Value Unlock: A good start. But is it enough?
Lee Ooi Keong - Approximately 120 Singapore-listed companies have engaged with the Value Unlock programme since applications opened on Jan 16 this year. The programme, a $30 million package designed to help listed companies strengthen investor engagement and sharpen their focus on shareholder value creation, repres ...
Frasers Hospitality to open 18 new serviced and hotel residences across Asia by 2028
Jovi Ho - Frasers Hospitality plans to open 18 new serviced and hotel residences across Asia by 2028, reinforcing its focus on serviced living in the region. The expansion pipeline is anchored by a new Fraser Suites flagship in Bangkok, set to open in 2H2026, says the business unit of Frasers Property in an A ...
How much AI-driven productivity growth do we want?
Michael R Strain - Since OpenAI’s ChatGPT burst onto the scene in late 2022, economists and commentators have been discussing generative AI’s possible effects on productivity. But from a cultural and political perspective, it is useful to ask a normative question: How much productivity growth should society desire ...
Gold falls as Trump gives no clarity on ending Iran war
It has dropped 11 per cent in March, its worst monthly loss since 2008
Much ado about nothing? Understanding Singapore’s high gross public debt
Tee Koon Hui - Singapore’s gross public debt stands at around 170% of GDP — among the highest of advanced economies. Among the OECD countries, only Japan’s debt is higher at around 220%, while Singapore’s debt exceeds that of Greece, Italy and the US. Yet this striking headline figure has not triggered fin ...
The Taco trade in a Trumpian storm
Goola Warden - The Iran War has disrupted global energy markets, prompting some countries to accelerate investment in renewables. Europe, China, and the US are all diversifying their energy sources to include more low-carbon options. Although President Donald Trump (referred to as ‘Taco’ for ‘Trump Always Ch ...
The global economy’s many chokepoints
Michael Spence - Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil and a quarter of its fertiliser passes, has highlighted a well-known vulnerability of our complex networked global economy: a single point of failure can create massive and costly disruptions. Yet su ...
Health & wealth: Thakral Corporation develops Gurugram
Samantha Chiew - Thakral Corporation is betting on a healthcare-led project to unlock long-term value from a 21-acre site in northern India Thakral Corporation is moving to build up and unlock value in a 21-acre site in Gurugram, India, as it shifts the project from land banking to execution. Located just southwest ...
Unearthing mining companies of value
Thiveyen Kathirrasan - Investing in commodities can be challenging, as they vary significantly in nature. This difference refers to what drives the demand and supply of the specific commodity, which causes varying levels of volatility in its price. In this issue, mining companies will be discussed, and the purpose of this ...
Malaysia Aviation Group reports higher profits in 2025
KUALA LUMPUR, April 2 : Malaysia Aviation Group, the operator of national carrier Malaysia Airlines, said on Thursday that its 2025 profits increased compared to the previous year amid sustained travel demand and better network optimisation. MAG, owned by Malaysian sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nas ...
China: the 21st century’s gravity well
Tan Kong Yam - Partial market liberalisation was a key success of China’s Deng Xiaoping era, which preserved party control even as the Soviet system collapsed under technological stagnation. This served as the crucial catalyst for a structural reversal of the Industrial Revolution’s “Great Divergence”. Thi ...
Workplace trends under the economic slowdown in 2026
Paul Saville-King - Design and productivity at the workplace have always worked hand in hand, and in 2026, this connection has become more prominent. Despite economic stagnation driven by global geopolitical developments, companies are willing to invest in creating workplaces that foster ideas and innovation while ensu ...
How to position for China’s next economic expansion
Wenli Zheng - Global markets have turned more jittery recently, though the drivers of volatility vary across asset classes. In China, selling in several large-cap technology stocks has unsettled sentiment. Yet, in our view, short-term swings do not alter the medium- to long-term investment case. China appears to ...
How Iran is leveraging its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz
Julian Lee and Alex Longley - Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz — a vital route for exports of oil, natural gas and other commodities from the Persian Gulf — remains severely constrained more than a month after the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran. Iran sits above the strategic waterway and has effecti ...
A signature is just the start
Daryl Guppy - Chinese contracts — I’ve signed a few. Not with Western firms in China, either. “Not worth the paper they’re written on,” some readers will say. They’re right. And completely wrong. Many large Chinese companies and state-owned enterprises with international operations increasingly treat ...
Singapore targets the space data economy as value shifts beyond orbit
Nurdianah Md Nur - With more satellites being launched and costs falling, reaching orbit is no longer the main challenge. The real test is turning satellite data into reliable, scalable products that businesses want to buy. The city-state is positioning itself to capture that demand. It launched the National Space Age ...
Stocks slide, dollar advances after Trump speech on Iran war
Stocks retreated after US President Donald Trump said the US would strike Iran "extremely hard" over the next two to three weeks.
China’s worst tech earnings in three years signal tough comeback
CHINESE technology companies reported their weakest quarterly profit growth in three years, leaving more doubt for investors looking for a recovery in...
Watch live: US President Donald Trump addresses nation on Iran war
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] US President Donald Trump is delivering a prime-time national address on the Iran war. Watch his speech live via the...
Nikkei rises on Middle East de-escalation hopes ahead of Trump speech
[TOKYO] Japan’s Nikkei share average rose on Thursday, lifted by hopes of a de-escalation in the Middle East conflict, with investors awaiting...
Safe-haven bid pushes dollar higher as Trump talks tough on Iran
NEW YORK, April 2 : The dollar rose sharply from two straight sessions of losses on Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump's speech on Iran undermined market expectations of a swift end to the conflict, renewing a bid for safe-haven assets.Trump vowed more aggressive strikes on Iran in the ...
Dollar jumps as Trump pledges more Iran strikes
HONG KONG, April 2 : The dollar rose sharply on Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump's address on Iran shattered hopes for a swift end to the conflict, sending investors towards safe-haven assets as oil prices jumped and stocks tumbled.In an eagerly anticipated address, Trump vowed more a ...
Dollar gains as Trump vows more strikes on Iran
HONG KONG, April 2 : The dollar advanced against major currencies on Thursday, reversing two days of losses, as U.S. President Donald Trump's address on Iran shattered hopes for a swift end to the Middle East conflict and dented investor sentiment. In an eagerly anticipated address, the preside ...
Dollar gains as Trump sets no clear Iran ceasefire timeline in speech
HONG KONG, April 2 : The dollar advanced against major currencies on Thursday, reversing two days of losses, after U.S. President Donald Trump's address on Iran shattered hopes for a possible ceasefire in the Middle East conflict that has rattled investors and roiled markets. In Trump's na ...
Currencies tread water as investors brace for Trump's Iran address
HONG KONG, April 2 : Major currencies held steady in thin trading on Thursday, as investors awaited a high-stakes televised address from U.S. President Donald Trump that is expected to shed light on a possible ceasefire in the Gulf war.In Trump's national address scheduled for 9 p.m. EDT (0100 ...
Dollar rises against peers on renewed concerns about Middle East conflict
NEW YORK, April 2 : The dollar rose sharply from two straight sessions of losses on Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump's speech on Iran undermined market expectations of a swift end to the conflict, renewing a bid for safe-haven assets.Trump vowed more aggressive strikes on Iran in the ...
US set to roll out tiered tariffs on steel, aluminum imports
Tariffs will be shifted from content to the full value of the imported product
Stocks to watch: ST Engineering, Nio, Yangzijiang Shipbuilding, China Everbright Water
Deon Loke - [SINGAPORE] The following companies saw new developments that may affect trading of their securities on Thursday (Apr 2):
US crude jumps more than 11% after Trump vows more attacks on Iran
HOUSTON, April 2 : U.S. oil prices jumped more than 11 per cent, while Brent soared 7 per cent on Thursday in volatile trading, as traders worried about prolonged disruptions to oil supply the day after President Donald Trump said the U.S. would continue attacks on Iran.Brent crude futures were up $ ...
Oil prices jump to around $110/bbl after Trump says attacks on Iran will continue
LONDON, April 2 : Oil prices climbed to around $110 a barrel on Thursday after President Donald Trump said the U.S. would continue attacks on Iran, stoking fears of prolonged disruptions to oil supply.Brent crude futures were up $7.96, or 7.9 per cent, to $109.12 per barrel at 1302 GMT. U.S. West Te ...
Oil prices jump over 7% after Trump says attacks on Iran will continue
LONDON, April 2 : Oil prices climbed nearly 7 per cent on Thursday after President Donald Trump said the U.S. would continue attacks on Iran, stoking fears of prolonged disruptions to oil supply.Brent crude futures were up $7.65, or 7.6 per cent, to $108.81 per barrel at 0902 GMT. U.S. West Texas In ...
Oil prices drop on hopes of US pullback from Iran war
BEIJING, April 2 : Oil prices fell more than $1 early on Thursday as markets awaited an address to the nation by President Donald Trump that could signal a U.S. pullback from the war in Iran. Brent crude futures fell $1.16, or 1.15 per cent, to $100 per barrel by 1204 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermedia ...
Auto industry group calls for scrapping US gas tax, adopting vehicle fee
April 1 : The head of a group representing nearly all major automakers on Wednesday called for scrapping the U.S. government's 18.4-cent per gallon tax on gasoline and replacing it with a vehicle fee to pay for road repairs.John Bozzella, who heads the Alliance for Automotive Innovation that re ...
Pop Mart’s US$33 billion rout casts doubt on life after Labubu
The company’s Labubu-led Monsters series accounted for about 40 per cent of total revenue last year, up from 23 per cent in...
