Posts by Liam Redmond
Philippine central bank governor says it is considering off-cycle rate hike
Spiralling fuel costs have raised concerns that pump prices could trigger hikes in other consumer goods Published Fri, May 22, 2026 · 12:44 PM [MANILA] The Philippine central bank could hike interest rates ahead of its scheduled policy meeting on Jun 18, its governor said on Friday (May 22). Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas governor Eli…
Read MoreNorth Carolina sues Vietnam’s VinFast over delayed EV project
The EV maker initially targeted to have the factory up and running by Jul 1 this year Published Fri, May 22, 2026 · 12:17 PM [HANOI] The State of North Carolina has sued Vietnamese electric vehicle maker VinFast for its alleged failure to meet its commitments to build an EV and battery factory in the…
Read MoreIn 3 GIFs: How the Iran war has changed tanker traffic through Hormuz, Malacca straits
[SINGAPORE] In the early hours of May 13, a Chinese supertanker carefully made its way across the Strait of Hormuz, one of the rare crossings since Iran closed the key waterway on Feb 28. The Yuan Hua Hu, a Chinese VLCC, threading through the Strait of Hormuz on May 13, 2026. Routes and speeds are…
Read MoreDeepSeek founder declares artificial general intelligence goal as 70 billion yuan funding round advances
The state vehicle’s involvement underscores the importance that Beijing is attaching to the startup Published Fri, May 22, 2026 · 11:57 AM [BEIJING] DeepSeek’s senior management has told potential investors in its ongoing 70 billion yuan (S$13.2 billion) funding round that the startup will prioritise groundbreaking AI research over short-term commercialisation, people familiar with the…
Read MoreHengli, China’s silk-to-petrochemicals empire, faces the chill of US sanctions
[BEIJING/SINGAPORE] The Hengli Group, built by a husband and wife duo over three decades from a bankrupt textile mill into a Fortune Global 500 giant and one of China’s largest private oil refiners, has been thrust into the centre of a geopolitical power struggle. Last month, its Hengli Petrochemical arm, which runs a 400,000 barrel-per-day…
Read MoreInvestors look beyond TSMC as AI boom spreads to new winners
Published Fri, May 22, 2026 · 11:03 AM [HONG KONG/TOKYO] After several years flying high as Asia’s best Nvidia proxy, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is increasingly vying with other artificial intelligence stocks for investor attention. Stock traders are chasing a wider array of beneficiaries as mainstream usage of AI creates demand for hardware beyond…
Read MoreStarbucks scraps AI tool nine months after deployment over item-counting flops
Staff share internal feedback praising the change: ‘Thanks for discontinuing Automatic Counting!’ Published Fri, May 22, 2026 · 10:50 AM [NEW YORK] Starbucks terminated an AI programme workers used for automating certain inventory counts this week, nine months after deploying it across its North American stores, according to an internal newsletter reviewed by Reuters and…
Read MoreKeppel shares close 4.7% higher after M1-Simba deal falls through
[SINGAPORE] Shares of Keppel rose on Friday (May 22) after the asset manager confirmed the termination of its proposed divestment of M1’s telecommunications business to Simba Telecom. The counter climbed 6.1 per cent or S$0.64 to an intraday high of S$11.06 just four minutes after market open, with 932,800 shares changing hands. It settled over…
Read MoreKeppel rises 6.1% after M1-Simba deal falls through
[SINGAPORE] Shares of Keppel rose on Friday (May 22) after news of the termination of its proposed divestment of M1’s telco business to Simba Telecom. As at 9.04 am, the stock climbed 6.1 per cent or S$0.64 to S$11.06 with 932,800 shares changing hands. By 9.59 am, Keppel shares had settled at S$10.88, still up…
Read MoreGIC-backed co-working firm JustCo ends 17.6% below IPO price in lacklustre mainboard debut
[SINGAPORE] Shares of flexible workspace operator JustCo fell below their initial public offering price in a tepid mainboard debut on Friday (May 22). This marked Singapore Exchange’s fifth listing and second mainboard debut in 2026. The counter opened at S$0.835, 11.2 per cent or S$0.105 below its IPO price of S$0.94 per share. It ended…
Read MoreSIA Engineering opens base maintenance facility in Subang; sees ‘strong potential’ in Malaysian aerospace sector
The two-hangar facility will supplement hangars in Singapore and the Philippines to support MRO works [SINGAPORE] SIA Engineering Company (SIAEC) on Friday (May 22) announced the opening of a base maintenance facility in Subang, Malaysia, which will form part of its regional base maintenance network. Base Maintenance Malaysia (BMM), wholly owned by SIAEC, will provide…
Read MoreGold steady as US-Iran signals keep rate hike bets simmering
Published Fri, May 22, 2026 · 09:01 AM [MELBOURNE] Gold moved in a narrow range as conflicting signals on the progress of US-Iran ceasefire talks continued to keep traders guessing over whether central banks may need to keep interest rates higher for longer to combat inflation. Bullion was trading around US$4,540 an ounce, little changed…
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