Your Way Home with Hongbin Jeong

OPEC’s surprise move to proceed with planned production hikes poses downside risk to oil prices. Analysts have lowered 12-month Brent forecasts to USD70 per barrel from USD75 per barrel previously. It is possible that the unwind of voluntary cuts may not last the full extent, as OPEC+ has indicated it will remain sensitive to market conditions. On Wealth Tracker, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Sim Moh Siong, Currency Strategist, Bank of Singapore, to find out what this means for the oil market moving forward.

Kredit Hero is an AI-powered lending marketplace designed to bridge the financing gap for SMEs. By leveraging advanced risk assessment and smart matchmaking technology, Kredit Hero connects small businesses with the most suitable lenders, streamlining the loan application process and improving access to capital. Unlike traditional lending systems that are slow and rigid, Kredit Hero offers a fast, transparent, and tailored approach, ensuring SMEs get the financial support they need to grow. On The Right Business, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Scott Moore, Founder and CEO of KreditHero, 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!

In a high-stakes call on March 18, U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin reached an agreement to pause attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure for 30 days.  However, they failed to secure a broader ceasefire in Russia’s ongoing invasion, and despite the agreement, fresh attacks were reported from both sides just hours later, highlighting the fragility of the truce. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed cautious support but insisted on more details from Washington before committing. On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Dr. Dana Allin, Senior Fellow and Adjunct Professor, the International Institute for Strategic Studies and SAIS-Europe of the Johns Hopkins University, to find out more.   Presented by: Hongbin Jeong Produced and Edited by: Nadiah Koh (nadkoh@sph.com.sg)  Want to get featured on our show? Drop me an email today!

Singapore shares rose today as investors continue to monitor trade and geopolitical uncertainties around the world. The Straits Times Index inched 0.35% higher at 3,908.69 points to 2pm, with a value turnover of S$685.11M in the broader market. In terms of counters to watch, we have ST Engineering after its Group CEO Vincent Chong said at the firm’s company investor day held yesterday that the group is targeting S$17 billion in revenue and improved net profit margin that outpaces its top-line increases by up to five percentage points annually over the next five years. Elsewhere, from Indonesia’s GoTo Gojek’s response to rumours of a Grab buyout, to Singapore Airlines set to get a first quarter boost from Lady Gaga’s Asia-exclusive concerts set to take place in Singapore – more international and corporate headlines remain in focus.  Also on deck — economists’ forecast for Singapore’s growth, the Bank of Japan’s rate decision, as well as more on OpenAI’s first Stargate site.  On Market View, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian unpacked the developments with Too Jun Cheong, Assistant Dealing Manager from Moomoo Singapore.

According to Knight Frank, handbags, watches and even classic cars made it to a list of top performing luxury investments in 2024. In fact, handbags emerged as the top performer in the year, rising 2.8 per cent over the past 12 months. So what’s driving this growth? And which luxury investments saw some weakness? On Wealth Tracker, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Christine Li, Head of Research, Asia-Pacific, Knight Frank, to find out more.

Every day, new buildings rise to meet the growing demands of our society, from towering apartments to schools, and even shopping malls. No matter the shape or purpose, one material forms the backbone of most of these structures: concrete. Traditionally, concrete is tested with samples, but this method is slow, resource-heavy, and not always accurate That’s where ConcreteAI comes in. This innovative company has developed a solution to monitor concrete’s curing process in real-time, cutting down on time, costs, and waste. How is ConcreteAI changing the game in construction, making projects more efficient and sustainable? On The Right Business, Hongbin Jeong speaks with Qingyang Chang, Co-Founder of ConcreteAI to find out more.    Presented by: Hongbin Jeong Produced and Edited by: Hongbin Jeong and Nadiah Koh (nadkoh@sph.com.sg)  Want to get featured on our show? Drop me an email today!

Palestinian health authorities say Israeli air strikes in Gaza have killed at least 200 people, many of the dead children. Attacks hit dozens of targets earlier today, ending a weeks-long stand-off over extending the ceasefire that halted fighting in January. The Israeli military says it is carrying out "extensive strikes" in the Gaza Strip, targeting what it called "terror targets" belonging to Hamas. This is the largest wave of airstrikes in Gaza since the ceasefire began on 19 January. Talks to extend the Gaza ceasefire have failed to reach an agreement. How will this conflict continue to unfold in the coming days? Will we be able to achieve another ceasefire deal anytime soon?  On The Big Story, Dr. Jessica Genauer, Senior Lecturer in International Relations, Program Director: Politics, Policy and International Relations , Course Coordinator: Master of Public Policy, College of Business, Government and Law, Flinders University to find out more.  Presented by: Hongbin Jeong Produced and Edited by: Nadiah Koh (nadkoh@sph.com.sg) and Hongbin Jeong  Want to get featured on our show? Drop me an email today!

Singapore shares rose today to track regional gains.   The Straits Times Index was up 0.97% at 3,896.87 points at about 2pm (2.03pm), with a value turnover of S$759.89M in the broader market. In terms of companies to watch, we have Sembcorp Industries, after the company responded to a Bloomberg report, which said Sembcorp could be considering going private or selling assets as part of its strategic review of its business. Elsewhere, from a surge in Chinese tech firms today, to what to look out for at Nvidia’s annual developers conference held in San Jose – more international and corporate headlines remain in focus. Also on deck – US retail sales rising less than expected in February and what that means for Wall Street investors. On Market View, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian unpacked the developments with Audrey Ho, Investment Counselor, Citigold Private Client, Citibank Singapore.

Bitcoin had hit a record high of $109,071 in January, but it has since lost most of the gains racked up since the American election. That's as concerns about US tariff policy, the health of the world's largest economy and a tech selloff sap risk appetite. Only weeks after hitting the six-figure all-time high, the cryptocurrency is now trading at around US$80,000, down nearly a quarter from its January peak. So are we in a bear market? What’s next for the crypto market? On Wealth Tracker, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Valentin Fournier, Digital Asset Analyst at BRN, to find out more.

FingerDance is a pioneering deep-tech start-up dedicated to bridging communication gaps between the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing community and the hearing world through AI-driven sign language solutions. At the core of its innovation is a proprietary Sign Language Large Language Model (LLM), which enables seamless, real-time translation between spoken and sign language. One of its flagship products, SiLViA, the Sign Language Virtual Assistant, enhances accessibility by providing sign language translations for essential information in public spaces, starting with its pilot deployment at Chinatown MRT station in collaboration with SBS Transit.  On The Right Business, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Gong He, Co-Founder, FingerDance, to find out more.   Presented by: Hongbin Jeong Produced and Edited by: Alexandra Parada (alexparada@sph.com.sg) and Nadiah Koh Want to get featured on our show? Drop me an email today!