Posts by Mark Darwin
Reviving SGX is not the endgame – creating a vibrant financial ecosystem is
IT IS somewhat counterintuitive that shares of the Singapore Exchange (SGX) have weakened since the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) review group on Feb 13 announced tax incentives as part of measures to boost the equities market. SGX is down some 5.6 per cent even as the Straits Times Index is hitting new highs, albeit…
Read MoreLocation Services: Are You Being Tracked at Work?
Ever wonder how much your boss knows about where you are during work hours? Location services in the workplace are becoming more common, and while they can help with safety and efficiency, they also raise questions about privacy. From GPS tracking to geofencing, these tools are everywhere. But what does it all mean for employees?…
Read MoreUS: Wall St opens slightly lower as markets assess latest tariff threats
WALL Street’s main indexes opened marginally lower on Wednesday (Feb 19) on worries over US President Donald Trump’s latest tariff threats and head of minutes from the Federal Reserve’s January meeting. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 78.2 points, or 0.18 per cent, at the open to 44,478.12. The S&P 500 fell 11.8 points,…
Read MoreSingPost to lay off 45 employees ‘in the coming months’
The move is not correlated with previous incidents or whistleblowing reports, it emphasises SINGAPORE Post (SingPost) will lay off 45 employees “in the coming months” in a move to restructure the company, it said in a statement on Wednesday (Feb 19). Those affected by the layoffs are primarily in corporate support units, with a “small…
Read MoreSingaporean Huang Zhenhua’s assets frozen over US$830 million suit by drug giant Novo
Novo Nordisk is seeking as much as US$830 million in damages in a Singapore court, saying that it was misled by a local biotech firm about the effectiveness of an experimental hypertension drug. KBP Biosciences and its founder led the Danish drugmaker to believe they had “developed a new and effective drug to treat hypertension…
Read MoreSingapore court freezes worldwide assets in Novo Nordisk suit, including US$218m in DBS account
The Danish drugmaker alleges misrepresentations by biotech firm founder Huang Zhenhua about the success of its kidney drug PHARMA giant Novo Nordisk has been granted an injunction by the Singapore International Commercial Court to freeze the worldwide assets of KBP Biosciences founder Huang Zhenhua to the tune of US$830 million. The Danish drugmaker was led…
Read MoreAnt Group enters China’s growing humanoid robot industry amid rising tech interest
ANT Group, the Alibaba-linked fintech giant, is venturing into the humanoid robot industry, joining a growing list of major Chinese tech companies exploring this emerging field. The company has opened positions related to humanoid robot systems and applications through its subsidiary, Shanghai Ant Lingbo Technology, which was established at the end of 2024 with registered…
Read MoreReits, banks and grocers: Potential winners from Budget 2025 measures
LONG-TERM plans to spur growth, and tax rebates and incentives for certain companies, these were among the highlights of Singapore’s Budget 2025 statement delivered by Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong on Tuesday (Feb 18). Ahead of the nation’s 60th birthday, Budget 2025 tackled immediate and long-term issues faced by Singapore. This ranged from…
Read MoreHSBC unveils share buyback, cost cut targets as new CEO looks to boost returns
HSBC posted an annual profit on Wednesday (Feb 19) that beat estimates, helped by increased revenue in wealth and markets businesses, and set stiff cost-cut targets as its new CEO implements a revamp of the Asia-focussed bank to boost returns. The Asia-focused lender also announced a new US$2 billion share buyback which it plans to…
Read MoreCisco and IBM show old-school tech names can be AI winners too
WHILE many of the biggest and most popular technology stocks have stumbled out of the gates in 2025, some of the sector’s legacy names are drawing renewed attention. Companies such as Cisco Systems, International Business Machines (IBM), and Oracle are outperforming this year, as they signal that they, too, can be winners in the crucial…
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