The Afternoon Update with Lynlee Foo

Earlier this month marked the one-year anniversary of Terra LUNA's collapse. Despite that and other fallouts since then, more than 40 percent of Singaporean investors are still holding onto crypto. Why is that the case? What are other investment trends capturing the market, and how will Ethereum yield solidify its position as the prevailing risk-free rate in the crypto industry? On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Chen Zhuling, Founder and CEO of RockX, to find out more.

Singapore Airlines this week unveiled record revenue and profit numbers for the current financial year, buoyed by record passenger loads. On Market Wrap, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Geoff Howie, Strategist at the SGX, to discuss the carrier's blockbuster results, as well as other key market movers, trade volumes and the latest on US debt ceiling talks.

The latest report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations - showed that its Food Price Index rose by 0.6% month on month in April. Now this might not sound like much, but -  this marks the first increase in the FFPI since March 2022, when prices rose by 13.1% on month  in the wake of Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.  In terms of the constituent groupings, the increase was driven by a 1.3% m-o-m rise in meat prices and a 17.6% m-o-m rise in the price of sugar. To help us understand what’s driving these costs and what this means for other commodity prices Rachel Kelly spoke with Matthew Biggin, Commodity Analyst at Fitch Solutions. 

Recent banking collapses and rescue deals have re-ignited US recession risks.  As a result, the US Federal Reserve may need to keep policy rates stable for longer than expected, leaving equity markets susceptible to high volatility. So has this opened the door to opportunities in fixed income markets? On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Carol Lye, Associate Portfolio Manager & Senior Research Analyst at BrandywineGlobal Investment Management to find out more. 

The US dollar has rebounded amid US debt ceiling talks. But what could trigger the greenback to decline again? Analysts say there are a number of factors behind the dollar's recent strength, including concerns about US inflation and safe-haven buying. These concerns are driven by fears about the debt ceiling standoff and global economic growth, as well as more hawkish rhetoric from Fed officials. On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Lim Jun Kit, Strategist at Phillip Nova to find out more. 

After a historic month of March, April appeared to be much quieter for investors, whose attention was once again focused on earnings and the future of the economy in an environment of tightening credit conditions.  And in recent weeks, the US debt ceiling is a major subject of concern for investors. So how has that moved markets so far?  Could we expect a liquidity crunch? On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Laurent Lequeu, Head of Portfolio Management & Research at Lumen Capital Investors to find out more.

With the continuous rate hikes from the US Fed added with the recent banking crisis, financial markets have fallen into more uncertainty.  So how should investors be better positioning themselves for better returns?   And what’s the outlook for global equities?  On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Michael Kelly, Global Head of Multi-Asset, PineBridge Investments to find out more.  Highlights: 02:13 - Would a potential pause in rate hikes help ease the banking turmoil?  02:55 - Should investors still be looking into adding banking shares into their portfolios? 03:54 - If the US Fed pauses rate hikes, can the US avert a recession?  06:02 - How should investors readjust their portfolios to prepare for a possible recession? 06:47 - What is your current outlook for global markets? 

Recently, Standard Chartered had said top cryptocurrency bitcoin could reach $100,000 by the end of 2024, adding that the so-called "crypto winter" is over. So how has Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies been faring so far? And can Bitcoin really reach $100,000 by the end of 2024 as earlier said by Standard Chartered? On Money in the Market, Sean Cheong speaks to Chew Min Wei, Partner at Arcane Group to find out more. 

On The Afternoon Update, Sean Cheong speaks to Geoff Howie, Market Strategists from the SGX for a wrap of markets for the week. They discuss how the STI performed in the past week; the biggest movers; UOB earnings; the latest US inflation data and what that means for the US Fed; and what investors should look out for in the week ahead. 

With the current uncertainty adding to volatility in global financial markets, more investors are looking for alternative ways to manage their investment portfolios.  Instead of investing in stocks, bonds and REITS, retail investors can now also tap into private markets and gain access to institutional-grade curated investment opportunities.  These investments are apparently now accessible for retail investors through asset tokenisation.  On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Rachel Chia, Acting CEO, SDAX to find out more. Highlights: 01:04 - Current state of private markets compared to public markets 03:23 - What type of unique opportunities do private markets offer? 05:42 - Why do investors prefer to invest in private markets? 07:28 - How can retail investors tap into private markets? 08:40 - What are asset tokenisations?