The Afternoon Update with Lynlee Foo

The Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of underlying US inflation is set to be released at the end of the week. And US equities have even moved warily this week, with investors hesitant to expand their risk exposure ahead of the key inflation data. If it comes in hotter-than-expected, should investors be concerned? How should investors mitigate the potential risks? On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Rajat Bhattacharya, Senior Investment Strategist, Standard Chartered, to find out more. 

Did you know that 2.2 billion people on the planet still live without safely managed drinking water? And at least half the worlds population experiences water scarcity for at least part of the year. World Water Day is celebrated on 22nd March and this year’s theme is water for peace. But what role does finance play? Rachel Kelly takes a look in this week's Eco Money

The US Federal Reserve is not ready to cut rates just yet. Inflation still remains above the Fed’s 2% target. For now, policymakers expect to stand pat for a little longer before cutting them three times later this year. So how should investors allocate their assets in the meantime? Can we expect more volatility ahead? On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Gautam Chadda, Head of Investment and Portfolio Advisory (Singapore) at RBC Wealth Management Asia, to find out more. 

On What’s Trending, we talk about the recent "Course des Garçons de Café" or the café waiters race held in Paris during the weekend. And we also discuss about the new law for those who are planning to climb Everest.

Luxury stocks saw a sharp decline in Europe last week, after a profit warning from the owner of Gucci laid bare a sharp slowdown in demand for high-end goods, especially in China. Shares of Gucci owner Kering plunged as much as 15%. Other luxury stocks also saw a similar decline - with LVMH down more than 3% at one point. So what’s driving the sudden decline in luxury stocks? Are luxury stocks no longer a safer investment choice to bet on China’s economic recovery? On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Shirley Zhao, Consumer, Conglomerates and Gaming Reporter, Bloomberg, to take a closer look at luxury stocks. 

On What’s Trending, we find out how the internet defines “boy mom.” And adultery may soon be legal in New York after over a century.

Global equity markets are hovering around new all time highs. But what could go wrong? What could cause big disruptions in the market this year? That’s the question investors have in the back of their minds. And Lombard Odier has outlined eight key risks surrounding markets in their latest report. On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Homin Lee, Senior Macro Strategist, Lombard Odier to find out what these risks are and how investors can safeguard their investments and capitalise on the opportunities in the current landscape.

Last week, everyone was buzzing about Singtel. And this week, it announced the launch of GPU-as-a-Service in Singapore and South-east Asia in the third quarter of 2024. Most importantly, Singtel will be among the world’s first to deploy Nvidia’s GB200 Grace Blackwell Superchips upon receiving them in early 2025. So are shares of Singtel riding the AI-frenzy? And can we see further upside of the stock? On The Afternoon Update, Hongbin Jeong is joined by Dan Chang C S, Trading Rep, Phillip Securities for a market wrap of the week, where they dive in deeper on Singtel. They also discuss other biggest movers on the STI, the latest slew of interest rate decisions from major global central banks, and whether there are any SGX-listed stock picks that stand to benefit from the latest interest rate decisions.

The US Fed is largely sticking to its path of interest-rate cuts - for now. As widely expected,  interest rates were kept unchanged at 5.25% to 5.5%. But this followed something else that went unchanged - the projection for rate cuts this year. Policymakers still see three cuts in 2024. But still questions remain when the first cut will come through. So how are markets reacting to this latest decision? On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Sani Hamid, Director for Wealth Management, Financial Alliance, to find out more about what came out of the US Fed interest rate decision and when we can expect rate cuts.