Posts by Liam Redmond
Infineon to open 5 billion euro chip fab as part of EU sovereignty push
It benefits from soaring demand for power chips used in AI data centres, which will be produced at the facility Published Fri, Jun 12, 2026 · 04:23 PM [BERLIN] Infineon Technologies is preparing to open its largest single investment, a five-billion-euro (S$7.4 billion) semiconductor factory, built with the help of European Union subsidies. This comes…
Read MoreEuropean stocks rally as oil falls on hopes for US-Iran deal
Published Fri, Jun 12, 2026 · 04:16 PM EUROPEAN shares rallied at open on Friday (Jun 12), with all major indexes gaining more than 1 per cent, as oil prices slipped on hopes for a diplomatic breakthrough in the Middle East. Brent crude fell more than 2 per cent, extending the previous session’s losses, after US…
Read MoreNikkei ends nearly 3% higher on renewed hopes for Middle East peace
Published Fri, Jun 12, 2026 · 04:04 PM [TOKYO] Japan’s Nikkei share average ended nearly 3 per cent higher on Friday (Jun 12), as investors scooped up stocks after US President Donald Trump touted a possible peace deal with Iran. The Nikkei closed up 2.81 per cent at 66,020.04 after rising as much as 4.4…
Read MoreGlobal banks curb hedge fund bets on SK Hynix, Samsung after wild moves
Published Fri, Jun 12, 2026 · 03:30 PM [HONG KONG] Global banks are curbing hedge funds’ leveraged bets on Asia’s top chipmakers including SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics after a blistering rally this year raised concerns of a potential pullback, according to people familiar with the matter. Brokers including Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs…
Read MoreTSMC boss frets about shortages of talent, water in Taiwan
Published Fri, Jun 12, 2026 · 03:24 PM [TAIPEI] The head of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said on Friday (Jun 12) that what his company lacks most is talent, adding that he is also worried about water shortages. Taiwan produces most of the advanced chips powering the artificial intelligence revolution,…
Read MoreSingapore banks’ rout on new China scrutiny of wealth flows ‘overblown’: Maybank
The slides in DBS, OCBC, UOB shares offer buying opportunities, says the brokerage [SINGAPORE] The recent dumping of Singapore bank shares on concerns of a possible slowdown in wealth management growth in North Asia was “overdone”, Maybank Securities said on Thursday (Jun 11). Over the past week, DBS fell 4.6 per cent, OCBC declined 5…
Read MoreNvidia begins Vera CPU sales pitch to Chinese clients: sources
The company is quickly pivoting to the new product to revive its rapidly declining fortunes in China Published Fri, Jun 12, 2026 · 02:33 PM [BEIJING] Nvidia has told Chinese clients that its new “Vera” central processors for AI data centres could be available as soon as August and that they can begin placing orders,…
Read MorePBOC asks big banks to curb interbank lending to ease cash glut: sources
Published Fri, Jun 12, 2026 · 01:48 PM [BEIJING] China told big state-owned banks to reduce their lending in the interbank market, according to people familiar with the matter, in an effort to prevent borrowing costs from drifting too far below the policy interest rate. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) recently instructed financial institutions…
Read MoreAI boom drives memory chip prices to ‘insane’ levels in US, adding to inflation pressures
Behind it lies the rush to build data centres, which power artificial intelligence and need vast quantities of memory chips [WASHINGTON] When Chris Barber, who’s been in the computer business for a quarter-century, says he has never seen anything like the artificial intelligence boom, he’s not talking about its potential to transform the future. He…
Read MoreFutu founder ‘Brother Leaf’ humbled by China broker crackdown
Income from Hong Kong and overseas brand Moomoo should easily offset pressure from the ban [HONG KONG] Long before China cracked down on his flourishing brokerage business, billionaire Leaf Li would often be found deep inside the message boards of his own app, chatting with everyday investors. The founder of Futu Holdings – known to…
Read MoreShock at the pump: Indonesia’s Pertamax price hike fuels cost worries for middle class
The price hike has been long in the making, driven by a 50% surge in global oil prices since the Iran war [JAKARTA] A steep hike in the cost of Indonesia’s widely used Pertamax petrol has surprised many consumers and raised concerns of further price increases as middle-class households begin to feel the squeeze. State-owned…
Read MoreBank of Korea governor says interest rates to be raised ‘on time’
Published Fri, Jun 12, 2026 · 10:29 AM [SEOUL] South Korea’s central bank governor said on Friday (Jun 12) that it was necessary to raise interest rates “on time” as inflation was expected to exceed the target for a considerable period of time amid high oil prices triggered by the Middle East conflict. “Monetary policy…
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