Money Matters with Hongbin Jeong and Chua Tian Tian

We’re going to be talking all about your cup of coffee or tea today! Traditionally, coffee's hand brewed by coffee brewers or baristas, but some enterprising firms are coming up with machines that can do the job.  They say this can standardise the taste of the coffee you drink, and reduce training costs for staff.  Investors seem to be liking this idea. Earlier, a company called Crown Digital - behind the robot barista Ella has received investments from transport operators to come up with robot barista stations at railway stops. And if you love Nanyang coffee, another company called Hawkermatic is now supplying over 50 restaurants, coffee shops and food courts with a machine that can produce customised Kopi and Teh in seconds.  But how much money is behind these companies really and how do industry players assess the market? On Market View, Prime Time's finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Chua Teck Hiong, Director of Hawkermatic. 

Two popular travel destinations, Japan and Hong Kong are both easing their border restrictions.  Japan will allow independent travellers, and will remove the cap on arrivals. Hong Kong will abolish mandatory hotel quarantine. Travellers will only be required to go through a period of home medical surveillance. In The Straits Times’ The Big Story, Multimedia correspondent Cheow Sue-Ann speaks with Japan Correspondent, Walter Sim, for more.

It’s been a busy week for central banks, and of course a week filled with anxiety for us investors. For one thing, the Fed has raised interest rates by yet another 75 basis points in a bid to prevent price increases from being entrenched in the US economy. But perhaps what’s more interesting is where the Fed see the US economy going and what it wants to do in the future. That’s especially so as the central bank moves into a restrictive monetary policy territory that could more seriously impact the economy. On Market View, Prime Time's finance presenter Chua Tian Tian unpacked details from the latest FOMC meeting with Luke Browne, Senior Portfolio Manager and Head of Asset Allocation, Multi-Asset Solutions Team Asia, Manulife Investment Management. 

A tracker has revealed that “10 countries have fully launched a digital currency, with China’s pilot set to expand in 2023.” But last month, Japan’s central bank scrapped its CBDC plans due to lack of interest from the public. In the Spotlight on Prime Time, Bharati Jagdish speaks with Manuel Jaeger, Co-Founder and Head of Digital Assets at ADDX on this class of digital assets, and how it differs from cryptocurrencies.

The busiest diplomatic week of the year is underway as world leaders gather this week in New York to address the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly. The war in Ukraine, climate change and nuclear disarmament are likely to dominate speeches and discussions during the annual gathering at the UN headquarters. With Russian President Vladimir Putin announcing a partial mobilization and upping the ante in the war with Ukraine, how will the rest of the world respond? Will this bring the direct conflict between the West and Russia one step closer? What is likeliest outcome in Ukraine?  Prime Time's Bharati Jagdish speaks with Dr Samir Puri, author of a new book, 'Russia's Road to War With Ukraine' for a deep dive. 

The US Federal Reserve has raised its benchmark rate to the highest level in 14 years in an attempt to crush surging inflation. In The Straits Times’ The Big Story, Multimedia journalist Hairianto Dirman speaks to Senior business correspondent Chor Khieng Yuit as she explains how consumers and businesses in Singapore will be affected as the Fed grows more hawkish, and more hikes are expected.

As global financial markets continue to take a beating, some investors are looking for alternative investments to shore themselves against a potential recession.  And it seems like private equity real estate assets have been gaining some attention as an investment vehicle that is expected to offer some stability against economic headwinds.  But why is this the case and which geographical markets should we be looking at amid a high interest rate environment? On Market View, Prime Time's finance presenter Chua Tian Tian discussed the prospects of private equity real estate assets with Peter Young, CEO and co-founder of Q Investment Partners.

The trend of employees choosing to not go above and beyond their jobs in ways that include refusing to answer emails during evenings or weekends, or skipping extra assignments that fall outside their core duties, is catching on, especially among Gen Zers. In the Spotlight on Prime Time, Bharati Jagdish speaks with Carrie Tan, Selfwork and Transformation Coach from Lightbearers, and a Member of Parliament, on this emerging phenomenon of Quiet Quitting in the workplace and how can employers address this across multi-generational workforces? Highlights: 02.30 : How do you define “quiet quitters”?  04.23 : Is bad leadership the reason for the quiet quitting phenomenon? 05.26 : How can leadership better manage this quiet quitting attitude?  10.33 : How can organisations start the process of improving workplace wellbeing?  14.30 : If not adequately dealt with, what would be the repercussions be in the long term? 

As employees and jobseekers continue to pick up digital competencies to remain agile and relevant in the increasingly digital world, what are the right skills to survive in this changing digital landscape? And what should you look out for if you’re planning a mid-career switch to the tech industry? Prime Time's Bharati Jagdish speaks with Daphney Chew, Project Manager, Speech and Audio, TikTok and Teo Xuejun, Data Warehouse Lead for TikTok Creator Marketplace to find out.

Even after the crypto markets crashed this year, there are still a number of people who believe there’s a future for digital assets and blockchain technology.  Prime Time’s Bharati Jagdish speaks with a former head of fintech at the Bank of England and currently Director of CBDCs and Financial Market Infrastructure at Fireblocks, a provider of crypto custody technology, Varun Paul, about Central Bank Digital Currencies and how they’d fit into the currency and cryptocurrency ecosystem.