The Afternoon Update with Lynlee Foo

Over the weekend, the Chinese central government said that there is room to increase debt and the deficit, and that more stimulus is on the way. The comments come against a backdrop of a series of measures unveiled in recent weeks that have included interest rate cuts and liquidity injections for banks, all aimed at kick-starting China's dragging economy. Gary Ng, Senior Economist at Natixis, shares more about the highly anticipated briefing on fiscal policy that was light on specifics.  

World Mental Health Day is observed on October 10 every year. This year’s official theme, “It is Time to Prioritise Mental Health in the Workplace,” highlights the importance of fostering supportive work environments. There have been efforts to promote positive mental health at the workplace such as offering access to counselling, mental health days, and employee wellness schemes to support overall wellbeing. While such initiatives are a step in the right direction, a new survey brought to light that nearly half of Singapore employers are hesitant to hire staff with mental health conditions. Dr. Oliver Suendermann, Vice President, Clinical atmental health technology company Intellect weighs in on the findings of the survey the company jointly conducted with ASEAN Human Development Organisation. He also discusses what leaders should do beyond providing mental health resources at the workplace.

Musical theatre has been a popular form of entertainment for centuries, and with advances in technology, new possibilities are emerging for live entertainment providers to enhance the theatrical experience.  As the world of musical theatre continues to evolve, we look at trends in the business of  international theatre productions in Singapore and the region. Entertainment industry veteran Chantal Prudhomme, who is Chief Executive Officer of production company Base Entertainment Asia, shares her experience and the changes in musical theatre.

Schneider Electric, a global leader in energy management and automation, is recognised by Time Magazine as the “World’s Most Sustainable Company” in 2024 and is part of Dow Jones’ Sustainability World Index for 13 years in a row. How are tech leaders like Schneider Electric supporting digitalisation efforts to accelerate growth towards achieving sustainability goals?  Yoon Young Kim, Cluster President for Singapore and Brunei at Schneider Electric shared his insights and talked about the company’s role in bridging the green gap and the ways it is helping companies enhance energy efficiency and sustainability.

The S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average have reached record highs, as technology stocks powered higher and investors shook off geopolitical concerns. The S&P 500 rallied 0.71% to end at 5,792 after notching an all-time high, while the Nasdaq Composite added 0.6% to finish at 18,292. The 30-stock Dow surged 431.63 points, or 1%, to settle at 42,512.  How much higher could these three indexes go? Isaac Lim, Chief Market Strategistat investment platform moomoo, provides his analysis. 

The shipping industry, the backbone of international trade, is very carbon intensive. It is responsible for emitting close to 1 billion tonnes of greenhouse gasses per year, equivalent to the emissions of a G7 country like Germany or Japan. In September, Amogy, a New York-headquartered company focusing on ammonia-to-power solutions, has successfully demonstrated its technology on a maritime vessel for the first time.  Amogy retrofitted a 1957 tugboat with its ammonia-to-power fuel cell system. In what it says is a world first, Amogy's NH3 Kraken sailed on the Hudson River on carbon-free fuel for the first time. CEO and co-founder of Amogy, Seonghoon Woo, shares more about its proprietary technology, and why it is a significant step towards reducing global carbon emissions and moving the maritime industry closer to the International Maritime Organisation's target of net-zero emissions by 2050.   

Emissions have continued to slowly increase for equities. That’s according to the latest research from London Stock Exchange Group. This despite aggressive global decarbonisation targets. In its paper - Decarbonisation in portfolio benchmarks - LSEG aims to unlock key trends and  challenges of calculating portfolio emissions. To get the details, Rachel Kelly speaks to Jaakko Kooroshy, Global Head of Sustainable Investment Research at FTSE Russell 

In 2022, Singapore's digital economy contributed S$106 billion, or 17% of GDP.  According to McKinsey’s recent global survey, the adoption of generative AI has nearly doubled within a year, with 65% of organisations now using it regularly. While Gen AI is regarded as a catalyst driving transformative solutions and greater efficiency, how can companies reinvent roles and reshape the workforce to adapt to new technologies and drive future growth? More importantly, what does it really take to train an entire workforce to be fully conversant with Generative AI? Timothy Yap, Associate Partner, McKinsey & Company and Samantha Su, Director, Digital Transformation, Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) share more.

Southeast Asia’s vulnerability to climate impacts is a global concern, with the region on track to become the fourth-largest contributor to the world’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030. However, it risks losing about 14.1% of its GDP due to the negative effects climate change. Dr. Bicky Bhangu, President of the UN Global Compact Network Singapore, shares with views about how Singapore can leverage its position as a sustainability hub to accelerate sustainable development goals progress in the region.

The rally in Chinese markets lost steam today after a briefing from the country’s National Development and Reform Commission gave few details on further stimulus. Isaac Lim, Chief Market Strategist of investment platform moomoo Singapore, weighs in with a fundamental and technical analysis of the present Chinese markets rally.