Posts by Liam Redmond
South-east Asia faces sweltering heat as war limits energy supply
A prolonged disruption will threaten the fossil-fuel-reliant region’s power generation into April and May Published Mon, Mar 9, 2026 · 04:45 PM [HONG KONG] South-east Asia is set to experience a warmer-than-usual early summer, potentially raising the power demand for fuel and straining the grids. This comes at a time when the Middle East conflict…
Read MoreChina’s biggest eye hospital chain Aier plans Hong Kong listing: sources
Published Mon, Mar 9, 2026 · 04:35 PM [HONG KONG] Aier Eye Hospital Group is considering listing in Hong Kong, according to people familiar with the matter, potentially joining a growing queue of mainland China companies looking to sell shares in the city. China’s biggest chain of eye hospitals is working with an adviser on…
Read MoreTesla billionaire buys more Nvidia to ‘calm the nervous market’
Published Mon, Mar 9, 2026 · 04:00 PM [KUALA LUMPUR] Billionaire Leo Koguan doubled his stake in Nvidia to two million shares, boosting his investment in the chipmaker at a time when the war in the Middle East has sparked a global sell-off of everything from bonds to equities. “As promised, I bought additional one…
Read MoreIran conflict forces central banks into sharp policy rethink
Published Mon, Mar 9, 2026 · 02:52 PM [TOKYO] The escalating crisis in the Middle East has dramatically changed the outlook for global central banks, with the huge supply shock posing a difficult trade-off between underpinning growth and countering inflation. For emerging Asian central banks, cutting interest rates has become a risky bet not just…
Read Moremm2 Asia proposes share placement, rights issue with private equity fund
The proposed transactions are part of company’s overall restructuring, as it aims to strengthen its capital base and improve its working capital position [SINGAPORE] Entertainment group mm2 Asia is looking to work with a private equity fund to raise funds for its restructuring and working capital needs, the mainboard-listed group said on Monday (Mar 9).…
Read MoreVietnam plans to scrap fuel import curbs to keep supply flowing
The country’s crude oil production currently averages about 180,000 barrels per day Published Mon, Mar 9, 2026 · 12:43 PM [HANOI] Vietnam will remove import tariffs on fuel and make it easier for state giant PetroVietnam to buy and sell crude and oil products, as an expanding war in the Middle East heightens energy-security worries.…
Read MoreTencent is said to be back on Paramount-Warner Bros deal with fresh funding
Chinese ownership of US assets has been a cause for concern in Washington, resulting in a deal for social media site TikTok’s US operation this year Published Mon, Mar 9, 2026 · 11:35 AM [HONG KONG] Tencent Holdings intends to invest several hundred million US dollars in Paramount Skydance’s acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, according…
Read MoreRenminbi adoption gains traction in Asean
Momentum is growing through manufacturing activity, procurement flows and regional supply chains [SINGAPORE] The use of renminbi is expanding in Asean, with renminbi cross-border settlements hitting 8.9 trillion yuan (S$2.8 trillion) in 2025, up 50.7 per cent year on year, according to a new Standard Chartered report released on Monday (Mar 9). Between 2020 and…
Read MoreDBS CEO Tan Su Shan receives S$9.6 million pay package for 2025, in first year at helm
This compares with the S$17.6 million remuneration received by former CEO Piyush Gupta in 2024 [SINGAPORE] DBS chief executive officer Tan Su Shan received S$9.6 million in total compensation for the 12 months ended Dec 31, 2025, covering both her first nine months at the helm and the period she served as deputy CEO earlier…
Read MoreChina’s ‘smart economy’ push spurs hunt for new stock winners
More broadly, Chinese markets have held up better than their Asian peers amid the global sell-off caused by the war in Iran Published Mon, Mar 9, 2026 · 09:08 AM INVESTORS are growing more upbeat about China’s push to build a “smart economy”, with artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors and a range of frontier technology sectors…
Read MoreDBS urges SMEs to hedge FX exposure amid conflict
This comes as the bank expands its SecureFX facility to all corporate clients in Singapore [SINGAPORE] Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Singapore and the region should lock in foreign-exchange rates instead of trying to time the market, said Eileen Chia, regional head of corporate advisory for global financial markets at DBS. Her advice comes…
Read MoreBaltic Exchange Shipping Insights
Capesize The market experienced a volatile week, shaped largely by macro developments and rising bunker prices rather than a clear improvement in underlying demand. Early in the week, geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and the resulting surge in oil prices pushed bunker costs sharply higher. This drove voyage rates upward, particularly in the Pacific,…
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