Money Matters with Hongbin Jeong and Chua Tian Tian

Zora Health is Asia’s leading fertility, reproductive, and family health platform, dedicated to empowering individuals to embrace life with options and without limitations. Founded by Anna Vanessa Haotanto, Zora Health was born out of a deeply personal journey that resonated with thousands - breaking taboos around fertility, egg-freezing, and family planning in modern society. Its comprehensive ecosystem combines cutting-edge digital tools, clinical expertise, and lifestyle resources to support every stage of life, from family planning and hormonal health to parenting and menopause. On The Right Business, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Anna Vanessa Haotanto, CEO, Zora Health to share more.   Presented by: Hongbin Jeong Produced and Edited by: Alexandra Parada (alexparada@sph.com.sg) Want to get featured on our show? Drop me an email today!

Today we’re going to bring you an inside look into an Italian pharmaceutical firm with over 135 years of history.  Founded in 1886 in Naples under the name of Farmacia Internazionale, our guest for today is from Menarini Group, a leading pharmaceutical and diagnostics company with a presence in over 140 countries.  The firm prides itself as a leading provider of important healthcare brands, with its 18 manufacturing plants producing over 609 million packets of products a year.  To this end, Menarini said it operates across the entire commercial value chain, from clinical development, regulatory approval and product launch to lifecycle management with a diverse portfolio of proprietary and partnered brands in key therapeutic fields.  That includes Consumer Health, Dermatology, Allergy or Respiratory, Gastroenterology, Cardio-metabolic, Anti-infectives, Oncology or Specialty Care and more. All in, Menarini reported consolidated turnover of 4.375 billion euros in 2023, with international markets contributing 79% to the numbers. But how much of this is contributed by demand from the Asia-Pacific region?  Meanwhile, Menarini is also seeing a number of interesting developments of late. For one thing, Menarini APAC had in June 2024 expanded its partnership with Pharmacosmos to tackle iron deficiency in patients in Singapore and Malaysia.  So just how important are such licensing deals and partnerships in helping Menarini broaden its offerings while lowering R&D costs? On Under the Radar, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Glen Godresse, CEO, Menarini APAC.

The cost of living has emerged as the top concern of Singaporeans heading into this year’s general election. Concerns over jobs and unemployment came in second, while the state of the economy followed in third place. A quarter of the voters is also undecided on who they will be voting for. These are part of findings from a new survey by Blackbox Research’s sentiment tracker SensingSG. On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks with Glenn​​​​ Wray, Head, Strategy and Marketing, Blackbox Research to dive deeper into the findings.  

Singapore shares began trading in negative territory today even as markets abroad finished Friday higher ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration. In early trade, the Straits Times Index (STI) was down 0.3 per cent at 3,799.97 points after 25.4 million securities changed hands in the broader market.  In terms of companies to watch, we have Frasers Property alongside City Developments Limited because the property developers and Sekisui have sold 668 units at The Orie, or around 86 per cent of units put up for sale, over its launch weekend at an average price of S$2,704 per square foot.  Elsewhere, more on Asian markets’ reaction before Trump returns to the White House for a second term, to how TikTok started restoring service in the US yesterday – more international and corporate headlines remain in focus.     On Market View, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian unpacked the developments with Chin Hui Leong, Co-founder, The Smart Investor.

The Singapore Premier League is back! 4 matches,14 goals scored and talking points aplenty! With the league-leading Lion City Sailors securing a statement victory and the Eagles of Geylang International continuing to soar, who caught the eye? Deepanraj Ganesan weighs in on Sports Minutes. READ MORE: https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/football/veteran-pair-help-tanjong-pagar-united-end-six-match-losing-run-in-1-1-draw-with-young-lions Got a story to tell? Get in touch! raushan@sph.com.sg

Gold prices have been on a steady uptrend since 2022. Over the past two years, the precious metal has consistently climbed, hitting an all-time high of US$2,790 last October. As of now, gold has reflected a year-to-date increase of about 3.5 per cent and an impressive gain of over 31 per cent since the start of 2024. So how much higher can gold go? What’s the outlook for gold? On Wealth Tracker, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Shaokai Fan, Head of Asia-Pacific (ex-China) & Global Head of Central Banks, World Gold Council, to find out more.   

idoLive’s vision is to "Get AI Right" by creating innovative and cost-effective AI digital celebrity and human solutions. By replicating the likeness of stars and influencers through AI, idoLive enables businesses to use celebrity avatars for promotions at 50-90% of the usual cost, making endorsements more accessible and flexible. Using pre-recorded green-screen footage, idoLive offers quick turnaround times and customizable campaigns. On The Right Business, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Kevin Zhang, Founder, The Celeb Net Pte Ltd to find out more.   Presented by: Hongbin Jeong Produced and Edited by: Alexandra Parada (alexparada@sph.com.sg) Want to get featured on our show? Drop me an email today!

Does the price of an engagement ring define the depth of your love? For generations, diamonds have symbolised eternal commitment, with extravagant rings tied to greater devotion - an idea shaped by societal expectations and advertising. But does spending more truly mean loving more? At its heart, an engagement ring represents a promise, not a price tag. So, is it the cost of the ring that matters or the commitment it symbolises? On The Hot Seat, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Amanda Ang, Founder, August Bespoke and Vinod More, Co-Founder, The Jewel Box to find out.

Singapore shares started trading in negative territory today, tracking overnight losses in US markets. The Straits Times Index (STI) opened 0.2 per cent lower at 3,793.46 points after 17.4 million securities changed hands in the broader market. In terms of companies to watch today, we have City Developments Limited, after the real estate company achieved total divestments of more than S$600 million in 2024 as part of its capital recycling initiative.  Elsewhere, from Asian markets’ reaction to China’s 2024 economic growth numbers, to how Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is set to miss the inauguration of US president-elect Donald Trump on Monday, more international and corporate headlines remain in focus. On Market View, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian unpacked the developments with Sunny Soh, Lead Technical Analyst (Capital Markets & Investor Education), SIAS.

Oil prices kicked off the year with an unexpected boost, fueled by speculation that President-elect Donald Trump will intensify oil sanctions on Iran. Does this now set the tone of how oil prices will fare for the rest of the year? Are there any significant or perhaps underpriced risks to crude oil prices at the moment? On Wealth Tracker, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Mukesh Sahdev, Global Head of Commodity Markets - Oil, Rystad Energy to find out more.