Posts by Stephanie Irvin
Indonesia seen to cut rate twice this year amid US tariff talks
[JAKARTA] Indonesia’s central bank is expected to resume monetary easing after holding its rate unchanged for three consecutive meetings, moving to bolster economic growth against the backdrop of rising tariffs and trade policy uncertainty. Economists predicted a quarter-point reduction in Bank Indonesia’s benchmark rate to 5.5 per cent by the end of the second quarter,…
Read MoreWestpac’s first-half profit slips 1%, misses estimates
Published Mon, May 5, 2025 · 07:09 AM AUSTRALIA’S Westpac Banking Corp recorded a marginal 1 per cent drop in its first-half net profit on Monday, as a rise in operating costs due to technology investments offset growth in total loans. Westpac recorded growth in home, business and institutional lending volumes, but its operating expenses…
Read MoreSaudis warn of more supply unless Opec+ cheats fall in line
Published Mon, May 5, 2025 · 06:11 AM [CAIRO] The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies (Opec+) leader Saudi Arabia warned the group’s overproducing members it could amplify a historic shift in policy and deliver further production increases unless they fall in line, delegates said. Riyadh steered the Organization of the Petroleum…
Read MoreSinarmas Land offer price may be hiked
SINCE this column broached the topic of the lowball offer for Sinarmas Land five weeks ago, there have been two important developments. After the market closed on Apr 23, it was announced that the offeror had received valid acceptances amounting to nearly 936.3 million shares, representing 22 per cent of Sinarmas Land’s total number of…
Read MoreTrump says he would give TikTok another extension if needed
Published Sun, May 4, 2025 · 10:37 PM President Donald Trump said he would give social-video platform TikTok another extension of a deadline to sell to a US owner if it was needed to reach a deal. Trump said he has “a little warm spot” in his heart for the popular app and he would…
Read MoreChina’s Ant plans to list overseas unit in Hong Kong: report
Published Sun, May 4, 2025 · 06:57 PM [HONG KONG] Ant, an affiliate of China’s e-commerce giant Alibaba, plans to list its overseas arm, Ant International, on the Hong Kong stock exchange, Chinese media reported, citing unnamed sources. Caixin, citing people close to the company, reported that Ant was communicating with regulators about the potential…
Read MoreGE2025 results expected to have limited impact on Singapore stocks, say market watchers
[SINGAPORE] While Saturday’s General Election (GE) offers a welcome signal for investors who value political stability, market watchers say its impact on the stock market is likely to be limited. On Saturday (May 3), Singaporeans went to the polls and gave the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) an overall share of 65.57 per cent of…
Read MoreUS Fed expected to pause cuts again and wait for clarity on tariffs
[WASHINGTON] The US Federal Reserve is widely expected to extend a recent pause in rate cuts this week as it waits to see how US President Donald Trump’s stop-start tariff rollout affects the health of the world’s largest economy. Trump has imposed steep levies on China, and lower “baseline” levies of 10 per cent on…
Read MoreMalaysia prime minister confident on resolving Petronas-Petros dispute
Published Sun, May 4, 2025 · 01:48 PM [KUALA LUMPUR] Malaysia’s prime minister said on Sunday (May 4) he was confident that a dispute between energy company Petronas, owned by the federal government, and Petros, owned by the state of Sarawak, will be resolved through discussions with the Sarawak premier. The two companies’ long-running dispute…
Read MoreChina’s early dividend payouts to help ease yuan’s price swings
[NEW YORK] Chinese companies listed in Hong Kong are bringing forward dividend payments to the second quarter, a move that may smooth out yuan volatility over the year. The payments, which require the firms to convert yuan into Hong Kong dollars, are set to rise to US$36.1 billion for the April-to-June period, almost double the…
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