The Afternoon Update with Lynlee Foo

US equities have seen a strong performance over the past 15 years. And this has changed investor dynamics. The US is sitting a record high 63% of the world’s traded market cap.  But is this a sustainable dynamic? Should investors be considering “cheaper” markets outside of the US instead?  On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Audrey Ho, Investment Counsellor at Citibank Singapore, to explore the possible opportunities present. 

Oil prices have advanced about 8% since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, and that's on concerns that the conflict will drag in other nations including Lebanon, Iran and even the US. The Middle East supplies around a third of the world’s crude. So if the current conflict further escalates, how much higher can oil prices go? Some experts warn prices could even reach US$140 per barrel in a worse case scenario. On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Serene Cheong, Team Leader of Oil Trading (Asia) at Bloomberg, to find out more.

Is India the new China? Or is it the new US?  India’s stock market is seeing an uptrend, with the market hitting an all-time high valuation of US$3.8 trillion last month. In fact, some say there’s further room to grow for Indian stocks.  So what’s making the country’s stock market so attractive at the moment? Is this a new dawn for Indian stocks?  On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Prashant Kothari, Senior Investment Manager, Emerging Equities team, Pictet Asset Management to find out more.

On The Afternoon Update, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Geoff Howie, Market Strategist, SGX, for a market wrap of the week. The discuss how the STI performed in the past week; some of the biggest movers; earnings reports from several REITs; and what to expect for the week ahead. 

In the third quarter of 2023, the MSCI ACWI Index, which tracks broad global equity-market performance, was down 3.3%. And that’s as the persistence of recessionary fears alongside surging oil prices and elevated interest rates suppressed investor optimism.  With equities negative for Q3 and US bonds showing higher yields, this could tempt allocators to shift some exposure from equities to bonds. On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Hitendra D. Varsani, Managing Director and Head of Derivatives & Exchanges Solutions Research, MSCI, to find out what’s happening in markets.

The predictions for an end to the earnings recession have passed their first test. Several S&P 500 companies have already reported their earnings, and companies in the index are beating Wall Street's expectations. Headline earnings from big banks were also better than expected.  But will the optimism continue? Which companies' results are investors currently eyeing?  On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Danish Lim, Market Analyst, Phillip Nova, to find out more about the latest in the earnings season.

Globally, the first three quarters of 2023 saw a 5% decrease in the number of IPOs and a 32% decline in the amount of capital raised year over year. But despite this, market momentum seems to be building. The quarter witnessed a notable improvement in post-IPO share price performance compared with previous quarters. So what are some trends that are happening in the global IPO market? What should investors be looking out for? On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Yew Kiang Chan, Asean and Singapore IPO Leader, EY to find out more.  Highlights:  1:07 - How did the global IPO market perform in the first three quarters of this year? 2:06 - Did investor appetite shift in the IPO market? 2:55 - What are some of the trends within investors regarding the IPO market?  6:07 - How is the IPO market performing in the Asia Pacific region? 8:04 - What sectors are leading the global IPOs? What sectors are lagging behind?

It’s red across the screen in markets as Asia kicks off a new trading session this week. And that’s as traders are concerned Israel’s expected ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza could spark a regional war, embroiling other Middle East Nations, including Iran. Now if that happens, it has the potential of fueling another round of inflation pressures. And it could even tip the global economy in a recession. What would that mean for stock markets? What risks should investors be wary of? On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Wong Kok Hoong, Head of Equity Sales Trading, Maybank Securities, to find out how markets are faring to kick start the week on the back of the conflict. 

Equity markets drifted lower in September due to higher oil prices, rising Treasury Yields, and a consistently hawkish FED, adding to the seasonal negative technical factors for equities. So how are investors recovering from their losses as the last quarter rolls in? What’s the outlook like for the last quarter? On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Laurent Lequeu, Head of Portfolio Management & Research at Lumen Capital Investors, to find out more. 

Singapore shares began the week in the red, as investors took in news of the Israel-Hamas conflict. While global market reaction remains muted so far following the attack, have markets not fully priced in the risks? Should we expect more volatility on the STI going forward? Who are the biggest gainers and losers following the attack?  On The Afternoon Update, Hongbin Jeong is joined by Candace Li, Research Analyst at the SGX, for a market wrap of the week to discuss the impacts of the Israel-Hamas conflict further.  She also weighs in on how the STI fared in the past week; the biggest movers; as well as several economic news out of Singapore today including GDP numbers and MAS’ latest monetary policy decision.