Money Matters with Hongbin Jeong and Chua Tian Tian

While we may not be able to teleport you to the metaverse, we hope to get you thinking about the financial and economic implications of building the metaverse. Well, a recent analysis performed by Deloitte estimated that the impact of the metaverse to GDP in Asia could be between US$0.8 to 1.4 trillion per year by 2035. That’s roughly about 2.4 per cent of overall GDP.  Called “The metaverse in Asia - Strategies for accelerating economic impact”, the report showcases the potential impact of the metaverse in 12 Asian economies and highlights the strategies adopted by these economies to capture the benefits of the metaverse. But what are some of these strategies and how much investments do countries need to put in to reap the rewards of change? Also - is this shift towards the metaverse inevitable and could we see a reshuffle of tech giants after this so-called ‘battle to build up the metaverse?  On Market View, Prime Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Duleesha Kulasooriya, Southeast Asia Leader at Deloitte Center for the Edge.

Rare protests broke out across China over the weekend as groups of people vented their frustration over the zero-Covid policy. In The Spotlight, Prime Time’s Chua Tian Tian spoke with Jonathan Frewin, Senior journalist with BBC World Service Partner Hub in London for more on those developments as well as some of the other biggest stories they’re tracking in the week ahead. 

Hong Kong has finally had its financial crown snatched by Singapore, moving up to third most important city for global finance after New York and London. Prime Time’s Chua Tian Tian speaks with David Black, Founder and CEO of Blackbox Research for a deep dive into Singaporeans and Hongkongers’ perceptions about the changing dynamics in the region. 

US stocks got a boost last week from the latest minutes from the Federal Reserve’s November meeting, where the central bank is looking to hand out smaller rate hikes in the coming months. While economic data out of the US showed the US economy responding to the Fed’s four straight 75 basis point interest rate hikes, is it too early for markets to be optimistic?  Similarly, Fundstrat’s Tom Lee predicted that the S&P 500 could rise another 14 per cent through the end of the year as inflation comes down, setting the stage for a big December rally. But how likely is this? Back in Asia, Warren Buffet has picked up a US$5 billion stake in semiconductor manufacturer TSMC. But what do market watchers see of his recent buy, and what are the opportunities in the Greater China region? On Market View, Prime Time's finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to  Ken Shih, Head of Wealth Management, Greater China at  Saxo Markets.

At the US midterm elections, Democrats took a majority in the Senate and while they lost the House, the result was very close. At the same time, Donald Trump announced his 2024 presidency bid. What does the US midterm election results mean to the Asian region? And if Trump becomes President again, and with Asia being more sensitive to Chinese growth and US financial conditions, how would that impact the region, specifically China and Singapore? We unpack all of that In the Spotlight on Prime Time in this conversation between Bharati Jagdish and Pushan Dutt, Professor of economics and political sciences at INSEAD.  Produced and edited by Anthea Ng (nganthea@sph.com.sg)

There is a growing need for alternative sources of capital for businesses that either cannot obtain, or do not want, traditional loans or private equity investments. One expanding alternative is revenue-based financing. Revenue-based financing as a type of additional capital will allow businesses to access capital without diluting their ownership, increasing their profitability and attracting new investors. Prime Time's Bharati Jagdish speaks with Jeffrey Liu, CEO and co-founder of Jenfi, a fintech company that provides revenue-based financing to rapidly growing businesses in Asia to find out how revenue-based finance can close the gap between traditional finance and investing.

Shoppers looking to stretch their dollar amid the rising cost of living were out in force on Black Friday, with long queues spotted outside malls along Orchard Road. In The Straits Times’ The Big Story, Multimedia Correspondent Cheow Sue-Ann spoke with Senior Correspondent Chantal Sajan to discuss shopping deals being offered during one of the biggest retail weekends of the year.

We’re going to wrap up the week by talking about China. Investors have been keeping a close eye on China’s reopening as the country reported its highest number of daily Covid-19 cases since the start of the pandemic this week.  While China has all along stuck to its zero-Covid policy,  what’s more tricky this time round is that the development came after China recently dialled back on some of its pandemic measures, signalling a renewed focus on growth.  With China’s cabinet also pledging new stimulus measures to revive its COVID-battered economy.this week, what are the chances of authorities reinstating containment measures?  Also - where do market watchers expect growth to to look like for China for this year and the next?  On Market View, Prime Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian got down to the details with Brock Silvers, Chief Investment Officer at Kaiyuan Capital.

The pandemic has shown that through the acceleration of delivery speeds via technological innovation, customer expectations of the retail experience have grown. How do retailers adapt to the changing consumer demand? In the Spotlight on Prime Time, Bharati Jagdish speaks with Clement Yew, Director of Business Development, Southeast Asia, AutoStore on how automation can strengthen the retail industry.  Produced and edited by Anthea Ng (nganthea@sph.com.sg)

As Singapore continues to grow, so too will the challenge of managing the social, ecological, and physical aspects of our densely populated city and infrastructure. Global events in the recent few years have brought the importance of building city resilience to the forefront – and particularly so for a small country with limited land and resources. Prime Time’s Bharati Jagdish finds out from Argoon Chuang, Digital Consulting Lead, Asia, AECOM.