Posts by Mark Darwin
Asia: Stocks rise further on growing trade deal hopes
[HONG KONG] Asian stocks extended their rally on Thursday on hopes for an easing of trade war tensions as China and the United States prepare for weekend talks and after Donald Trump flagged a “major trade deal” later in the day. After the fireworks sparked by the US president’s “Liberation Day” on April 2, markets…
Read MoreSingapore’s STI edges down as Fed leaves rates unchanged, other Asian markets mixed
Notable real estate investment trusts which are among the most actively traded counters fall in early trade [SINGAPORE] Singapore stocks opened weaker on Thursday (May 8) following the overnight announcement by the US Federal Reserve that it will be holding rates steady. While Fed chair Jerome Powell noted that the economy on a whole had…
Read MoreANZ’s first-half cash earnings largely flat, margins stay pressured
Published Thu, May 8, 2025 · 08:45 AM AUSTRALIA’S ANZ Group reported largely flat first-half cash earnings on Thursday, as persistent competition in the home loan market and a rise in asset impairments offset lending growth. Intense competition to sell cheaper home loans to customers hurt by higher interest rates and living costs has been pressuring the…
Read MoreManulife profit rises as Asia, wealth management businesses see strong growth
Published Thu, May 8, 2025 · 08:13 AM MANULIFE Financial posted a 3 per cent jump in first-quarter profit on Wednesday, helped by the strong performance of its insurance business in Asia and overall growth in its global wealth and asset management business. Manulife has been expanding its investment advisory and retirement planning services to…
Read MoreFederal Reserve chair says Trump criticism ‘doesn’t affect doing our job at all’
Published Thu, May 8, 2025 · 07:01 AM [WASHINGTON] Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said on Wednesday that US President Donald Trump’s vocal criticism of the central bank’s interest rate choices has no impact on their decision making. Powell told reporters the repeated critiques by Trump, who has called for rate cuts to boost the…
Read MoreGoogle shares plunge after Apple executive’s court testimony
[WASHINGTON] Shares in Google parent Alphabet plunged more than eight per cent on Wednesday after Apple executive Eddy Cue testified in federal court that Google’s search traffic on Apple devices declined last month for the first time in over two decades. Cue, Apple’s senior vice-president of services, told the Washington antitrust trial that Google was…
Read MoreUS: Stocks end higher on Wednesday as Fed meeting holds no surprises
Published Thu, May 8, 2025 · 06:09 AM [NEW YORK] Wall Street stocks finished higher on Wednesday following a choppy session as the Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged, while Google-parent Alphabet tumbled on worries about its namesake search engine. The Fed, as expected, announced another pause in rate cuts amid uncertainty over the effects of President…
Read MoreUsed Car Mileage Explained For Small Business
When people start looking for a used car, the first number that grabs their attention is the mileage. But what does that number really mean? Does high mileage always spell trouble? Is low mileage a guarantee of a good deal? The truth is more layered. Let’s take the odometer apart and explore what kind of…
Read MoreUS: Wall St opens higher on China trade de-escalation hopes, Fed decision
Published Wed, May 7, 2025 · 09:54 PM [NEW YORK] Wall Street’s main indexes opened slightly higher on Wednesday (May 7) as investors hoped for a de-escalation in trade tensions with Beijing and awaited the Federal Reserve’s decision on interest rates later in the day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 127.1 points, or 0.31…
Read MoreLendlease Global Commercial Reit posts 10.4% retail rental aversion for Q3 FY2025
[SINGAPORE] Lendlease Global Commercial Real Estate Investment Trust (LReit) on Wednesday (May 7) posted a positive retail rental reversion of 10.4 per cent for the third quarter ended Mar 31, 2025, despite a “softer” retail landscape. The performance came even as it recorded a 0.2 per cent decline in visitation and a 5.1 per cent…
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