The Afternoon Update with Lynlee Foo

Listed companies are on a path to warm the planet by 2.7° above preindustrial levels this century. That’s according to the latest MSCI Net-Zero Tracker. The number is well above  limiting the rise in average global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius  above preindustrial levels. And while climate goals by listcos may be on the rise, so are emissions.  Rachel Kelly speaks to Sylvain Vanston, Executive Director, Climate Change Investment Research, MSCI to find out why.

The US dollar nudged lower, pulling back from six-month peaks against the yen, following news of a U.S. debt ceiling deal, which lifted risk appetite across world markets and dented the greenback's safe-haven appeal. What does that signal? The Nikkei, meanwhile, closed at a fresh 33-year high on Monday. How has the Japanese yen reacted to this? Hongbin Jeong speaks to Peter Chia, Senior FX Strategist at UOB, to find out more. Highlights:  01:06 - US dollar nudges lower after tentative deal - what does that signal? 03:07 - Will a weaker dollar tip some emerging economies into debt or political crises? 03:59 - Could dollar instability also benefit rivals such as China? 05:14 - How has the Japanese yen reacted to the Nikkei hitting fresh 33-year high? 07:04 - Will the nature of the debt ceiling deal that’s expected to be signed on Wednesday impact Forex markets?

White House and Republican negotiators have reached a tentative deal to raise the US debt ceiling and avert a default that threatened to send tremors through the global economy. The bill has been lined up for a vote on Wednesday. How are Asian markets reacting to this news? Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned, though, that an extension must be finalised by June 5 to avoid a historic default that would send borrowing costs soaring. What would the worst-case scenario would be if that happens? Hongbin Jeong speaks to Sani Hamid, Director for Wealth Management, Financial Alliance, to find out more.

Asian high-yield bonds were one of the most downtrodden sectors from 2022, but they’ve surged by around 30 per cent since November 2022 earlier this year. So what's the outlook for the Asian credit market for the remainder of 2023? And what competitive edge do Asian corporate bonds hold that make them more attractive? On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Henry Loh, Head of Asian Credit at abrdn, to find out more. 

Nvidia is within touching distance of $1 trillion market value — poised to become only the ninth firm ever to hit that milestone — as the artificial intelligence frenzy boosts demand for processors that can accelerate computing. The chipmaker would become the fifth publicly traded U.S. company to be currently worth $1 trillion. Apple created the club in 2018, while Microsoft, Alphabet and Amazon also now hold the distinction. On Market Wrap, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Geoff Howie, Strategist at the SGX, to dissect Nvidia's stock surge, other key market movers, Singapore's latest inflation and GDP numbers, and US debt ceiling talks.

China has been boasting strong economic growth since the removal of its Zero Covid policy. But concerns remain among investors over the strength of China’s economic recovery, as the combination of strong post-reopening economic data and sluggish stock-market returns proves perplexing. So is there room to grow for Chinese markets later in the year? And what are some of the investment trends when it comes to investing in the Chinese market?  On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Thomas Rupf, CIO Asia & Head of Trading Execution, VP Bank Ltd Singapore Branch to find out more. 

Singapore aims to reach net zero by 2050. And, according to some industry players - more needs to be done to reach climate goals. A survey of members of the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore revealed that more than two thirds (72%) of respondents believe that Singapore isn’t making fast enough progress on its net zero targets. In this week's episode of Eco Money, Rachel Kelly speaks to Kavita Gandhi, Executive Director, SEAS to find out more. 

According to TD Ameritrade Singapore’s latest report on its Singapore Investor Movement Index, which tracks what investors were actually doing and how they were positioned in the markets, Singapore investors had increased exposure during the April period, but that was unlike the overall TD Ameritrade client population.  In fact, Singaporean investors were net sellers of equities. On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to AJ Kahling, Head of International Education at TD Ameritrade, to find out more.  Highlights: 02:32 - What were the key themes that moved markets in April?  05:55 - How were Singaporean investors positioned in April?  07:55 - What stocks did more people sell? 09:42 - What was the investors sentiment like amongst Singaporeans? 10:42 - What kind of risks remain in the market this month? 

Global gold demand was down by as much as 13 percent year-on-year in Q1, with consumer demand in Singapore alone dipping by 20 percent year-on-year.  But despite the fall, the Monetary Authority of Singapore was still the single largest buyer during the quarter? Why was this the case, and what is the outlook on gold investment for the remainder of the year? On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Shaokai Fan, Head of Asia-Pacific (ex-China) & Global Head of Central Banks,World Gold Council, to find out more. 

Earlier this month, digital media giant Vice Media, once valued at nearly US$6 billion, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.  Vice was one of seven large companies that filed for Chapter 11 in less than 48 hours, the largest number on record during a two-day period since 2008. So is the problem simply just down to aggressive debt accumulation during the low-interest-rate era, or is it more layered? On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Finbarr Flynn, Editor Asia Credit at Bloomberg News, to find out more.