IT was a good day for Singapore's economy, with positive surprises on three fronts: An unexpected upgrade to gross domestic product (GDP) meant the economy grew 0.2 per cent instead of contracting in Q1, April inflation plunged to a three-year low of 1.5 per cent, and April factory output bounced 4.7 per cent not just on pharmaceuticals but also the first year-on-year electronics expansion in 25 months.
Companies
COMFORTDELGRO Corp lost almost S$600 million of its market value yesterday, a day after its long-time shareholder, Singapore Labour Foundation (SLF), cashed in on the bulk of its investment.
Singapore
WITH the Japanese economy looking to finally bounce back under a new leadership, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday called on Japan to deepen its strategic engagement with South-east Asia and the wider region.
World
THE Asian Development Bank (ADB) has questioned the "quality" of economic growth in developing Asia. A report by its Independent Evaluation Department has also pointed out that an automatic link should not be drawn between economic growth and human development.
Transport Hub
AIRASIA Bhd, the region's biggest budget carrier, reported its first drop in profit in five quarters as higher fuel and finance costs eroded gains from carrying more passengers.
Perspective
THE Obama administration may have or may have not covered up important details about the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans last year.
Arts
In Singapore's highly competitive and ''kiasu'' environment, not many people would risk setting foot on their career paths without doing the paper chase first for the sake of their CVs.
Cinema
CINEMA audiences never get sick of fast cars, bulging muscles and scantily clad women; which is why 12 years after the original The Fast and the Furious, the franchise's box-office takings still isn't showing any signs of slowing down.
Entertainment
FROM Rock gods to football stars and Hollywood A-listers, stargazers must be nursing a sore neck this week with all the celebrity-spotting they've been doing as the likes of Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, Star Trek's George Takei and Atletico Madrid's Falcao fly in to grace different events.
BizIT
F5 Networks, which provides solutions that optimise delivery of network-based applications and security for servers and other network devices, is looking for a location...
SME Inc
ECONOMISTS traditionally assume that consumers' preferences are fixed and stable over time.
Executive Money
A LOOK at US equity ownership, investor sentiment and historical valuation reveals a compelling case for investors to have more exposure to stocks. Stocks are "under-...
Property
[NEW YORK] New media is replacing old in Times Square. Yahoo, the giant Web company that agreed on Sunday to buy Tumblr for US$1.1 billion, is moving its New York...
Raffles Conversation
SIXTEEN years after the Asian financial crisis of 1997/98, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) - the world's watchdog of economic health and financial stability - is...
Views From the Top
How do you view Malaysia from a business viewpoint after the election? What opportunities do you see, and what risks?
