The next national literacy
Jeffery Tan - Singapore does not wait long to act on prices. When healthcare costs get too heavy for households, subsidies kick in. When the property market runs well ahead of income growth, cooling measures follow. When the cost of living runs hot, monetary policy is tweaked to rein it in. I learnt about saving ...
Southeast Asia must adjust to a new era of foreign investment
Manu Bhaskaran - For close to 40 years, Southeast Asia has thrived on foreign direct investment (FDI). FDI proved to be a shortcut for the region’s development because it brought a package of capital, management skills, access to markets, advanced manufacturing processes and brands that a developing country would ...
Truth Social to sell trading firms and banks ‘fastest’ access to Trump’s posts
The move is TMTG’s first step into data licensing, and opens up a new revenue stream for the company
Compute costs, tokens and the AI bubble
Assif Shameen - There is a lot of talk these days about the soaring cost of compute, even as high-flying AI “picks and shovels” stocks like chip behemoth Nvidia Corp have been pummelled in recent weeks. Earlier this month, Alex Karp, the outspoken CEO of Palantir Technologies, a software and data analytics gian ...
Old Middle East, new China
Derwin Pereira - China has won America’s war on Iran. America has lost that war, but Iran has not won it because Israel will not give up its own war with Iran. It is China that has won because of its aversion to armed conflict, which is a key indicator of its global soft power. That power is apparent in the Middle ...
Wiring Singapore for energy security through the Asean power grid
Marko Lackovic - The Asean Power Grid is transitioning from a long-standing ambition into an urgent strategic necessity. Surging electricity demand and the volatility of global fuel supplies are putting pressure on the region’s energy outlook. The uncertain energy landscape means businesses are directly exposed to ...
Asia’s energy reckoning cannot wait until 2030
Woochong Um and Shaun Seow - When traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was brought to a halt earlier this year, and Brent crude surged past US$120 ($154.98) a barrel, the question across Asia was a natural one: when would conditions return to normal? A more useful, and more uncomfortable, question was what that normal had been ...
Investment gains add weight to carbon intensity of MAS investments, but decarbonisation still on track
Lin Daoyi - In its sustainability report for FY2025 ended March 31, 2026, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) reveals that valuations for its investments in the carbon-intensive energy, materials and utilities (EMU) sectors have increased, presumably as part of the bull run experienced by global equities ...
India's Tech Mahindra gains as strong deal wins lift growth outlook
July 17 : Shares of India's Tech Mahindra rose as much as 3.5 per cent on Friday after the IT services firm posted better-than-expected quarterly revenue, with analysts saying strong deal wins and margin improvement could make it one of the fastest growing companies among its peers.The stock wa ...
JERA begins study on US listing as it steps up overseas expansion, sources say
TOKYO, July 17 : JERA, Japan's biggest power generator, has begun a feasibility study for a U.S. listing as it explores means of expanding overseas and broadening funding options, said three people familiar with the matter.The unlisted company, owned by Tokyo Electric Power and Chubu Electric P ...
Exclusive-JERA begins study on US listing as it steps up overseas expansion, sources say
TOKYO, July 17 : JERA, Japan's biggest power generator, has begun a feasibility study for a U.S. listing as it explores means of expanding overseas and broadening funding options, said three people familiar with the matter.The unlisted company, owned by Tokyo Electric Power and Chubu Electric P ...
Finding a seat at the China table
Daryl Guppy - Although Chinese students studying for the Gaokao examination (also known as the National College Entrance Examination) are no longer required to have a detailed understanding of Confucian philosophy, the Confucian concepts of hierarchy and respect remain ingrained in all aspects of life. At times, ...
AI investing: Climbing the wall of worry
Mark Baribeau - Far from being in a euphoric bubble about AI, we are climbing a “wall of worry” of epic proportions. Many market participants have expressed concerns about valuations, soaring capex, choke points that will act as limiting factors for AI capacity rollouts, lack of funding/financing and the impact ...
China helped stabilise global markets from oil shock: Asia Group
Kwan Wei Kevin Tan - When the US launched a joint military strike on Iran with Israel on Feb 28, market watchers were already forecasting a swift end to the conflict. Their prediction rested not only on the military superiority of the US and Israel, but also on the assumption that President Donald Trump could not afford ...
Expect a period of ‘choppy rotation’ in equities: Schroders
Kwan Wei Kevin Tan - Looking at oil prices today, there is little sign of the turmoil that gripped energy markets just weeks ago. Just weeks after the US signed an MOU with Iran aimed at ending the conflict on June 17, Brent crude had fallen back to around US$71 ($91.46) a barrel, the same level as before hostilities be ...
The winners of today are not the winners of tomorrow: JPMorgan Asset Management on riding AI’s next wave
Lynnette Tania Lee - Six months into a year dominated by artificial intelligence (AI), JPMorgan Asset Management (JPMAM) is urging investors to hold their nerve rather than hoard cash or chase the same handful of mega-caps. The firm’s mid-year outlook report carries the pointed title Don’t Park the Bus, borrowing fo ...
How Trump and AI data centres are boosting nuclear power
Will Wade - Nuclear energy is back in vogue in the US. Utilities are restarting shuttered plants, and the Trump administration is pushing for more reactors to be built. Dozens of start-ups are working on new technologies, and buyers are already lining up for the electricity they may eventually produce. The revi ...
PhillipCapital’s Chew reiterates upbeat call on Q&M with acquisitions in Australia and Thailand
Teo Zheng Long - After years of operating the largest network of private dental outlets in Singapore, Q&M Dental Group (SGX: QC7 ) , having raised a $130 million war chest through a bond issue, has taken concrete steps towards its ambitious plan to expand overseas, confirming its moves into Australia and Thailan ...
Xi Jinping vows to make AI for all in debut at China’s top tech summit
The Chinese president urges a “people-centred” approach to AI tech development at the World AI Conference on Friday
Xi Jinping promotes China’s commitment to AI access at Shanghai conference, stresses “people-centred” approach
The Chinese president speaks of ensuring equity of access to AI capacity building for developing countries
Uniper targets data centres in strategy shift, plans €5 billion in investment
BERLIN, July 17 : Uniper reaffirmed its transformation strategy on Friday, targeting new revenue from data centers at its power plant sites as the German energy group plans to invest around €5 billion ($5.72 billion) by 2030 in flexible power generation and renewables.The company, which Germany ba ...
‘Keep things simple’: HP’s Greater Asia chief Michael Boyle on leading the tech giant beyond hardware
Lionel Lim - The managing director says setting a clear direction is the biggest lesson he has learnt as a leader
South Korea-US team unveils robotic technology that dresses the wearer
DAEJEON, South Korea, July 17 : A team of South Korean and U.S. researchers has unveiled a robotic technology that allows a person to suit up without using their hands or aid from others, with potential for applications in chip cleanrooms and emergency services. The technology developed by researche ...
IPOs of tiny foreign firms nearly vanish in US after pump-and-dump crackdown
2026 sees micro-cap IPOs raise under US$300 million, against US$1.6 billion in all of 2025
7-Eleven owner's shares jump as Zabka talks burnish Europe expansion push
TOKYO, July 17 : Shares in 7-Eleven owner Seven & i rose nearly 4 per cent in Tokyo on Friday as the firm said it was in talks to buy a stake in Polish convenience store operator Zabka as it seeks new growth drivers after investor pressure over weak earnings.The Japanese retailer is considering ...
Seven & i shares jump 3% on Zabka stake talks in Europe push
TOKYO, July 17 : Shares in Seven & i rose 3 per cent in Tokyo on Friday as the Japanese retailer said it was in talks to buy a stake in Polish convenience store operator Zabka Group as it seeks new growth drivers following investor pressure over weak earnings. The 7-Eleven owner is considering a ...
Seven & i shares jump 3% on Zabka convenience store stake talks
TOKYO, July 17 : Shares in Seven & i rose 3 per cent in Tokyo on Friday as the Japanese retailer said it was in talks to buy a stake in Polish convenience store operator Zabka Group.The 7-Eleven owner is considering acquiring Zabka shares held by funds, with the investment likely to total ...
UOB shares end 2.4% lower after months of steady gains
Shikhar Gupta - DBS and OCBC also decline, but much more modestly by 0.7% and 0.8%, respectively
UOB shares fall 3.8% after months of steady gains
Shikhar Gupta - DBS and OCBC also decline, but are much more modest at 0.6% and 1.3%, respectively
RHB keeps Marco Polo Marine at ‘buy’ with 21 cents target
Lin Daoyi - In a July 16 report, RHB analyst Alfie Yeo is keeping Marco Polo Marine (MPM) on his ‘buy’ list with unchanged target valuation of 21 cents. On the back of the firm’s “accelerating” growth outlook, driven by growing fleet size and higher capacity at its shipyard and framework agreements fo ...
Oil rises on renewed US-Iran hostilities and threat of Red Sea closure
LONDON, July 17 : Oil prices rose by about 2 per cent on Friday after the U.S. and Iran stepped up attacks across the Gulf, with shipping threatened by a potential Red Sea closure on top of the restricted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.Brent crude futures rose by $1.53, or 1.82 per cent, to $8 ...
Oil rises on intensifying US-Iran hostilities, threat of Red Sea closure
NEW DELHI, July 17 : Oil prices rose on Friday after the U.S. and Iran stepped up attacks across the Gulf, with their broken truce limiting oil flows out of the Strait of Hormuz and with Tehran asking the Houthi political and military organisation to stand ready to shut the Red Sea export route. Bre ...
Databricks secures funding round at $188 billion valuation
July 16 : Databricks said on Thursday it has signed a term sheet for a strategic funding round that values the data analytics software firm at $188 billion. Here are a few details:• The round, which Databricks expects to close later this summer, is being led by existing investor Coatue and will in ...
Databricks valued at $188 billion after Coatue-led investment, WSJ reports
July 16 : Investment firm Coatue Management is leading a $3 billion investment in data analytics provider Databricks that values the company at $188 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.Databricks, one of the world's most valuable private ...
