Your Way Home with Hongbin Jeong

On What’s Trending, Hongbin Jeong, Nadiah Koh and Alexandra Parada discuss three very different stories that are trending today, from romance and creativity, to thrill-seeking retail, to serious population policy. First, a filmmaker went viral after proposing to his girlfriend by editing himself into a wedding scene from Shrek, then re-entering the room in the same suit to propose in real life. Over in Tokyo, a pop-up store is turning shopping into a silent adrenaline sport, charging customers to “steal” whatever they can carry in one minute, as long as they make absolutely no sound. And finally, in a much more contentious move, China has begun taxing condoms and other contraceptives in a bid to boost its falling birth rate.

They’re blamed, booed, and rarely praised, but what’s it really like to be a referee? Former Singapore Premier League official Andrea Verolino joins Sports Minutes to tackle VAR debates, referee reviews, and fan misconceptions head-on. From “referee kayu” chants to high-pressure nights at the National Stadium, this is an unfiltered look at football’s most scrutinised role. Got a story to tell? Get in touch! raushan@sph.com.sg

Singapore ended 2025 on a strong note. The economy grew by 4.8 per cent, beating earlier forecasts and clocking its fastest pace since 2021. Manufacturing surged, jobs stayed resilient, and exports were boosted by the AI boom. But here’s the real question, what do these big numbers actually mean for Singaporeans? Does stronger growth translate into better job prospects, higher pay, or a lower cost of living? And if growth is expected to slow in 2026, should we be preparing for tougher times ahead? To help us make sense of it all, on The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Selena Ling, Chief Economist and Head of OCBC Group Research at OCBC.

Tech stocks have carried the market for years, fuelled by AI hype, blockbuster earnings and sky-high expectations. But as 2025 draws to a close, investors are starting to ask some uncomfortable questions. Are tech stocks still the engine of growth, or are warning lights flashing beneath the surface? On Wealth Tracker, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Danish Lim, Senior Investment Analyst, Phillip Nova, to take a closer look at whether the rally has more room to run, the risks hiding behind those valuations, and where investors might want to look as we head into 2026.

Singapore shares rose in the first trading session of 2026 today.  The Straits Times Index was up 0.4% at 4,664.97 points at 12.31pm Singapore time, with a value turnover of S$418.45M seen in the broader market. In terms of counters to watch, we have Nio, after the Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker said it had new record-high monthly and quarterly deliveries. Meanwhile, from how Singapore’s economy expanded 4.8 per cent year on year in 2025 to how Samsung Electronics said its customers have praised the differentiated competitiveness of its next-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips, or HBM4, more economic and corporate headlines remained in focus.  Also on deck, how US markets are expected to kickstart the year in the first trading session of 2026. On Market View, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian unpacked the developments with Benjamin Goh, Head of Research and Investor Education, SIAS.

On What’s Trending with Hongbin Jeong and Alexandra Parada, it’s a mix of endings, unexpected wins, and changing trends, from the highly anticipated Stranger Things finale that divided fans with its emotional highs, lingering plot holes, and unanswered questions, to a heart-warming real-life story of a Singapore dad who picked up Monopoly just to teach his daughter, only to become the nation’s Monopoly champion years later. And as pop culture continues to shape real life, even baby names aren’t spared, with 2026 parents ditching traditional picks in favour of fantasy, anime, literary, ancient-civilisation and showgirl-inspired names, proving that whether it’s TV finales, board games or naming the next generation, people are more willing than ever to take bold, unconventional turns.

A brand new year offers brand new possibilities - especially when it comes to sport, and particularly Singapore football. So what did the rollercoaster that was 2025 teach us? And what is on the wish list for 2026? Deepanraj Ganesan is back in the Sports Minutes hotseat alongside Zia-ul Raushan to tell us. Got a story to tell? Get in touch! raushan@sph.com.sg

2025 was a defining year for the silver market, marked by record prices and heightened investor interest. As the market enters 2026, attention is now turning to whether those gains can be sustained. On Wealth Tracker, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Gregor Gregersen, Founder, Silver Bullion Group, to take a step back to look at how silver performed in 2025, what drove the big moves, and what investors were watching through the year.

Singapore shares dipped today in the last trading day of 2025. The Straits Times Index was down 0.2% at 4,646.27 points at 10.29am Singapore time, with a value turnover of S$199.83M seen in the broader market. In terms of counters to watch, we have SUTL Enterprise, after the marina developer and operator said yesterday that it will acquire Marina at Keppel Bay from Keppel Bay for S$40 million, with the acquisition to be completed in the second half of 2026.  Elsewhere, from how China's manufacturing activity unexpectedly grew in December, to how Taiwanese tech titan TSMC has started mass producing its cutting-edge 2-nanometre semiconductor chips, more international and corporate headlines remained in focus.    On Market View, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian unpacked the developments with Audrey Ho, Investment Counselor, Citigold Private Client, Citibank Singapore.

To wrap up 2025, Hongbin Jeong and Alexandra Parada revisit the viral moments that truly defined the year online on What’s Trending.  Pop culture went into overdrive when Taylor Swift and NFL star Travis Kelce got engaged, a crossover romance so big it united Swifties, sports fans and the internet at large; a seemingly harmless Coldplay kiss-cam moment spiralled into a global scandal when two uncomfortable concertgoers were identified as a married tech CEO and his company’s HR head, sparking resignations and debates over privacy, power and public shaming; the world’s most famous museum was rocked by a bold daylight heist at the Louvre, with crown jewels worth over US$100 million still missing even as new security measures were rushed in; and back home, Singapore’s GE2025 proved that politics and memes now go hand in hand, as campaign moments were remixed into viral songs, TikToks and WhatsApp forwards that sometimes travelled faster than the actual policy debates.