Reset with Lynlee

The US dollar has surged once again in recent days, especially after Fed Chair Jerome Powell warned once again that rate hikes will be here to stay for longer. So is the period of volatility in currency markets set to last for the rest of this year? Will there be any regional currencies that will be able to withstand the strong greenback? On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Simon Harvey, Head of FX Analysis at MonFX, part of the Monex group, to find out more. 

Over the weekend with the sudden collapse of Silicon Valley Bank sent shockwaves through the start-up community. As investors start the week trying to figure out the implications from the fallout from the bank run on Silicon Valley Bank, the Fed, Treasury Department and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp are taking steps to shore up confidence in the banking system after SVB’s failure spurred contagion concerns. But how does this impact those in Asia? What kind of exposure does this have on Singapore? On What's Trending, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Nirgunan Tiruchelvam, Head of Consumer and Internet at Alētheia Capital, and the author of the book Investing In The COVID Era, to find out more. 

On The Afternoon Update, Geoff Howie from the SGX joins Hongbin Jeong to give a wrap on markets this week, including how the STI was largely in the red the past week, the biggest movers on the STI, and whether or not our local banks have been caught up in the SVB turmoil. They also discuss central banks - including the MAS and whether they further tighten its monetary policy, the US Fed and whether rates will peak at 5.6%; as well as the Bank of Japan and its interest date decision. 

Housing prices are increasing here in Singapore amid a time of slowing growth and rising mortgage rates. Rental market is expected to continue its upward trend in 2023 due to rising costs and surging demand. Last month, The Business Times even described that 2023 would be “another year of pain for tenants” as higher property taxes and interest rates are likely to contribute to more increases in rents. On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Ismail Gafoor, CEO of PropNex, to find out more about the current state of the property market and what the outlook is like.

Emerging markets are set to rebound in 2023, boosted by the re-opening of China. That's according to the Federated Hermes' Global Emerging Markets Outlook. Rebounds in South Korea, Taiwan and Brazil and the stability of India, Indonesia and Mexico is said to support emerging markets’ growth. On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Kunjal Gala, Head of Global Emerging Markets at Federated Hermes to find out more on this report and how Asian markets will help support EMs rebound this year.

The US dollar looks set to gain further against some of its peers on relative outperformance of the US economy and monetary policy edge. In his semi-annual testimony to lawmakers, US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell stepped up hawkishness, saying the ultimate rate peak is likely to be higher than expected and the central bank is prepared to increase the pace of rate hikes if needed. But how are regional currencies affected? On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Lim Jun Kit, Strategist at Phillip Nova to find out how the US dollar is faring and how the strong dollar is affecting the regional currencies.

Is greenwashing here to stay? How can businesses better tackle issues related to adapting to become more sustainable? These were some of the questions answered at the Inaugural Earth Hour Summit. In this podcast, host, Rachel Kelly brings you highlights from the summit and speaks with WWF CEO, R Ragunathan, for his thoughts on the future of WWF Singapore. 

Gender diversity is in focus today on Money in the Market. Does gender diversity even matter to investors? Why should it matter? Well according to MSCI, which has been tracking gender diversity of corporate boards since 2009. Nearly 40% of constituents of the MSCI ACWI Index had at least 30% of board seats held by women, a milestone that many investors, regulators and other stakeholders have long advocated for. On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Miranda Carr, Executive Director, Global Head, Applied ESG & Climate Research at MSCI to find out why this is important to note and why gender diversity matters to investors. Highlights:  01:07 - At least 30% of board seats held by women - why is this a milestone? 02:20 - Where does Singapore stand in gender diversity?  04:52 - How does gender fit into ESG issues?  07:10 - Why does gender diversity matter to investors?  09:26 - How can we evaluate gender diversity in our investment process? 

The global stock market took a tumble in February following a robust surge in January. Despite some encouraging economic indicators, it seems unlikely that there will be a break in the upward trend of interest rates anytime soon. And some say the headwinds for equities are set to increase even further in March. On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong spoke to Shen Hong, editor at Bloomberg News to find what’s set to drive markets in the coming weeks. 

We saw a reversal in trends in stock markets in the month of February. There was nowhere for investors to hide in February's market reversal. But how did the STI withstand all of this? And what will March bring us? Will it be full of madness? For a market wrap of the week, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Geoff Howie, Market Strategist at the SGX to take a look back at what February was like for the STI and what March will bring us next.