Posts by Mark Darwin
How Chinese consumer brands are muscling into South-east Asia
EVERY tourist arriving in Ho Chi Minh City visits the 110-year-old Ben Thanh Market. Its surrounding streets pulse with local eateries, coffee joints, and souvenir shops. Yet amid these Vietnamese staples stands a branch of Miniso, a lifestyle chain that may appear Japanese but is actually Chinese. Since entering Vietnam in 2016, the brand has…
Read MoreFed’s New York president says tariff economic impact is only just starting
[NEW YORK] US Federal Reserve Bank of New York President John Williams said that monetary policy is in the right place to allow central bankers to monitor the economy before taking their next steps, while warning that the impact of trade tariffs is only just starting to hit the economy. “Maintaining this modestly restrictive stance…
Read MoreStocks to watch: ST Engineering, FLCT, mm2 Asia, HRnetGroup, Ossia
[SINGAPORE] The following companies saw new developments that may affect trading of their securities on Thursday (Jul 17): ST Engineering: The group said on Thursday that its wholly owned subsidiary ST Engineering Urban Solutions and Singapore Power are selling their joint venture SPTel to AQX for S$290 million. The buyer is an investment platform owned by…
Read MoreGoldman Sachs profits jump as CEO eyes more merger activity
[NEW YORK] Goldman Sachs reported a jump in second-quarter profits on Wednesday behind significant increases in financial advisory revenues that chief executive David Solomon said could presage an uptick in dealmaking. “Anecdotally, the level of dialogue is significantly increased,” Solomon told analysts on a conference call after the investment bank’s earnings surpassed analyst estimates. There…
Read MoreTrump says Coca-Cola to switch to cane sugar in US
[WASHINGTON] Beverage giant Coca-Cola has agreed to use real cane sugar in its US production, President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday on social media. The company currently uses high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in its domestic beverages – a sweetener that has long drawn criticism from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his Make America…
Read MoreEurope: Chip stocks drag shares lower after ASML’s warning
EUROPEAN shares fell on Wednesday, with chip stocks hit hard after ASML flagged a hit to its revenue growth, while reports of US President Donald Trump considering firing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell also hit sentiment. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index closed 0.57 per cent lower at 541.84, marking its fourth straight day of losses. Most regional…
Read MoreUS: Wall St opens higher as inflation data, earnings take centre stage
Published Wed, Jul 16, 2025 · 09:43 PM [NEW YORK] Wall Street’s main indexes opened higher on Wednesday (Jul 16) as investors sifted through new inflation data and digested a fresh round of heavyweight earnings reports. At 9.30 am ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 156.35 points, or 0.36 per cent, to 44,179.64. The…
Read MoreChina vows to regulate ‘irrational’ competition in EV industry
The Cabinet will urge the main automakers to fulfil commitments on supplier payment terms and promised to help them boost competitiveness Published Wed, Jul 16, 2025 · 08:56 PM [BEIJING] China’s Cabinet on Wednesday (Jul 16) pledged to regulate what it called “irrational” competition in the country’s electric vehicle industry, vowing to strengthen cost investigation…
Read MoreCathay Cineplexes gets fresh demands to pay up S$3.3 million debt for Century Square, Causeway Point outlets
[SINGAPORE] Embattled cinema chain Cathay Cineplexes has received more repayment demands – this time, a sum exceeding S$3.3 million in rental arrears and for other items, owed to the landlords of its outlets at Century Square and Causeway Point. These include two statutory demands received on Tuesday (Jul 15), for the payment of S$86,142.31 and…
Read MoreSecretive family behind Tetra Pak bets bulk of US$9b on stocks via Singapore entities
[KUALA LUMPUR] A mysterious entity based in the heart of Singapore’s financial district emerged as the biggest shareholder in International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) nine years ago. It turned out that the owner was the Rausing family, which hails from Sweden and made a fortune from Tetra Pak cartons. It is now also clear that…
Read More