Author: Journalist

SINGAPORE: A recent Facebook post by businessman and former Nominated Member of Parliament Calvin Cheng has stirred heated conversation online, after he suggested that rising rents are not the primary cause of Singapore’s F&B crisis—and that the government should resist interfering in the free market, especially by imposing rental controls or mandating support for local entrepreneurs. Cheng didn’t shy away from admitting that the closures have been heartbreaking—familiar neighbourhood hangouts, late-night bars where friends gathered, even family-run cafes that felt like home, have all folded one after another. Yet he urged us to pause before pointing fingers at landlords. “Most…

SINGAPORE – The local bourse ended in positive territory on June 6 after a call between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping boosted investors’ confidence.The benchmark Straits Times Index (STI) rose 0.4 per cent or 16.6 points to end at 3,934.29. Across the broader market, gainers beat losers 266 to 205 as 849.5 million securities worth $1.1 billion changed hands.Mr Xi and Mr Trump agreed to further dialogue on trade after their call on June 5.Mr Trump said that disputes over rare-earth exports were resolved, and he had accepted China’s invitation to visit. Beijing said it had…

Bitcoin tanked over 3% on Thursday after the Circle’s shares went public on the NYSE. Mirroring the market leader’s move, altcoins plunged, witnessing double-digit declines and breakdown of key levels. LDO, JUP, and FET lead the drop, diving more than 10% amid an increase in bearish momentum.A sharp pullback characterized the broader cryptocurrency market on Thursday, leading to a bearish pattern break in Bitcoin (BTC) to briefly test the $100k levels. The market-wide panic with the Bitcoin sell-off led to quick profit bookings in altcoins such as Lido DAO (LDO), Jupiter (JUP), and Artificial Superintelligence Alliance (FET). At the time of writing, Bitcoin…

WASHINGTON – Wall Street stocks tumbled on June 5 as a row between US President Donald Trump and Tesla boss Elon Musk erupted – with the electric vehicle company’s share price tumbling around 14 per cent.The Dow Jones Industrial Average slumped 0.3 per cent to 42,319.74 and the broad-based S&P 500 Index lost 0.5 per cent to 5,939.30. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index fell 0.8 per cent to 19,298.45.The relationship between the two men imploded in public view, with Mr Trump expressing disappointment with his billionaire former aide’s criticisms.Mr Musk, who had slammed the Republican President’s proposed massive spending Bill,…

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on June 3, 2025. NYSEStocks jumped Friday after the latest nonfarm payrolls data came in better than expected, easing concern the economy faces an imminent slowdown.The Dow Jones Industrial Average popped 443.13 points, or 1.05%, to close at 42,762.87. The blue-chip index was up more than 600 points at its highs of the session. The S&P 500 also gained 1.03% — surpassing the 6,000 level for the first time since late February — and settling at 6,000.36. The Nasdaq Composite rallied 1.20%, ending at 19,529.95.The market’s move higher was…

The Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) has released the first progress report for its human rights-focused engagement initiative, Advance. Officially launched in December 2022, the initiative – which is currently focused on engaging companies from the metals and mining and renewables sectors – has 118 participants and 149 endorsers. According to the report, 30 engagement teams have established ongoing dialogue with target companies, six have had their first call/meeting, one has made contact, one has had no response from the company and one is currently paused due to “the group being undersubscribed or lacking a lead investor”. The PRI said…

[SINGAPORE] Business sentiment in the region has declined sharply following the announcement of US tariffs, with only 48 per cent of firms positive about the business outlook, down from 77 per cent before.The study, titled UOB Business Outlook Study 2025 (SMEs and Large Enterprises), was conducted in January; about 4,200 businesses in Asean and Greater China were polled, including 900 from Singapore. Following the announcement of US President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs on Apr 2, a dipstick study of 800 businesses was next conducted from Apr 9 to 12. The survey found under half (48 per cent) of companies…

In a digital-first world, technological advancements in businesses are no longer just good-to-have, but a must.From Artificial Intelligence (AI) infrastructure to e-commerce, innovation is driving the next wave of successful business models.Against this backdrop, a select group of US companies has emerged as frontrunners of this wave, demonstrating rising profits and highly-scalable business models.If you aim to catch this wave, here are five US growth stocks worth keeping a close eye on.Uber (NYSE: UBER)Uber has proven itself as a resilient incumbent in the industry despite the extremely competitive rideshare landscape. One of the main reasons for this can be attributed to…

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), on the day of Circle Internet Group’s IPO, in New York City, U.S., June 5, 2025. Brendan McDermid | ReutersThe S&P 500 fell on Thursday, spurred by a drop in shares of electric vehicle maker Tesla.The broad market index dipped 0.53% and closed at 5,939.30, while the Nasdaq Composite pulled back 0.83% to end at 19,298.45. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 108 points, or 0.25%, to settle at 42,319.74.Tesla was a big laggard in the session, down more than 14% and losing its trillion-dollar market cap status.…

Wed 04 Jun 2025 ▪ 4 min read ▪ by Luc Jose A. Binance, one of the crypto giants, has reached 275 million users, with 80 million joining the platform in five months. This rapid growth highlights the ongoing rise of cryptocurrencies in global finance. In a sector undergoing major transformation, Binance positions itself as a key player in this evolution. How can such enthusiasm be explained, and what challenges lie ahead for this essential platform? In Brief The crypto exchange platform surpasses a new impressive milestone with 80 million sign-ups in just five months. In five months, Binance added…