Financial markets

The new currency of markets is narrative; SGX companies must learn to master it

Strong earnings and solid balance sheets are no longer enough to command premium valuations

Advanced economies may be entering a period of structurally higher and more volatile inflation than in the pre-pandemic era.

The hidden dangers of sovereign debt

Advanced economy sovereign debt, once viewed as safe havens, is starting to look like a risk asset

An unverified still image which Iran's Revolutionary Guards, quoting Iranian media, said shows the US aircraft destroyed during the Americans' mission to find a stranded airman in Iran on Sunday (Apr 5).

The Iran war just broke the petrodollar

For the first time since 1996, global central banks now hold more gold than US government bonds. The war is making this look like a signal

Asia’s heavy reliance on imported energy, much of which transits through vulnerable routes, makes it acutely sensitive to supply disruptions.

When supply shocks outlast conflict

Markets brace for prolonged economic shock sparked by energy disruptions

Bitcoin's sharp bounce from near US$60,000 hints that long-term holders and institutions remain willing to absorb supply at stress levels.

Decoding the relationship between gold and Bitcoin will be vital for institutional portfolios in 2026

While gold remains the time-tested defensive anchor, Bitcoin, for all its volatility and structural immaturity, offers something else

An Israeli artillery unit firing towards Lebanon on Mar 17. Emerging and Asia-focused markets have fallen some 5% to 9% since the crisis erupted on Feb 28.
RETHINKING MATTERS

The Iran war: Will it stay? Or will it go now?

The longer the conflict drags on, the worse the outcome for both the global economy and global markets

The precise magnitude of the shock the US will face as a result of its war of choice in Iran is difficult to predict, given the array of factors at play.

America’s war, America’s recession

Why the US is particularly poorly positioned to weather a food and energy-price shock

Rather than rapid speculative surges, Beijing wants equities to rise gradually over time, generating stable dividend income and encouraging long-term investment behaviour.

Can China’s ‘slow bull’ market succeed?

Beijing wants to build a hybrid capital market that boosts tech self-sufficiency, financial autonomy