Money Matters with Hongbin Jeong and Chua Tian Tian

While blockchain and crypto hiring may have taken a back seat, we are still seeing companies actively hiring as we move away from a hiring slump due to Covid-19 in the last few years.  But where are companies hunting for talents? Are talent from Southeast Asia in demand? Puay Lim Yeo, Managing Director, Glints shares his views on why companies are looking for talent from Southeast Asia. 

From former Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohammad making a comment saying that 'Malaysia could be like Singapore with non-Malay PM' to a Thai man sentenced to two years in prison for selling calendars featuring satirical cartoons of yellow ducks that a court said mocked the country’s monarch. Bridget Welsh, Political Analyst and Honorary Research Associate, University of Nottingham Malaysia gives us an analysis of those headlines and more. 

We’re going to talk all about housing - and in particular about co-living solutions on the segment today.  According to a quarterly survey by the University of Singapore Real Estate, which was released just a couple of weeks ago, industry players expect the co-living market to continue growing with skyrocketing housing costs and growing inflationary pressure. The results also follow a strong year for the co-living market, with operators seeing high occupancy rates of over 95 per cent throughout 2022. But what does that mean for prices of co-living solutions? How are operators co-living properties tapping the rise in home prices? And what are some of their expansion plans? Let’s pose this question to Coliwoo, which is one of the largest co-living accommodation operators in Singapore. On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian sat down with Chong Ching Yeng, Chief Commercial Officer, Coliwoo. They also talked about the company’s aggressive expansion plans, having announced last year plans to launch over 10 properties.

What is your stand on punishments at the work place? Can the strawberry generation deal with it? Elliott and Raushan discuss this and much more!

Singapore shares fell today following mixed activity in US and Europe markets.   The Straits Times Index fell 0.1 per cent to 3,236.61 points in early trade after 157 million securities changed hands.  Some companies seeing new developments include Yangzijiang Financial Holdings, which is partnering with Singapore-based fund manager Tahan Capital Management to invest in private credit assets in Asia.  Meanwhile, several China-focused Reits have outperformed their peers listed on the Singapore Exchange over the last six months amid China’s recovery, but what does this suggest about the speed of China’s recovery from the pandemic? On Market View, the Drive Time team unpacked these developments with  James Cheo, Chief Investment Officer, Southeast Asia at HSBC Global Private Banking and Wealth.

Burmese Ruby is one of the rarest and most treasured ruby gemstones mined from Myanmar and it is expected to be extinct soon. So can a gemstone like this be created in a lab? Real gems vs lab grown gems, what is the difference in valuation and investment power? Danilo Giannoni, Founder and Creative Director, Arte Oro shares his views. 

Weave Living, Asia-Pacific’s leading fully-integrated lifestyle rental accommodation provider, will officially open its first Singapore at 33 Jalan Sultan. But for a company that is headquartered in Hong Kong, how did they have to tweak their business model to fit into Singapore’s rental accommodation landscape?  Sachin Doshi, Founder & CEO, Weave Living shares how the company has done so. 

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.