Your Way Home with Hongbin Jeong

Singapore stocks started the week in positive territory, after markets in the US and Europe closed higher on Friday. In early trade, the Straits Times Index (STI) rose 0.2 per cent to 3,212.63 points after 64.8 million securities changed hands. In terms of companies to watch for today, we have OUE Healthcare and Healthway Medical. That’s as OUE Healthcare proposed to delist Healthway Medical via a conditional exit offer at S$0.048 per offer share in cash. Elsewhere, all eyes on a slew of economic data including data points on Singapore’s private home prices, Asia’s factory activity.  Also in focus – OCBC’s growth in ASEAN and the Greater China region, refiners’ expectations for Saudi Arabia to lower crude prices and Apple reportedly cutting the production of its Vision Pro AR headset.  On Market View, the Drive Time team unpacked these developments with David Kuo, Co-founder, The Smart Investor.

While wealth in cryptocurrencies continues to accumulate, the question remains, can there be a meaningful use case for it? Our next guest's mission is to make buying real-life goods using crypto as simple as it is to go to Amazon using traditional currency.  We speak to Julian Chow, CEO & Co-Founder, GM.co more about this and how such a platform can benefit various brands as well. 

The US Supreme Court, in its latest conservative shift, has upended decades of precedent allowing race-based college admission. Diversity is vital for students to create a holistic education environment and this ruling poses a threat to that factor. The Supreme Court has also dealt a fatal blow to US President Joe Biden’s plan to cancel student debt for tens of millions of Americans. Former president Donald Trump has been indicted again with the new charges being based on incriminating recordings bragging to associates about top secret military efforts against Iran. We speak to Trisha Craig, Vice President (Engagement) and Senior Lecturer of Social Sciences (Sociology and Political Science), Yale-NUS College more about these headlines.

Today we’re going to talk about one of the world’s largest express transportation companies.  Our guest for today is from FedEx, a company that was founded by Frederick W Smith as the Federal Express Corporation in 1971.  And here’s a fun fact about the company’s name.The word “federal” suggested an interest in nationwide economic activity in the US and was meant to resonate with the US Federal Reserve Bank, which is a potential customer for the logistics player.  But back to FedEx’s business, the firm recently reported fourth quarter earnings of US$4.94 per share, better than the analyst estimate of US$4.86.  Still, revenue came in below expectations. More recently, FedEx is also streamlining its air courier business by removing 29 aircrafts from its fleet to make its logistics network more flexible amid slowing global trade activities in the current economic climate.  So how will such efforts aid FedEx in becoming leaner and more competitive against industry peers and what is the road ahead for the firm? On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian sat down with Audrey Cheong, Vice President, Southeast Asia Operations, FedEx for more.

On 27 June, a nature enthusiast spotted mass oil slicks on the shores of East Coast Park. In Singapore, where shipping is an essential part of economy, this occurrence is not completely avoidable. There are already measures put in place to reduce the chances of this happening but what more can be done? We speak to Kua Kay Yaw, Former chairman of Marine Conservation Group, Nature Society (Singapore) more about this.

The Brewnanza Fest by Brewlander is happening from 3 to 6 August 2023 at the Bayfront Event Space. It looks to bring beer-lovers together, introducing different types of craft beer. It calls in overseas parties for even more diversity, along with music and other sources of entertainment to improve the experience for those who attend the event.  We speak to John Wei, Founder & Yeast Whisperer, Brewlander more about this.

E-hailing through various applications comes with its fair share of criticisms from both riders and drivers. These issues include those surrounding incentives for drivers, waiting times and ride costs. TADA is one of newer members of this industry and its approach to providing good e-hailing services is slightly different compared to its competitors. What efforts do they take to tackle these problems and what does the future of the company look like? We speak to Jonathan Chua, Regional General Manager and Said Salim, Driver-Partner, TADA Mobility (Singapore) more about this.

Former World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki is set to make a comeback to tennis having retired from the sport in 2020 to start a family. The Dane spent 71 weeks at the top of the world rankings and finished with 30 singles titles - including a Grand Slam crown at the Australian Open in 2018. Mousummi Dutt, tennis commentator and international sports broadcaster, weighs in on Wozniacki's comeback as well as the upcoming Wimbledon Championships. Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg | raushan@sph.com.sg

Singapore shares started trading in positive territory today largely mirroring global markets. In early trade, the Straits Times Index (STI) was up 0.4 per cent at 3,220.16 points after 109 million securities changed hands across the broader market.  In terms of companies to watch today, we have Singapore Airlines, after news emerged that Temasek is selling around S$400 million worth of shares, or a 1.85 per cent stake, in the national carrier as a portfolio rebalancing act.  Meanwhile, from Nike’s earnings to SHEIN denying a US lPO more companies continue to be in focus. Also on our agenda today, China’s latest manufacturing activity contracted for a third straight month in June amid weak demand.  On Market View, the Drive Time team unpacked the developments with Benjamin Goh, Head of Research and Investor Education, SIAS.

Today we’re going to talk to a company that hires over 105,000 employees around the world.  With over 130 years of history, ABB is a Switzerland-based technology leader in electrification and automation to drive industrial transformation and enable a more sustainable and resource efficient future.  The firm serves a wider range of clients from industries ranging from automotive, mining, marine, metals, life sciences, power generation, process automation to even pulp and paper and railway.  But how does it define the market it is in, and position itself differently for the different verticals or customer segments?  Also – what is in its order book for this year as far as Singapore is concerned? ABB, meanwhile, is investing US$1 million (check currency) to open a Digital Solutions and Training Centre in Singapore to train its staff to implement and operate digital solutions for electric systems. But what can we expect looking ahead? On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Jerrica Chooi, Country Holding Officer at ABB.