Let's Talk, Singapore

Synopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times' foreign editor Bhagyashree Garekar chats with ST’s correspondents in the Asia-Pacific, the US and Europe. They talk about life as it goes on, amid the screaming headlines and bubbling crises. In this episode, she chats with ST's China correspondent Elizabeth Law.  China, which has maintained some of the world's strictest entry requireme...

Duty free and travel retail is a global industry that has generated annual retail sales of US$68.6 bn in 2017. And with the travel and tourism industry on track to make a gradual comeback, players in the space, particularly in the travel retail space are anticipating a new way of travel amongst consumers, with events over the past two years shaping their leisure and spending intentions. Chris Pok,...

In today's The Breakfast Brief, we discuss Spirit Airlines delaying their proposed merger with Frontier Airlines for the second time, Walt Disney Co introducing their first new cruise ship in a decade, what to expect from the upcoming US core Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index and China’s NBS manufacturing and non-manufacturing PMI numbers.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

In this episode of Stocks to Watch, Willie Keng, Founder of Dividend Titan  discusses  SIA Rights and why it is attractive to invest in them now. Also with the Japanese Yen weakening, what will the business outlook like for Daiwa House Logistics Trust. And lastly, with Alibaba stocks losing over 44 percent value over the past one year, what expectations should we have for this particular stock.  S...

As the finance industry evolves, financial brokerage companies who have been around for decades are also seeing new companies and platforms entering the scene. And with growing popularity around the fintech sphere, companies are similarly shifting focus to cater to these new preferences and priorities, with more automation and digitalisation. But what do these changes mean for existing employees a...

Vikas Pershad, Equity Fund Manager, M&G Investments discusses if investors should buy on the dips, what is driving his optimism for Japan and his expectations of a recession and the potential impact on markets.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Manpreet Gill, Head of FICC Investment Strategy, Standard Chartered Private Bank discusses what are the next catalysts to look out for as markets trade on technicals and headlines. He also weighs in on the odds of a recession as opinions grow increasingly split among investors, business leaders and policy makers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's The Breakfast Brief, we discuss consumer confidence falling more than expected in June due to concerns over an impending recession which has already seen spending cutbacks by US importers in Chinese manufacturing orders. Also, at the European Central Bank (ECB) forum on central banking, what insights can we expect from bank President Christine Lagarde from the ECB to fix the eurozone in...

Synopsis: The Straits Times analyses South-east Asia's top news developments in this weekly podcast. The Straits Times' regional correspondent Leslie Lopez chats with Money FM's Elliott Danker. They discuss Malaysia spending 77.3 billion ringgit (S$24.26 billion) in subsidies and cash aid this year to help temper the effects of rising prices. Indonesian President Joko Widodo is attempting to hold...

Over the years, in Singapore, trust in science has increased while skepticism of it has decreased. The role of science in helping us cope with the pandemic, especially in developing the vaccines, has made the public increasingly interested in the work of scientists. Moreover, the perception surrounding the capability of women who work in this field has also evolved over the years.  We speak to Cha...

Mitul Kotecha, Chief Emerging Market Asia and Europe strategist, TD Securities, discusses how much catch up emerging markets will have to and can do, with the Federal Reserve looking to frontload its rate hikes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's The Breakfast Brief, we discuss Nike's sales earnings exceeding Wallstreet's expectations despite a dip in North America and China. Chinese stocks extend gains into a fifth week, bringing them closer to a bull market that has not been seen since January 2020 and for the first time since 2019, Wallstreet firms will have to resort to layoffs due to the volatile times.   See omnystudio.com...

The promise of passwordless authentication, where user identities can be verified without relying on passwords, has been the talk of the tech industry for decades. When will we finally see passwords cease to exist? And can we expect a downward trend of cyberattacks in a passwordless world? Joon Hyuk Lee, APAC Market Development Director, FIDO Alliance gives us his perspective.  See omnystudio.com/...

As a ‘new normal’ slowly comes into focus, many businesses are looking for more long-lasting stability by investing in their IT departments. Once seen as a strategic enabler that business leaders supported without question, IT today is often seen as operational overhead rather than a competitive weapon. Seth Ravin, Founder, Global CEO & Chairman of the Board, Rimini Street shares his views on...

Synopsis: The Straits Times analyses the latest developments in China in this weekly podcast. The Straits Times' China bureau chief Tan Dawn Wei chats with Money FM 89.3's Elliott Danker. They discuss the G-7’s attempt to compete with China’s formidable Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and how the situation is potentially easing up in Beijing with schools reopening. Chinese President Xi Jinping take...

Synopsis: The Straits Times analyses the latest developments in the United States in this weekly podcast.  The Straits Times' US bureau chief Nirmal Ghosh chats with Money FM 89.3's Elliott Danker. Roe v Wade is in focus in this episode after The Supreme Court's 5-4 decision overturned abortion rights in the country. How did it come to this? Is there any way abortion rights can be made legal in th...

Lee Ju Ye, Economist, Maybank Investment Banking Group discusses why the rise in food price inflation may be moderating and which countries are the winners and losers in the region. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's The Breakfast Brief , we give a sneak preview of what the upcoming earnings season will look like for companies such as Nike. Also in this episode, we discuss the Bank of Japan's intervention in the CPI, the NATO Summit that will be happening in Madrid and the preliminary 2Q 2022 URA Singapore private home price index.     See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Back in March, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) approved local telco StarHub's proposal to buy a majority 50.1 percent stake in rival Internet service provider MyRepublic's fibre broadband business for residential and enterprise customers in Singapore. Rakesh Malani, CFO, MyRepublic shares with us the details of the deal and the behind-the-scenes story of how the deal was engineered...

With the discussion about emerging technologies and platforms like Metaverse and Web3 gaining attention, questions are being asked about their impact across various industries, especially the marketing scene. Our next guest predicts that the Metaverse will unleash creativity on a scale never seen before since the platform is not constrained by the laws of physics. So what will Marketing 4.0 look l...

Synopsis: This podcast series is based on selected chapters from a book detailing Singapore’s experience battling the Covid-19 pandemic. The book - written by journalists of The Straits Times and edited by ST’s executive editor Sumiko Tan - is titled In This Together: Singapore's Covid-19 Story and is available in major bookstores. Details online: https://www.stbooks.sg/ In this fifth...

In this week's Weekly Wrap Up, we discuss Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, Lawrence Wong's announcement of a S$1.5 billion support package. One of the support is for eligible taxi main hirers and private hire car drivers who will get a one-off relief of S$150 in August. But, how much help can this support be for taxi and private hire drivers?                                             ...

In today's The Breakfast Brief , we discuss US central bank chief, Jeremy Powell's  "unconditional" commitment to reining in 40-year-high inflation and economists polled by Reuters forecasting that the Fed would deliver another 75-basis-point rate hike next month.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever wondered why shops are not using biodegradable plastic bags? Maybe it is simply because such bags are not easily available. But now companies can soon find such alternatives at a "one-stop eco-solutions" manufacturing plant that has been launched in Singapore. Muralikrishnan Rangan, Founder of Green Lab & Group CEO, Print Lab tell us more about the new 200,000 square feet facilit...

Fears are building up around stagflation and a potential recession.  Francis Tan, Senior Investment Strategist, UOB Private Bank shares his views on the likelihood of this happening next year and the some indicators he is watching closely that will be the impact on markets,  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.