The Weekly Wrap-Up

The world's largest democracy underwent a significant political shift in its 2024 general election. Political pundits and exit polls predicted a landslide victory for India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party but the surprise result of the election reaffirmed the unpredictable nature of Indian politics. Although Prime Minister Modi has secured a third term, his BJP failed to ac...

Foreign-registered cars entering Malaysia to use VEP from October, big tech bolsters its presence in Malaysia and other major events happening in Singapore and the region. On the Weekly Wrap, The Straits Times' Associate Foreign Editor Lim Ai-Leen discusses recent developments in Malaysia, the world's biggest election in India and the annual defence and security forum International Institute for S...

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has called on Singaporeans to join him in the ambitious goal of building a society where everyone matters “and a Singapore that matters to all Singaporeans”. Some political analysts have said that PM Wong wants to set himself apart from his predecessors and be measured against his own words So how will PM Wong be a different type of Prime Minister? And how will our for...

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong delivered his last major political speech as head of government at the annual May Day Rally.  This comes a fortnight before he is set to pass the baton to Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who will be sworn in as the Republic’s fourth prime minister, at a ceremony to be held at the Istana on May 15. Did PM Lee's last major speech in a way mark the start of DPM Law...

The Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) is looking for an anti-scam mascot to serve as a visual rallying call to bank customers to “stop and check before clicking”. It launched its anti-scam mascot design competition on April 16, offering $10,000 for the top entry, and $3,000 and $2,000 for the second- and third-placed designs, respectively. But how will a mascot help in the fight against scam...

After nearly 20 years heading Singapore’s government, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is set to step down on May 15. And as part of a long-planned succession, Singapore will be ushering in a new era led by current Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong as our fourth prime minister. So what can we expect from DPM Wong when he takes over the reins of Prime Minister? Based on his leadership style, what h...

Unsold units at The Residences at W Singapore Sentosa Cove will be up for sale at more than 40 percent off their initial 2010 launch price. Cityview Place Holdings will be releasing 58 units for sale on April 15, with prices starting from $1,648 per square foot.  But will this move however result in rapid sales for those vacant units? Is a unit there worth your investment?  Nicholas Mak, Chief Res...

No Signboard Holdings has resumed the trading of its shares on March 15 after obtaining concurrence from Singapore Exchange Regulation (SGX RegCo) on March 14.  But shares of No Signboard Holdings slid after opening at 2.7 cents, the stock was down 1.6 cents, or 51.6 percent.  Will such sentiments continue for No Signboard shares?  Willie Keng, Founder, Dividend Titan shares his views.  See omnyst...

Taylor Swift mania sweeps the parliament! Economically, how will her concerts benefit Singapore? And recently announced in parliament, Singapore’s retirement age to go up to 64 in 2026.  Dr Felix Tan, Independent Political Observer gives us an analysis of those headlines and more.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the first time ever, Singapore’s resident total fertility rate has dropped below 1.0. Preliminary estimates show that the total fertility rate fell to 0.97 in 2023, declining further from the previous record of 1.04 in 2022 and 1.12 in 2021. What are the factors leading to the new low? And should we be worried?  Dr Mathew Mathews, Head, Social Lab, and Principal Research Fellow at the Institut...

The Singapore Tourism Board and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth said on Feb 20 that Taylor Swift’s sold-out concerts in Singapore in March had received support from the authorities in the form of a grant . This comes after Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin's comments on Feb 16 that the Singapore Government offered subsidies in exchange for Swift agreeing not to perform elsewhere in...

Retrenchments in Singapore more than doubled in 2023 from the previous year to 14,320, even as the overall unemployment rate fell slightly. Total employment growth for the full year of 2023 slowed amid weaker economic conditions, following a sharp post-pandemic rebound in 2022. So should we expect this trend to stay? Rahul Chawla, Partner & Head of Human Capital Solutions, Southeast Asia, Aon...

The move to discontinue the NETS FlashPay card and some adult EZ-Link cards for use on buses and trains was announced earlier in January. But in an intereting turn of events, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has U-turned its decision to phase out the old ticketing system in favour of SimplyGo.  So could SimplyGo make a proper comeback after such a debacle?  Terence Fan, Assistant Professor of St...

S Iswaran has resigned as Transport Minister and a member of the People's Action Party (PAP).He has been charged with 27 offences yesterday, two of corruption under the Prevention of Corruption Act, one of obstructing justice and 24 of obtaining a valuable thing as a public servant. So what happens next? Will it be hard to replace him at West Coast GRC?  Dr Felix Tan, Independent Political Observe...

According to a bill submitted to parliament this week, Singapore is proposing to hold “dangerous offenders” indefinitely, even after they complete their jail sentences.  Called the Sentence for Enhanced Public Protection (Sepp), it was introduced as part of the Criminal Procedure (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill. So why has such a sentencing regime been proposed only now?  Stefanie Yuen Thio, Joint...

Finalised Ministry of Manpower (MOM) data for the third quarter of 2023 has shown that the number of job vacancies was at 78,400 in September. The data also revealed that Singapore retrenchments numbers saw an increase in 3Q2023.  As we embark into a new year, will Singapore’s job market continue to cool? Song Seng Wun, Economic Consultant, CGS CIMB Securities shares his views.  See omnystudio.com...

Singapore's largest taxi operator ComfortDelGro has announced that it will increase its cab fares to help cabbies defray higher operating costs. The last time this was done was back in March 2022. A new peak hour surcharge will also be implemented from 10am to 1.59pm on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. But is there a real need for them to do so again?  Walter Theseira, Associate Professor,...

According to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) advance report of how Singapore’s labour market fared in the whole of 2023, with high inflation this year eating into the spending power of Singapore residents, the real incomes for workers at the 20th percentile fell by 3 percent compared with the same period last year, while that for median workers dipped by 2.3 percent, even as nominal wages grew. Rah...

Singapore’s Presidents will be able to accept appointments at international organisations in a “private capacity”, allowing them to act and express views independently under constitutional amendments that were passed in Parliament this week.  But could any time spent serving private interests be time taken away from the President’s national duties and his constituents? Eugene Tan, Associate Profes...

The 8th edition of the Singapore FinTech Festival (SFF) has wrapped up and this year’s theme centered around “The Application of AI in Financial Services”. Many talks were lined up from industry leaders and experts who shared the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities. Sopnendu Mohanty, Chief Fintech Officer, Monetary Authority of Singapore gives us a roundup of SFF 2023 and the highlights f...

 We discuss our nation’s pride and joy, Singapore Airlines. SIA has posted a 55.4 percent-higher net profit of S$1.4 billion for the first six months of its financial year ended Sep 30, from S$926.9 million a year earlier.  So what does this mean for the future of our national airline?  Ven Sreenivasan, Associate Editor & Senior Columnist, The Straits Times shares his views.  See omnystudio.co...

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has imposed a six-month pause on DBS Bank's non-essential IT changes to ensure that the bank keeps sharp focus on restoring the resilience of its digital banking services. DBS will not be allowed to acquire new business ventures during this period or reduce the size of its branch and ATM networks in Singapore. But why are such serious actions only taken no...

In the past, Singaporeans talked about chasing the Five ‘C’s but nowadays we no longer focus on them anymore. More than materialism, Singaporeans now chase meaning and the evolving Singapore Dream must be reflected in key shifts around how its citizens define success across all areas of life. This was outlined in the Forward SG report, which laid out a roadmap for a new way forward for Singapore....

The certificate of entitlement (COE) premium for the Open category breached the $150,000 mark at the latest tender exercise to close at a new all-time high of $152,000. What has caused prices of COEs to skyrocket over the last few years? And is it time for the government to review the system?  Walter Theseira, Associate Professor, Economics & Head, Master of Management (Urban Transportation) P...

From being labelled 'Israel’s 9/11' to the culmination of a '50-year time bomb', the world is reacting to the Hamas-Israel recent conflict. Singapore has come forward to strongly condemn the rocket and terror attacks and our Minister for Home Affairs and Law, K. Shanmugam has also spoken to the media with regards to this matter. Why does this surprise attack matter to a country like Singapore? Wil...