Money Matters with Hongbin Jeong and Chua Tian Tian

Pencils are a much needed tool as we get through our work day, and today we’re going to bring you an inside look into a pencil manufacturer that has been around for over 250 (262) years! Bingo if you’ve guessed Faber Castell. Founded all the way back in 1761, Faber- Castell is one of the oldest industrial companies in the world, and has been owned by the same family for – get this – nine generations! The firm is headquartered in the German state of Bavaria. It is currently present in over 120 countries with its own production sites in ten countries, and sales companies in 22 countries.  More notably, Faber Castell sells over two billion pencils and coloured pencils each year even in face of digitalisation – so what is its secret sauce in achieving that sales volume? Meanwhile, the firm has moved beyond stationery into decorative cosmetic products as well. But what was the rationale behind the move to diversify, and what does this mean for Faber Castell’s stationery business?  On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian sat down with Andrew Woon, Managing Director,  Faber-Castell Malaysia, Indochina and East Asiafor more.

Double delight for Singapore football, as the senior men's team and under-23s clinched important results - with a 3-1 win over Chinese Taipei and last-gasp 2-2 draw against Vietnam respectively. But have the celebrations been over-zealous? Deepanraj Ganesan weighs in on this, and the road ahead - as we also hear from head coach Takayuki Nishigaya, and Lions' defender Lionel Tan. Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg | raushan@sph.com.sg

Singapore stocks opened higher today, even as global markets dipped overnight. In early trade, the Straits Times Index (STI) was up 0.1 per cent at 3,217.57 points after 50.3 million securities changed hands in the broader market. In terms of companies to watch for today, we have Thomson Medical, after the group’s public float dipped to 9.98 per cent.  Meanwhile from shares of Olam Group taking a nosedive to what the markets are expecting ahead of the latest US inflation data, more international headlines remain in focus.  On Market View, the Drive Time team unpacked these developments with Oriano Lizza, Sales Trader, CMC Markets.

From details of the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) Mid-Term Review to Thailand’s new Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin pledging quick action to relieve the country’s post-pandemic economic problem Adib Zalkapli, Director, BowerGroupAsia gives us an analysis of those headlines and more. 

Paul Pogba has been provisionally suspended from playing because of an anti-doping offence, after tests revealed him to have elevated levels of testosterone in the aftermath of Juventus' 3-0 win at Udinese on 20th August 2023. If found guilty of doping, he could face a ban of between two and four years. We hear from Fabrizio Romano and Mario Melchiot on the latest chapter of the Paul Pogba. Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg | raushan@sph.com.sg

Singapore shares inched lower today even as global markets rallied the day before. In early trade, the Straits Times Index dropped 0.2 per cent to 3,213.10 points after 19.2 million securities changed hands in the broader market. In terms of companies to watch for today, we have Olam Group. That’s after the group denied allegations made in recent media reports about its Nigerian unit and its subsidiaries being involved in a multibillion-dollar fraud.  Elsewhere, Alibaba Group’s focus on AI and user experience and the surprise move by former CEO Daniel Zhang to leave the company over the weekend remain in focus.  Not to mention, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna receiving the US FDA’s authorisation for their updated Covid-19 vaccines. On Market View, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian unpacked these developments with Matthias Chan, Head of Research at SAC Capital.

The accounting and professional services industry is back in focus today.  Founded in 1904, our guest is the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants or ACCA. This is a global body for professional accountants with over 200,000 fully qualified members and 500,000 students worldwide.   While widely known as an association or educational body, ACCA essentially operates like a business with a turnover of over 200 million British pounds for the year ended March 2023. It generates revenues through membership fees, courses and certification, but which is the most important revenue stream for the association? Meanwhile, the number of accounting degree students at universities in Singapore has reportedly dropped over 10 percent over the past five years, despite rising demand for accounting professionals.   So what does the talent shortage mean for ACCA in terms of potential future revenue? Also – how does the rising demand for accounting professionals provide ACCA an opportunity to get more people into the accounting profession and reverse the decline? On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed the questions to Daniel Leung, Country Manager, ACCA Singapore.

It is all about China's presence or lack of presence at the recently concluded G20 Summit.  Dr. Oh Ei Sun, Senior Fellow, Singapore Institute of International Affairs gives us an analysis on those headlines. 

Singapore's Lion City Sailors begin their second foray into the Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) later this month, placed in Group F (East Zone) along with two-time ACL champions and 2022 K League runners-up Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, 2022-23 Thai League 1 runners-up Bangkok United, and 2022-23 Hong Kong champions Kitchee SC.  How will the Sailors fare on the continental stage? We check in with head coach Aleksandar Rankovic to find out! Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg | raushan@sph.com.sg

Singapore stocks rose at the open after global markets closed higher last week. In early trade, the Straits Times Index (STI) rose 0.2 per cent to 3,212.45 points after 49.5 million securities changed hands in the broader market. In terms of companies to watch for today, we have Seatrium. The company had said on Friday that it has a balance of S$300 million in net proceeds from its rights issue back in 2021. That’s after S$100 million was recently used to repay a loan facility. Elsewhere from Tesla’s Dojo Supercomputer to what investors should note from the G20 Summit in India - more corporate and international headlines remain in focus.  On Market View, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian unpacked these developments with David Kuo, Co-founder, The Smart Investor.