Money Matters with Hongbin Jeong and Chua Tian Tian

Singapore shares open in the green today reversing last week’s loss streak. The benchmark Straits Times Index gained 0.4 per cent to 3,375.41 points in early trade after 55.8 million securities changed hands. Some companies to watch today include Singapore’s largest lender DBS, which saw a 69 per cent year-on-year rise in net profit to a record S$2.3 billion for its fourth quarter ended Dec 31, 2022. But to what extent have higher interest rates boosted results and what’s the outlook ahead as interest rates around the world begin to level? Another company we’re tracking is Thomson Medical, after it reported an 82.6 per cent year-on-year jump in net profit to S$22.8 million in the half year ended Dec 31. But why is this the case? To what extent will the opening of borders boost medical tourism here in Singapore this year? On Market View, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to  David Kuo, Co-founder, The Smart Investor.

In a Facebook post, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has said that the Budget’s theme will be “moving forward in a new era”, and will set out how Singapore will secure its prospects in a troubled world. But as we move away from Covid-19, what can this Budget do to help businesses cope with the ever evolving business landscape? Yong Jiahao, Partner, IGH & Manufacturing, Tax, KPMG in Singapore shares KPMG's recommendations on measures that can be introduced for enterprises to cope with evolving business landscape

Today we discuss the importance of a particular sport itself vs entertainment value and what we look out for when attending a major sports event. 

Are you looking to invest in a property overseas? Maybe somewhere in the United Kingdom? Here's an outlook for the property market in the UK this year.  On Culture Club, Drive Time's Elliot Danker and Timothy Go also speak with Emma Cariaga, Joint Head of Canada Water and Head of Residential, British Land to find out “Why London” for Singapore investors who are looking for opportunities out of Asia post-pandemic. The team also finds out more about Canada Water, one of the largest and most sustainable London projects. 

Ever wondered who are the ones keeping our work desks clean and tidy when we return to work on a Monday morning? Well, today we’re going to look at how facility management companies position themselves in a market that is set to reach around US$121 billion globally by 2030.  This is also an exciting time for the industry, as it tries to convince clients on the need to automate and reduce reliance on manual labour amid an ongoing manpower shortage.  But how successful are players in gaining industry buy-in, and what are facility management companies doing to move workers to higher value roles with automation? On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian spoke with Gina Toh, CEO of ISS Facility Services, Singapore for more.

Have you been more cautious with how much you spend on your groceries or online shopping for example amidst rising prices?  To help counter this, Lazada, is paving the way for sellers and consumers to navigate and combat rising costs.  Loh Wee Lee, CEO, Lazada Singapore shares with us his observations on consumer shopping behaviour amidst rising prices and the initiatives Lazada have developed to help consumers save on purchases and delivery.  

Since late January, four vessels, including a suspected Chinese spy balloon, have been seen entering US and Canadian airspace. What is going on with the unidentified objects that US fighter planes keep taking down? Might these strange objects be an even bigger problem than we thought? And how will the spy balloon fallout bring instability to Southeast Asia and beyond? On Washington Report, Drive Time's Elliot Danker and Timothy Go spoke with Steve Okun, Senior Advisor, Mclarty Associates to find out more about the mystery surrounding all these aerial intrusions. 

Singapore stocks opened lower today. The Straits Times Index dropped 0.2 per cent in early trade to 3,351.85 points after 71.5 million securities changed hands. Some notable names seeing new developments today include UOL Group and Singapore Land Group, which purchased Meyer Park for S$392.18 million via a collective sale. But what would this mean for both companies? Elsewhere, China’s consumer inflation accelerated last month. CPI was up 2.1% on a yearly basis, higher than the 1.8% increase in December. What’s the country’s recovery story looking like? On Market View, the Drive Time team posed these questions to Benjamin Goh, Head of Research and Investor Education, SIAS.

The online brokerage industry is at the heart of our discussion today.  The pandemic-induced retail trading frenzy has led to a boom in new online brokers in Singapore as more people put their dollars to work on digital platforms.  But with the country now back to Dorscon green, how would companies position themselves for the future? We’re going to speak with online trading platform moomoo to find out more about their future plans.  The company is apparently also serving financial institutions, and is the main placement agent for the IPO of the maker of the TraceTogether token. But why is it diversifying to serve institutional clients? How much money is in it for them to do so? On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Gavin Chia, Singapore Managing Director at moomoo.

Today we discuss the question on whether we are stuck paying more for sports broadcast packages and the new European Super League, what would it mean for football fans?