Your Way Home with Hongbin Jeong

Are you afraid of having your blood drawn? But what if the blood test could detect cancer causing genetic mutations and viruses, and allow for early treatment?   I’m asking this because we are going to look at a company called Lucence, which makes blood tests to detect cancers.  Founded in 2016, Lucence was spun off from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).  It had in 2019 unveiled a blood test called LiquidHALLMARK that detects 14 types of cancers, 50 genetic mutations and two viruses. Lucence had said then that LiquidHALLMARK is the world's first blood test that simultaneously detects both cancer-causing genetic mutations and viruses with 99.9 per cent accuracy. But how much money does this represent? How does the company assess its competition, and how is it treading the fine line in ensuring that it achieves the profits it wants yet ensure that the tests remain affordable and accessible?  On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these burning questions to Dr Tan Min-Han Founder, CEO and Medical Director at Lucence.

We discuss and preview the new Singapore Premier League season with ST Sports reporter Deepanraj Ganesan. 

Singapore stocks started the day on a softer note, after markets in the US and Europe fell overnight. Local banks and index counters also started the morning mixed. The Straits Times Index headed down 0.1 per cent in early trade to 3,296.24 points after 91 million securities changed hands. In terms of companies to watch for today, we have UOB, which reported a 24 per cent climb in profits in the second half of the year ended December. But what is the outlook for the banking sector after the latest Fed minutes indicated that rates will likely be higher for longer? We’re also tracking the property sector today, after CapitaLand Investment reported a 33.8 per cent on-year drop in net profit to S$428 million for the six months ended December. But what’s next for the property sector? On Market View, the Drive Time team spoke with Eddy Loh, Chief Investment Officer, Maybank Group Wealth Management for more. 

If you are wondering what Chopped Cheese is, it is a New York City bodega favourite, a hoagie roll stuffed with a mixture of beef, seasonings, and onions, cooked on a griddle and then chopped and smothered with cheese. And now you can find them in Singapore.  Edwin Tan, Owner and Chef, Quality Melts shares his journey in bring Chopped Cheese here. 

As travellers return to the skies, the aviation industry in Asia Pacific is expected to achieve its 2019 pre-Covid passenger volumes of around 3.4 billion a year by 2024. But as air passenger numbers set to grow even more in the near future, how are airports in the region responding to meet this demand?  Joanna Lu, Head of Consultancy Asia, Ascend by Cirium shares her views. 

From Russia’s President Vladimir Putin delivering a state of the nation speech in Moscow to Finland ready to join NATO without Sweden.  Dr Samir Puri, Visiting Lecturer in War Studies at King's College London and author of 'Russia's Road to War with Ukraine' gives us an analysis of those headlines and more. 

Chat GPT, Generative AI and the money behind them! That’s what we’re going to talk about on the segment today. Our guest for today is from Microsoft, which has invested over US$10 billion in ChatGPT maker Open AI.  The company also launched earlier this month new versions of its Bing internet search engine and Edge browser powered by the newest technology from OpenAI.  At the launch, Microsoft had said that every percentage point of market share it gains in the search advertising market could bring in another US$2 billion of ad revenue.  But much of a share is the company aiming for? Also - what is the financial value of such Generative AI solutions at scale for businesses and how would that shake up the tech industry? How much of a first mover advantage can Microsoft gain as other tech giants play catch up? On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian sat down with Richard Koh, Chief Technology Officer & Customer Success Lead, Microsoft Singapore for more. 

Singapore shares edged down today following losses in the US and Europe.  The Straits Times Index dropped 0.1 per cent to 3,303.11 points in early trade after 63.9 million securities changed hands.  In terms of companies to watch for today, we have Wilmar International, which posted an 8.6 per cent year-on-year rise in net profit to US$1.2 billion for its second half ended December.  And more good news from SIA as well. The carrier posted record operating profits for its third quarter ended December, rising 11.4 per cent on-quarter to S$755 million. On Market View, the Drive Time team unpacked the key market movements for the day with Dr Robin Han, Portfolio Manager, Phillip Securities.

We discuss one's willingness to suffer as a sports fan and how much benefit of the doubt do you give your club manager. 

At Budget 2023, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong announced more support measures and payout to help households, workers and businesses deal with inflation in his speech.  But how will these additional support measures impact Singapore’s red hot property market?  Christine Sun, Senior Vice President of Research & Analytics, OrangeTee & Tie.  shares her views.