The Afternoon Update with Lynlee Foo

On What’s Trending, we talk about the new trend of Chinese Gen Z’s wearing gross clothes to work in China. We also talk about the recent launch of the coffee-table book, Barbie: The World Tour.

On The Afternoon Update, Hongbin Jeong is joined by Geoff Howie, Market Strategist at the SGX, for a market wrap of the week. They discuss how the STI performed in the past week, the biggest movers, Singtel’s trading halt, and AEM’s fabulous week. They also touch on the latest retail sales data out of Singapore today as well as what to look out for in the weeks ahead, including earnings season.

China published a set of new rules earlier last month that would tighten scrutiny over IPOs. According to the new rules, regulators will vet IPOs more closely, crack down hard on securities fraud, and encourage listed firms to increase dividend payouts and buy back shares. So what does this mean for the stock market? Will this deter companies away from listing in China? On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Prof Rick Marchese, Professor of Management Practice at ESSEC Asia-Pacific, to find out more.

India’s economy has developed an undeniable momentum in the past three decades and is now worth $3.7 trillion. It’s ranked as one of the fastest growing economies in the world. So what are India’s growth drivers? Can this growth continue? And how will the upcoming elections impact the economy and market sentiment? On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Elke Speidel-Walz, Chief Economist Emerging Markets, DWS to find out more. 

On What's Trending today, Bruno Mars is in town, and he’s brought a local touch to his first night here in Singapore. Also trending, The Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX) together with Nanyang Technological University (NTU), and Klass Engineering and Solutions, are developing something called cyborg cockroaches. And they may be the next crucial technology serving in rescue missions. 

Chinese stocks started the week on a positive note, after new data reinforced investor’s hopes that the world’s number two economy is finally recovering. And investors are turning more optimistic. So does this mean China’s market rout is finally over? Should we go all in on China? On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Danish Lim, Market Analyst, Phillip Nova, to find out more. 

AI has been driving the recent market rally. Nvidia has been the major force behind this AI boom. But what other AI-related stocks can investors consider? And how much longer can this AI hype last? Does it have more room to run? On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Too Juncheong, Equity Dealer, Moomoo Singapore, to find out more. 

On What’s Trending today, a burial chat crypt close to the final resting place of the iconic Marilyn Monroe has sold for $195,000 at auction. Also, incognito mode has finally gone private. 

US stocks capped off their best start to the year since 2019 to end the month of March. With Thursday’s gains, the broad-market benchmark closed the month in the greed, clocking in not only its fifth-straight monthly gain, but also climbing 10.2% in the first quarter - its best start to the year in five years. So what moved markets in the month of March? Could this rally continue in April? Or will the winning streak come to an end this month? On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Wong Kok Hoong, Head of Equity Sales Trading, Maybank Securities, to find out more.  Highlights:  01:25 - How did market fare overall in March?  03:42 - Is the winning streak coming to an end?  06:11 - Should investors remain positive on equity markets? 09:41 - Will AI once again be the main theme of this earnings season? 10:39 - How should investors prepare their portfolios ahead of this earnings season? 

On What’s Trending, we talk about IKEA Singapore’s April Fool’s prank. And also, we look back at what pranks other companies did to their consumers — some were a success, while some didn’t leave a smile on its consumers faces.