Money Matters with Hongbin Jeong and Chua Tian Tian

And it's all about China’s ‘two sessions’ 2023. Dr. Oh Ei Sun, Senior Fellow, Singapore Institute of International Affairs gives us an analysis of the sessions and more. 

Specialty foam, film and elastomer or elastic polymers used as insulators in electronics, cars and more.  It may very well be under the radar, but hey, did you know that the global market for elastomeric foam is set to reach US$4.462 billion by the end of 2027, according to a report by Fortune Business Insights? That’s a compound annual growth rate of 6.8% during the forecast period of 2020 to 2027.  So quite a bit of money in this arena. And that’s why we’re going to give you an inside look into a family-based manufacturer called Armstrong Asia, which started in 1974 and has since opened 16 factories in 7 countries. The company serves mainly American, European and Japanese OEM customers in the consumer electronics, automotive, data storage and consumer goods industries with big names including Mercedez Benz, Sony and Panasonic on their client list.  But what are the challenges and opportunities in the manufacturing sector amid rising business costs? What are the trends ahead for the company and how is it positioning itself for the future?  On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian sat down with Phyllis Ong, Group Chief Executive Officer at Armstrong Asia for more.

Singapore stocks rose today following gains in the US and Europe.   The Straits Times Index was up 0.2 per cent to 3,236.9 points in early trade after 102.5 million securities worth S$29.2 million changed hands. Some companies seeing new developments include Keppel Corp. Its property arm Keppel Land is divesting its full 100 per cent interest in a company that owns the right to build and operate a hotel in Myanmar. Another company to watch would be Thomson Medical Group with shares hitting a two-week high today.  On Market View, the Drive Time team deep dived into the details with David Kuo, Co-founder, The Smart Investor. They also had a look at some of the global headlines including China’s two sessions and market expectations ahead of Jerome Powell’s testimony before the US Senate Banking Committee. 

With Liverpool's historic 7-0 win over Manchester United dominating the headlines, Elliott & Raushan discuss how one can cope with loss - be it in football or in life.

From C-sections to dialysis to cancer treatment, antibiotics are the basis of modern medicine. The more we use antibiotics, the more quickly resistance develops, and deaths as a result of resistant infections are projected to skyrocket in the coming decades.  Yet, the market for antibiotics is broken. As of January 2020, there are 60 products currently in development of which the WHO reports very few target the most critical resistant bacteria and it will take years before a handful will reach patients. Why are investments in new antibiotics to meet the threat drying up?  Maurizio Luongo, Chief Executive Officer, Menarini Asia-Pacific shares his views. 

Ongoing conversations about regulating access to TikTok, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, advanced on several fronts this week. On Capitol Hill, Republicans on one House panel moved forward on a bill to grant US President Joe Biden new powers to ban the app for more than 100 million American users, citing security threats. Why has the pressure been ratcheted up on TikTok? And what will this mean for the future of the social media app?  On Washington Report, Drive Time's Elliot Danker speaks with Trisha Craig, Vice President (Engagement) and Senior Lecturer of Social Sciences (Sociology and Political Science), Yale-NUS College to find out more. 

GetGo has seen tremendous growth since its launch in  2021, and is now dubbed as Singapore’s largest car-sharing service. With Singapore’s mobility sector looking to undergo a complete electrification as part of the nation’s wider Green Plan 2030, how will the company play a bigger role in the facilitation of EV adoption among Singaporeans? On Culture Club, Drive Time's Elliot Danker also speaks with Toh Ting Feng, CEO and Co-Founder, GetGo to find out if the car-sharing demand has surged in Singapore in a post-pandemic world. 

Broadcasting “live” sporting events like Formula E requires broadcasting partners to be at the top of their game in terms of speed, latency and audio-visual quality.  Unlike most live sporting events, a single Formula E broadcast draws from more than 160 different camera feeds. So what does it take to bring the event to audiences all over the world?  Dhaval Ponda, Global Head of Media & Entertainment Business, Tata Communications shares the expectations that Tata Communications must meet as the broadcasting partner for Formula E. 

What comes to mind when you hear the phrase ‘prepare for a rainy day’? How about insurance? In fact, we’re going to deep dive into the insurance sector today with Singlife, also formerly known as Singlife with Aviva. The company, which is backed by TPG and Japanese insurer Sumitomo Life Insurance, has been on an expansion drive since it obtained its licence in Singapore five years ago.  In particular, it is setting its sights on assets in the under tapped markets of Indonesia and Vietnam. But the question is how much potential is in the two markets?  Also - the Singapore-based company said last year that it is looking towards an IPO within five years, but what is the status right now? On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian sat down with Pearlyn Phau, Group Chief Executive Officer at Singlife for more.

Alex Yoong, former Formula 1 Driver and teammate of Fernando Alonso, joins Elliott Danker and Zia-ul Raushan to look ahead to the 2023 F1 season. Will Max Verstappen maintain his stranglehold on supremacy or will Lewis Hamilton return with a vengeance?