Money Matters with Hongbin Jeong and Chua Tian Tian

From Dec 26, bus and train fares will rise by 2.9 percent, meaning an increase of 4 to 5 cents for adults, depending on the distance travelled.  Meanwhile, fares for concession groups such as students and elderly will go up as well by a smaller amount of 1 cent. In The Straits Times’ The Big Story, Multimedia journalist Cheow Sue-Ann speaks withTransport Correspondent Kok Yufeng for more on these recent developments. 

Malaysia's richest state, Selangor, confirmed that it will not dissolve its state assembly and hold polls this year, a move that points to prolonged political intrigue lasting at least till the middle of next year. Will the other states follow suit? Plus why is Dr. Mahathir Mohamad still contesting at the age of 97? And are the young cohort of first-time voters going to game changers for Malaysia's 15th General Election?  Prime Time's Bharati Jagdish finds out more from Shannon Teoh,Malaysia Bureau Chief at the Straits Times,in this comprehensive conversation.  Produced and edited by Anthea Ng (nganthea@sph.com.sg)

The US markets are on our agenda with the US CPI data for September set to be released on Thursday.  Based on earlier forecasts by Bloomberg, the headline consumer price index is expected to moderate slightly from 8.3 per cent on-year in August to 8.1 per cent on-year in September. Meanwhile, the more closely watched core inflation is set to rise from 6.3 per cent to 6.5 per cent on-year for September. So would the decline in headline inflation alone offer any form of reassurance for the Fed to ease off the brakes in its upcoming policy meeting?  On Market View, Prime Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian spoke with Azeem Sheriff, Markets Analyst at CMC Markets APAC & Canada to find out what to expect on Thursday and the likely market reaction. 

Businesses are all pushing towards digitalisation, the insurance industry is no different. Are Singaporeans keen to purchase the more complex or complicated insurance policies via an app-model? And what should consumers look out for when buying insurance online? In the Spotlight on Prime Time, Bharati Jagdish speaks with Stephan Kaiser, Chief Executive Officer of KoverNow, for more insights. Produced and edited by Anthea Ng (nganthea@sph.com.sg)

Launched in 2020, Alibaba affiliate Alipay+ provides services and technology tools to global merchants and e-wallets to enable their users to make payments in overseas markets using their local e-wallets.  So far, Alipay+ is accepted by global merchants both online and in-store across over 55 countries and regions using partner e-wallets such as the namesake Alipay, Touch and Go, and Kakao Pay. And the company is actively growing its business as travel restrictions ease across Asia. For one, it worked with 4 Asian e-wallets including the Philippines’ GCash and Malaysia’s Touch’n Go expand into South Korea.  But what are Alipay+’s growth plans going forward and which markets are they eyeing next?   On Market View, Prime Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian sat down with Jia Hang, Regional General Manager, Southeast Asia at Ant Group for more updates on this front - including an announcement on Alipay+’s partnership to bring more e-wallets to Japan, and how the company’s rolling out cross border digital marketing solutions for Burger King in Singapore.

Prices of resale properties are still increasing and more HDB flats are crossing the one million dollar mark. Given the resilience of the property market in Singapore, how effective will the latest round of property cooling measures be? And how will Singaporeans really be impacted? Prime Time’s Bharati Jagdish speaks with Wong Siew Ying, Head of Research and Content, Propnex Realty to find out. 

Investments into the agricultural scene have gained increased attention amid supply chain disruptions brought about by the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.  More recently, hurricane Ian hit Brazil, as well as Florida’s orange belt, sending orange juice futures in New York up by as much as 3% then. Question is - how can players in the industry mitigate such supply chain concerns and volatilities brought about by poor weather conditions and climate change? How do they view the industry right now and what are some of their recent investments? On Market View, Prime Time's finance presenter Chua Tian Tian spoke with Ming Peng, Managing Director, Cargill Starches, Sweeteners and Texturizers, in Asia.

The upcoming 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party taking place on Oct 16 Sunday is expected to be the most significant political event for China in decades. In the Spotlight on Prime Time’s Bharati Jagdish speaks with Jonathan Frewin, Senior journalist with BBC World Service Partner Hubon what to look out for that will set the tone for China’s goals and priorities for the next five years, as well as the annual meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in Washington and Japan's government relaxing its entry rules for tourists. 

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has dissolved Malaysia's Parliament, announcing it in a special television address today, paving the way for snap polls nearly a year ahead of the deadline for a general election. It comes after Malaysia unveiled a smaller budget for 2023 on Friday, which is widely seen as an attempt to woo support for the ruling parties ahead of federal polls anticipated by year-end. Prime Time’s Bharati Jagdish speaks with Fung Siu, Principal Economist, Asia, Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), who specialises in areas including currency, environment, financial services, Islamic finance, Macroeconomics in ASEAN, Japan, South Asia and Sri Lanka.

Today is World Mental Health Day. Prime Time's Bharati jagdish speaks with Mavis Chng, PR & Social Content Marketing Manager, JobStreet by SEEK to find out how career dissatisfaction, burnout, and unhealthy work-life balance can impact employees' overall mental wellbeing.