Posts by Mark Darwin
Optus’ September outage independent review flags urgent process gaps
OPTUS, Australia’s second-largest telecommunications provider, said on Thursday that an independent review into its September outage found gaps in process, accountability, and escalation and information protocols that need urgent attention. A technical failure at Optus on Sep 18 had disrupted emergency call services, impacting 600 people and leaving four people dead. REUTERS Decoding Asia newsletter:…
Read MoreWall Street subdued at open as investors eye policy outlook; Oracle slides
[NEW YORK] Wall Street’s main indexes were subdued at the open on Wednesday (Dec 17) as investors searched for fresh clues to gauge the outlook for monetary policy, while caution lingered following reports of funding hurdles for Oracle’s data centre plans. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 13.8 points, or 0.03 per cent, at the…
Read MoreChinese chip firms line up for Hong Kong listings in coming weeks
[HONG KONG] At least six Chinese companies related to artificial intelligence are set to go public in Hong Kong in the coming weeks, people familiar with the matter said, building on the strong recent listings on the mainland. Among them are Shanghai-traded chip firms Montage Technology and GigaDevice Semiconductor, each aiming to raise as much…
Read MoreHG Metal subsidiary to buy industrial property in Tuas for S$20.8 million
[SINGAPORE] A unit of steel distributor HG Metal Manufacturing has exercised an option to purchase (OTP) an industrial property in Tuas for S$20.8 million, a move that will more than double the group’s land area, the mainboard-listed company said in a statement on Tuesday (Dec 16). HG Construction Steel, the company’s wholly owned subsidiary, was…
Read MoreThai central bank cuts policy rate by 25 bps, as expected
The reduction is the fifth since October 2024, with rates down by a total of 125 basis points [BANGKOK] Thailand’s central bank cut its key interest rate on Wednesday (Dec 17), as widely expected, as it looks to support a slowing economy grappling with multiple challenges including political uncertainty, a strengthening baht and US tariffs.…
Read MoreS&P Global shifts Genting companies’ outlook to negative on weaker credit quality forecasts
Group capital expenditure could double in 2026, with earnings ‘unlikely’ to keep pace [SINGAPORE] S&P Global Ratings revised its outlook for the Genting group of companies to “negative”, citing expectations of weakening credit quality amid high capital expenditure. The credit rating agency on Wednesday (Dec 17) revised outlooks for Bursa Malaysia-listed Genting, Genting Malaysia, Genting…
Read MoreStocks to watch: Keppel, Keppel DC Reit, CICT, SingLand, UOL, Jardine C&C, F&N, Suntec Reit
[SINGAPORE] The following companies saw new developments that may affect trading of their securities on Wednesday (Dec 17): Keppel , Keppel DC Reit : Asset manager Keppel announced on Tuesday that its connectivity division has agreed to sell its stakes in two data centres for a total cash consideration of S$50.5 million to Keppel DC…
Read MoreF&N dairy subsidiary to acquire additional 4.6% stake in Vinamilk from Jardine C&C
The deal involves about 96.1 million sale shares, with a total consideration of around six trillion Vietnamese dong [SINGAPORE] F&N Dairy Investments (FNDI), a wholly owned subsidiary of food and beverage conglomerate Fraser & Neave (F&N), is set to acquire an additional stake of up to 4.6 per cent in Vietnam Dairy Products Joint Stock…
Read MoreSamudera Shipping unit, Imoto Corporation enter JV to set up shipping company in Japan
Blue Ocean Shipping will be headquartered in Kobe and is expected to begin operations in the first half of 2026 [SINGAPORE] A subsidiary of container shipping group Samudera Shipping – Samudera Japan – and Imoto Corporation have signed a joint venture (JV) agreement to establish a new company specialising in shipping activities in Japan. The…
Read MoreAmazon European hub in Luxembourg braces for record job cuts
[PARIS] Amazon.com’s decision earlier this year to axe 14,000 employees around the globe is reverberating at the company’s European headquarters in Luxembourg. In the coming weeks, Amazon is expected to fire 370 people, or about 8.5 per cent of the 4,370 employees there. The terminations are the tiny nation’s largest in at least two decades…
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