Posts by Mark Darwin
Bank of Japan’s bond buying cuts carve out opening for Japanese investors
AS THE Bank of Japan (BOJ) slows debt purchases, local investors are doing just the opposite, limiting upward pressure on bond yields. Private investors in the Asian nation bought a net 32.2 trillion yen (S$295 billion) of Japanese government notes in the 12 months to August, Bloomberg analysis of BOJ data showed. Net purchases by…
Read MoreAirbus CEO upbeat on new engine technology, but says jury still out
THE head of European planemaker Airbus said novel open-rotor technology being tested by engine maker CFM International offers promising efficiencies and reductions in emissions but the “jury is out” on whether it will be commercially viable. Chief executive Guillaume Faury also told reporters on the sidelines of the Global Aerospace Summit, hosted by the US Chamber of…
Read MoreBT Explains: What is ROE and why does it matter?
RETURN on equity (ROE) is a metric that has always been an area of focus among investors in listed equities. In March, DBS chief executive officer Piyush Gupta expressed confidence in the bank achieving an ROE of 15 to 17 per cent in the medium term or over the next three to five years. This…
Read MoreMyRepublic fibre broadband users face second outage in two months
The first outage happened on Jul 21 after maintenance was conducted as part of network upgrading works MYREPUBLIC fibre broadband customers appeared to suffer from an outage on Tuesday (Sep 10) night. According to outage tracking website Downdetector, there were more than 10,000 reports relating to Internet problems faced by MyRepublic customers as at 11…
Read MoreUS dollar edges down before inflation data, presidential debate
The US dollar edged down on Tuesday (Sep 10) before inflation data and the televised presidential debate on Wednesday, which could affect expectations for the interest rate outlook. A mixed labour report on Friday failed to make a clear-cut case for whether the Federal Reserve would deliver a regular 25 basis point (bps) rate cut…
Read MoreBooks in, screens out; some Finnish pupils go back to paper after tech push
This autumn, pupils in the Finnish town of Riihimaki headed back to school with backpacks full of books after a decade of state-backed promotion of laptops and other digital devices in the classroom. Finland’s public education system has gained global renown for its good results in recent decades and its readiness to try new teaching…
Read MoreMapletree Logistics Trust to sell three warehouses in Malaysia for RM157.5 million
THE manager of Mapletree Logistics Trust (MLT) announced on Tuesday (Sep 10) its proposal to divest three warehouse properties in Malaysia for RM157.5 million (S$47.7 million). Its manager said that HSBC Institutional Trust Services (Singapore), in its capacity as the trustee of MLT, had entered into separate conditional sale and purchase agreements with third-party buyers…
Read MoreSabana Reit confirms first tenant at new Tuas warehouse
The occupant will take up about 64 per cent of the total lettable area of the building The manager of Sabana Industrial Real Estate Investment Trust (Reit) announced on Tuesday (Sep 10) that it had secured its first tenant to occupy the newly completed Sabana@1TA4 building, which is located at 1 Tuas Avenue 4. The…
Read MoreBOJ said to see little need to hike interest rate next week
Bank of Japan officials see little need to raise the benchmark rate when board members gather next week, as they’re still monitoring lingering volatility in financial markets and the impact of the July hike, according to people familiar with the matter. The BOJ is likely to keep borrowing costs unchanged at 0.25 per cent at…
Read MoreGoogle loses EU court fight over 2.4 billion euro antitrust fine
A Google spokesperson said that company is “disappointed” with the court judgment Google lost its bid to topple a once-record 2.4 billion euro (S$3.45 billion) European Union fine for abusing its monopoly power to crush rival shopping services. The EU’s Court of Justice in Luxembourg backed a landmark 2017 decision, which found the US tech…
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