Your Way Home with Hongbin Jeong

Synopsis: The Straits Times analyses Singapore's latest news and announcements in this weekly podcast.  The Straits Times' Zakir Hussain, Singapore editor at The Straits Times, speaks with Money FM 89.3's Timothy Goh and Melissa Hyak. The government will be relaxing more restrictions from April 26, 2022, after the Ministry of Health announced earlier that Singapore will lower its Disease Outbreak...

First coined in 2021 in the US, the 'Great Resignation' implies a global workforce trend where millions of employees are voluntarily leaving their jobs, having borne the worst of the pandemic with their current employers. It seems what is typically being seeing as a Western phenomenon is now hitting close to home. In The Spotlight, Prime Time's Timothy Go and Melissa Hyak poke to Adrian Choo, CEO,...

The surge in energy prices is causing nations to rethink their energy security and dependency on fossil fuels. What are the green alternatives? Will Singapore need nuclear power to meet its climate goals and build a low-carbon, prosperous economy? On SGExtra, Prime Time's Timothy Go and Melissa Hyak spoke to Shabana Begum, Journalist, The Straits Times. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy info...

A week after the Monetary Authority of Singapore enacted a one-two punch in raising the slope of the SGD's NEER rate and its midpoint, how effective will this be in helping head off inflationary pressures in Singapore? And will potential strength be blunted if other central banks also tighten their monetary policy settings? Jeff Ng, Senior Currency Analyst at MUFG, joined us on Forex Fridays to ta...

Singapore American School is ranked among Singapore's best employers in 2022, according to a list compiled by The Straits Times and global research firm Statista. In The Spotlight, Prime Time's Timothy Go spoke to Tom Boasberg, Superintendent, Singapore American School to find out why they're ranked as one of the best employers in Singapore. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information...

The resurgence of COVID-19 infections across China and Hong Kong that resulted in fresh lockdowns has provided even more headwinds for Chinese markets that are already subject to regulatory headwinds for the tech space, woes in the property sector, and higher factory gate prices, to name a few. Brock Silvers, CIO of Kaiyuan Capital, joined us on Prime Time to discuss the economic impact of recent...

More than half a century after its establishment in 1970, Earth Day is coming up tomorrow. And on Eco Money, Prime Time’s Timothy Go and Melissa Hyak spoke to Yien Li Yap, the Country Lead for OLIO Singapore to find out how you can ‘invest in our planet’ this Earth Day. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, The Big Story’s Living Well segment features MP for Tampines GRC Baey Yam Keng and his wife, Ms Lim Hai Ye. The couple leaned on each other for support after she was diagnosed with aphasia and he with nose cancer. They share how they have coped with their illnesses with Multimedia Journalist Hairianto Dirman. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While most of the talk around climate change revolves around energy consumption and transportation, the apparels industry alone accounts for roughly one-tenth of global carbon emissions. Much of this can be attributed to synthetic fabrics, which makes up over two thirds of all materials used in textiles.  On Sustainable Singapore, Prime Time’s Timothy Go and Melissa Hyak spoke to Harold...

A number of markets across Southeast Asia are seeing inflationary pressures clash against reopening economies that are looking to bounce back from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic over the last 2 years. And Indonesia is also facing rising price pressures despite reaping benefits from surging commodity prices boosting exports. Rajiv Batra, JPMorgan's Chief Southeast Asia Strategist, joined us o...

A run-off of the French presidential election is set for April 24. Will France give Emmanuel Macron five more years or send a new president to the Élysée Palace? In The Spotlight, Prime Time’s Timothy Go and Melissa Hyak spoke to Douglas Webber, Emeritus Professor of Political Science at INSEAD for the latest from the French Presidential elections. See omnystudio.com/listener f...

The World Bank cut its outlook on Global GDP growth to just 3.2%, citing risks related to the Russia-Ukraine war, inflation, and COVID-19 concerns. Heng Koon How, UOB's Head of Markets Strategy, joined us on Prime Time again to provide a mid-month check on how this is shaping the economic and market outlook, and what investors can do to mitigate these risks. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

In Powering Your Property, Prime Time’s Timothy Go and Melissa Hyak spoke to Tommy Crowley, Global Director of APAC at WiredScore about technology transforming the commercial real estate sector, as well as the role of smart and sustainable buildings to the office of tomorrow in Singapore. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Family-style karaoke chain Teo Heng is back on song again, with its reopening on Tuesday (April 19) drawing students, married couples who took the day off, and long-time regulars to its Suntec City outlet. The branch, which has 19 rooms, is already fully booked till June,  such is the pent-up demand for belting out tunes, and despite Teo Heng raising prices at all its four outlets. Meanwhile,...

After raising their inflationary outlook for the year- - the Monetary Authority of Singapore introduced not one, but two, measures to support the Singapore Dollar in an effort to tame inflation. Michelle Jamrisko, Bloomberg's Senior Asia Economy Reporter, joined us on In The Spotlight, to discuss the MAS' One-Two punch, its unique approach to containing inflation through the local currency, and br...

Finance Minister Lawrence Wong has been named as the leader of the fourth generation of Singapore's political leadership, paving the way for him to become the country's next Prime Minister. On SGExtra, Prime Time's Timothy Go and Melissa Hyak spoke to Zakir Hussain, Singapore Editor, The Straits Times to find out what's next. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The National Environment Agency said in a report on Monday that households generated 1.82 million tonnes of waste in 2021, up from 1.77 million tonnes in 2020. For both years, only 13% of domestic waste was recycled. Between 2017 and 2019, the domestic recycling rate hovered between 17 per cent and 22 per cent. In The Straits Times’ The Big Story, Multimedia Journalist Hairianto Dirman spoke...

China's economy grew by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. And while that was above what economists were expecting, there are still signs that the world's second largest economy may be slowing down. Tommy Wu, Lead Economist for Oxford Economics, joined us on Prime Time to share his thoughts on China's GDP print, what effects it may have on vulnerable economies in the region, and expectations of further poli...

Advanced figures for Singapore's 1Q GDP showed that the economy grew by 3.4% in the 1st 3 months of the year, missing consensus estimates. On top of that, the Monetary Authority of Singapore enacted not one, but two, tightening measures while raising their inflation outlook for the year. On Prime Time, JP Ong spoke to Selena Ling, Chief Economist and Head of Treasury Research & Strategy at OCB...

Rebuilding travel sustainably in the wake of the pandemic has become a priority for the industry. Changing travel habits, new technologies and subsidies for biofuels  are key enablers. Prime Time's Timothy Go and Melissa Hyak spoke to Nicola Eliot, Vice President,  BBC StoryWorks to find out more about sustainable and responsible travel. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio...

Singapore's central bank tightened its monetary policy on Thursday (April 14) for the third time since October in a double-barrelled move to combat inflation that is expected to heat up. In The Straits Times’ The Big Story, Assistant video editor Olivia Quay spoke to Irvin Seah, a senior economist at DBS Bank on whether the move signals another round of tightening in the coming months. He al...

Investors’ interest in agritech startups has increased tremendously today as agritech is one of the few sectors that not only survived but thrived during the pandemic. On Eco Money, Prime Time’s Timothy Go and Melissa Hyak spoke to John Friedman Executive Director, AgFunder Asia & GROW Accelerator on the agritech trends he’s keeping an eye on in 2022. See omnystudio.com/liste...

The Philippine economy is said to be one of the most sensitive in the region to inflationary pressures, and with surging prices worldwide compounded by recent volatility in energy markets, just what sort of risks do these pose for the Philippines? Rob Ramos, Head of Trust and Investments at RCBC, joined us on Across the ASEAN to discuss how inflation's hitting markets and everyday life in Manila,...

From Friday (April 15),  fully vaccinated Singaporeans, permanent residents and long-term pass holders will no longer need to fill up the SG Arrival Card  - an electronic health declaration - when entering the country via the Woodlands and Tuas land checkpoints. In The Straits Times’ The Big Story, Assistant Video Editor Olivia Quay spoke to Transport correspondent Toh Ting Wei to...

Refinitiv's 2022 Wealth Management Report surveyed a number of investors across the world to try and pick up the latest trends and needs of investors across different demographics and regions, finding similarities in terms of a growing interest in ESG, and balancing an embrace of technological trends with the need for the "human touch" in the industry. Sabrina Bailey, Global Head of Wealth, Data,...