronic Arts, according to two people familiar with the matter.JPMorgan is ...
Oil settles up 4% after Iran threats to attack Gulf energy facilities
NEW YORK, March 18 : Oil prices closed up 4 per cent on Wednesday after Iran's Revolutionary Guards threatened to attack several energy facilities across the Middle East in retaliation for a strike on the Pars gas field, raising the risk of further disruptions to the region's energy suppli ...
Oil prices jump 5% after Iran threatens to attack Middle East energy facilities
NEW YORK, March 18 : Oil prices were up 5 per cent on Wednesday after Iran's Revolutionary Guards threatened to attack several energy facilities across the Middle East in retaliation, raising the risk of further disruptions to the region's energy supplies.Brent futures rose $5.14, or 5 per ...
European stocks retreat after attack on Iran's gas field revives concerns
LONDON: European shares halted their ascent on Wednesday (Mar 18) after an attack on Iran's Pars gas field pushed oil prices higher a
BMG sues Anthropic for using Bruno Mars, Rolling Stones lyrics in AI training
March 18 : Music company BMG Rights Management has sued artificial intelligence startup Anthropic in California federal court for allegedly using its copyrighted lyrics to train the large language models powering its Claude chatbot.BMG said in the complaint filed on Tuesday that Anthropic copied and ...
Japan to spend nearly $63 billion in second phase of US investment, Nikkei reports
March 19 : Japan is expected to spend around 10 trillion yen ($62.72 billion) in the second phase of its $550 billion U.S. investment pledge, targeting projects such as next-generation nuclear reactors and gas-fired power generation, the Nikkei reported on Thursday.The investment is expected to be a ...
Hotel Properties prices $150 million perpetual securities at 4.38%
Ry-Anne Lim - Net proceeds will be used to refinance existing borrowings and fund working capital requirements
Trade Desk drops after report that Publicis advised clients against using its platform
March 18 : Advertising technology firm Trade Desk's shares tumbled on Wednesday as Wall Street analysts downgraded the stock after French ad giant Publicis Groupe advised its clients against using the company's platform.The stock slid over 5 per cent, adding to Tuesday's 7.4 per cent ...
Crypto exchange Kraken freezes IPO plans, CoinDesk reports
March 18 : Cryptocurrency exchange Kraken has put its multibillion-dollar initial public offering plan on hold, CoinDesk reported on Wednesday, citing two people with knowledge of the matterThe company is still weighing an IPO, but is unlikely to move ahead until market conditions improve, according ...
Google developing options to allow AI opt-out in search to ease UK concerns
LONDON, March 18 : Google said it was developing new search controls to let websites specifically opt out of its generative AI features, as the U.S. tech giant sought to address the British competition regulator's concerns about its dominance in search services. The company also proposed in a s ...
Google to allow AI opt-out to ease UK competition concerns
LONDON, March 18 : Google said on Wednesday it was developing new search controls to let websites opt out of its generative AI features, as the U.S. tech giant sought to address the British competition regulator's concerns about its dominance in search services. The company also proposed " ...
Geely eyes Canadian auto market after deal allowing Chinese EVs
The company set a goal to become one of the world’s top five carmakers by the end of the decade
X back up after brief outage, Downdetector shows
March 18 : Elon Musk's social media platform X was back up after a brief outage for thousands of users in the U.S. on Wednesday, according to Downdetector.com.At its peak, there were more than 34,500 reports of issues with X, according to Downdetector, before coming down to 845 reports as of 11 ...
Telegram still not complying with Russian law, Russian regulator says
MOSCOW, March 18 : Telegram messaging app is still not complying with Russian laws, the state communications regulator Roskomnadzor said on Wednesday, according to state‑run news agency RIA.Russian authorities have repeatedly accused Telegram, one of the most popular messaging apps in Russia, of a ...
EU lawmakers support ban on AI apps generating explicit images
BRUSSELS, March 18 : Key EU lawmakers, who are influential in shaping changes to Europe's AI Act, on Wednesday backed a ban on AI apps which create unauthorised sexually explicit images and urged that the bloc's landmark rules agreed two years ago include this ban.The move comes a week aft ...
Streaming boosts global music revenues once again in 2025, report shows
LONDON, March 18 : Boosted by paid streaming services, global recorded music revenues grew 6.4 per cent to $31.7 billion in 2025, their 11th straight year of growth, the IFPI organisation representing the recording industry worldwide said on Wednesday, while also urging action on streaming fraud.Acc ...
Researchers uncover iPhone spyware capable of penetrating millions of devices
March 18 : A powerful software exploit capable of penetrating and stealing information from potentially hundreds of millions of Apple iPhones was planted on dozens of websites in Ukraine in recent weeks, researchers said on Wednesday.The discovery marks the second time this month that researchers ha ...
Wall St opens lower after hot producer inflation data; Fed in focus
[NEW YORK] Wall Street’s main indexes opened lower on Wednesday (Mar 18) after data showed producer prices rose more than expected in...
Swatch warns political, economic challenges to continue in 2026
It now faces disruption in the Middle East, which UBS analysts estimate account for about 9% of sales in 2025
Belgium's imec secures rare ASML High NA EUV tool to drive next-generation chips
LEUVEN, Belgium, March 18 : Belgian chip research lab imec said on Wednesday it has secured an ASML $400-million High NA EUV lithography machine-one of fewer than a dozen worldwide-cementing its role in preparing next-generation chipmaking tools for industry use.ASML customers, including Intel and S ...
Singapore, Japan upgrade ties to strategic partnership
The partnership will deepen the foundations of the substantive and multifaceted relationship between both countries
Ambani's Reliance Jio hires 17 banks for IPO, will raise no new funds
It will also allow exits for some shareholders
Electronics firm Jabil raises annual forecasts on data center demand
March 18 : Electronic component maker Jabil raised its full-year profit and revenue forecasts on Wednesday, betting on strong demand for infrastructure services from AI data centers. Shares of the St. Petersburg, Florida-based company were up 1.1 per cent in premarket trading, after it surpassed Wal ...
Construction of Jurong Island Logistics Hub Phase 2 reaches 3rd, 4th floors: Cosco Shipping
Therese Soh - Demolition works for Phase 1 are also under way with minimal disruption to operations
Manulife US Reit H2 distributable income down 31% at US$10.6 million
Ry-Anne Lim - No distribution has been declared, in line with its recapitalisation plans and master restructuring agreement
Disney's new CEO Josh D'Amaro steps up for a wild ride
LOS ANGELES, March 18 : Josh D'Amaro officially assumes his new role as Disney's chief executive officer at Wednesday's annual shareholder meeting, taking the helm of the entertainment colossus at a time of profound change.The executive's stewardship of the company's lucrati ...
Poland plans to ban mobile phone use by under-16s in schools
WARSAW, March 18 : Poland plans to ban the use of mobile phones by under-16s in schools from September 1, the education minister said on Wednesday, joining a growing list of countries moving to limit children's screen time and social media use.Countries including the Netherlands, South Korea an ...
Temasek-linked Astrea VI private equity bonds fully redeemed with bonus paid
Ry-Anne Lim - The bonus redemption premium is 0.5% of the principal
Individual who made 2.28 trillion rupiah claim on Keppel unit’s Jakarta land appeals court decision
Therese Soh - The Indonesian court has ruled his case as ‘inadmissible’ on Feb 9
F&B industry mulls higher menu prices, offshoring and closures with wages set to rise
Elysia Tan - Companies may get co-funding support under a government scheme, but not all businesses will qualify
Iran’s intelligence minister reportedly killed as war expands to central Beirut
Teheran says that the deaths of officials would not hinder its operations
UK watchdog tightens cyber incident reporting rules as attacks surge
March 18 : Britain's finance regulator confirmed new incident and third-party reporting rules on Wednesday, giving firms 12 months to prepare for clearer requirements aimed at strengthening resilience against cyber attacks and third-party disruptions.The new rules, which take effect on March 18 ...
Greek firms scan computer systems as Iran war raises cyberattack risks, sources say
ATHENS, March 18 : Greek shipowners and other companies are scanning their computer systems for evidence of cyberattacks after advice from the National Cybersecurity Authority, two sources said on Wednesday following incidents that have been linked to the Iran war.The authority last week sent an adv ...
RHB initiates ‘buy’ on Nam Cheong, betting on long-term contracts and young fleet
Koh Kim Xuan - The brokerage sets its target price for the stock at S$2.05
