The Afternoon Update with Lynlee Foo

Japan goes to the polls on October 27. In the US, Americans will vote on their next president in a couple of weeks.  How will elections impact both the USD and the Japanese Yen? What is the effect on the Sing dollar against these major currencies? Yeap Junrong, Market Strategist at IG, shares his insights. 

The GameStop stock craze in 2021, which was fueled by Youtuber “Roaring Kitty”, or Keith Gill signified the growing power of social media in shaping financial markets. Indeed, social media platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram have become popular channels for Gen Z to seek financial insights. The younger digital natives prefer the immediacy and accessibility of online content over traditional face-to-face meetings with financial advisors. This has led to a rise in 'finfluencers' - online influencers who provide financial guidance and investment tips. How is this 'finfluencer' trend impacting the financial advisory industry? Will 'finfluencers' take over traditional roles in the industry? Louis Koay, Senior Financial Services Director, PhillipCapital, weighs in. 

Tesla’s latest earnings report topped analysts’ estimates even as revenue came in just shy of expectations, sending the stock popping 12% in extended trading to about $240. This breaks the stock's losing streak since the Robotaxi announcement earlier this month. Overall, it is a busy month for Tesla, not just in terms of announcements, but also for the man himself, Elon Musk, who has been making many appearances and headlines.  How will the stock be impacted by the latest earnings result and by Elon Musk's latest antics? Isaac Lim, Chief Market Strategist at global trading and investment platform Moomoo, shares his fundamental and technical analysis. 

In Singapore, estate planning is not just for the wealthy; it’s a practical step for anyone wanting to manage their assets responsibly. Whether or not you share the wishes outlined in your estate plan is your choice. In some situations, it may be in your best interest to let certain people in on the secret. Jonathan Wong, lawyer and director of Singapore practice Bayfront Law, shares his expertise in the basics of estate planning, and how you can confidently manage your assets, and hopefully avoid family drama.

In land-scarce Singapore where public housing can cost up to a million dollars, the appeal of shophouses seems to be growing. Interest in Housing and Development Board (HDB) shophouses is on the rise, with buyers drawn to their relatively high yields, high-traffic locations and limited supply in the market for assets in public housing estates. To find out more about this trend and things to look out for when investing in a shophouse, Loyalle Chin, founder of PropNex ShophouseHuat, and an expert who is dubbed the “private banker” of shophouses to CEOs and families shares some insightful advice.

With ransomware attacks, hacks and data breaches becoming increasingly common, how can businesses navigate through the intricacies of cybersecurity, equip themselves with the knowledge and insights they need to safeguard their digital assets and stay ahead of cyber threats? On Industry Insight, we take a look at the threat Intelligence space, and delve into the critical steps, emerging trends and effective strategies that define the ever-evolving landscape of digital defence. Earlier this year, Google launched a new cybersecurity solution, Google Threat Intelligence designed to provide organisations with enhanced visibility into the global threat landscape to protect against external threats, managing attack surfaces, and mitigating digital risks.  Veteran cybersecurity leader, Sandra Joyce, who isVice President of Google Threat Intelligence, shares her insights. 

The Straits Times Index finally went on a rally above the 3600 level, notching up a weekly gain of almost 1.9%, in the aftermath of the stimulus measures from China, The “assault” on the 17-year high of 3,906 continues, and if that 3,906 number is taken out, it would be the highest level that the STI has been in 17 years.  Dan Chang, Investment Specialist and Trading Representative at PhillipCapital, shares with us more about the velocity of this rally, discusses if breaking the 17-year high is possible and if Singapore markets are set for the end-year 'Santa Claus' rally. 

According to Future of Work survey by global real estate services company, JLL, 7 in 10 expect their commercial real estate (CRE) budgets to increase between now and 2030.  This comes as many organisations look to increase headcount in the coming years and make additional investments in real estate. Many will retain a strong focus on workplace efficiency to maintain a smarter real estate portfolio. So, how will commercial real estate prepare for the future of work? How will business leaders put their office space to work? Kamya Miglani, Head of ESG Research, Asia Pacific, JLL, tells us more. 

For the first time, home buyers can look forward to seven Plus projects and one Prime project in the Build-to-Order (BTO) sales exercise under a new classification framework. In total, HDB will offer 8,500 flats across 15 projects in nine HDB towns in the upcoming BTO sales exercise. This will be the largest number of projects launched in a BTO exercise to date. The number of new flats launched will also account for more than 40 per cent of the new HDB flat supply for 2024.  What are the key changes to the BTO scheme? How will the overhauled framework impact the resale market? Christine Sun, Chief Researcher and Strategist at OrangeTee & Tie shares with us more.

In Southeast Asia's SGD$19 billion creator economy, most content creators face common challenges - monetising their content and receiving timely payments. Due in part to the nature of creator economies which are diverse and distributed, the payment process is challenging. Not surprisingly, the content creation community in this region is still largely unsupported by any payments platform.  Singapore-based content membership platform Gank is filling the gap in this space to help meet the monetisation and payments needs of content creators in Southeast Asia. The Afternoon Update speaks to the co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Gank, James Sim to find out why content creators should bank on Gank.