Money Matters with Hongbin Jeong and Chua Tian Tian

According to the 2025 Graduate Employment Survey, most Singapore polytechnic graduates secure employment within six months of graduation, with starting salaries showing modest growth. Beyond these statistics, emerging trends indicate that more graduates are pursuing freelance work, entrepreneurial ventures, and contract roles, reflecting a shift in early-career priorities. On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks with Sriram Iyer, Managing Director and Business Head of TeamLease Digital Global, to explore what these trends mean for the future of graduate employment.  

Family offices are no longer the quiet preserve of old-money dynasties. Nearly 40% of them have been set up in just the past 15 years, driven by new wealth and entrepreneurial success, and they’re reshaping how capital is managed, invested and passed on. How do families protect generational wealth while still pursuing innovation and higher returns? And what does succession planning look like when the next generation has very different values, risk appetites and ambitions? To help us navigate this evolving landscape, Hongbin Jeong speaks with Neil Synnott, Chief Commercial Officer, Asia at IQ-EQ, for a deep dive into the future of family offices on The Wealth Tracker.  

On What’s Trending, Hongbin Jeong, Nadiah Koh, and Alexandra Parada dive a mysterious YouTube video that claims to run for over 140 years, a viral Dubai chewy cookie craze in South Korea that’s sending pistachio prices through the roof, and a virtual idol auditioning on a real-life rap survival show.

Singapore shares inched higher today as investors continue to set their sights on the AI trade as well as the ongoing situation in Iran. The Straits Times Index was up 0.15% at 4,840.70 points at 2.41pm Singapore time, with a value turnover of S$930.26M seen in the broader market. In terms of counters to watch, we have Keppel, after the asset manager announced yesterday that it secured a 720 megawatt (MW) power bank for an artificial intelligence data-centre campus near Melbourne, Australia.  Elsewhere from how official advance estimates out today showed Malaysia’s economy grew 5.7 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2025 from a year earlier, to how TSMC will try to accelerate the transfer of its advanced chipmaking expertise to the US in the future, more economic and corporate headlines remained in focus. On Market View, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian unpacked the developments for the day.

As the Singapore Premier League resumes in earnest, it’s time for Tanjong Pagar United to turn promise into points. With just one win so far, much of the Jaguars’ hopes rest on Spanish striker Youssef Ezzejjari - a journeyman forward with a proven eye for goal. From Catalonia to Indonesia, Thailand to Cambodia, how did “El Matador” end up on Singapore’s shores? Tune in to find out. Got a story to tell? Get in touch! raushan@sph.com.sg

On What’s Trending, Hongbin Jeong, Nadiah Koh, and Alexandra Parada peek inside UOB’s safe deposit boxes, discovering treasures that range from gold bars to umbilical cords, because sometimes the most valuable things aren’t for sale. Then, we travel to Malaysia, where burned-out Gen Zers are “retiring” in their twenties, embracing the art of doing absolutely nothing for a month. And back home, Tiong Bahru residents are living a real-life alarm clock nightmare, with blaring sirens disturbing sleep and sanity alike.

AI headlines are set to dominate 2026, but with sky-high valuations and markets that have outpaced economic reality, investors are asking: where are the real opportunities, and how can you protect your portfolio from potential shocks? To find out more, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Angelina Lai, Chief Investment Officer, Asia and Middle East, St. James’s Place,on Wealth Tracker.

Singapore shares dipped today, tracking movements in most Asian markets. The Straits Times Index was down 0.21% at 4,802.25 points at 11.58am Singapore time, with a value turnover of S$573.84M seen in the broader market. In terms of counters to watch, we have UOB, after the bank priced S$850 million in perpetual capital securities at 3 per cent under the bank’s US$30 billion Global Medium Term Note Programme.  Elsewhere, from how South Korea’s central bank left its benchmark interest rate unchanged in a widely expected move, to how Alibaba Group Holding plans to link its flagship online shopping and travel services to its artificial intelligence app, more international and corporate headlines remained in focus.  Also on deck, how US President Donald Trump imposed a 25 per cent tariff on certain AI chips. On Market View, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian dived into the details with David Chow, Director, Azure Capital.

Workers’ Party chief Pritam Singh has been formally removed as Leader of the Opposition, following Parliament’s vote declaring him unsuitable to continue in the role and his conviction for lying to the Committee of Privileges. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has since invited the Workers’ Party to nominate another MP to take over the position.  So what happens next? How quickly will the Workers’ Party move to put forward a new name, and who might be in the running? And what does this moment mean for the balance of power and parliamentary dynamics in Singapore? On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks with Nydia Ngiow, Managing Director, BowerGroupAsia, to find out more.

On What’s Trending, Hongbin Jeong, Nadiah Koh and Alexandra Parada dive into the trending stories of today from a viral Chinese app that asks “Are You Dead?” to a wildly expressive toy-filled BTO flat and Mattel’s first-ever autistic Barbie. We explore why millions are paying for a daily “I’m alive” check-in amid growing loneliness, how a Singapore couple’s maximalist home is sparking debate over self-expression versus overstimulation, and whether an autistic Barbie represents meaningful inclusion or clever marketing.