The Evening Runway with Hongbin Jeong and Chua Tian Tian

Ukraine says Russia is preparing a major new offensive to coincide with the one-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine, and warned that it could begin as soon as 24 February. One year in, where does Ukraine currently stands, and what does Russia think of the war so far? And over in the United Kingdom, as many as half a million workers are striking as pay disputes escalate and the cost-of-living crisis continues. On Euro Watch, Drive Time's Elliot Danker and Timothy Go speak with David de Cremer, Provost Chair at National University of Singapore Business School for a deep dive into the key headlines out of Europe. 

Coffee is on the agenda for us today, with Starbucks Corporation set to unveil its results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2023 today.  According to Yahoo Finance, analysts are expecting an 8.6% on-year improvement in revenue, amid accelerating same store sales and unit growth, as well as a margin explosion.  Aside from the sales figures, it is also an exciting time for Starbucks in the US, with changes to its rewards programme and more. But what is the situation like for operations in Singapore, which is owned by Hong Kong-based Maxim’s Caterers?  How will Starbucks Singapore navigate issues surrounding its relationship with its customers, workers, and fellow industry players? On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian sat down with Patrick Kwok, General Manager of Starbucks Singapore for more.

The metaverse scene in Singapore is heating up, with major players, such as banks and telcos mobilising their massive capital to develop metaverse capabilities. That being said, while powerful companies make big shifts in the virtual space, how can investing in the metaverse help small businesses? On Culture Club, Drive Time's Elliot Danker and Timothy Go speak with Kriskay Choo, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Singaporean metaverse agency, CGAME to find out how they're providing metaverse-related solutions to small to medium-sized businesses and creators in Singapore. 

Today we look at the winners losers and questionable transfers on football deadline transfer day. Plus what should you look our for when choosing a personal trainer.

The Singapore Straits Times Index ended the first two days of the week in the negative territory. So what is the likelihood of the STI ending in the green, especially with the US Federal Reserve decision mid-week?  In terms of sectors to watch, a number of Reits have released their distribution per unit figures in January. Question is - how has the sector performed so far after falling 12% year-on-year amid economic headwinds, and what's the outlook ahead? On Market View, the Drive Time team spoke with  Jeff Ng, Senior Currency Analyst, MUFG  for more.

The digitalisation of trade finance looks for opportunities to bring technologies to the world of trade. It is also to reduce reliance on paper-based and manual processes and improve the customer experience.  Samir Neji, Founder, #dltledgers shares his views on why the trade finance scene is lagging behind when it comes to embrace digitalisation. 

From Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s one day visit to Singapore to the Myanmar junta preparing for elections. Dr. Felix Tan, Political Observer, Nanyang Technological University shares his analysis on those headlines and more. 

In our first episode of Under The Radar, we talk about REIT managers and what’s next as they put their FY 2022 earnings behind them. Our guest for today is from OUE Commercial Reit, which has a property portfolio  comprising approximately 2.2 million square feet of prime office and retail space, and 1,643 upper upscale hotel rooms in Singapore and Shanghai. The real estate investment trust company recently announced their earnings for FY 2022 earlier this week, where net property income increased some 8.6% on a yearly basis to S$103.3 million. And as the travel resumes and borders reopen, we want to find out what’s next for the company in 2023.  On Under The Radar, Prime Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian sat down with Han Khim Siew, CEO of Commercial Reit for more.

Imagine having spent one’s entire life - time and money - into building a business, with the assumption or hope that their children will want to inherit and keep the enterprise within the family, only to be surprised to learn their kids aren't interested in taking over the family business. What can businesses do - fold it up? There is another option and Prime Time's Timothy Go and Bharati Jagdish recently spoke with Daniel Lee, Senior Consultant, Nihon M&A Center Singapore on how succession planning can ensure the survival of your legacy and family business.

The US and China economies are in focus today with Federal Reserve officials set to meet later today to decide on their next monetary policy move. Observers are now expecting the Fed to raise interest rates by 25 basis points after the series of outsized hikes.  But when and at what point will the Fed pivot away from their hawkish stance?  In the meantime, earnings continue to drive stock movements with earnings from Mcdonalds and General Motors on deck for the day. To what extent can this batch of earning reports help investors gain clues on the state of the US economy? Back in Asia, China’s budget deficit jumped to a record 8.96 trillion yuan (S$1.7 trillion) last year to bolster its economy. But how would that change for 2023 as authorities dial back on their strict COVID-19 containment measures? On Market View, Prime Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian spoke with Oriano Lizza, Sales Trader at CMC Markets for more.