Mark to Market

MARK TO MARKET

Iran war may hasten Reits’ waning popularity

A more hawkish tone from the Fed this week could further weaken sentiment towards real estate investment trusts

The Fed may have less room to keep cutting rates this year as the US-Israel war on Iran drives oil prices higher.
MARK TO MARKET

Iran war: Soaring oil price will be a key driver of Fed policy; opportunities, risks for investors

While even the price of gold fell last week, shares of Big Oil companies sustained their upward momentum

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Singapore Exchange (SGX) have launched the Value Unlock programme to help companies strengthen investor engagement.

How the Value Unlock push will lift the market

With approximately 120 companies already engaged, the new Value Unlock programme is off to a good start. BT senior correspondent Ben Paul finds out how the new initiative will work.

Software companies have suffered big sell-offs on concerns that the emergence of AI agents may unravel their businesses
MARK TO MARKET

Citrini’s dystopian AI narrative may be wrong, but it could catalyse deeper thinking, policy change

The research firm imagined a tax on the use of AI, and the establishment of a public claim on the returns from AI infrastructure

Fed policy rate decisions have been rather fraught because of uncertainty surrounding trade tariffs and artificial intelligence, and pressure from US President Donald Trump to cut rates.
MARK TO MARKET

DBS, OCBC, UOB may grab attention as Fed shifts stance, copes with new tariff uncertainty

Even if interest rates are bottoming, the normalisation of net interest margins at the three banks may continue through 2026

As the Straits Times Index breached the 5,000 mark last week, MAS said the EQDP would be expanded from S$5 billion to S$6.5 billion.
MARK TO MARKET

Positive reaction to market reforms opens door to broader enhancement of growth capital sector

The result could be a bigger pipeline of new listings, and some struggling listed companies going private

Minister for National Development Chee Hong Tat says: "We are not trying to go for a silver bullet that can, on its own, solve all the problems. There is no magic pill."
MARK TO MARKET

Time to introduce a Japan, Korea-style value-up programme, to drive Singapore market’s next leg-up

This move may be a crucial part of the ongoing holistic approach to restoring the vibrancy of the local market

In January, several questions were raised in Parliament about whether GIC and Temasek have been generating satisfactory risk-adjusted returns.

What’s up with GIC and Temasek’s performance?

GIC and Temasek’s trailing performance has been a hot topic of discussion in Singapore. Senior correspondent Ben Paul sifts through key issues.

SGX RegCo is holding consultations on reducing the standard board lot size for higher-priced shares, and facilitating the wider adoption of broker custody accounts.
MARK TO MARKET

Time for brokers to make bigger contribution to the revitalisation of the Singapore market

Reduced board lot sizes may largely benefit SGX and the brokers; custody accounts could be an opportunity to alleviate frictions of exercising shareholder rights

UOB surged 7.5% last week, which made it the best performing constituent of the STI by a long way.
MARK TO MARKET

Will UOB climb higher after its big rebound?

Softer rates are squeezing NIMs at the 3 Singapore banks, but also spurring excitement about the potential for valuations to rise and converge