The Afternoon Update with Lynlee Foo

The gains of the US dollar so far have blindsided traders who started the year predicting that the currency would decline as US exceptionalism faded. But now, a gauge of the dollar is seeing its longest run of losses in more than three years. So has the greenback's rally finally come to an end? What about the Japanese yen? It's seeing a continuous decline, so should investors stay away from this currency?  And ahead of the MAS next policy decision, what should we be expecting from the Singapore dollar?  On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Philip Wee, Senior FX Strategist at DBS, to find out more.

Global equities and 10 year US government bonds have both seen a decline in recent weeks. Some experts suggest that equity markets may still face significant headwinds in the near term. Bonds on the other hand may continue to offer good value. Now this begs the question whether this is a good buying opportunity for investors. On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Steve Brice, Chief Investment Officer at Standard Chartered Bank to find out whether this calls for a buying opportunity.  Highlights: 1:00 - What are the current drivers of the market? 4:46 - Will there be an opportunity for US markets to outperform anytime soon?  5:36 - Should investors be going into equities now? Is this as a buying opportunity?  8:00 - Should investors opt to go into bond markets than equity markets 10:21 - What other buying opportunities are there in the current market? 

The bond market is going through a meltdown. In fact, the current rout ranks among the worst asset sell-offs in history. Wall Street veterans warn more pain and volatility are yet to come.  So what’s causing this downturn? Should we be concerned?  On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Carol Lye, Portfolio Manager & Senior Research Analyst, Brandywine Global Investment Management, to find out more. 

After two relatively quiet years, the IPO market is seeing a burst of activity. Sandal company Birkenstock is the latest shoe to drop, but in a tough IPO market. Several companies including Arm, Instacart, and even Klaviyo, which looked like it was going to be the shining star out of this year’s debutants, have seen their share prices slump after their listing.  What’s happening in the IPO market? Why are we seeing a slump? Can the IPO still rebound despite these recent declines?  On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Abhishek Vishnoi, Senior Asia Equities Reporter at Bloomberg, to find out more. 

Amid growing macro risks and elevated interest rates, Singapore lenders face the probability of default across mortgages, unsecured retail and SMEs. But amongst our local banks - which bank’s default risk loan profile proves to be a bright spot? And who’s lagging behind? On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Rena Kwok, Credit Analyst, Asian Financials, Bloomberg Intelligence, to find out more. 

On The Afternoon Update, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Geoff Howie, Market Strategist at the SGX, for a market wrap of the week. They take a closer look at how the STI performed in the past week; the biggest movers; Singapore's retail sales data and what that means for the economy; what to expect on Singapore's Q3 GDP next week; as well as whether the MAS will stand pat at its next monetary policy meeting. 

The abnormal sense of calm in volatility may have led some investors to see the market lull as an all-clear sign to buy stocks. But that could spell trouble for investors. There are some risks that have been masked by the low volatility. So what should investors be wary of? And how can investors mitigate these market concerns if there’s a sudden spike in volatility in markets? On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Olivier d’Assier, Head of Applied Research, APAC, Axioma, to find out more. 

Over 60 percent of US companies expect ESG backlash to continue or increase over the next two years. That’s according to a recent report by The Conference Board. As anti-ESG backlash and confusion around ratings muddies the waters - how can corporates best navigate? Rachel Kelly speaks to Tim Mohin,  a global Partner and Director with Boston Consulting Group or B-C-G. He is the former CEO of carbon accounting startup Persefoni, and former CEO of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the world’s largest sustainability reporting standard.

October is one of the scariest months for the stock market. The October effect is the perception that stock markets decline during this month.  So seeing how this week has kicked off, will we see another month of losses? Or will markets U-turn and surprise investors to the upside?  On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Danish Lim, Market Analyst, Phillip Nova, to find out what spooky things are in store this month.  Highlights:  01:44 - How are markets looking so far in October?  10:03 - How is the current movement in Treasuries affecting equity markets? 11:33 - Will this be another month of sell-offs? Or can we see a rebound? 12:31 - Could Asian markets see a better month?  14:09 - Will the October Effect go into play and will markets take a nosedive?

Ringing in a new era of hope for climate action. That is the weight that hangs above this year’s conference of parties or COP28. COP28 President-Designate, Dr Sultan Al Jaber literally did that in New York as the first COP president to ring the New York Stock Exchange bell to help raise awareness of climate finance in the US business community. Rachel Kelly has the latest in this week's Eco Money.