Money Matters with Hongbin Jeong and Chua Tian Tian

Earphones that give the best listening experience, whether you are listening to songs, podcasts, or anything else, is something that many look for but feel it is hard to find. Those who embark passionately on the search for 'the perfect sound' are known as audiophiles. This comes hand in hand with these earphones having qualities such as being water resistant, being aesthetically pleasing, and having a comfortable fit. We speak to Jeremy Lim, Co-Founder & CEO, Zerest Audio more about this.

Singapore shares opened lower today, after European markets ended lower as investors waited for further cues on the US Federal Reserve’s monetary policy outlook. In early trade, the Straits Times Index (STI) was down 0.2 per cent to 3,233.65 points after 27.2 million securities changed hands in the broader market.  In terms of companies to watch, we have OCBC increasing its stake in its insurance subsidiary Great Eastern from 87.9 per cent to 88.4 per cent.  Meanwhile, investors continue to keep their eyes on a number of developments ranging from Singapore’s Grab planning the biggest round of job cuts since the pandemic, to China’s smaller-than-forecast interest rate cut and Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s testimony about the state of the US economy. On Market View, the Drive Time team dived into the details with Khoon Goh, Head of Asia Research at ANZ. 

Ronaldo, Benzema, next who? Saudi Arabian football is in the spotlight with a host of footballers rumoured to be on their transfer radar with Neves, Kante and Ziyech the latest names mentioned. Will Saudi football take flight? Or will this be CSL 2.0?  Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg | raushan@sph.com.sg

Gen Z and Millennial Singaporeans have a more open mindset to dating nowadays and having a holiday romance is something that a large number of them look forward to having. Online dating is a way for them to achieve this. Yet, especially in an unfamiliar environment, there is a safety concern when meeting someone you've only interacted with online. How do we deal with issues such as this and still have an enjoyable experience? We speak to Lucille McCart, APAC Communications Director, Bumble more about this.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s landmark trip to China concluded on Monday with both sides vowing to steady ties to ward off conflict. What will this mean for the future of US-China relations?  Next up, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hosts Premier Li Qiang for talks today in Berlin. How will Germany find the middle ground between maintaining their economic ties with China, and complying with their G7 pledge to de-risk from Beijing? We speak to Dr. Oh Ei Sun, Senior Fellow, Singapore Institute of International Affairs more about these headlines.

Water is an essential part of our lives, but ever wondered who are the ones behind the clean water we use and drink everyday? Our guest for today is Memiontec, a Catalist-listed water treatment company that designs and builds systems and water treatment plants in countries such as Singapore, Indonesia and China.  Recently, the company also moved into financing, operating and maintaining plants and selling their treated water. But what was the reason behind the firm diversifying its revenue streams? Meanwhile, Memiontec clinched its largest contract worth S$56.6 million to install equipment for the Changi Water Reclamation Plant last year and started expanding to Vietnam. But what do the developments mean for the firm’s balance sheet?  Also, the company intends to achieve a market capitalisation of S$500 million by 2026, up from the S$132 million when it was listed on the Catalist board in 2020, but how does it intend to do so? On Under the Radar, finance presenter Chua Tian Tian sat down with Tay Kiat Seng, CEO, Memiontec for more.

Singapore shares started the week lower today after a mixed end to the week in global markets.  In early trade, the Straits Times Index (STI) was down 0.4 per cent to 3,247.59 points after 42 million securities changed hands in the broader market.  In terms of companies to watch for today, we have Amara. That’s after the company announced yesterday that two major shareholders and executive directors of the property developer and hotel group are engaged in confidential discussions with a third party about a possible transaction involving the company. Meanwhile, from Barclays ramping up lending to hedge funds and rich investors in Asia to AstraZeneca reportedly planning a China spinoff, and to Jack Ma reappearing in HangZhou, regional news continue to make the headlines today. On Market View, the Drive Time team unpacked these developments with David Kuo, Co-founder, The Smart Investor.

To showcase a new form of 'art' brought forward by NFT artists, Bored Island Group, has recently opened the world’s first public, physical profile picture NFT gallery, BIGHAUS. Collaborating with AI is pivotal in establishing a dedicated platform for showcasing digital art. We speak to Jaye Foo, Founder, The Parlour & Co-Founder, Bored Island Group more about this.

In order to prevent rash decisions on both parties, China and US must continue their attempts at dialogue. India as well, another country with strained relations with China is in discussions with the US with China's increasing global influence in focus. In other news, Joe Biden made his 2024 re-election pitch to union members in Philadelphia on Saturday in his first political rally since launching his campaign in April. We discuss these headlines with Pushan Dutt, Professor of Economics,INSEAD.

Imagine building a platform where you can search, book and meet mentors from around the world to seek career advice.  That’s what our guest for today did during the pandemic to make mentorship accessible for everyone.  Founded in 2020, ADPList is a global community of mentors and learners, and so far, the community has grown to over 14,000 people with over 15 million minutes mentored in about 140 countries. But how does ADPList monetise the platform and position itself against other membership networks? Does the company see potential to work with corporations to develop tailored mentorship programmes, and craft out a B2B vertical for itself?  Separately, the company had in 2021 raised US$1.3 million in funding led by Seqoia’s Capital India’s accelerator programme Surge, as well as angel investors such as Carousell’s co-founder Quek Siu Rui, but what are ADPList’s future plans as far as capital raise is concerned? On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian sat down with Felix Lee, Co-founder and CEO, ADPList for more.