BUDGET DEBATE
[SINGAPORE] Requiring developers to adopt productive technologies and prefabricated components in new projects, as announced by the Ministry of National Development (MND) yesterday, is widely expected to translate into higher costs for them in the short term.
Companies
SUSPENDED China Sky Chemical Fibre Co finally has some numbers to show its shareholders after three financial years, which depict the firm's descent in 2011, its annus horribilis in 2012 and somewhat of a recovery in 2013.
Singapore
THE government will revisit reverse mortgage as an option for the elderly to monetise their HDB flats, and extend the Lease Buyback scheme to larger flat types.
Singapore Markets
SURPRISINGLY weak export growth in China yesterday depressed sentiment in stocks, cutting 1.8 per cent off the Hang Seng Index and slicing 9.63 points off the Straits Times Index (STI) at 3,126.63. However, there was a late bounce for the STI, suggesting that Wall Street might turn in yet another record-breaking performance (overnight) on Monday.
Malaysia
SELANGOR'S water concessionaires yesterday indicated the proposed RM9.65 billion (S$3.72 billion) buyout of their assets by the state under a proposed renationalisation exercise is likely to be a drawn-out affair despite the threat of compulsory acquisition.
Indonesia
[JAKARTA] Indonesia's central bank hopes to attract a local bank to sign up as primary dealer for short-term sukuk, or Islamic bonds, issued by the International Islamic Liquidity Management Corp (IILM), a body it helped establish in 2010 to address a lack of highly-liquid Syariah compliant money market instruments.
China
[BEIJING] China's biggest drop in exports since 2009 and deepening factory-gate deflation highlight the challenges for Premier Li Keqiang in achieving this year's economic growth target of 7.5 per cent.
India
[NEW DELHI] Indian politicians are expected to spend around US$5 billion on campaigning for elections next month - a sum second only to the most expensive US presidential campaign of all time - in a splurge that could give India's floundering economy a temporary boost.
World
[WASHINGTON] Central bank efforts to become more predictable on future interest rate moves have smoothed out short-term upsets in financial markets, but could also lead to excessive risk-taking, research from the Bank for International Settlements said on Sunday.
Transport Hub
[NEW YORK] US lawmakers are making a fresh push to require exports of natural gas to be carried on American ships.
Editorial & Opinion
WINNING in China is a top priority for senior executives at most Western multinationals, but many are frustrated by their lack of penetration into regions and cities beyond "first-tier" cities, which include Shanghai, Beijing and Guangdong.
Dining
LIKE the giant Merlion, Quayside Isle in Sentosa Cove has that aura of artifice about it that makes it difficult to see it as a serious dining destination. Pretty little eateries, all in a row, in a picturesque marina setting that look good on the resume of a hipster foodie or the post-its on the fridges of well-heeled residents.
Home & Garden
SAY Tupperware, and the super handy, plastic storage boxes come to mind. But the American brand has been producing a lot more than that to keep up with the needs of a modern kitchen.
Wellness
TO understand thatthe foot has 33 joints to enable it to adapt to any kind of terrain and not just flat ground, is to realise that perhaps it shouldn't be bound in a stiff shoe.
BizIT
COMPANIES still haven't figured out how to enable effective social collaboration within the enterprise, says Mike Walsh, who runs a consultancy firm called Tomorrow.
Young Investor
IT is fitting to have a Ben Graham quote open this discussion because I owe so much of what I know about investing to him.
Executive Money
LOW interest rates have incited a craze for risky bonds in fast-growing economies, and few fund companies have been more adept in meeting this demand than Pimco, the...
Property
[SINGAPORE] Three adjoining freehold properties along Queen's Road and Duke's Road are up for tender, with the seller expecting offers above $45 million.
Raffles Conversation
MOLECULAR genetics pioneer Sydney Brenner is arguably the foreigner most feted by Singapore. Apart from his string of awards elsewhere, the 2002 Nobel Laureate has won...
Views From the Top
Would higher CPF contribution rates help or hurt older workers? Overall, is it timely to review the CPF scheme; what changes, if any, should be made?
