Breakfast with Ryan Huang, Emaad Akhtar and Audrey Siek

In this morning's The Breakfast Brief, we discuss the positive close out in the US stock market last week despite a sharp move higher in bond yields, Singapore's easing of Covid-19 curbs, what to expect from the upcoming OPEC+ virtual meeting happening this coming Thursday, and more. 

Synopsis: This podcast series is based on selected chapters from a book, detailing Singapore’s experience battling the Covid-19 pandemic. The book - written by journalists of The Straits Times and edited by ST’s executive editor Sumiko Tan - is titled In This Together: Singapore's Covid-19 Story and is available in major bookstores now. Details online: https://www.stbooks.sg/ In this second episode of six instalments, ST's health correspondent Timothy Goh tells the story of how Singapore secretly and quickly despatched individuals and teams overseas from late January 2020, to procure masks and other essential items in the early days of the pandemic. He reveals how Singapore managed to bring home full-scaled mask-production capabilities on the quiet. Highlights (click/tap above): (Headphones recommended) 01:25 Mr Jayakumar Manickam: Managing logistics for ST Logistics in Singapore one day, flying to India secretly the next day to secure a large shipment of masks in India for the Singapore Government 06:20 Mr Chan Chun Sing, who was Minister for Trade and Industry till May 2021, on the calculations for managing Singapore's existing stockpile of masks 07:15 Panic-buying; modern-day mask piracy even on the tarmac in various countries 08:25 Mr Gabriel Lim, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, on the "Wild Wild West-styled" global mask-buying frenzy 08:55 How Singapore quietly made plans to manufacture its own surgical masks with ST Engineering bringing back its machines, stuck in Taiwan, after an export ban on masks there 10:00 ST Engineering’s Gareth Tang on overseeing the operation 15:15 Catching up with ST Logistics’ Lian Yong De in 2022, on the made-in-Singapore mask industry, and Mr Gabriel Lim, on Singapore's capabilities in the face of the possible next big virus variant In This Together: Singapore's Covid-19 Story retails for $28 (with GST) at major bookstores. It is also available on the Straits Times Press website: https://www.stbooks.sg/ Episode 3 will be out next on April 18, and you can find out the inner workings of Singapore’s Covid-19 War Room. Listen to Ep 1 on how 24 people saved one life: https://str.sg/wuJa Produced by: Timothy Goh (timgoh@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis and Hadyu Rahim Edited by: Hadyu Rahim Follow Singapore's War On Covid podcast series here: Channel: https://str.sg/wuJa Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/wu3n Spotify: https://str.sg/wuJy SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/ Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg Read Timothy Goh's stories: https://str.sg/wnaH --- Discover more ST podcast channels: All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7 The Usual Place: https://str.sg/wEr7u In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt COE Watch: https://str.sg/iTtE Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7 Health Check: https://str.sg/JWaN Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m Hard Tackle: https://str.sg/JWRE #PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad Music Lab: https://str.sg/w9TX --- ST Podcast website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts ST Podcasts YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa --- Special edition series: True Crimes Of Asia (6 eps): https://str.sg/i44T The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuZ2 Invisible Asia (9 eps): https://str.sg/wuZn Stop Scams (10 eps): https://str.sg/wuZB Singapore's War On Covid (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuJa --- Get The Straits Times' app, which has a dedicated podcast player section: The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX #stcovidbook

Asheesh Chanda, founder and CEO, Kristal, discusses how further easing of COVID-19 restrictions will help Singapore's economy and markets, as well as how investors should position themselves as sanctions on Russia intensify. 

HappyFresh recently launched “HappyFresh Supermarket”, extending fresh grocery accessibility to underserved and unserved consumers by significantly growing its dark store presence in the region, specifically in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. Guillem Segarra, CEO, HappyFresh joins us this morning to discuss the opportunities and challenges faced introducing e-grocery into Southeast Asia, and what it means to adopt a 'dark store concept'. 

Compared to the past two years, more positivity is expected in 2022 as the economy picks up, the job market warms up and wages go up. All these are good news for millennials who have languished in an uncertain economy since the pandemic started. David Fergusson, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Hugo shares how millennials in Singapore generally fare when it comes to their financial health and how a millennial should invest to ensure they have funds for retirement. 

Endemic is here for Singapore! And in a national address on March 24, PM Lee Hsien Loong announced the relaxation of Singapore's Covid-19 safe management measures. Song Seng Wun, Economist, CIMB Private Banking discuss more about the business sectors that are expected to benefit the most out of these announcements and what these new sets of measures will mean for Singapore's economic outlook. 

In this morning's The Breakfast Brief, we discuss the new package of sanctions imposed on Russian elites, lawmakers and defense companies by the US, the G7's announcement of a restriction on the Russian Central Bank's use of gold in transaction, and Singapore's major easing of Covid-19 pandemic measures. 

Synopsis: Each month, The Straits Times' US Bureau Chief Nirmal Ghosh presents an Asian perspective of the biggest global talking points with expert guests. In this episode, Nirmal Ghosh hosts three guests to discuss the global ramifications of the war in Ukraine. Yun Sun is a Senior Fellow and co-director of the East Asia Program and director of the China Program at the Stimson Center in Washington DC. Curtis Chin is a Milken Institute Asia Fellow, and former US ambassador to the Asian Development Bank. Simon Tay is chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs and Associate Professor of Law at the National University of Singapore (NUS). He is also Singapore's ambassador to Greece on a non-residential basis.  Highlights (click/tap above): 02:02 Simon Tay on how there might be a misreading of China's more nuanced stance on Russia 05:03 Curtis Chin on Asean's mixed reactions to the Ukraine war, and why the US needs to engage South-east Asia beyond just military security 10:26 Yun Sun on why a quick change of China's position on Russia is unlikely, as President Xi Jinping considers many external and internal factors 13:05 Simon Tay on Asean votes on the Ukraine war at the United Nations' General Assembly; Curtis Chin on countries balancing between their dependencies on Russia and doing what's best for their own citizens 18:22 Yun Sun says China may seriously reconsider any intentions on Taiwan as the Ukraine invasion has shown the extreme global cost of such actions Produced by: Nirmal Ghosh (nirmal@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis and Fa'izah Sani Edited by: Fa'izah Sani & Teo Tong Kai Subscribe to the Asian Insider Podcast channel and rate us on your favourite audio apps: Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7 Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8 Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/wQsB Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/ Websites: https://www.moneyfm893.sg/ http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg Follow Nirmal Ghosh on Twitter: https://str.sg/JD7r Read Nirmal Ghosh's stories: https://str.sg/JbxG Register for Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/stnewsletters Asian Insider videos: https://str.sg/wdcC --- Discover ST's special edition podcasts: Singapore's War On Covid: https://str.sg/wuJa The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia: https://str.sg/wuZ2 Stop Scams: https://str.sg/wuZB Invisible Asia: https://str.sg/wuZn --- Discover more ST podcast series: Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7 Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf Health Check: https://str.sg/JWaN In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m SG Extra: https://str.sg/wukR #PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad ST Sports Talk: https://str.sg/JWRE Bookmark This!: https://str.sg/JWas Lunch With Sumiko: https://str.sg/J6hQ Discover ST Podcasts: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts! #STAsianInsider

Shane Oliver, Head of Investment Strategy & Chief Economist, AMP Capital discusses how realistic Russia's latest demands for payment in its currency are, and the likely impact of new US and European sanctions to be unveiled in the coming day.

Abhilash Narayan, Senior Investment Strategist, Standard Chartered Private Bank discusses how an increasingly hawkish Fed will put further pressure on the Japanese currency, as well as the likely impact on markets of further sanctions on Russia.