Money Matters with Hongbin Jeong and Chua Tian Tian

China is experiencing a surge in infections of a respiratory virus, leading to public concerns about an outbreak. The virus, identified as human metapneumovirus or HMPV, has seen cases spiking across northern Chinese provinces this winter, particularly among children. India, Malaysia and Kazakhstan are also among other countries that have also reported cases of this virus. How does HMPV compare to COVID-19 and how can we protect ourselves? On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks with Professor Dale Fisher, Director, Centre for Infectious Disease Emergency Response at NUS to find out.   

Investment in precious metals is seen as a protection from enduring inflation, shifts in the prevailing market and economic recession and sustainably helps wealth creation in the run.  Precious metals hit record highs in 2024 as detailed in the World Bank's Commodity Markets Outlook.  So can this bullish momentum continue to build for Gold, Silver, Platinum? What’s the outlook like for these precious metals in 2025?  On Wealth Tracker, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Kon How, Founder, Weipedia Pte Ltd, to find out more.   

Singapore shares began trading in the positive territory today as overseas markets closed mixed. In early trade, the Straits Times Index (STI) was up 0.1 per cent at 3,826.88 points after 32.6 million securities changed hands in the broader market.  In terms of companies to watch today, we have The Straits Trading Company, after the investment firm launched the second series of its three-month commercial paper in digital securities on Singapore’s Digital Assets Exchange.  Elsewhere, from Tencent Singapore Depository Receipts falling nearly 7 per cent this morning to what we should know about the keynote speech by Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang at the CES 2025 yesterday – more corporate and international headlines remain in focus. On Market View, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian unpacked the developments with Dan Chang, Investment Specialist and Trading Representative, PhillipCapital.

In a perfect world as an entrepreneur, you kick off your startup with your best friend or build your empire with your significant other. But more often than not, finding a co-founder is not that simple. What if there was a solution to this problem? Hazim Mohamad founded a Tinder-like app to find a co-founder for your next business. CoffeeSpace is a ‘matchmaking’ platform to connect more founders with their potential co-founders, team members or even investors via online networking. On Th Right Business, Hongbin Jeong speaks with Hazim Mohamad, Co-Founder, CoffeePlace to find out more.   

We’re going to start the year by looking at a global consultancy firm that helps the world’s most ambitious change makers define the future.  Founded in 1973, our guest Bain & Company works with clients from across 65 cities to solve industry-defining challenges in strategy, marketing, organisation, operations, digital transformation, corporate finance and even more.  The firm said it serves over 64 per cent of the Global 500, private equity funds representing 75 per cent of global equity capital, as well as leading nonprofits and startups.  It prides itself on working with an insurgent mindset, delivering integrated solutions and providing a uniquely collaborative culture. But how does the firm break down such flowery phrases into standardised service offerings that can be replicated for different clients?  At the same time, Bain & Company also boasts an interdisciplinary capability called Future Sensing, which helps interpret signals within a host of emerging trends to provide insights for firms to navigate turbulence, maximise opportunities and reduce risks. It also identified key priorities for CEOs to monitor in today’s volatile and uncertain environment. Some of these priorities include (1) Understanding the power and peril of artificial intelligence, (2) Rehumanising work, and (3) Waving goodbye to the invisible hand.  But how is Bain & Company helping its clients manage these priorities and how much money is in it for the consulting giant to double down on its work in these areas? Meanwhile, Bain & Company also appeared to be big on generative AI, having found that the market for AI products and services could reach up to US$990 billion by 2027.  It had in October announced an expanded partnership with OpenAI to accelerate transformative impact in the world’s top companies. But what should we know about the partnership, and how will generative AI augment the role played by traditional consulting firms? On Under the Radar, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Edmund Lin, Chairman of Southeast Asia, Bain & Company.

Wall Street investors entered each of the past two years brimming with optimism about U.S. Treasurys and other types of high-quality debt. Each time, they were disappointed. While it was a disappointment in the US - what about Singapore’s bond market? How have local bonds fared over the past few years? What's the outlook for Singapore's bond market in 2025? On Wealth Tracker, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Rachana Mehta, the Regional Co-Head of Fixed Income at Maybank Asset Management, to find out more.

Singapore shares began the day trading in positive territory as overseas markets closed a holiday-shortened week mixed with anticipation for the incoming Donald Trump administration. In early trade, the Straits Times Index (STI) was up 0.5 per cent at 3,819.13 points after 58.5 million securities changed hands in the broader market. In terms of companies to watch, we have Mapletree Logistics Trust after the REIT’s manager said it is divesting a property in Malaysia for RM31.5 million (S$9.6 million) or 31.3 per cent above value.  Elsewhere, from interest in the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone to Asian currencies falling to a two decade low against the US dollar, more local and international headlines remain in focus.  Also on deck, what to expect ahead of the release of November's US JOLTS jobs report tomorrow night.     On Market View, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian unpacked the developments with Chin Hui Leong, Co-founder, The Smart Investor.

Mortgage loan refinancing and repricing activity by private home owners and Housing Board flat owners picked up significantly in 2024 after fixed mortgage loan rates fell below 3 per cent from the second quarter. Following the US Federal Reserve’s successive rate cuts fromSeptember 2024, local banks told The Straits Times that they saw a more pronounced increase in mortgage loan refinancing and repricing transactions. But the question remains: Will mortgage interest rates in Singapore continue to come down in 2025? And what does that mean for homeowners? On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks with Clive Chng, Associate Director, Redbrick Mortgage Advisor.to find out more.   

Businesses are often faced with challenges that traditional tools and approaches struggle to address.  From the need to understand customer behaviour in real-time to optimising operational efficiency across sectors, organisations are seeking innovative solutions to stay competitive. This is where Trakomatic steps in. A pioneer in AI-driven video and sensor analytics, Trakomatic transforms how businesses and organisations operate by turning data into actionable insights. On The Right Business, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Ravich, Co-Founder and CTO of Trakomatic 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!

When should you start saving? For many, saving early is the key to building wealth and securing a comfortable future. For others, it’s about timing—balancing saving with immediate needs and quality of life. While many Singaporeans, especially millennials and Gen Z, feel confident about achieving retirement goals, most underestimate the funds required. So, is early saving the best way to secure your future? Or should other financial priorities take precedence? Hongbin Jeong speaks to Raymond Tan, Head of Wealth Management and Preferred Banking at CIMB Singapore, and Michele Ferrario, Co-Founder and CEO of StashAway to find out more.