Posts by Mark Darwin
Air India cuts foreign widebody flights by 15% after crash
[NEW DELHI] Air India is reducing its international service using widebody planes by 15 per cent as the nation’s flag carrier grapples with the fallout from a fatal Boeing 787 crash last week and an Israel-Iran clash in the Middle East. The cuts will be rolled out to Jun 20 and will continue until at…
Read MoreOil settles higher as Iran-Israel conflict enters sixth day
[NEW YORK] Oil prices settled higher on Wednesday in a volatile session as investors weighed the chance of supply disruptions from the Iran-Israel conflict and potential direct US involvement. Brent crude futures settled 25 cents higher at US$76.70 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate crude rose 30 cents at US$75.14. Earlier in the session, prices were down…
Read MoreUS: Stocks flat after Fed decision as markets eye Iran
Published Thu, Jun 19, 2025 · 06:12 AM Wall Street stocks ended little changed on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve kept interest rates steady, while markets followed ongoing fighting between Iran and Israel. The Fed, as expected, held interest rates unchanged for a fourth consecutive meeting, as Chair Jerome Powell said more time was needed to monitor…
Read MoreWant to invest in nuclear energy? DBS cites opportunities in mining, utilities stocks
[SINGAPORE] As global interest in nuclear energy surges, investors can gain exposure to the sector by betting on physical uranium or miners, utilities companies and reactor manufacturers, said DBS in a report. The bank, in the latest edition of its Chief Investment Officer Vantage Point report on Monday (Jun 16), said: “(We) believe that nuclear…
Read MoreFar East Orchard secures £96 million for private fund to develop UK student accommodation
The fund supports the company’s pivot ‘towards an asset-light model and its objective of growing recurring fee-based income’ [SINGAPORE] Far East Orchard on Wednesday (Jun 18) said its first private student accommodation development fund in Singapore has secured £96 million (S$166 million) in total committed capital at its closing. This includes £70 million raised at…
Read MoreGrab’s US$1.5 billion convertible issue seen as prepping for competition and need for capital: Maybank
[SINGAPORE] Grab’s recent move to upsize its five-year convertible note size to US$1.5 billion is timely given that the Asean digital sector – which includes food delivery – is likely to see more competition, said a Maybank Securities report. Grab’s net cash position will rise to US$7.7 billion post-issue and, on conversion, could lead to…
Read MoreEuropean, North Asian companies also eyeing the potential of JSSEZ: UOB banker
[SINGAPORE] The Johor-Singapore special economic zone (JSSEZ) is drawing interest from companies not just from Singapore, but also from Europe and North Asia. Chiok Sook Yin, UOB’s head of foreign direct investment (FDI) advisory in the chief executive officer’s office, said on Wednesday (Jun 18) the bank has noticed a number of European and North…
Read MoreIndonesia antitrust agency gives ‘conditional’ go-ahead for TikTok’s Tokopedia takeover
The agency will continue to monitor whether the requirements are being implemented until June 17, 2027 Published Wed, Jun 18, 2025 · 05:14 PM [JAKARTA] Indonesia’s antitrust agency has given its “conditional” blessing to last year’s takeover of the country’s biggest e-commerce platform Tokopedia by TikTok after ending its probe into potential monopoly risks, it…
Read MoreJD.com billionaire unveils turnaround plan after five-year slump
[BEIJING] JD.com founder Richard Liu vowed to speed up an overseas foray and compete with Meituan in new arenas from food delivery to travel, describing his boldest attempt yet to revive an online retailer that’s languished since a 2020 government crackdown. The past half-decade was the darkest period for his company, Liu said during a…
Read MoreChina’s central bank says to promote digital yuan, multi-polar currency system
Pan Gongsheng expects several key global currencies to coexist in mutual competition and checks and balances. Published Wed, Jun 18, 2025 · 12:07 PM [SHANGHAI] China’s central bank governor announced plans to promote the international use of the digital yuan and called for the development of a multi-polar global currency system, where several currencies dominate…
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