Posts by Stephanie Irvin
Singapore shares open lower on Monday; STI down 0.1%
SINGAPORE shares started trading in the negative territory on Monday (Jul 1) after global equities ended lower last week. As at 9.01 am, the Straits Times Index (STI) opened 0.1 per cent or 2.73 points lower at 3,330.07. Across the broader market, losers outnumbered gainers 62 to 54 after 144.9 million securities worth S$73.9 million…
Read MoreChina’s BYD taps Germany’s football fever to get edge on VW
EVEN as Germany’s national football team scrapped its way to victory in Dortmund on Saturday (Jun 29), a game of geoeconomic chess was taking place on the sidelines, with stakes that go beyond the European Championship. While fans across the country cheered the 2-0 win over Denmark for a spot in the quarterfinals, China’s BYD…
Read MoreFed’s rate-cut delay won’t hold back the tide of global easing
GLOBAL policymakers are not about to let the Federal Reserve’s delay in cutting interest rates distract them too much from their own easing efforts. Among the 23 of the world’s top central banks featured in Bloomberg’s quarterly guide, only the Bank of Japan will not end up lowering borrowing costs within the next 18 months.…
Read MoreCreative destruction, not government intervention, will ‘fix’ Big Tech
Some regulation is necessary, but political interference to break up industry behemoths could be counterproductive BREAK up Big Tech? Pandering politicians in the United States of America, Asia and Europe say the sector’s behemoths are too dominant and require a regulatory crackdown. European politicians yapped endlessly about Big Tech “fixes” during the run-up to the…
Read More‘Inconceivable’ that topic of climate change will somehow go away: MSCI president
Baer Pettit says the index provider’s ESG and climate business likely to be ‘material’ in future IT HAS been 14 years since index provider MSCI paid US$1.6 billion for a risk management platform called RiskMetrics Group, and used it to build an environmental, social and governance (ESG) research arm. Little did the index provider imagine…
Read MoreBaltic Exchange Shipping Insights
Capesize THE Capesize market experienced an eventful week despite starting off quietly with the BCI 5TC dropping by $409 to $25,650 on Monday. However, the market turned around midweek with a surge in activity, especially in the Atlantic. Demand from South Brazil and West Africa to the Far East for July loaders drove a tightening…
Read MoreHealthcare S-Reits stay defensive with robust fundamentals
THE healthcare sector is often viewed as defensive with growth opportunities, supported by long-term demographic and socio-economic trends. JLL’s latest Healthcare Real Estate Outlook report also identified that healthcare-related assets remain one of the most resilient commercial real estate sectors. Healthcare real estate investment trusts (Reits) provide access to healthcare-related properties at a more affordable…
Read MoreOil eases on weak US fuel demand, profit taking
OIL prices fell on Friday as investors weighed weak US fuel demand and took some money off the table at quarter-end, while key inflation data for May boosted the chances the Federal Reserve will start to cut interest rates this year. Brent crude futures for August settlement, which expired on Friday, settled up 2 cents at…
Read MoreNike sinks as gloomy sales forecast fans growth concerns
NIKE shares slumped 18.6 per cent in early trade on Friday (Jun 28) as a forecast for a surprise drop in annual sales amplified investor concerns about the pace of the sportswear giant’s efforts to stem market share losses to upstart brands such as On and Hoka. The company on Thursday projected a mid-single-digit percentage…
Read MoreRed Sea attacks drove 90% decline in container shipping, US spies say
HOUTHI attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea led to a 90 per cent decline in container shipping through the area between December 2023 and February 2024, US intelligence officials said in their first formal assessment of the rebel campaign’s economic impact. The attacks impacted at least 65 countries and forced at least 29…
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