The Afternoon Update with Lynlee Foo

For the time being, the tug-of-war between bulls and bears remains centred on the trends in inflation, monetary policy, and the economy. After a challenging 2022, investors anticipated that 2023 will start on a similar tone but so far this year, financial markets have benefited from the conjunction of miracles which have prompted investors to discount that we are once again in a ‘’Goldilocks’’ environment. On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Laurent Lequeu, Head of Portfolio Management & Research at Lumen Capital Investors to find out more on what a ‘’Goldilocks’’ environment is and what miracles are keeping this “Goldilocks” dream alive.

On The Afternoon Update, Geoff Howie, Market Strategist at the SGX, joins Hongbin Jeong for a wrap of markets for the week; including how the STI performed; the biggest movers of the week; UOB and OCBC earnings; what the FOMC minutes is signally; as well as what to look out for in the week ahead. 

The Singapore dollar has outperformed nearly all Group-of-10 currencies so far this year. But investors seem to be returning to placing bearish bets on all Asian currencies - including the Singdollar -  shortly after on the increasing likelihood that the U.S. Federal Reserve would continue hiking rates for longer, helping the dollar regain its lost momentum. On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Peter Chia, Senior FX Strategist at UOB, to find out more.

Singapore’s inflation rose across the board in January, but came in slightly under economist estimates. Consumer prices in Singapore rose at a faster pace in the first month of 2023, pushed up by Chinese New Year buying and the higher goods and services tax that had just kicked in. Headline consumer price index (CPI), or overall inflation, also edged up, on the back of higher  accommodation inflation. On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Selena Ling, Head of Treasury Research & Strategy at OCBC Bank to find out what these figures mean for consumers and markets.

With the faster-than expected reopening of China, both stock markets and commodity markets rallied. But it seems like that reopening rally is fizzling out in stock markets. But how are commodity markets performing? Are they still benefiting from the reopening? On Money in the Market, The Afternoon Update’s Hongbin Jeong speaks to Priyanka Sachdeva, market analyst at Phillip Nova, to find out more.

Against a backdrop of extraordinary market conditions and ongoing global challenges, environmental, social and governance issues remain a key focus for companies and investors. So what are some of the trends when it comes to sustainability investing? What are some specific sectors we should be looking out for? On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Thomas Hohne-Sparborth,  Head of Sustainability Research at Lombard Odier Investment Managers to find out more.

Kazuo Ueda has been nominated as the new governor of the Bank of Japan, succeeding Haruhiko Kuroda in April. The question remains whether he will stick to Japan’s ultra-loose policy. He’s already been dubbed neither as dove nor a hawk, but an owl. What does that mean? What will be his stance on monetary policy? Will he change course? And what’s next for the Japanese yen? On Money in the Market, The Afternoon Update's Hongbin Jeong speaks to Ruth Carson, Senior Reporter for FX & Rates at Bloomberg to find out more.  Highlights: 00:57 - Who is Kazuo Ueda?  03:09 - How has the Japanese yen reacted to Ueda's nomination?  03:50 - What does his nomination mean for Japanese yen bulls?  04:57 - What's the outlook like for the Japanese yen under Ueda's leadership?  08:10 - What are the challenges that remain for Ueda when he takes the top seat? 

This week - we’ve seen a lot happening, with Singapore’s GDP numbers kicking off the week, and of course the long awaited Valentine’s Day gift from Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Mr Lawrence Wong- The Budget 2023 announcement. So how did the STI perform this week amid this backdrop? Who were the biggest movers? To give us a market wrap of the week, Candace Li, Research Analysts from the SGX joins Hongbin Jeong for more. 

TikTok’s e-commerce foray has made serious inroads in ASEAN. But what does this mean for the incumbents GoTo, Sea and Lazada? On Money in the Market, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Nirgunan Tiruchelvam, Head of Consumer and Internet at Alētheia Capital, and the author of the book "Investing In The COVID Era", to find out more.

Some experts say investors may be able to benefit from leaning towards private markets for better future returns instead of sticking to the traditional 60:40 portfolio this year. On Money in the Market, The Afternoon Update's Hongbin Jeong speaks to David Z Wang, CEO of Helicap, to find out whether there are opportunities in private markets that offer institutional investors to tap into untapped markets with higher expected growth.