By Sumeet Chatterjee | HONG KONG HONG KONG UBS Group AG (UBSG.S) plans to hire about 100 wealth management client advisors over the next two years in Hong Kong, the biggest wealth hub in Asia-Pacific, to grab a bigger share of the fast-growing mid-tier millionaire segment. The Swiss bank’s sharpening focus on the middle of the wealth market comes as some global banks including Standard Chartered (STAN.L) […]
The biggest names of the Indian film industry will be walking the red carpet in Abu Dhabi for this year’s South Indian International Movie Awards. Last year’s event was held in Singapore, while the event in 2015 was held in Dubai. This marks a first for the ceremony to be held in the capital. The award celebrations will be held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre […]
By Nichola Saminather | SINGAPORE SINGAPORE Asian stocks retreated on Thursday, taking their cues from a subdued session on Wall Street, while the dollar retained gains made after the Federal Reserve delivered a hawkish policy statement. At the end of its two-day meeting, the Fed kept its benchmark interest rate steady as expected, but downplayed weak first-quarter economic growth and emphasized the strength of the labor market, […]
By Karolin Schaps | LONDON LONDON Oil prices rebounded from near 2017 lows on Wednesday after preliminary data showed a much higher-than-expected fall in U.S. crude stocks, reviving bullish sentiment about easing oversupply. Benchmark Brent crude LCOc1 was up 37 cents at $50.83 a barrel at 0815 GMT. On Tuesday the futures had settled at their lowest since Nov. 30, when the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting […]
Uber had announced in January that it was bringing its food delivery service to India, its fastest-growing market in the world. And finally, it’s here. UberEATS has rolled out in Mumbai and will soon be taken to five other Indian cities. India becomes UberEATS’ fourth Asian market, after it launched in Singapore last May, followed by Tokyo (Japan) and Bangkok (Thailand). Interestingly, Uber’s local rival Ola had […]
Vocus Communications has revised its guidance for the 2017 financial year, with revenue down by AU$100 million, underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) down by between AU$65 million and AU$75 million, and net profit down by AU$45 million to AU$50 million. According to a presentation delivered by Vocus CEO Geoff Horth on Wednesday, underlying EBITDA is now expected to be between AU$365 million and […]
By Nichola Saminather | SINGAPORE SINGAPORE Asian stocks followed global indexes higher on Wednesday, as strong earnings and manufacturing data boosted risk appetite, while expectations that the Federal Reserve will signal a June rate increase later in the session lifted the dollar. Oil prices pulled higher after a sharp fall on Tuesday on technical selling in a market already worried about oversupply and following a rise in […]
He will also visit Sydney, which in 2018 will stage the Prince’s Invictus Games. Prince Harry is to visit Singapore to stage a polo match in aid of his charity Sentebale and will also travel to Australia, Kensington Palace has said. Harry will host the Singapore polo match in June in aid of his organisation based in Lesotho which provides support to African children living with HIV […]
Tuesday 06:00 BST Overview Stocks across Asia were mixed on Tuesday as investors grappled with Wall Street’s lowest level of volatility since before the financial crisis amid a holiday-interrupted week. European bourses are expected to open higher, with spreadbetters predicting the UK’s FTSE 100 will climb 26 points to 7,230 and Germany’s Dax to gain 22 points to 12,460. US index futures suggest the S&P 500 will […]
Marina Bay Sands, Singapore The infinity pool at this iconic hotel boasts spectacular views over the magnificent skyline of Singapore from over 600 feet above the city. Overhanging the actual hotel facade with a supported platform, you will feel like you are about to swim off the edge, an exhilarating feeling only topped by the sight of the cities millions of glittering lights that illuminate after sundown. […]
By Martin Petty and Manuel Mogato | MANILA MANILA Across Asia, more and more countries are being pulled into Beijing’s orbit, with the timid stance adopted by Southeast Asian nations on the South China Sea at a weekend summit a clear sign this fundamental geostrategic shift is gathering momentum. U.S. President Donald Trump’s flurry of calls at the weekend to the leaders of the Philippines, Thailand and […]
SGX, the Singapore Exchange, is looking to further boost its Chinese derivatives business by offering to collaborate with a planned new local futures venture backed by the founders of one of China’s largest hedge funds. Loh Boon Chye, the bourse’s chief executive, told the Financial Times he was willing to open its clearing infrastructure to the challenger, called Apex, so it could conduct futures trading in the […]
Sen. Risa Hontiveros on Saturday urged the House of Representatives anew to prioritize its counterpart measure on extended maternity leave, stressing that the Philippines had been lagging behind its neighbors in the Southeast Asian region in terms of paid leaves for working mothers. In a press briefing in Quezon City, the lawmaker, along with several labor groups, rallied for greater support for the proposed 120 days extended […]
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump will speak with leaders of Singapore and Thailand on Sunday about the threat North Korea poses of massive, nuclear destruction in Asia, White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said. “We need cooperation at some level with as many partners in the area as we can get to make sure that we have our ducks in a row,” Priebus told ABC’s “This Week.” […]
By Sue-Lin Wong and Kevin Yao | BEIJING BEIJING Growth in China’s manufacturing sector slowed faster than expected in April, an official survey showed on Sunday, as producer price inflation cooled and policymakers’ efforts to reduce financial risks in the economy weighed on demand. The National Bureau of Statistics’ official Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fell to a six-month low of 51.2 in April from March’s near five-year […]
30 April 2017 UAE – According to the annual YouGov survey conducted by IP Global, the leading full-service property investment company; North America, UK, Germany and Australia remain the top property investment destination for UAE residents. The survey results show that when it comes to investing in property abroad, North America is the most popular market among UAE citizens. The UK with 13% and Australia with 11%, […]
The police are investigating threatening letters sent to four Cabinet ministers under the name of the chairman of the Sungei Road flea market’s association, The Sunday Times understands. They include Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam. “The police confirm that reports have been lodged. “We are unable to comment further as investigations are ongoing,” the Singapore Police Force said in response to […]
Donald Trump plans to end or renegotiate any trade deal that does not increase US economic growth, reduce the US trade deficit or contribute to higher US wages, according to a leaked draft of an executive order obtained by the Financial Times. The draft of the order Mr Trump had been planning to sign on Saturday before his high-profile U-turn this week calls for US officials to […]
I was at an event recently that screened a 1956 short film—Key to the Future—in which GM envisions what self-driving cars would look like in 1976. The footage—with a uniformed guy in a control tower directing a singing family along a highway for autonomous vehicles—inspired chuckles from the audience. One aspect of the video that did become a reality is the interstate highway system, a […]
By Karen Lema and Neil Jerome Morales | MANILA MANILA Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on Friday warned that Southeast Asian countries needed to ensure their economic growth was inclusive, or risk marginalized populations turning to violent extremism or even overturning political systems. Speaking at an event for entrepreneurs during the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Manila, Najib said the region was posting […]
By Jennifer Ablan and Stephen Nellis | NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO Growing tensions with North Korea should worry global electronics firms such as Apple Inc as they source key parts from South Korea, but investors are brushing off such concerns and snapping up shares in key exporters, heartened by robust earnings and big investment plans. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday in an interview […]
WASHINGTON A Singaporean man was sentenced on Thursday to 40 months in a U.S. prison for his role in exporting to Iran radio frequency modules, some of which were later found in bombs in Iraq, the U.S. Justice Department said in a statement. Lim Yong Nam, also known as Steven Lim, 43, pleaded guilty in December to illegally exporting the modules through Singapore, and later to Iran, […]
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines has taken the limelight in Southeast Asia not only as the host of the ASEAN Summit this year, but also as a center of infrastructure development in the region given the government’s aggressive infrastructure push. The country’s lead infrastructure agencies said in a press briefing yesterday their respective infrastructure development programs have garnered strong interest from other members of the Association of […]
By James Pomfret, Lawrence White and Sumeet Chatterjee | DONGGUAN, China/LONDON/HONG KONG DONGGUAN, China/LONDON/HONG KONG In the digital age, footfall in bricks-and-mortar outlets is an incomplete measure of business activity, but HSBC’s empty branches in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) suggest it’s not all plain sailing for the bank’s expansion in mainland China. HSBC, the world’s sixth-largest bank by assets, announced in 2015 that it would hire […]
