INVESTORS are starting to realise that the semiconductor industry is a key driving force behind the pandemic-led tech boom and will continue to grow in an environment where manufacturers are turning to more complex chips amid the rapid adoption of technology.

On Jan 11, the FTSE STI Index took out the thrice-shy 3,240 points attempted last year. At the end of last week — against the odds and market belief (unless you were long on this column’s calls) — the index held above that level, with a gain of 4.7% year to date to 3,282 points on Jan 14. Inde...

Right after Singapore Exchange (SGX) announced the new framework for special purpose acquisition company (spac) listings last September, co-found­er and managing partner of Singapore based private equity firm Novo Tellus Capital Partners Loke Wai San was among the first to express interest. Novo Te...

Novo Tellus Capital Partners has finally registered its initial public offering (IPO) for its special purpose acquisition company (spac) Novo Tellus Alpha Acquisition (NTAA) on Jan 20. This is just a week after Vertex Holdings and Tikehau Capital launched theirs. As the third spac vehicle listing on...

Haulio, dubbed "Southeast Asia’s fastest growing digital container haulage platform", has raised US$7 million in a Series A funding round. The funding round was led by Temasek unit Heliconia Capital, with participation from Ondine Capital (China), Cornerstone Ventures (Taiwan), FuturePlay (South K...

The next "giant leap" for humans may be a trip to Mars, but having enough oxygen-carrying red blood cells for the journey might present a challenge, new research suggests. Even space tourists lining up for short trips might have to stay home if they are at risk for anaemia, or red blood...

Singapore’s public listed market is entering a new era. On Jan 13, the Singapore Exchange (SGX) saw the launch of its first special purpose acquisition company (spac) listing by Vertex Technology Acquisition Corp (VTAC). Given how two other spacs are being launched around the same time, VTAC says ...

Novo Tellus Alpha Acquisition, a spac backed by fund manager Novo Tellus, has lodged its preliminary prospectus to raise $150 million, joining the trio of spac offerings that include Vertex Technology Acquisition Corp and Pegasus Asia. The offer totals 10 million units priced at $5 each. It consists...

Analysts from CGS-CIMB, DBS Group Research and Maybank have maintained their “buy” calls on AEM Holdings, following the company’s latest FY2022 revenue guidance of $670 million to $720 million. In his Jan 10 report, CGS-CIMB analyst William Tng notes that AEM will benefit from its key customer...

THE following companies saw new developments that may affect trading of their securities on Wednesday (Jan 12):