16 October 2024
Morning Shot: How much increments will you get in the next year? Are more retrenchments on the horizon?
The National Wages Council has recommended a 5.5 per cent to 7.5 per cent increase in gross monthly wages for lower-wage workers, or a pay bump of at least S$100 to S$120, whichever is higher.
Taking into account the sustained productivity growth over the long term, as well as the improved economic outlook and expected moderation in inflation in 2024, the Council says that employers should reward employees with fair and sustainable wage increases.
Additionally, the council recommended that businesses that have not done well should increase wages at the lower bound of the range. And if business prospects subsequently improve, employers should consider further wage increases.
On this episode of Morning Shot, Sumit Agarwal, Professor of Finance, Economics and Real Estate, NUS Business School shares his insights.
Presented by: Audrey Siek
Produced & Edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg)
Photo credits: Chua Kee Siong / ST

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8 July 2024
Morning Shot: Does slow wage growth bother you?
Wages in Singapore grew at a slower pace last year - with nominal total wages growing by 5.2 per cent, down from 6.5 per cent in 2022.
Recent data by the Ministry of Manpower also found that a slightly higher share of firms cut pay and bonuses in 2023.
But taking a deeper look - what drives you when you hunt for that job? Salary or job satisfaction? And is it possible to have a good balance of both, under current economic conditions, and what resulting effect will that have on businesses?
On this episode of Morning Shot, we find out from Sumit Agarwal, Professor of Finance, Economics and Real Estate at the NUS Business School.
Presented by: Audrey Siek & Ryan Huang
Produced & Edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg)
Photo credits: pixabay & its talented community of contributors

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3 January 2024
Morning Shot: How will the GST hike impact your expenses?
Those who have been out shopping since the new year started would have realised that the 1% GST hike has kicked in since January 1st.
On this episode of Morning Shot, Professor Sumit Agarwal from National University of Singapore’s School of Business shares his insights on how much impact that will have on consumers and businesses, and how you can better manage your expenditure.
Presented by: Emaad Akhtar & Audrey Siek
Produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg)

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27 September 2023
Morning Shot: How much more will Singapore's inflation ease?
Latest figures show that Singapore’s core inflation continued its downtrend in August, reaching its lowest in more than a year.
On this episode of Morning Shot, Professor Sumit Agarwal from the NUS Business School shares insights on whether we’ll be seeing further easing in the coming months, and a wider look at how that might affect labour costs and prices of goods as we head into the year-end.
Presented by: Lynlee Foo
This podcast is produced and edited by Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg)

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26 July 2023
Morning Shot: Does Hong Kong still have that business shine and what opportunities can Singapore businesses tap on?
Coming on the back of Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee's trip to Singapore for the first time after taking over the top job, Professor Sumit Agarwal from the NUS Business School weighs in on whether Hong Kong has lost its shine and competitive edge over Singapore, and the key opportunities and sectors that Singapore's enterprises can tap on.
Presented by: Lynlee Foo
This podcast is produced by Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg)

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13 March 2023
Why It Matters: How much has scrapping China's zero-covid policy benefited Singapore’s economy?
Growth in China is set to pick up with the faster-than-expected easing of the country’s zero-COVID rules on January 8th and this will be a boon for the Singapore economy in two ways.
Two months down the line, how beneficial has this move been for Singapore’s economy? We speak to Dr. Sumit Agarwal, Professor of Finance, Real Estate and Economics at NUS Business School to get his insights on the impact of China’s reopening for businesses here.

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17 February 2023
Why It Matters: The impact of Singapore's wealth taxes
In his Budget 2023 speech,  Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong continued his approach to wealth taxes, increasing buyer’s stamp duty (BSD) for higher-value properties and further taxing luxury cars.
Sumit Agarwal, Professor of Finance, Real Estate and Economics at NUS Business School explains how taxes on the wealthy will benefit the wider community.

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19 August 2022
Market View: Taking stock of the week - US Federal Reserve's July meeting minutes, China's property debt crisis, Singapore's inflation outlook
Its the end of the work week already, and we want to take stock of a couple of major developments in the US, Asia and Singapore. On our list today are the minutes from the Federal Reserve’s July meeting, China's worsening property debt crisis and the Singapore's inflation outlook. On Market View, Prime Time's Finance Presenter Chua Tian Tian got down to the details with Professor Sumit Agarwal, Low Tuck Kwong Distinguished Professor of Finance, Economics and Real Estate, and Managing Director of the Sustainable and Green Finance Institute at the National University of Singapore.

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7 December 2021
Powering Your Property: Financing your first home
The Monetary Authority of Singapore has warned Singapore households to carefully assess their ability to meet mortgage obligations, as households have amassed a larger pile of debt than they had before Covid-19 struck. So what do homeowners need to know about financing their home? Prime Time's Rachel Kelly and Shehzad Haque find out from Sumit Agarwal, Low Tuck Kwong Distinguished Professor of Finance, Economics and Real Estate, National University of Singapore

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4 November 2020
Breaking down the US Presidential Race as it happens
Michelle Martin speaks to Sumit Agarwal, Professor of Finance, Economics and Real Estate and Low Tuck Kwong Distinguished Professor at the NUS Business School to discuss the possible electoral scenarios for markets, the importance of having control over the Senate and the impact of a win on trade, climate change, financial regulation and multilateral institutions.

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27 March 2020
Money and Me : Will Resilence stimulate the Singapore Economy ?
Sumit Agarwal, Professor of Finance, Economics and Real Estate at the NUS Business School shares his views on the Reslience Supplemtary Budget. Will we see an expected mulitplier effect? Will wage support stave off job losses and besides fiscal schemes what other measures could Singapore employ to  to help the economy ride out the “black swan event” - COVID 19?

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21 January 2020
Influence: Golfing, social relationships and lower prices for land
Millions in lost revenue, spillover effects for neighbourhoods. We look at a NUS Business School study that found that the sale prices of new residential units are about 8% lower when senior executives of real estate development firms have informal exchanges while golfing with NUS Professor Sumit Agarwal, Low Tuck Kwong Distinguished Professor and the study's co-author.

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