Posts by Stephanie Irvin
CPF Special, MediSave and Retirement Accounts’ interest rate remains at 4% for Q3 2025
[SINGAPORE] The interest rate for the Central Provident Fund’s (CPF) Special, MediSave and Retirement Accounts (SMRA) will remain at 4 per cent per annum in the third quarter of 2025 – the same as the second quarter. This is because the SMRA pegged rate continues to fall below the floor rate of 4 per cent,…
Read MoreAsia: Equities track Wall Street sell-off as US deficit fears grow
[HONG KONG] Asian equities sank and Treasuries remained under pressure following sharp losses on Wall Street fuelled by US economy fears as Donald Trump tries to push through fresh tax cuts that could balloon the already huge deficit. A weak auction of 20-year US government debt flashed a warning sign that the bond market was…
Read MoreBank of Japan policymaker rules out intervention to stem bond yield spike
[TOKYO] Bank of Japan board member Asahi Noguchi said on Thursday (May 22) he saw no need for the central bank to intervene in the bond market to stem recent sharp rises in super-long yields, describing the moves as “rapid but not abnormal.” Noguchi, a former academic regarded as one of the central bank board’s…
Read MoreBank of Japan should step in only in a ‘severe’ bond market rout, policymaker says
Published Thu, May 22, 2025 · 11:05 AM [TOKYO] The Bank of Japan does not need to make big changes to its bond taper plan and should only ramp up buying in times of “severe market disruption,” its board member Asahi Noguchi said, a sign the bank sees no imminent need to arrest recent sharp…
Read MoreDollar-store billionaire poised to emerge from Malaysia IPO
[KUALA LUMPUR] A discount chain with signature red storefronts has drawn legions of Malaysians looking for good deals – and made its founder a billionaire. Eco-Shop Marketing, which operates more than 350 dollar stores across Malaysia, is on track to complete its initial public offering (IPO) in Kuala Lumpur on Friday (May 23) – the…
Read MoreSingtel initiates its first share buyback programme of up to S$2 billion; incorporates cloud business
The buyback will be delivered over the course of three years until financial year 2028 and involves the purchase of shares in the open market that will subsequently be cancelled [SINGAPORE] Local telecommunications giant Singtel on Thursday (May 22) has authorised its first share buyback programme of up to S$2 billion, as part of the…
Read MoreEstee Lauder, L’Oreal suffer as China’s duty-free spending falls
UNABLE to travel overseas during the Covid-19 pandemic, Chinese consumers sparked a shopping boom in the southernmost province of Hainan, lured by the tropical island’s plethora of duty-free shopping malls. Fast forward to today and the travel-retail sector in Hainan is in a 14-month slump with little sign of a turnaround. Duty-free sales dropped 10.8…
Read MoreGoogle brings ads to AI search in ChatGPT battle
[SAN FRANCISCO] Google said on Wednesday it is beginning to weave advertisements into its new AI Mode for online search, a strategic move to counter the challenge posed by ChatGPT as the primary source for online answers. The integration of advertising has been a key question surrounding the immense popularity of generative artificial intelligence chatbots,…
Read MoreWhy Every Young Entrepreneur Should Consider VPS Hosting
Deanna Ritchie Deanna Ritchie is a managing editor at Under30CEO. She has a degree in English Literature. She has written 2000+ articles on getting out of debt and mastering your finances. Deanna has also been an editor at Entrepreneur Magazine and ReadWrite.
Read MoreUS: Wall Street opens lower with focus on Trump’s tax Bill
Published Wed, May 21, 2025 · 09:42 PM [NEW YORK] Wall Street’s main indexes opened lower on Wednesday (May 21), as investors awaited the outcome of a pivotal debate around US President Donald Trump’s tax-cut bill that has fanned concerns about the country’s growing debt. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 322.8 points, or 0.76…
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