Money Matters with Hongbin Jeong and Chua Tian Tian

Nourishing your body and soul with good food does not have to come with a heavy price tag. Chitose Agriculture is importing the farming techniques right to our local farms instead, bringing the freshest Japanese produce right to your table. So how does their proprietary advanced monitoring system work?  Justin Lim, Regional Business Development Manager, Chitose Agriculture shares more with us. 

Singapore stocks opened muted today amid a mixed performance among index counters. That is in contrast with global markets, which finished higher overnight. In early trade, the Straits Times Index (STI) headed down 0.04 per cent to 3,121.85 points, after 93.4 million securities changed hands in the broader market.  In terms of companies to watch today, we have Keppel DC Reit. That’s as the Reit’s Chinese subsidiary has issued a letter of demand to its tenant of three data centres in Guangdong, to recover 48.3 million yuan (S$9.1 million) of late rentals, interests and taxes.  Meanwhile from more on China’s home prices and retail activity to US regulators adding artificial intelligence to its list of potential financial system risks, more international headlines remain in focus.  On Market View, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian unpacked the developments withSunny Soh, Lead Technical Analyst (Capital Markets & Investor Education), SIAS.

Global digital ecosystem enabler Tata Communications is partnering with Singapore Airlines to transform the airlines communications and collaboration tools to enhance employee productivity and boost user experience. Amitabh Sarkar, Vice President & Head of Asia Pacific and Japan – Enterprise, Tata Communications shares more about the cutting-edge technologies delivered as part of this partnership, and how does Tata Communications sets SIA up for the future of aviation.

One Holland Village has opened to the public this December. Part of the One Holland Village development by Far East Organization, the pet-friendly mall is designed as a welcoming open-air space, with a slew of special features that cater specially to you and your pooches.  Graham Ng, Managing Director, Retail Business Group of Far East Organization shares more about One Holland Village's bold development into a vibrant and dynamic urban retail space.

Finalised Ministry of Manpower (MOM) data for the third quarter of 2023 has shown that the number of job vacancies was at 78,400 in September. The data also revealed that Singapore retrenchments numbers saw an increase in 3Q2023.  As we embark into a new year, will Singapore’s job market continue to cool? Song Seng Wun, Economic Consultant, CGS CIMB Securities shares his views. 

How does a SPAC merger work exactly and how does a special purpose acquisition company’s management choose a target firm to acquire, and eventually exit?  These are the questions we seek to address in today’s session with our guest from RF Acquisition.  Listed on the US NASDAQ in March 2022, RF Acquisition is a SPAC or a blank cheque company which uses proceeds from its initial public offering to merge with a private firm.  It had in October signed a deal with Singapore-based video game distributor Grand Centrex Limited that values it at US$1.2 billion.  For context, GCL is a firm with over 15 multi-year deals with big name publishers like CD Projekt Red, Warner Brothers and SEGA and is responsible for bringing games such as the Cyberpunk 2077 into Singapore.  It sells and distributes to retailers and consumers in Asia physical and digital copies of video games that are compatible with major gaming consoles such as Sony PlayStation, Microsoft Xbox, and personal computers.  The company also moved into media and content creation and you might also know it as the company that backed YouTuber Jian Hao Tan’s Titan Digital Media Group.  But a number of questions here – how did RF Acquisition eventually decide on merging with GCL and what’s next after signing the deal with the target firm?  Meanwhile, the deal is set to fetch US$42.9 million in proceeds for GCL - so what is the basis behind the projection? How and when can the management of RF Acquisition cash out and what is the ROI RF Acquisition is seeking? On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Ng Tse Meng, Chairman and CEO, RF Acquisition Corp.

With the 2023 domestic football season wrapping up in Singapore, we are joined by Deepanraj Ganesan, sports reporter with The Straits Times, to review the highs and the lows of 2023. We also look ahead to 2024 and what we can expect. Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg | raushan@sph.com.sg

Singapore shares opened on a strong footing today after US equities rallied overnight, with the Dow Jones posting a record high on signals of lower borrowing costs in 2024. In early trade, the Straits Times Index (STI) rose 0.7 per cent to 3,124.90 points after 73.1 million securities changed hands in the broader market. In terms of companies to watch, we have Sembcorp Industries, after the group said it was awarded a 300-megawatt solar project from NHPC, an enterprise of India’s government.  Meanwhile, from the US Federal Reserve signalling three rate cuts in 2024, to news of Country Garden selling a small stake in a Dalian Wanda Unit, more international headlines remain in focus. On Market View, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian dived into the details with David Chow, Director, Azure Capital.

As workers continue to experience evolving hybrid work arrangements against a backdrop of economic uncertainty and transformation, Qualtrics’ 2024 Employee Experience Trends Report has revealed the indicators of an optimal employee experience in Singapore have stalled over the last 12 months. Dr Cecelia Herbert, Principal XM Catalyst, Qualtrics XM Institute tell us more about the study and why  Generation X are reporting the lowest levels of engagement, inclusion, and well-being across the board.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s emergency bill to revive his plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda has avoided defeat in parliament. Despite the victory, the result showed the prime minister is struggling to maintain control over his party. So, what’s next for Rishi Sunak after winning the Rwanda bill vote? What obstacles will he have to overcome in the New Year? Dr Samir Puri, Associate Fellow, UK in the World Programme, Chatham House explains.