Posts by Mark Darwin
EV 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…
Read MoreW2 Box 12: Secret Codes Decoded
If you’ve ever looked at your W-2 form, you might have noticed Box 12 filled with a bunch of letters and numbers. It can be pretty confusing at first, but understanding what those codes mean is super important for your taxes. This box isn’t just some random collection of letters; it holds key information about…
Read MoreGlobal chipmakers feel the pinch of Trump’s shifting trade policy
[BENGALURU] Global chip stocks were battered on Wednesday (Apr 16) on fresh evidence of how US President Donald Trump’s shifting trade policy was complicating the outlook for semiconductor and computing giants, including AI pioneer Nvidia and its rival AMD. Attempts to reorient global trade through tariffs and export curbs have started to show the effect…
Read MoreJaume Ros Sells Clix.so and Starts a New Chapter
Jaume Ros recently sold his SEO tool, Clix.so. This was a big decision and a big moment in his business journey. He built Clix.so completely on his own, which is not easy. At first, the tool did well. People liked it. But over time, Jaume felt tired and burned out. He also noticed a problem:…
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