Posts by Mark Darwin
ECB to cut rates again to help economy overcome trade turmoil
[FRANKFURT] The European Central Bank (ECB) is expected to cut interest rates for the seventh time in a year on Thursday (Apr 17), looking to prop up an already struggling economy that will take a large hit from US tariffs. The ECB has been easing borrowing costs rapidly as undue price pressures are disappearing, and…
Read MoreBank of Korea holds rate steady after inflation sped up and won wobbled
[SEOUL] The Bank of Korea (BOK) held its benchmark interest rate steady to foster stability after consumer inflation unexpectedly picked up and the won weakened to a 16-year low as Donald Trump’s tariff campaign rattled markets and clouded the growth outlook. The central bank kept its seven-day repurchase rate unchanged at 2.75 per cent on…
Read MoreMalaysia Airlines parent reports lower profit in 2024
[KUALA LUMPUR] Malaysia Airlines’ parent company Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) reported a second consecutive annual profit in 2024, but it fell 93 per cent from the previous year due to lower airfares and capacity cuts stemming from supply chain and maintenance issues. MAG, owned by Malaysian sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional, on Thursday (Apr 17)…
Read MoreEV maker Xpeng charts steady global expansion despite tariff war
[HONG KONG] Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Xpeng is ramping up its global expansion, despite the intensifying trade war between Washington and Beijing, and the European Union’s punitive tariffs against Chinese cars. Xpeng hosted its first global launch of a flagship vehicle, the X9 minivan, in Hong Kong on Wednesday (Apr 16) – attended by…
Read MorePGIM to invest US$2 billion in Asia property, unfazed by tariffs
[TOKYO] PGIM Real Estate, the property arm of Prudential Financial’s asset manager, expects to invest about US$2 billion across the Asia-Pacific region this year even as Donald Trump’s trade policies fuel concern about economic growth. The firm invested about US$900 million in real estate in the region in the first quarter, with most of that…
Read MoreGold continues record rally as trade war woes fuel safe-haven demand
Published Thu, Apr 17, 2025 · 09:24 AM [BENGALURU] Gold extended its record rally on Thursday (Apr 17) as investors sought refuge in safe-haven assets amid an intensifying global trade conflict between the United States and its trading partners. Spot gold was up 0.1 per cent at US$3,346.20 an ounce as at 0008 GMT, after…
Read MoreStocks to watch: CapitaLand Investment, Keppel DC Reit, Nam Cheong, Kore
[SINGAPORE] The following companies saw new developments that may affect trading of its securities on Thursday (Apr 17). CapitaLand Investment (CLI): The real estate investment manager announced on Thursday that it intends to launch its first real estate investment trust (Reit) in China, to be named CapitaLand Commercial C-Reit (CLCR). CLI applied to register the…
Read MoreAMD says US rule on chips to China could cost it US$800 million
[SAN FRANCISCO] Chip developer Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) on Wednesday (Apr 16) said it expects new US licensing requirements for semiconductors exported to China to cost it as much as US$800 million. The Silicon Valley company’s earnings warning, filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), came a day after rival Nvidia notified regulators…
Read MoreEurope: Shares close lower as ASML warns US tariffs cloud outlook
[BENGALURU] European shares closed lower on Wednesday (Apr 16), weighed down by semiconductor-related stocks after the world’s biggest chip-making equipment supplier ASML warned that US tariffs were increasing uncertainty around its outlook for 2025 and 2026. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index slipped 0.2 per cent, though it was well off intraday lows by the close.…
Read MoreIndustry players see room for private credit market to grow in South-east Asia
[SINGAPORE] Private credit funds, where investors pool their capital to enable the fund manager to provide loans to companies, are seeing greater interest in South-east Asia, with regional governments also starting to jump on board. For example, Singapore in its Budget in February announced a new S$1 billion Private Credit Growth Fund to provide more…
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