Money Matters with Hongbin Jeong and Chua Tian Tian

Singapore shares fell at the opening bell today, following overnight losses in global markets. That’s as US consumer inflation slowed less than expected. In early trade, the Straits Times Index (STI) fell 1.2 per cent to 3,103.34 points after 71.9 million securities changed hands in the broader market. In terms of companies to watch for today, we have CapitaLand Investment, after the real estate investment manager has set up a new lodging private fund with a target equity size of US$600 million.  Elsewhere from Rex International being the hot stock of the day, to Rakuten Bank’s shares surging almost 13% – more corporate headlines are in focus.  Also on the table today, chip maker Globalfoundries’ Q1 forecast, and news of Walmart reportedly in talks to buy smart television manufacturer Vizio for over US$2 billion.  On Market View, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian unpacked the developments with Toby Gresham, Investment Counselor Team Lead, Citi Private Bank.

Valentine’s Day this year will take on new significance for Indonesians, as they head to the polls today to determine who replaces Joko Widodo as their next president.  For the first time in 15 years, Indonesia is seeing a three-horse race for the presidency, with defence minister Prabowo Subianto, former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan, and former Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo in the running.  Who could be Indonesia's next president? And how will the results impact Indonesia’s future, as well as its relationships with its regional peers? Nicholas Fang, Managing Director, Black Dot and Director for Security and Global Affairs, Singapore Institute of International Affairs weighs in. 

Today we’re going to talk about a company that you would have come in contact with on a day to day basis. Make a guess – this is a company that started as a bakery brand making pork floss buns.  Bingo if you’ve guessed Breadtalk. Founded in 2000, Breadtalk Group is now an F&B group with multiple concepts ranging from bakeries, restaurants  and even food atriums.  With close to 700 retail stores spread across 16 markets in Asia, the Middle East and the  United Kingdom, the company’s portfolio comprises direct owned brands such as BreadTalk, ToastBox, Food Republic, So Ramen and Thye Moh Chan.  The company also counts Din Tai Fung, Song Fa Bak Kut Teh and Wu Pao Chun Bakery as its partner brands. But why are we talking about a brand that most of us would know of? Well, the past four or five years have been full of changes for BreadTalk.  In 2019, the Group bought over food court operator Food Junction in a deal worth S$80 million to obtain additional revenue streams.   And in 2020, the firm’s founder George Quek offered to take the then SGX-listed firm private. It was also that year that the firm cut salaries temporarily amid the COVID-19 pandemic.  A year later, a consortium led by mainboard-listed Lian Beng Group bought over BreadTalk’s IHQ Building in Tai Seng in a S$118 million sale and leaseback deal. Meanwhile, the firm also came up with new concepts like Tau Sar Piah brand Thye Moh Chan and First Street Teochew Fish Soup. It even unveiled a Toast Box Coffee House in Tiong Bahru last year. It seems like there are many moving parts for the firm all happening within the past few years. But what were the reasons behind each of the moves, and how did the firm take the time to reconfigure its business and develop new revenue streams for the future? On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Hoo Hoe Keat, Chief Business Officer, BreadTalk Group.

With football’s lawmakers looking to introduce blue cards and sin-bins, with trials expected later this year - we discuss the merits of this latest 'innovation'. Also could Arteta's Arsenal crash the Manchester City-Liverpool Premier League duopoly?  Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg | raushan@sph.com.sg

When it comes to gaming accessories, some of the most popular ones out there are gaming chairs. However, high-end gaming chairs often come with a heavy price tag. Gaming chair maker TTRacing is trying to change the status quo, make gaming chairs more accessible and showing that comfort doesn’t mean breaking the bank. Henry Ting, Founder and CEO of million-dollar brand TTRacing, tell us more about turning his passion into profit.

Singapore shares rose at the opening bell this morning, following overnight gains in global markets.  In early trade, the Straits Times Index (STI) gained 0.3 per cent to 3,146.08 points after 41.2 million securities changed hands in the broader market. In terms of companies to watch, James, we have Straco Corp. The tourism facilities operator said in its profit guidance that it expects to report a substantial net profit for FY2023, swinging into the black from the net loss reported in FY2022. Meanwhile, economic developments are in focus, ranging from expectations on US core inflation in January to Q4 GDP growth rate expectations out of Japan and Singapore. Also on deck today – the appetite for IPOs in India as well as Nvidia’s shares overtaking Amazon briefly in the previous session. On Market View, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian unpacked these developments with  James Cheo, Chief Investment Officer, Southeast Asia at HSBC Global Private Banking and Wealth.

Doctor Anywhere has launched DA Orchard MedSuites, a flagship 12,000-square-foot integrated health screening and imaging centre. Beyond health screenings, DA MedSuites offers a tailored approach of combining medical diagnostics with practical lifestyle adjustments aimed at fostering overall well-being.  The arrival of DA Orchard MedSuites aligns with Singapore’s increasing focus on preventive health, especially with healthcare costs projected to triple to approximately S$27 billion by 2030.  Lim Wai Mun, Founder & CEO of Doctor Anywhere tells us more about DA'sgrowth trajectory and vision of creating a ‘hospital without beds’. 

Singapore and China have agreed to a 30-day mutual visa-free entry for their citizens, close to two months after the proposal was first announced. The arrangement formally enters into force on Friday (Feb 9), the eve of Chinese New Year. Could a new visa exemption arrangement renew Singapore’s appeal to Chinese tourists? And with Thailand also introducing its own visa exemption for Chinese travelers, is that bad news for Singapore? Dr. Oh Ei Sun, Senior Fellow, Singapore Institute of International Affairs weighs in.

It’s all about helping smaller companies gain access to green financing today.  While companies may think that they need to collect vast amounts of data to track sustainability goals, the fact is that a bulk of that required may have already been tracked in their day-to-day processes. This can be data on their electricity consumption, or carbon emissions, collected automatically through the firm’s existing fleet management or building management systems. But how should firms go about extracting and making use of that data to obtain more capital?  Well, that’s the work of our guest STACS. Founded in 2019, Stacs is Asia’s leading ESG data and technology company.  It collates information from companies’ day-to-day operations as well as data providers like Refinitiv, and presents them in a user-friendly interface to help financiers better understand where the firm is at when it comes to meeting ESG goals. For STACS, its interface is called the ESGpedia. Named after “Wiki-pedia”, the AI-enabled platform powers a number of sustainability related initiatives, including the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s Greenprint ESG Registry.  Currently, the platform covers over five million sustainability disclosure data points, with more than 180,000 companies’ sustainability data. This allows banks and corporates to access accurate, consistent and comparable data on one registry for financing purposes.  But how does it work exactly and how does STACS monetise its platform? Also – how much money is up for grabs for STACs in the near term? On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to  Benjamin Soh, Managing Director, STACS.

Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry & Mesut Ozil are amongst the stars who are set to headline a blockbuster line-up for an Over-35s World Cup, which is set to be hosted in England this June. The competition is set to feature eight past champions of the FIFA World Cup: England, Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Uruguay.  Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg | raushan@sph.com.sg