Money Matters with Hongbin Jeong and Chua Tian Tian

US House of Representatives passed US$61 billion in fresh aid for Ukraine on Saturday, ending a six-month political impasse during which Kyiv’s stockpiles dwindled in its war against Russia. The Ukraine aid will be combined with funding for Israel and Taiwan, for a foreign assistance package totalling US$95 billion. Will this help end the war in Ukraine? Why are  US lawmakers now tying TikTok to foreign aid? Emeritus Professor Joseph Camilleri, La Trobe University, Melbourne and Fellow, The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia weighs in. 

Singapore shares inched up at the opening bell this morning, eking out a gain despite subdued performance in global markets. In early trade, the Straits Times Index (STI) rose 0.1 per cent to 3,180.07 points after 38 million securities changed hands in the broader market.  In terms of companies to watch, we have DBS. The bank has put up for sale a portfolio of 46 HDB shop and shophouse units, and private strata retail units with a total guide price of about S$210 million. Elsewhere, from a lookahead to the latest earnings season in Singapore and the US, to Tencent Holdings staging their biggest rally since February – more corporate headlines remain in focus. On Market View, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian unpacked the developments with David Kuo, Co-founder, The Smart Investor.

With rumours continuing to swirl regarding Erik ten Hag's future at Manchester United, the team head into a "make or break" weekend with a semi-final clash against Coventry City in the FA Cup. Riddled by injuries and ridiculed for a lacked of identity, what next for the once mighty Manchester United? We caught up with Wes Brown, a treble-winner and two-time UEFA Champions League winner with Manchester United, who was speaking to Sports Minutes on the sidelines of the Starhub Football Festival. Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg | raushan@sph.com.sg

According to Forrester, tech spending in Singapore hit S$22.17 billion in 2023. And across the region, 70% of Asia Pacific C-suite executives are either exploring generative AI use cases or already investing in them. Given the benefits of generative AI, how can Singapore organizations effectively leverage Generative AI to reduce business costs, and improve productivity securely? Sanjay Deshmukh, Senior Regional Vice President, ASEAN and India, Snowflake explains. 

Would you eat a new sub-species of a bird? Forged by Vow, pioneers in cultured meat, have created an entirely new subspecies of animal, called ‘Quailia’, solely for the purpose of eating. And what’s in its secret recipe? Japanese quail cells. Singaporean gastronomes will be the very first in the world to taste Forged Parfait at an exclusive dinner series, Forged at Mandala Club, held at MORI within Mandala Club from April 12 to April 27. Tickets are available at forgedbyvom.com. George Peppou, CEO & Founder of Vow shares more. 

Singapore stocks inched up at the opening bell today, despite overnight losses on Wall Street amid analyst expectations of reduced Federal Reserve action.  In early trade, the Straits Times Index (STI) rose 0.2 per cent to 3,192.3 points after 39.7 million securities changed hands in the broader market.  In terms of companies to watch today, we have CapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust. That’s after the REIT manager said in a business update today that it posted a net property income of S$293.7 million for its first quarter ended Mar 31, up 6.3 per cent year on year. Meanwhile, from movements in oil prices following rising tensions in the Middle East and the impact on global markets, to chipmakers SK Hynix and TSMC working together to make next generation high bandwidth memory chips used in AI technology, more international headlines remain in focus. On Market View, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian unpacked the developments with Sunny Soh, Lead Technical Analyst (Capital Markets & Investor Education), SIAS.

The Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) is looking for an anti-scam mascot to serve as a visual rallying call to bank customers to “stop and check before clicking”. It launched its anti-scam mascot design competition on April 16, offering $10,000 for the top entry, and $3,000 and $2,000 for the second- and third-placed designs, respectively. But how will a mascot help in the fight against scams?  Ong-Ang Ai Boon, Director, The Association of Banks in Singapore tells us more. 

It’s all about travel today as we speak to one of the world’s leading online travel agencies – Trip.com.  On its own, Trip.com is a familiar name to many, with a network of over 1.4 million hotels in 200 countries and regions, as well as more than 2 million individual flight routes connecting over 5,000 cities around the globe.  It is actually part of the NASDAQ and Hong Kong Exchange listed Trip.com Group which includes other brands such as Ctrip, Qunar and more notably, Skyscanner.  The Group had in February reported a 105 per cent year-on-year growth in Q4 revenue to RMB 10.3 billion (US$1.5 billion), higher than market expectations of RMB 10.2 billion.  The showing was said to be boosted by China’s tourism recovery post-pandemic. But what were the other factors at play and how far did Trip.com as a brand contribute to the Group’s balance sheet? Speaking of growth drivers, Trip.com Group had earlier noted that it is embarking on a “Hotel + X” strategy” to cater to millennial and Gen Z consumers who are looking to purchase both accommodations and experiences in one go.  So what does this strategy look like when it comes to Trip.com as a standalone platform and how far has the move to cross-sell products bolstered its top and bottom lines? Meanwhile, Trip.com Group recently signed a deal with AirAsia owner Capital A to enhance travel offerings within Asia. But again, what will this mean for the platform Trip.com? On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Schubert Lou, Chief Operating Officer, Trip.com.

The KFF Singapore Badminton Open 2024, that is happening from 28 May to 2 June, promises an electrifying showcase of world-class badminton talent, set against the backdrop of Singapore's vibrant sporting atmosphere. Why should you make time to check it out? We're in conversation with Arun Keshav Cavale, Vice President of the Singapore Badminton Association, to convince us (and you)! Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg | raushan@sph.com.sg

Singapore stocks advanced this morning, despite losses in the US market and mixed results in regional markets. In early trade, the Straits Times Index (STI) rose 0.3 per cent to 3,164.75 points after 73.8 million securities changed hands in the broader market.  In terms of companies to watch, we have DFI Retail Group. The group has put its last two Singapore properties on the market. BT reported that the total guide price for these two assets is S$48.5 million, though potential buyers can make offers for one or both properties.  Elsewhere, from LG Electronics aiming to raise up to US$1 billion with dollar bonds to Apple CEO Tim Cook’s meeting with Singapore leaders, more corporate and international headlines remain in focus. Also in focus – the latest earnings season underway in the US. On Market View, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian dived into the details with Terence Wong, CEO, Azure Capital.