Posts by Mark Darwin
Denso in talks to buy Temasek-backed seed maker for US$500 million
Published Tue, May 27, 2025 · 10:16 AM [TOKYO] Denso is in final talks to buy a Temasek-backed seed supplier for around US$500 million, as the Japanese vehicle parts supplier deepens its expansion into the agriculture sector, sources familiar with the matter said. Singapore investment firm Temasek, which owns almost half of Axia Vegetable Seeds…
Read MoreRBNZ set to make sixth rate cut and signal bias to more easing
[WELLINGTON] New Zealand’s central bank is set to cut interest rates for a sixth straight meeting and signal it’s open to further easing as US trade barriers dim the economic outlook. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) will lower the Official Cash Rate (OCR) by 25 basis points to 3.25 per cent on Wednesday…
Read MoreOil steadies after Trump extends EU trade talks deadline
[CALGARY] Oil prices steadied on Monday after US President Donald Trump extended a deadline for trade talks with the European Union, easing concerns about US tariffs on the bloc that could hit fuel demand. Brent crude futures were down 17 cents at US$64.61 a barrel at 8:35 ET while US West Texas Intermediate crude was down…
Read MoreBukit Sembawang H2 earnings up 13% at S$51.4 million; company proposes higher special dividend
[SINGAPORE] Property developer Bukit Sembawang Estates reported net profit after tax of S$51.4 million for the second half of its financial year ending Mar 31, a 13 per cent increase from S$45.6 million over the same period the previous year. The increase was mainly due to higher profits being recognised for residential development projects Pollen…
Read MoreSembcorp Industries enters agreement to explore exporting clean energy from Vietnam
[SINGAPORE] Energy company Sembcorp Industries’ subsidiary, Sembcorp Utilities, has entered into an agreement with several of its counterparts in South-east Asia to explore exporting renewable energy from Vietnam into Malaysia and Singapore. Besides Sembcorp, the strategic partnership includes a Malaysian consortium established by the country’s utility company Tenaga Nasional and its national oil company Petronas,…
Read MoreFour energy companies from Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam ink deal to explore clean energy export from Vietnam
Alliance reflects growing momentum towards a regionally integrated Asean Power Grid [KUALA LUMPUR] Four energy companies from Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam have inked an agreement to explore the export of renewable electricity from Vietnam to the other two countries. “Together, the consortia will focus on unlocking Vietnam’s rich renewable energy resources – particularly offshore wind…
Read MoreVolvo Cars to cut 3,000 jobs in restructuring
The reductions will primarily affect office-based positions in Sweden and represent around 15% of the total office-based workforce globally Published Mon, May 26, 2025 · 07:53 PM [STOCKHOLM] Sweden-based Volvo Cars said on Monday (May 26) it will cut 3,000 mostly white-collar jobs as part of a restructuring announced last month as it grapples with…
Read MoreFrance, Vietnam sign Airbus, satellite deals as Macron visits Hanoi
[HANOI] France and Vietnam signed a deal on Monday (May 26) for 20 Airbus planes, among other pacts, as President Emmanuel Macron visited Hanoi seeking to boost France’s influence in its former colony, grappling with threats of crippling US tariffs. Macron’s first formal visit to Vietnam, the first by a French president in nearly a…
Read MoreAlibaba chair says Asian firms can seek growth outside US
[BEIJING] Alibaba Group Holding chairman Joe Tsai said Asian companies can look to inter-Asia opportunities and the European market for growth as tensions between Washington and Beijing persist. During a tech conference in Macau on Saturday (May 24), Tsai also called out “some governments” who “try to tear down this bridge that we have built…
Read MoreAsia’s rich trim US exposure, head to Europe amid tariff turmoil
[SINGAPORE] Asian private banking clients sprung into action over the past month, refusing to sit idle despite the whiplash in global financial markets caused by the tariff turmoil. Individuals have been rebalancing their portfolios, according to some senior private bankers whose clients each have at least S$2 million in investible assets. Global financial markets have…
Read More