Live Well with Michelle

China companies may be eyeing Singapore again - but could a new wave of listings finally reignite excitement on SGX for retail investors? Hosted by Michelle Martin with guest Jason Saw, Group Head of Investment Banking at CGS International, this episode explores why Southeast Asian deal activity is rebounding after a softer stretch. Michelle and Jason unpack the AI-driven semiconductor boom, rising M&A appetite, and why Singapore is positioning itself as a capital markets hub amid growing global competition. They also examine whether more Chinese companies listing on SGX could deepen liquidity, reshape investor sentiment and create fresh opportunities for local investors. If ASEAN markets are entering a new investment cycle, where could the next winners emerge?

Could the bond market smack down the exuberant US stock market?  Hosted by Michelle Martin, this episode of Market View explores whether surging US bond yields could become the biggest threat yet to richly valued equity markets ahead of a crucial earnings week featuring Nvidia, Walmart and Home Depot. Michelle unpacks what the bond market may be signalling about inflation, borrowing costs and investor confidence, while examining the widening AI ecosystem beyond Nvidia through companies like Cisco, Vertiv and Arista Networks. She also looks at what discount retailers TJX and Ross Stores may reveal about the health of the US consumer and the rise of the “trade-down economy” as shoppers hunt for value in an uncertain environment. Closer to home, Michelle breaks down the uncertainty surrounding Singapore’s telecom sector after IMDA suspended its review of Simba Telecom’s proposed S$1.43 billion acquisition of M1 amid a regulatory probe. The episode ends with a look at rising oil prices linked to tensions around Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, as well as renewed investor interest in space infrastructure plays like Rocket Lab and AST SpaceMobile.

If ETFs are becoming the “backbone” of investing, what does that mean for the future of portfolios in Asia? Asia-Pacific’s ETF market has crossed the US$2 trillion mark, and investors are no longer using ETFs simply to track indices. Hosted by Michelle Martin with guest Ahmed Ibrahim, Head of ETF Solutions, APAC at State Street, this episode explores how ETFs are evolving into gateways for AI investing, income strategies, active management and digital assets. Michelle and Ahmed unpack what’s driving explosive ETF growth across China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Australia - and how APAC is increasingly shaping global ETF innovation.

A finance professional loses S$1.2 million. Another woman loses S$330,000 to someone she thought cared about her. Hosted by Michelle Martin, this deeply personal conversation explores the emotional roots of financial vulnerability - why fear, loneliness, and stress can lead more of us to defer to authority or silence our own intuition in moments where we must need to make good decisions or face big losses.  Drawing from real scam cases and the memoir of Vanderbilt heiress Belle Burden, Michelle examines the hidden ways we can disengage from financial power and how to get that control back.

Can diplomacy keep markets calm while oil, inflation and AI euphoria all surge at once? Asia-Pacific markets look set for a cautiously positive open after Wall Street rallied on growing optimism around the Trump-Xi summit in Beijing. Market View unpacks why investors are cheering signs of renewed US-China economic cooperation even as oil prices jump back above US$100 a barrel amid Strait of Hormuz tensions. We dive into President Donald Trump’s claim that China will buy more American oil, why Boeing shares still fell despite a major 200-plane China order, and what that says about expectations-driven markets in 2026. Meanwhile, AI remains the dominant force on Wall Street explore Cerebras Systems’ blockbuster IPO debut, rising Treasury yields, sticky inflation pressures and why markets are increasingly balancing optimism about growth against deep concerns about geopolitics and energy shocks.

Many financially successful women remain passive participants in their own financial lives until a crisis forces visibility. Hosted by Michelle Martin, this episode explores the issue of women and  financial disengagement  with Grace Tay, Associate Director at Finexis Advisory and a lawyer-turned-financial consultant. The conversation examines “financial infidelity,” emotional manipulation, and how women can regain financial visibility, confidence and agency.

What comes to mind when you think of letting go? Perhaps you are trying to let go of unhelpful thoughts or beliefs or habits. Perhaps the best masterclass on letting go comes from survivors of illnesses that take away what we assume we have for life. On LIVE WELL WITH MICHELLE, Michelle takes us through the deeply human story of a Singaporean stroke survivor whose new book is an invitation to rethink letting go and returning home to ourselves. Michelle highlights lessons on coping with loss after major life transitions.

Markets are shrugging off virus scares, rising bond yields and fragile US-China tensions - but are investors becoming dangerously comfortable with risk? Hosted by Michelle Martin with Arun Pai, Partner at Monk's Hill Ventures, this episode unpacks why Wall Street appears increasingly willing to “buy the dip” even during moments of geopolitical and health uncertainty. Michelle explores what it means when figures like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg travel alongside US President Donald Trump to China - and whether corporate America is now shaping diplomacy as much as governments. The conversation also dives into the quiet but important rise in bond yields and why markets may be losing faith in imminent rate cuts. From biotech names like Moderna to tech giants and global capital flows, discover which sectors could win - or suffer - if higher rates and geopolitical uncertainty persist. Hosted by Michelle Martin.

If you caught Michelle Martin’s conversation with Elijah Lee, Senior Financial Services Manager, Phillip Securities last week, you’ll know they ran out of time just as things were getting interesting. In Part 2, we dive into the "how" - the practical steps to starting your own annuity journey for a secure retirement. Michelle starts with a question many are talking about in Singapore given recent changes - healthcare costs.

On Money and Me, Michelle Martin speaks with a former banker who channeled his ADHD into a “superpower”, transforming a restless "lack of focus" into a relentless drive to master a legendary Thai recipe and engineer a tech-forward F&B ecosystem. He proves that neurodiversity is a competitive financial asset, turning a classroom label into a mission-driven business that disrupts the status quo.  Here's the full conversation with Lawrence Tang, Founder of Co+Nut+ink.