Your Way Home with Hongbin Jeong

Today we’re going to take a look at something that is close to our heart - ageing and eldercare. According to a UN report, there were 703 million persons aged 65 years or over in the world in 2019, and that number is projected to double to 1.5 billion in 2050.  And as the world population ages, one of the most urgent needs for families is caregiving , with demand outstripping the pool of qualified operators.  What that means is that those in their thirties and forties - also known as the “sandwich generation” - end up shouldering most of the burden.  But what that also presents is an opportunity for tech startups and investors in almost every market in the world. Question is how are businesses bridging that gap? Homage is a platform that pairs caregivers with family. The platform focuses on on-demand holistic home and community-based caregiving to seniors and adults for illnesses such as Dementia and Stroke. On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian sat down with Azusa Hanai, Chief Product Officer, Homage for more.

Home ownership for Singaporeans continues to be a focus, particularly in the Build-To-Order space. From new measures to help first-timers get their HDB flats to ‘scary’ red-themed blocks in the Tampines North BTO project - the whole public housing system is under the spotlight once more. On Culture Club, Drive Time's Elliot Danker speaks with Nicholas Mak, Head of Research & Consultancy, ERA Realty  for a deep dive into the latest real estate trends in Singapore. 

Singapore shares started the day in the negative territory, after interest rate hike fears spread across global markets overnight. The Straits Times Index (STI) was down 0.3 per cent in early trade to 3,235.95 points after 186.9 million securities changed hands. Some companies seeing new developments include Cosco Shipping International, which formed a joint venture with its associate, Supply Fortune, to invest in logistics infrastructure assets.  Meanwhile, investors continue to sieve through details from US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s hawkish comments before the Senate Banking Committee. On Market View, the Drive Time team sieved through the details with Christopher Forbes, Head of CMC Invest Singapore.

To commemorate International Women's Day, Elliott and Raushan are in conversation with Singaporean sporting royalty Yip Pin Xiu. The 5-time Paralympic gold medallist shares her tale on overcoming adversity, fighting for diversity and pushing for a more inclusive society.

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.