Daily Debrief: What Happened Today

23.7% less businesses formed in Q4 2015: report

Markedly fewer businesses were formed in the final three months of last year compared to the corresponding period of 2014, according to the latest Singapore Business Formation Statistics Report released on Wednesday.

Singapore's life insurance business up 9% to S$832.2m in Q4 2015

Singapore's life insurance business grew 9 per cent year on year to S$832.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2015 in total weighted new business premiums - a way to measure the growth of the life insurance industry - lifted by sales of non-linked weighted single-premium plans.

Singapore ranked sixth in 38 economies for intellectual property environment

Singapore easily trumped other Asia-Pacific economies in the latest ranking of various markets' intellectual property environment done by the US Chamber of Commerce.

Maersk profit plunges as oil, container units both suffer

AP Moeller-Maersk A/S reported an 84 per cent plunge in 2015 profit after its oil unit was hit by lower energy prices and its container division got squeezed between sluggish trade growth and overcapacity.

Japan: Stocks plunge for second day on yen strength, margin calls

Japanese stocks plunged for a second day as investors rushed to the safety of the yen while concerns that margin calls were triggering automatic selling of shares also weighed on sentiment.

Corporate Earnings

The STI Today

Singapore shares close lower, but off intraday lows thanks to Dow futures

The Straits Times Index (STI), having inexplicably shot up 64 points on Friday before the Chinese New Year holidays, on Wednesday collapsed 41.11 points to 2,582.10 on the first day of trading after those holidays.