Your Way Home with Hongbin Jeong

Air travel across the Middle East has been thrown into turmoil as escalating hostilities between the United States, Israel, and Iran lead to widespread airspace restrictions, flight cancellations, and rerouting. Thousands of passengers are being affected, including Singaporeans caught in the region, facing delays, uncertainty, and difficult decisions about when they can return home. On The Big Sto...

2025 tested investors with geopolitical uncertainty, shifting interest rate expectations, elections across major economies, and uneven global growth. Yet despite the volatility, Asian assets demonstrated surprising resilience, with fixed income delivering strong gains and equities across parts of Asia staging a constructive recovery. So what does this mean for 2026 and beyond? On Wealth Tracker, H...

Would you call your spouse your “teammate” instead of “baby”? And would you believe that your old laptop might be a better investment than gold? On today’s episode of What’s Trending, Hongbin Jeong and Alexandra Parada dive into two unexpected trends shaking up the internet: married couples in China ditching lovey-dovey pet names in favour of practical titles li...

Singapore shares rose today to buck regional losses as the Middle East conflict remains on top of investors’ minds. The Straits Times Index was up 0.86% at 4,932.73 points at 2.27pm Singapore time, with a value turnover of S$1.81B seen in the broader market. In terms of counters to watch, we have Olam Group, after the agri-business company announced yesterday that its food, feed and fibre op...

Iran’s confrontation with Israel and the United States has escalated into one of the most dangerous crises the Middle East has seen in decades. A joint U.S.-Israeli military campaign aimed at crippling Tehran’s leadership has triggered retaliatory strikes across the region from missile barrages on Israeli cities to attacks on Gulf states. On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks to ...

Brent crude has spiked sharply after US and Israeli strikes on Iran, with disruptions at the Strait of Hormuz raising fears over a major supply shock. Some analysts say this is just a temporary risk premium. Others warn oil could surge past US$100 a barrel. So, are we looking at a short-term geopolitical spike… or the start of a much bigger energy crisis? On Wealth Tracker, Hongbin Jeong sp...

On What’s Trending, Hongbin Jeong and Nadiah Koh dive into the biggest buzz online, from Singapore’s move to regulate trading card booster packs under new blind box rules, to the growing debate over chance-based collectibles, rare card hype, and whether nostalgia is turning into speculation. Then, we shift gears to tech with Samsung’s latest privacy screen feature that blocks sid...

Singapore shares slid today as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East weighed on global markets. The Straits Times Index was down 1.77% at 4,906.86 points at 12.56pm Singapore time, with a value turnover of S$2.01B seen in the broader market. In terms of companies to watch, shares of Singapore Airlines and Sats fell this morning as the US-Israeli war against Iran led to flight cancellations over...

History was made this past weekend as a goalkeeper scored for the first time in the Singapore Premier League - rescuing a late point for the league-leading Lion City Sailors. But beyond history, there was yet more refereeing calls that had implications on results and outcomes that had ramifications on the title race. Sports Minutes unpacks it all, in the company of Deepanraj Ganesan of The Straits...

Today we’re going to take you through the ins and outs of a leading independent digital wealth platform in Asia that provides bespoke investment solutions for personal savings, private wealth and even public pension (say in the case of CPF and SRS in Singapore).  Founded in 2017, our guest for today Endowus operates out of both Singapore and Hong Kong with a vision to help investors gro...

Investor interest in space is growing rapidly, driven by falling launch costs, expanding satellite constellations, and high-profile scientific discoveries like NASA’s Curiosity rover. With commercial programs scaling globally and technologies such as Earth observation and in-orbit servicing coming online, the focus is on identifying companies that can turn these opportunities into predictabl...

Would you spend thousands on a candle that claims it can change your destiny or shove someone out of the way in the middle of Shibuya Crossing just to get through a crowd? On today’s episode of What’s Trending, Hongbin Jeong and Alexandra Parada look at the Chinese influencer who earned over 50 million yuan selling luxury “wish candles” that promised love, luck, and career...

Singapore’s total fertility rate has fallen to a historic low of 0.87, raising fresh concerns about whether the nation is heading toward long-term population decline. Despite years of pro-family policies and generous financial incentives, birth rates continue to slide, with Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong warning that the citizen population could start shrinking by the early 2040s without...

Singapore shares rose today as investors continue to digest corporate earnings from blue chip companies in the country. The Straits Times Index was up 0.32% at 4,980.16 points at 2.25pm Singapore time, with a value turnover of S$1.43B seen in the broader market. In terms of counters to watch, we have ST Engineering, after the engineering company today reported a net profit of S$59.9 million for H2...

Silverware galore at home. A landmark run in Asia. But ultimately, not enough. Aleksandar Rankovic joins Sports Minutes to reflect on his departure as head coach from Lion City Sailors - discussing continental ambitions, squad evolution, and the moment he knew his time at the club might be coming to an end. Got a story to tell? Get in touch! raushan@sph.com.sg See omnystudio.com/listener for priva...

Semiconductors are the invisible foundation of our digital world – powering everything from data centres and electric vehicles to smartphones and even satellites.  But behind the global chip ecosystem lies precision engineering firms that make tools and parts used in the manufacturing process.  And our guest for today, Micro-Mechanics, is one of them. Founded in 1983, and listed on...

China is pioneering a new trend where AI clones take over entire livestreams, leaving human hosts as passive “props.” This silent streamer phenomenon is a warning for Singapore as AI becomes more integrated into workplaces. With six months of free premium AI access under Budget 2026, the key challenge is turning tools into skills, learning to lead AI ethically, strategically, and with...

On What's Trending, Hongbin Jeong and Zia-ul Raushan unpack the debate surrounding the alleged “accidental” deletion of a public figure’s Instagram account, and why some online users are questioning how easy (or difficult) it really is to permanently remove a social media profile.  Then, they shift gears into science’s newest frontier: smart underwear. Researchers in t...

Solana has bounced from ~$75 lows back toward $80, showing early signs of stabilisation after months of heavy volatility. With key resistance at $78, $82, and $85, combined with consistent inflows into Solana-linked ETFs despite a 40% drop, investors are weighing whether this is a temporary relief bounce or the start of a deeper trend reversal. On The Wealth Tracker, Hongbin Jeong speaks with&nbsp...

Singapore shares dipped today as investors continue to monitor earnings out of the country. The Straits Times Index was down 0.23% at 4,995.97 points at 12.36pm Singapore time, with a value turnover of S$1.10B seen in the broader market. In terms of counters to watch, we have AEM, after the semiconductor equipment maker posted a net profit of S$13.9 million for H2 FY2025, up 32 per cent from S$10....

A viral travel hack has left people stunned. A US influencer shared a video suggesting travellers could wash their underwear in a hotel room coffee maker. Genius shortcut or completely unhygienic?  Then, we shift gears to road signs, from familiar traffic signs in Singapore to a surprising and very real warning sign in Japan featuring cats. What does it mean, why does it exist, and should Sin...

On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks with Kevin Chen, Associate Research Fellow with the US Programme at IDSS, RSIS , to unpack US President Donald Trump’s record-breaking State of the Union address — the longest in modern history at 1 hour and 48 minutes. Delivered during his second term, the speech set out what Trump described as a “turnaround for the ages,” covering ke...

Tether is reshaping the gold market. The crypto giant has been rapidly scaling its physical gold purchases, reaching levels typically reserved for central banks and sovereign investors. This unprecedented move is blurring the lines between digital and traditional stores of value, forcing investors and markets to rethink the relationship between Bitcoin, gold, and emerging crypto players. On The We...

Singapore shares dipped today as investors digest a slew of corporate earnings from blue chip companies in the country. The Straits Times Index was down 0.3% at 5,005.57 points at 2.41pm Singapore time, with a value turnover of S$1.46B seen in the broader market. In terms of counters to watch for today, we have Genting Singapore after the company yesterday reported a 30 per cent decline in net pro...

From red cards to recruitment strategy, from leadership to life after Tomoyuki Doi - Geylang International’s season hasn’t gone to plan. Sports Miniutes sits down with the Eagle's club captain Joshua Pereira to unpack the downfall, the dressing room mood, and the road ahead. Got a story to tell? Get in touch! raushan@sph.com.sg See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.