Posts by Mark Darwin
Korea’s Cuckoo set for Malaysia debut after scaling down IPO
(Bloomberg) – A subsidiary of South Korean home-appliance maker Cuckoo Holdings is set to go public in Malaysia after a scaled-down offering that’s expected to raise RM395 million (S$119.4 million). Cuckoo International (Mal) will begin trading on June 24, two months after postponing its initial public offering due to market volatility. The final amount raised…
Read MoreJapan to cut super-long bond sales by 10% to calm markets
[TOKYO] Japan’s government plans to cut sales of super-long bonds by about 10 per cent from its original plan in a rare revision to its bond programme for the current fiscal year, trimming overall bond issuance as a result, a draft document seen by Reuters showed. The move aims to soothe market oversupply concerns, after…
Read MoreFlights to Indonesia’s Bali resume after disruption by volcano eruption
[JAKARTA] All flights to and from the Indonesian resort island of Bali resumed on Thursday (Jun 19) after being cancelled or delayed due to eruptions of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki, officials said. Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki, located in East Nusa Tenggara province, erupted on Tuesday, spewing ash 11 km high. Eighty-seven flights to and from Bali, consisting…
Read MoreVietnamese dong drops to record low as Asian currencies weaken
Published Thu, Jun 19, 2025 · 01:38 PM [MANILA] The Vietnamese dong fell, dropping below a record low it touched in April, as Asian currencies declined following a report that the US is preparing for a possible strike on Iran. The dong fell 0.1 per cent to 26,130 per US dollar on Thursday (Jun 19),…
Read MoreGlobally diversified equities remain attractive amid yet another Fed pause: analysts
[SINGAPORE] Analysts continue to favour globally diversified equities, as the US Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged on Wednesday (Jun 18). In its latest meeting, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) agreed to leave the central bank’s benchmark interest rate unchanged in the 4.25 to 4.5 per cent range, citing a healthy labour market and…
Read MoreShell is being ‘very careful’ with shipping in the Middle East: CEO
Published Thu, Jun 19, 2025 · 11:36 AM [TOKYO] Shell CEO Wael Sawan said on Thursday the oil and gas major was being “very careful” with its shipping through the Middle East given the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. The Iran-Israel air war entered a seventh day on Thursday with President Donald Trump keeping…
Read MorePEC delists from SGX on Jun 19 in US$165 million acquisition by Liberty Energy Solutions
[SINGAPORE] Engineering company PEC has been delisted from the mainboard of the Singapore Exchange (SGX) as at 9 am on Thursday (Jun 19) after Alliance Energy Services’ offer to privatise the group via a scheme arrangement received shareholder approval in May. The scheme consideration, which amounts to S$0.84 and comprises a payment of S$0.64 per…
Read MoreBlackstone’s ASK plans to hire 70 wealth bankers in India
The group has over 745 billion rupees in assets across alternative investment funds, portfolio management services and private wealth Published Thu, Jun 19, 2025 · 10:32 AM [MUMBAI] Blackstone’s ASK Group plans to hire 70 private bankers as competition heats up within India’s booming wealth management space. ASK’s private wealth unit aims to have 175…
Read MoreFed’s Powell says he expects to see more tariff-driven price hikes in coming months
[WASHINGTON] Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said on Wednesday goods price inflation will pick up over the course of the summer as President Donald Trump’s tariffs work their way to US consumers, who he argued would bear some of those costs. “Ultimately, the cost of the tariff has to be paid, and some of it…
Read MoreUK’s high-speed rail faces new delays, deemed ‘appalling mess’
Published Thu, Jun 19, 2025 · 08:55 AM [LONDON] Britain’s transport secretary on Wednesday announced further delays to the country’s new high-speed HS2 train line, describing the project as an “appalling mess” amid soaring costs. The high-speed rail track between London and Birmingham will no longer be delivered by the planned 2033 target, despite the…
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