Your Way Home with Hongbin Jeong

Singapore shares opened lower today in contrast to largely positive trading sessions in the global markets.   The Straits Times Index (STI) was down 0.2 per cent to 3,189.22 points in early trade after 65.1 million securities changed hands. In terms of companies to watch for today, we have Hatten Land and Quantum Healthcare.  The Catalist-listed medical group has signed a tenancy agreement to occupy 138,769 square feet of rental space at Hatten Land’s Imperio Mall@Hatten City in Melaka, Malaysia.  Meanwhile, a series of central bank actions in Europe, Japan are set to take the centre stage this week. Not to mention China’s central bank lowering a short-term lending rate for the first time in 10 months to restore market confidence and prop up a stalling post-pandemic recovery.  On Market View, the Drive Time team unpacked these developments with Toby Gresham, Investment Counselor Team Lead, Citi Private Bank.

The Singapore Academy of Law has recently published a new report on a legal principle that might be of interest to businesses. Two disputing parties cannot try to relitigate the same issue which was already decided by a foreign court, if they subsequently try to litigate again in Singapore. So what does this mean for businesses?  We speak to  Colin Seow, Managing Director, Colin Seow Chambers more about this.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be in Beijing for talks on June 18 and US' latest claims of the existence of Chinese spy facilities in Cuba could have an impact on the tone of the visit. Amongst tense relations, China has ordered the last Indian journalist in the country to leave. Lastly, China's economic recovery seems to be slowing down recently. We speak to  Dr. Oh Ei Sun, Senior Fellow, Singapore Institute of International Affairs more about this.

We’re going to talk all about the buses we take to get to and off work every other day.  Our guest for today is from Volvo Buses, which is one of the world’s leading providers of sustainable people transport solutions.  Offering premium city and intercity buses, coaches, and chassis, Volvo Buses has sales in 85 countries and a global service network with more than 1,500 dealerships and workshops.  With Volvo Buses changing its business model in Europe to focus on chassis production to restore it to profitability, we want to find out what the situation is like over in Asia and what’s next for the company as far as APAC is concerned.  Speaking of APAC, the company revealed a made-in-Singapore city bus powered fully by batteries in November last year as part of a collaboration with Singapore’s SC Auto Industries, but how big of a market is Volvo Buses aiming in the region? On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian sat down with Mats Nilsson, Vice President, Volvo Buses APAC for more.

Taking regular measurements of blood pressure is a simple yet effective way to monitor our overall health. Monitoring it allows us to detect ‘silent killers’ that result from hypertension. Regardless of age, we should all remember to take these efforts to keep track of our health. We speak to Alexis En, Director, Marketing and Digital Health, OMRON Healthcare Singapore more about this.

Singapore shares started the week higher today after US equities ended higher on expectations that interest rate hikes would be paused.    In early trade, the Straits Times Index (STI) was up 0.3 per cent to 3,197.42 points after 34.5 million securities changed hands in the broader market. In terms of companies to watch for today, we have Nio, after the electric vehicle maker sunk deeper into the red in the first quarter of 2023.  Meanwhile, from UBS completing the acquisition of former rival Credit Suisse to Qatar’s top dealmakers getting ready for a spending power boost and the US Federal Reserve’s next move at its monetary policy meeting mid-week, international headlines continue to be in focus.  On Market View, the Drive Time team unpacked the above developments with David Kuo, Co-founder, The Smart Investor.

Ever wished you could be a professional gamer? Team Flash's Khevind Awat Ranai aka Buzzinho, who will be representing the nation at the FIFAe World Cup 2023 tells us just how! Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg | raushan@sph.com.sg

Brand strength encompasses factors such as customer loyalty, brand recognition, and market share. It also indicates how well a brand is known and trusted by customers. Measuring brand strength on a regular basis is vital to planning strategies to grow the company. Depending on the size or type of company, however, what to focus on when measuring brand strength can differ. We speak to Uri Snyder, Senior Vice President, APAC, Similarweb more about this.

Classic cars – or those that are at least 35-years-old from their original registration date - that’s on our agenda today.  Such vehicles have gained increased popularity in recent years. According to Forbes citing collectible car website Classic.com, a sizable list of desirable up-and-comers have appreciated in value by as much as 88%. But really, what is driving the market?  Also – with Statista expecting the global classic car market to grow from US$24.5 billion in 2019 to around US$35.5 billion in 2023, we want to find out what this means for classic car dealers and workshops.  Our guest for today is from Classic Motorworks. The company, which was founded in 2016 as a 2-man workshop in Tuas, has since grown to become one of the more established classic car workshops in Singapore. It also ventured into the trading business over this time as a full-fledged classic car dealership in Singapore.  On Under the Radar, Tan Lu Han, Director, Classic Motorworks joins Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian in-studio for more. They also talked about the electrification of the automotive industry and whether classical cars can be electrified.

Three men serving at the very top of the US government, Donald Trump, Joe Biden and Mike Pence appear to be guilty of mishandling of confidential documents, so what does this mean for the upcoming US presidential election? US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to be in China on June 18 as the attempts at dialogue between the two countries continues. Lastly, Rishi Sunak's visiting Biden in Washington looks to strengthen an already solid US-UK relationship. We speak to Steve Okun, Senior Advisor, Mclarty Associatesmore about these headlines.