The Afternoon Update with Lynlee Foo

The healthcare industry is responsible for 4.4% of global CO2 emissions. That may not sound like a lot, but to put things in perspective, if it were a country, it would be the fifth largest emitter on the planet. According to a report released by Health Care Without Harm and independent sustainability consultancy, Arup, the  top three emitters, the United States, China, and collectively the countries of the European Union, comprise more than half the world’s total health care climate footprint (56%)- with hospitals and health facilities being major resource and energy consumers. In this episode of Eco Money, Rachel Kelly speaks with Simarna Singh, Regional Sustainability Manager, Business Unit Healthcare for APAC at DKSH, a healthcare services and distribution company, to find out more. 

Major central banks are eyeing the end of aggressive interest rate hikes as price pressures finally show signs of abating. And equity markets are continuing to digest last week’s moves from the US Fed, the ECB and the BOJ. So take a closer look at whether we can experience some further momentum in markets and to find out what headwinds still remain, on Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Gary Dugan, CIO of Dalma Capital.

The market has continued to see optimism with the month of July seeing a new twist on the blistering stock market gains seen in the first half of the year. The tech sector in particular powered the markets rally through in the first half. But in recent weeks - one of the biggest concerns - is whether or not the rally has become too concentrated. Will this market rally continue? Or are there headwinds that we have to be cautious about? On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Mabrouk Chetouane, Head of Global Market Strategy, Solutions, International at Natixis Investment Managers, to find out more.  Highlights: 01:11 - Market conditions in the first half of the year 02:40 - Is a recession still on the table?  06:00 - With inflation easing, can we now sit back and relax?  08:10 - How should investors allocate their assets to mitigate risks? 09:47 - Will the current stock market rally cool? 

Bitcoin seems to be trading at a tight range, hovering around the $30,000 level at the moment. Earlier this year, some analysts have forecasted that the cryptocurrency may even reach well over the $100,000-mark. But with the crypto rally we saw in the beginning of the year at a halt, is that still possible? On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Suvashree Ghosh, Crypto Currency Reporter for APAC with Bloomberg, to find out more. 

Singapore-based Alora paints claims to be the country’s first carbon neutral certified paint. But what does that mean for consumers? And what do you need to know when it comes to sustainable paints? In this episode of Eco Money, Rachel Kelly speaks with Alora Paints Chief Executive Officer, Adrian Kok.

Japan’s economic outlook looks to be one of the most optimistic among the major economies this year and the next, driven by the country’s reopening from the pandemic, strong export growth due to a weak Japanese yen and a stimulative monetary policy maintained by the Bank of Japan. In fact - the Japanese stock market has seen a strong rally so far this year, which has driven the Topix to its highest level in more than three decades. Meanwhile, The Bank of Japan has loosened its grip on bond yields in Governor Kazuo Ueda’s first surprise move since taking the helm, a step that will likely spur talk of potential policy normalization to come.. So What’s next for Japanese equities? On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Aaron Chwee, Head of Wealth Advisory, OCBC Bank to find out why Japanese equities are so attractive right now. 

On The Afternoon Update, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Geoff Howie, Market Strategist at the SGX, for a market wrap the week. They discuss how the STI performed in the past week; the biggest movers; earnings results from S-Reits; UOB earnings and what to expect from DBS and OCBC next week; Singapore inflation numbers; and what to look out for next week.

Sustainable travel is a key trend for the business and leisure industry. According to a report by our Expedia Group Media Solutions team highlighted that 90% of consumers look for sustainable options when traveling, though 70% feel overwhelmed navigating available options and on starting the process of becoming a more sustainable traveler. To find out more, Rachel Kelly spoke to Aditi Mohapatra, VP of Global Social Impact and Sustainability at Expedia on eco travel trends,  and Timothy Go on his sustainable hotel entrepreneurial journey.

As widely expected, the US Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 25 basis points to further fight inflation, bringing an end to a brief pause to rate hikes last month. The change brings borrowing costs to a 22-year high range of 5.25 percent to 5.5 percent.  While this hike was largely expected, markets had been hoping this would be the last hike for the year.  So did Jerome Powell signal that there will no longer be any more rate hikes?  To find out more, on Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Sani Hamid, Director for Wealth Management, Financial Alliance. Highlights: 01:16 - What does the 25 basis point hike mean for the US economy? 02:12 - Was Jerome Powell's speech dovish or hawkish? 04:26 - Was this the last rate hike? 10:00 - Going forward can we expect more or less volatility in markets? 11:26 - How should investors then allocate their assets post-US Fed decision?

The US Dollar started the new week on a bullish note after having outperformed its major rivals in the previous week. And with just a couple of hours ahead of the next US Fed interest rate decision, what’s keeping the dollar steady? What can we expect from the US dollar post-decision? On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Lim Jun Kit, Strategist at Phillip Nova,to find out more.