Reset with Lynlee

Stocks in Asia started 2023 in a bull market. Investors have been cheered by China’s pivot away from its zero-Covid policy, the ending of its crackdown on tech companies and Beijing’s renewed commitment to growing the world’s second biggest economy. But now it seems like that optimism has already been priced in. In February we saw a reversal of trend in the stock market, leaving us with the question - is the bull market over for Asian stocks? On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Kelvin Tay, Regional Chief Investment Officer at UBS, to find out whether there is room for stocks to rally further, or if the bull run really is over for Asian markets.

Certain credit factors have always been a part of credit risk analysis. But as ESG factors have been known to impact companies, their relative importance with respect to credit has been increasing. On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Philipp Buff, Investment manager of Developed Markets Credit at Pictet Asset Management to find more about what sustainable credit is, and what it covers.

As Wall Street faced some heavy sell-offs in recent days, Asian markets followed suit, despite seeing a huge rally in the beginning of the year due to the optimism of China’s faster-than-expected reopening. So what’s moving Asian markets at the moment? And how do the current state of Asian stock markets compare to other global stock markets? On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong finds out more with Sani Hamid, Director for Wealth Management, Financial Alliance on what’s moving markets in the region.  Highlights:  01:07 - Has markets priced in all of the optimism surrounding China's reopening?  02:03 - What's moving Asian markets at the moment?  03:10 - Which specific markets in Asia are performing well or poorly? 04:49 - How are investors responding to the current state of Asian stock markets? 06:05 - How do Asian stock markets compare to other global stock markets?

For the time being, the tug-of-war between bulls and bears remains centred on the trends in inflation, monetary policy, and the economy. After a challenging 2022, investors anticipated that 2023 will start on a similar tone but so far this year, financial markets have benefited from the conjunction of miracles which have prompted investors to discount that we are once again in a ‘’Goldilocks’’ environment. On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Laurent Lequeu, Head of Portfolio Management & Research at Lumen Capital Investors to find out more on what a ‘’Goldilocks’’ environment is and what miracles are keeping this “Goldilocks” dream alive.

On The Afternoon Update, Geoff Howie, Market Strategist at the SGX, joins Hongbin Jeong for a wrap of markets for the week; including how the STI performed; the biggest movers of the week; UOB and OCBC earnings; what the FOMC minutes is signally; as well as what to look out for in the week ahead. 

The Singapore dollar has outperformed nearly all Group-of-10 currencies so far this year. But investors seem to be returning to placing bearish bets on all Asian currencies - including the Singdollar -  shortly after on the increasing likelihood that the U.S. Federal Reserve would continue hiking rates for longer, helping the dollar regain its lost momentum. On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Peter Chia, Senior FX Strategist at UOB, to find out more.

Singapore’s inflation rose across the board in January, but came in slightly under economist estimates. Consumer prices in Singapore rose at a faster pace in the first month of 2023, pushed up by Chinese New Year buying and the higher goods and services tax that had just kicked in. Headline consumer price index (CPI), or overall inflation, also edged up, on the back of higher  accommodation inflation. On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Selena Ling, Head of Treasury Research & Strategy at OCBC Bank to find out what these figures mean for consumers and markets.

With the faster-than expected reopening of China, both stock markets and commodity markets rallied. But it seems like that reopening rally is fizzling out in stock markets. But how are commodity markets performing? Are they still benefiting from the reopening? On Money in the Market, The Afternoon Update’s Hongbin Jeong speaks to Priyanka Sachdeva, market analyst at Phillip Nova, to find out more.

Against a backdrop of extraordinary market conditions and ongoing global challenges, environmental, social and governance issues remain a key focus for companies and investors. So what are some of the trends when it comes to sustainability investing? What are some specific sectors we should be looking out for? On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Thomas Hohne-Sparborth,  Head of Sustainability Research at Lombard Odier Investment Managers to find out more.

Kazuo Ueda has been nominated as the new governor of the Bank of Japan, succeeding Haruhiko Kuroda in April. The question remains whether he will stick to Japan’s ultra-loose policy. He’s already been dubbed neither as dove nor a hawk, but an owl. What does that mean? What will be his stance on monetary policy? Will he change course? And what’s next for the Japanese yen? On Money in the Market, The Afternoon Update's Hongbin Jeong speaks to Ruth Carson, Senior Reporter for FX & Rates at Bloomberg to find out more.  Highlights: 00:57 - Who is Kazuo Ueda?  03:09 - How has the Japanese yen reacted to Ueda's nomination?  03:50 - What does his nomination mean for Japanese yen bulls?  04:57 - What's the outlook like for the Japanese yen under Ueda's leadership?  08:10 - What are the challenges that remain for Ueda when he takes the top seat?