Breakfast with Ryan Huang, Emaad Akhtar and Audrey Siek

Are you a fan of spicy food? We here in Singapore generally like spicy foods of all kinds, and we don’t think that much when we tuck into all these spicy dishes. But now, questions have been raised on how good or bad spicy food is for us, after a well-loved South Korean instant noodle brand Buldak was banned in Denmark. Audrey did some research and gets to the bottom of whether or not it's good for us, and whether we should limit our spice intake. Presented by Audrey Siek  Produced and Edited by Audrey Siek Music and photo credits: Pixabay & its talented community of contributors

Nadine Terman, CEO & CIO, Solstein Capital shares her takeaways on the latest earnings revolving mega cap tech giants, Apple and Amazon, whether the economy is leaving elevated inflation blues behind, if she foresees debt further easing in 2025, and whether we'll be seeing further weakness in the US labour market moving forward. Presented by: Yeap Junrong Produced & Edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg) Assistant Producer: Simone Chuah Photo credits: Andrew Kelly/Reuters

Back in historical times, volcanoes played a crucial role in the evolution of the planet and early life, and are constantly reshaping the morphology of Planet Earth.  Today, about 500 active volcanoes presently exist on the Earth’s surface, with some 50 erupting each year, and more than 800 million people living within 100 kilometres (60 miles) of an active volcano. As populations continue to grow around volcanoes, these impact events will likely continue to affect communities.  With modern society heading into uncharted territory as the world grapples with unprecedented climate change effects, many concepts adopted by policymakers and scientists to deal with volcano-related hazards will quickly become outdated, and hence making ongoing research so crucial.  While extensive research has been done on explosive eruptions, there has been limited studies on how lava flows are impacting communities. These streams of molten rock are one of the most common volcanic hazards and can be disastrous for communities.  On this episode of Climate Connections, Dr Elinor Meredith, Research Fellow in Volcanic Risk, University of Twente and Susanna Jenkins, Associate Professor, Earth Observatory of Singapore, NTU share insights from their extensive study on the frequency and severity of these lava flow impact events, and whether they are an increasing threat to communities.  Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg) Voiced by: Audrey Siek Assistant Producer: Simone Chuah Photo credits: Iceland Review Music credits: pixabay & its talented community of contributors 

Mitul Kotecha, Head of Asia FX and Rates Strategy, Barclays discusses what the FOMC's latest meeting means for Asian markets, how it will impact the Yen and other Asian currencies, and whether we can expect a soft landing in the US. Presented by Yeap Junrong Edited by Audrey Siek

We celebrate World Wide Web Day today! Every August 1st, we commemorate its impact on the world, and how most of us rely heavily on the web to browse, access and upload content. Audrey goes through some fun facts about the web - like the most searched thing on Google, the most watched thing on the internet, and the most searched person of all time! Presented by Audrey Siek  Produced and Edited by Audrey Siek Music and photo credits: Pixabay & its talented community of contributors

What makes a good brand? There are, of course, many definitions to that. But today, we talk about brands for good - that is, organisations with business models that promote long-term societal benefits. 38 businesses were recognised at this year’s Brands For Good Awards, which recognises outstanding ethical business practices, sustainability, and community engagement. The awards is organised by non-profit organisation, Brands For Good, which has unrelentingly been at the frontline of promoting positive social impact, championing the integration of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) principles into the core operations of companies and businesses. On this episode of Morning Shot, Champion of the Business for Good category of the 2024 Brands For Good Awards Faiza Sanip, Programme Manager at Caregivers Alliance Limited shares her insights. Presented by: Audrey Siek  Produced & Edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg) Assistant Producer: Simone Chuah Photo credits: Caregivers Alliance 

The Federal Reserve did not lower interest rates today, but its statement did tee up the possibility of a September cut. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell laid the groundwork for a September move to lower interest rates but has left himself some room to divert if the data doesn’t go according to plan.  Frank Cappelleri, Founder and President, CappThesis shares his insights on the impending rate cut and the effects that might have on US equities. Presented by: Yeap Junrong Produced & Edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg) Assistant Producer: Simone Chuah Photo credits: Andrew Kelly/Reuters

Michael Nicolas, Portfolio Manager and U.S. Investment Analyst at Harris Associates discusses how investors can identify which companies to invest in with fundamentals for better long term returns. Produced/Presented: Ryan Huang

Brenda Vingiello, Chief Investment Officer, Sand Hill Global Advisors shares her insights on AI monetisation, what investors should be thinking about when considering whether now is the right time to cash into the AI sector, expectations for the FOMC meeting later this week, as well as how earnings from companies that are seeing a shift in consumer spending might play out for the US economy.  Presented by: Ryan Huang Produced & Edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg) Assistant Producer: Simone Chuah Photo credits: Andrew Kelly/Reuters

South and North Korea ties are at one of their lowest points in years. In recent weeks, South Korea resumed its round-the-clock loudspeaker broadcast campaign in response to North Korea’s trash balloons.  Since May, North Korea has been floating thousands of balloons with bags of trash attached to them, a new source of tension between the two Koreas. On this episode of Morning Shot, Oh Joon, Professor for United Nations Studies at Kyung Hee University analyses where inter-Korean ties are headed. Presented by: Audrey Siek  Produced & Edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg) Assistant Producer: Simone Chuah Photo credits: Reuters