Money Matters with Hongbin Jeong and Chua Tian Tian

On What’s Trending, Singapore has blocked 10 websites linked to foreign actors that could potentially be used to carry out disinformation campaigns against Singapore. Also trending, a super-thin skyscraper, which will just be one apartment wide, is being planned for Dubai.

Singapore shares began the day trading in negative territory, extending overnight losses in markets abroad. In early trade, the Straits Times Index (STI) was down 0.5 per cent at 3,596.62 points after 57 million securities changed hands in the broader market.  In terms of companies to watch, we have Seatrium, after the offshore and marine specialist said it secured S$100 million worth of contracts for repairs and upgrades set to be completed by the first quarter of 2025.  Elsewhere, from comments by top Federal Reserve officials suggesting they would like to see a slower pace of rate cuts, to expectations ahead of earnings out this week, more international and corporate headlines are in focus today. On Market View, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian unpacked the developments with Audrey Ho, Investment Counselor, Citigold Private Client, Citibank Singapore.

Marvel actor Simu Liu accused a Canadian drink business of cultural appropriation. That’s after the company pitched a convenient and healthier canned version of boba tea on Dragons’ Den, without acknowledging the origins of bubble tea. But to what extent is it considered cultural appropriation? Hongbin Jeong spills the tea. 

Chipmakers take the centre stage today as we speak to a high performance and adaptive computing leader that is at the forefront of powering generative artificial intelligence.  Founded in 1969 as a Silicon Valley startup, our guest for today is fabless chipmaker and chip designer Advanced Micro Devices or AMD.  The company had driven innovation in high performance computing, graphics and visualisation technologies for over half a century. It currently serves billions of people and leads Fortune 500 companies and scientific research innovations in improving the way people work, live and play.  Now, AMD is a company to watch particularly at this moment in time where we see a rush by global big techs to invest in generative AI infrastructure.  In particular, a Forbes article noted that global big techs spent over US$150 billion in capital expenditure on AI infrastructure for the past year dating from August 2024.  The massive spending raises questions as to how exactly generative AI would augment our daily lives and how big techs can generate returns on the massive spending.  That also means questions as to and whether the demand for generative AI solutions can continue to bolster demand for AI chips at the likes of AMD into the longer term.  At the same time, media reports out in September 2024 cited remarks by AMD CEO Lisa Su where she believes that graphic processing units may not be the architecture of choice for firms working on AI in the next five years.  Su noted that there would be a broadening beyond GPUs in the form of custom AI chips. But what does it mean for AMD in terms of its product offerings and how it is positioning itself for its next bound of growth?  On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Peter Chambers, Managing Director, Sales, APAC & Country Manager, Australia, AMD.

Eileen Tan is the Director and Founder of The Little Academy Pte Ltd, where she’s dedicated to transforming the educational experience. With over a decade of teaching experience, Eileen’s mission is to make learning enjoyable and meaningful for students, helping them build a strong literacy foundation through creative expression and real-life connections. Her passion for education goes beyond the classroom—she’s focused on changing the traditional mindset and creating an environment where students are inspired, motivated, and empowered to find purpose in their learning journey. On R.I.C.H., Hongbin Jeong speaks to Eileen Tan, Director & Founder, The Little Academy Pte Ltd, to share more. Presented by: Hongbin Jeong Produced and Edited by: Alexandra Parada (alexparada@sph.com.sg) Want to get featured on our show? Drop me an email today!

On What’s Trending today, McDonald’s makes it clear that it isn’t endorsing Trump after the drive-thru visit, but instead shows that they open their doors to everyone. Also trending, humanity’s long-standing love affair with carbs may predate our existence as a species, according to a new study.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk says he will give away $1 million a day to a registered voter in the key swing state of Pennsylvania. One million dollars per day, till the US presidential election in November. But will this sway voters? And is this even legal? Hongbin Jeong spills the tea. 

Does it really take a village to build an athlete? Singaporean golfing sensation Shannon Tan, who recently competed in the 2024 Paris olympics, and Albert Chiu, executive chairman of the EFG Bank in Asia join Sports Minutes to discuss the partnerships that power athletes from grassroots to grand slams. Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! raushan@sph.com.sg

Singapore shares began the day trading nearly flat despite weekend gains in markets abroad.   In early trade, the Straits Times Index (STI) dipped 0.04 per cent to 3,638.6 points after 40.1 million securities changed hands in the broader market.  In terms of companies to watch, we have City Developments Ltd, after the developer said late yesterday that its residential project Norwood Grand sold 292 or 84 per cent of its 348 units over its launch weekend at an average selling price of S$2,067 per square foot.  Elsewhere, from Bitcoin pushing higher today amid a spurt of inflows into exchange-traded funds (ETFs) for the largest digital asset as well as optimism about the outlook for US regulations to earnings to watch out for in the US and Singapore this week, more international and corporate headlines remain in focus. On Market View, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian unpacked the developments with David Kuo, Co-founder, The Smart Investor.

Sophie Leung is an award-winning somatic trauma-informed wellness coach who specialises in helping individuals and organisations transform their mental well-being. With a background in the corporate world, Sophie experienced firsthand the challenges of burnout, anxiety, and self-sabotage. Drawing from her own journey, she created the Core Confidence Mastery™ system, a powerful blend of trauma-informed coaching, hypnotherapy, and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), designed to help people reconnect with their core selves and achieve lasting success. On R.I.C.H., Hongbin Jeong speaks to Sophie Leung, Somatic Trauma Informed Coach and Founder, Sophie Leung Co, to find out more. Presented by: Hongbin Jeong Produced and Edited by: Alexandra Parada (alexparada@sph.com.sg) Want to get featured on our show? Drop me an email today!