Posts by Liam Redmond
European shares close eighth month of gains on earnings lift; credit fears hit banks
Published Sat, Feb 28, 2026 · 08:09 AM EUROPEAN shares closed at a record high on Friday to log their eighth straight month of gains after better-than-expected corporate updates, while heavyweight banks tumbled amid credit and AI-disruption concerns. The pan-European Stoxx 600 ended 0.1 per cent higher at 633.85 points, taking its weekly gains to 0.5 per…
Read MoreTrump orders federal agencies to stop using Anthropic’s AI after clash with Pentagon
President Trump on Friday directed federal agencies to stop using technology from San Francisco artificial intelligence company Anthropic, escalating a high-profile clash between the AI startup and the Pentagon over safety. In a Friday post on the social media site Truth Social, Trump described the company as “radical left” and “woke.” “We don’t need it,…
Read MoreUS stocks: Wall Street notches monthly declines on combined AI, tariff, geopolitical uncertainty
Published Sat, Feb 28, 2026 · 07:40 AM [NEW YORK] Financial and tech stocks were hit hard by a handful of persistent investor worries on Friday, with US stocks suffering their largest monthly percentage declines in a year. All three major indexes ended decisively lower and posted steep weekly declines, with the blue-chip Dow logging its biggest weekly drop…
Read MoreStraits Trading H2 loss widens to S$208.4 million; dividend of S$0.08 a share proposed
[SINGAPORE] The Straits Trading Company’s net loss widened to S$208.4 million for its second half ended Dec 31, 2025, from S$12.5 million a year earlier, as it recorded a one-off charge and a net fair-value loss on investment properties. Revenue increased by 14 per cent year on year to S$355.8 million, the group’s financial results…
Read MoreLululemon founder Chip Wilson ramps up pressure on board amid proxy fight
Wilson’s campaign comes as the company’s shares have lost nearly half of their value over the past 12 months Published Fri, Feb 27, 2026 · 11:08 PM [VANCOUVER] Lululemon Athletica founder Chip Wilson stepped up his campaign for board and governance changes at the struggling athletic apparel maker on Friday (Feb 27), including replacing more…
Read MoreHSBC opens wealth centre at Singapore Land Tower amid premium pivot
[SINGAPORE] HSBC on Friday (Feb 27) announced the opening of its fourth and largest wealth centre in Singapore on the 33rd floor of the Singapore Land Tower. This comes as the bank is set to close its Raffles Place retail branch on Saturday, a move announced in January as it pivots towards affluent clients in…
Read MoreNestlé begins South Africa layoffs as part of global overhaul
Published Fri, Feb 27, 2026 · 09:50 PM [PRETORIA] Nestlé has begun issuing retrenchment notices to more than 400 employees in South Africa as part of a global overhaul that reorganises the company around four core divisions, according to people familiar with the matter. At least 100 employees have begun severance talks, the people said,…
Read MoreHotel Properties swings to H2 FY2025 loss of S$57.7 million, proposes dividend of S$0.04
It says that tourist arrivals grew in 2025, but that geopolitical, trade and interest-rate uncertainty could hurt the business environment [SINGAPORE] Hotel Properties Limited (HPL) on Friday (Feb 27) reported a net loss of S$57.7 million for H2 FY2025, reversing from a net profit of S$32.1 million the year prior. Revenue for the full year…
Read MoreMetaOptics FY25 losses widen to S$5.4 million despite rise in revenue
Expenses across the board increased, with finance expenses for the full year clocking the highest increase of over 90 times [SINGAPORE] MetaOptics loss for FY2025 deepened to S$5.4 million from S$2 million previously, it said in a regulatory filing on Friday (Feb 27). The semiconductor optics company posted an almost nine times increase in full-year…
Read MoreFrencken H2 profit rises 1.1% to S$19.2 million on higher mechatronics revenue
[SINGAPORE] High-tech manufacturer Frencken on Friday (Feb 27) reported a 1.1 per cent increase in net profit to S$19.2 million for the second half ended Dec 31, 2025, from S$19 million in the previous corresponding period. Revenue for the period rose 2.9 per cent to S$433.7 million, from S$421.6 million previously. The increase was driven…
Read MoreFar East Orchard H2 net profit falls 15.5% on lower fair-value gains, higher finance costs
[SINGAPORE] Hospitality and student housing player Far East Orchard’s net profit fell 15.5 per cent to S$34.4 million for the six months ended Dec 31, 2025, due to lower net fair-value gains and higher finance costs, the company said on Friday (Feb 27). Revenue rose 65.3 per cent year on year to S$156.3 million, mainly…
Read MoreWee Hur back in the black with H2 FY2025 earnings at S$29.8 million; proposes S$0.01 dividend
Revenue for H2 FY2025 rises 52% to S$139.5 million from S$91.7 million in H2 FY2025 [SINGAPORE] Property company Wee Hur on Friday (Feb 27) posted H2 FY2025 earnings of S$29.8 million, a reversal from a loss of S$12.5 million in the period the year prior. Revenue for H2 FY2025 rose 52 per cent to S$139.5…
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