The Business Times
business-time-50
THE BOTTOM LINE
·
SUBSCRIBERS

Imagine OpenAI bonds, Labubu everywhere

Could 2026 see these four market developments?

Summarise
google-preferred-sourceAdd BT as a preferred source
阅读简体中文版 (beta)
    • Increasing the supply of Labubus would show whether the toy by Pop Mart is a passing fad, says the writer.
    • Increasing the supply of Labubus would show whether the toy by Pop Mart is a passing fad, says the writer. PHOTO: REUTERS

    Shuli Ren

    Published Mon, Jan 5, 2026 · 05:30 PM

    FROM an artificial intelligence (AI)-fuelled stock rally to China shaking off US tariff threats and earning a record trade surplus, 2025 was full of economic marvels.

    Don’t expect debates over innovation and economic disruptions to disappear in 2026. There are four surprising-but-not-improbable developments on my watch list that you might want to consider.

    OpenAI bonds

    If WeWork was able to issue corporate bonds before going public, why can’t OpenAI, a unicorn behemoth valued at US$500 billion?

    OpenAIPop MartNew World DevelopmentPrivate credit

    TRENDING NOW

    The CSRC is leading the effort, along with the National Financial Regulatory Administration, which handles consumer protection and supervises banks.

    Why China is tightening controls on overseas stock trading

    US President Donald Trump with President Xi Jinping after a visit to Zhongnanhai Garden in Beijing, on May 15.

    Xi Jinping has just rewritten the rules of US-China rivalry

    Always one to walk the talk, DBS CEO Tan Su Shan has her personal AI agent that checks and serves up to her the latest news on banking.

    ‘Even a CEO’s job can be replaced by AI’: DBS CEO Tan Su Shan bets big on agentic AI

    Set up by Nichol Ng and her brother, FoodXervices traces its roots to 1934 with the business their grandfather started.

    ‘Whole deck of cards just toppled’: FoodXervices’ Nichol Ng on how a 92-year-old family business unravelled – and what’s next

    Latest T-bills Treasury Bills Results & Interest NewsLatest SSB Singapore Savings Bonds NewsLatest COE Certificate of Entitlement News
    Latest Johor-Singapore SEZ NewsLatest BTO Build To Order & Sales of Balance NewsLatest STI Straits Times Index NewsLatest SGX Dividends, Share Price NewsLatest Bonds Market NewsLatest Singapore Stocks To Buy NewsLatest Singapore Economy News
    View More