KKR Unit to Boost Buying in 450 Trillion Yen Japan Property Market
KKR’s Japan real‑estate arm, KJRM Holdings, announced a major push to buy corporate‑owned properties as Japanese firms accelerate divestitures. The firm estimates the addressable market at roughly ¥450 trillion (about $3 trillion) and says its own holdings grew 20% to ¥2.5 trillion ($16.7 bn) in 2025. KJRM plans to focus on inflation‑resistant assets in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya, while leveraging REITs and private funds that have already acquired dozens of office buildings from corporate sellers. The strategy is driven by pressure from shareholders and regulators to improve capital efficiency.
Gold Tumbles as US Blockade of Hormuz Raises Inflationary Risks
Gold prices plunged 2.2% on Monday, slipping below $4,650 an ounce after the United States announced a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The move triggered a sharp rise in oil and natural‑gas prices, pushing the Bloomberg Dollar Spot...
Cathay Pacific to Cut Flights From Mid-May to End-June as Jet Fuel Prices Surge
Cathay Pacific announced it will cancel roughly 2% of its scheduled passenger flights from May 16 to June 30, 2026, citing a sharp rise in jet‑fuel costs linked to the Middle‑East conflict. Its low‑cost subsidiary HK Express will trim about...
Singapore-Listed IX Biopharma Bets Big on Non-Opioid Pain Relief
Singapore-listed IX Biopharma has advanced its sublingual ketamine wafer, Wafermine, through Phase 2 trials and secured a $40.95 million contract from the U.S. Department of Defense to fund Phase 3 development and an Emergency Use Authorization. The FDA has accepted the Phase 2 data,...
Nasdaq Expected to Consolidate in Near Term
The Nasdaq 100 rebounded sharply in early Q2 2026, breaking above the down‑trend channel that dominated from January to early April. The rally was fueled by easing U.S.–Iran tensions and improved market sentiment, pushing the index back to February‑level highs. However, the...
Trump Says Petrol Prices May Remain High Through November Midterm Election
President Donald Trump warned that U.S. gasoline prices, which have been above $4 per gallon in April, could stay elevated through the November midterm elections. He announced a U.S. Navy blockade of the Strait of Hormuz to deter ships paying...
Tata Group Chair Tells Workers Air India Faces Challenging Time
Tata Sons chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran warned Air India employees that the airline is in a "challenging time" as it grapples with record losses, the departure of CEO Campbell Wilson, and costly integration after merging with Vistara. Integration expenses and persistent...
Japan Approves Additional 631.5 Billion Yen for Chipmaker Rapidus
Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry approved an additional 631.5 billion yen (about $4.2 bn) for chipmaker Rapidus, bringing total government R&D support to 2.354 trillion yen (~$15.7 bn). The funding is aimed at accelerating Rapidus’s development of 2‑nanometre logic semiconductors, with mass...
Tesla’s Supervised Self-Driving Software Gets Dutch Okay, First in Europe
Dutch regulator RDW approved Tesla's Full Self‑Driving Supervised system for highways and city streets, marking the first European authorization of the technology. The approval follows 18 months of testing and positions the Netherlands as a gateway for EU‑wide certification. Tesla...
Big US Banks Set to Temper Bond Sales After Strong 2026 Debut
The six largest U.S. banks are set to scale back bond issuance in the second quarter, targeting $35‑$45 billion of high‑grade securities after a record $65.8 billion sold in Q1 2026. The Q1 surge was driven by a $16 billion Goldman Sachs deal...
Italy’s UniCredit Says No Plans to Liquidate Russian Business
Italian lender UniCredit reiterated on April 10 that it will not liquidate its Russian subsidiary or surrender its banking licence, despite recent media speculation. The bank’s CEO Andrea Orcel emphasized that an exit would harm shareholders, so the institution will keep...
Wall Street Strategists Wrestle with War’s Toll on 2026 Outlook
A fragile cease‑fire in the Middle East sparked a brief rally, lifting the S&P 500 3.6% – its strongest jump since November – while emerging‑market equities and Bitcoin surged. Wall Street strategists, however, warn the war has already scarred inflation, energy...
Oil Posts Biggest Weekly Loss Since 2020 Ahead of Iran-US Talks
Oil prices slipped sharply as the market digested the prospect of Iran‑U.S. talks. West Texas Intermediate fell 1.3% to below $97 a barrel, while weekly futures dropped 13.4%, marking the steepest decline since 2020. Prices remain over 30% above pre‑conflict...
Auditors Flag Uncertainty on Katrina Group’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern
Singapore‑listed hospitality group Katrina Group disclosed that its independent auditors, EY, raised a going‑concern uncertainty after its December 2025 financials showed net liabilities exceeding assets by about S$6.7 million (≈$5 million). The company posted a net loss of S$2.8 million (≈$2.1 million) and revenue fell 16%...
Popiah King Sam Goi’s Son to Be CEO of PSC Corp
Sam Goi’s son, 53‑year‑old Goi Kok Ming, has been appointed chief executive officer of PSC Corporation, taking the role on May 5. He moves from a non‑executive director position to executive director, overseeing the fast‑moving consumer goods business. The appointment ends a CEO vacancy that...
CVC Seeks Partners to Back 10.9 Billion-Euro Italian Drugmaker Recordati Deal: Sources
CVC Capital Partners is courting co‑investors to fund a €10.9 billion (≈$11.9 bn) takeover of Italy’s Recordati. The firm needs an equity injection of €5.5‑€6 bn (≈$6.0‑$6.5 bn), which would rank the deal among Europe’s largest leveraged buyouts. Potential partners include Groupe Bruxelles Lambert, Abu Dhabi...
How War in the Middle East Paralysed an Asian Food Giant
The war in the Middle East has sharply curtailed oil and fertilizer shipments, driving diesel prices in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta to double and depleting fertilizer stocks to a fraction of normal levels. Rice mills have halted operations and barges sit...
Wall St Opens Muted over Fragile Mideast Truce
Wall Street opened muted on Thursday as the Dow Jones slipped 69.3 points, or 0.14%, to 47,840.63. The S&P 500 was essentially flat, down 0.01% to 6,783.69, while the Nasdaq nudged higher 0.05% to 22,646.35. The moves came amid growing...
Mercedes Q1 Sales Down in Tough ‘Transition Year’ for China Business
Mercedes‑Benz reported a 6% drop in global Q1 sales to 419,400 vehicles, driven by a 27% plunge in China. While Europe saw a 7% rise and the United States a 20% increase, the Chinese slump outweighed these gains. The decline...
CDL Sets up S$2 Billion Multicurrency Perpetual Securities Issuance Programme
City Developments Ltd (CDL) announced a S$2 billion (~$1.48 billion USD) multicurrency perpetual securities issuance programme. The net proceeds will fund general working capital, corporate funding for CDL and its subsidiaries, and refinance existing borrowings. The perpetual securities carry no fixed maturity,...
Robust Trading Across Asset Classes Sends SGX Securities Turnover Value up 78% on Year in March
The Singapore Exchange (SGX) posted a 78% year‑on‑year jump in securities turnover to S$52.8 billion (≈ $39 billion) in March, while its daily average value rose 62% to S$2.4 billion. Derivatives activity hit a record 38.3 million contracts, up 40% YoY, and retail participation reached...
Nvidia Shares Near Level Where Technical Traders See a Breakout
Nvidia’s shares have surged more than 10% over the past six sessions, closing at $182 and approaching the $185 technical breakout threshold that traders watch. The rally ends a flat stretch that began in September 2025 and follows a broader...
DBS Initiates ‘Buy’ on Yangzijiang Maritime, Citing Investments, Shipbuilding Opportunities
DBS Group Research initiated a “buy” on Singapore‑listed Yangzijiang Maritime, setting a target price of S$0.88 (≈ $0.65) – a 63% upside from the current S$0.59 (≈ $0.44). The company has rapidly assembled an 80‑vessel portfolio and deployed over US$700 million in maritime...
Competition Watchdog Seeks Feedback on Proposed Commercial Tie-Up Between SIA and Vietnam Airlines
Singapore's Competition and Consumer Commission (CCS) has opened a public consultation on a proposed commercial joint venture between Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Vietnam Airlines. The partnership would coordinate scheduling, pricing, sales and marketing on overlapping routes between the two countries,...
Singapore Stocks Rise After US-Iran Ceasefire Announcement; STI up 0.8%
Singapore’s Straits Times Index climbed 0.8% to 4,996 points after the United States and Iran announced a two‑week cease‑fire, lifting regional risk sentiment. Blue‑chip SATS surged 4.5% to S$3.72 (≈$2.75), while DFI Retail slipped 3.5% to US$4.38. The three major...
Revolut to Open Paris Office as Lender Seeks to Expand in Europe
Revolut announced a 10‑year lease for a six‑floor, 2,400‑square‑metre office at 116 Rue Reaumur, establishing its Western European headquarters in Paris by early 2027. The neobank aims to staff the location with more than 400 employees, many in risk and compliance, as...
Singtel Could Be the Real Winner as Mom-and-Pop Investors Land Surprise S$6,800 Windfall
Singtel is transferring about 615,000 Special Discounted Shares from a CPF‑trust arrangement into individual Central Depository (CDP) accounts, giving the median holder a cash windfall of S$6,800 (approximately $5,000 USD). The legacy structure, which barred direct communication with most retail...
Asian Airlines Maintain AI Investments Despite Budget Cuts Due to Iran War Oil Shock
Asian airlines are slashing capital expenditures to conserve cash amid an oil shock that has pushed jet‑fuel prices above $100 a barrel, yet they are safeguarding AI and data‑infrastructure budgets. Thai Airways is rolling out an enterprise data platform, while...
‘Cash Is King’: Asian Airlines Hoard Liquidity to Survive Worst Oil Shock Since 1980s
Asian airlines are pivoting from growth to cash preservation after a sudden oil shock caused by Middle East refinery damage and the temporary closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Jet‑fuel prices have jumped roughly 140% in a month, pushing the...
Nam Cheong Bags RM102.5 Million in Vessel Charter Contracts
Nam Cheong secured offshore support‑vessel charter contracts worth up to RM102.5 million (approximately $23 million USD) from regional oil majors. The deals, each lasting up to two years with a one‑year extension option, bring the company’s long‑term charter coverage to 69%—25 of...
Prime US Reit Signs 40,000 Sq Ft Lease at Class A Office Building in Colorado
Prime US Real Estate Investment Trust (OXMU) has secured an 11‑year lease for roughly 40,000 sq ft with S&P Global at the Class A Village Center Station I in Denver. The agreement lifts the building’s committed occupancy from 63% to 80%, marking a significant step...
Singapore Stocks Rise Amid Mixed Regional Showing; STI up 0.5%
Singapore’s benchmark Straits Times Index rose 0.5% to 4,972.40 points on Monday, buoyed by a 3.1% gain in Yangzijiang Shipbuilding, which closed at S$3.95 (≈$2.92). The iEdge Singapore Next 50 outperformed, climbing 1.3% as Pan‑United surged 5.6% to S$1.71 (≈$1.26). Overall...
SMFG, Nippon Life in Talks to Set up 500 Billion Yen Private Credit Fund: Sources
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG) and Nippon Life Insurance are negotiating a joint‑venture to launch a private‑credit fund with at least ¥500 billion (about $3.3 billion) in initial capital. The fund will focus on leveraged‑buyout loans, real‑estate financing and mezzanine debt, and...
Indonesia to Allow Airlines to Raise Fares by up to 13%
Indonesia’s government announced that airlines may increase ticket prices by raising the fuel surcharge up to 38 percent of the fare ceiling, translating to an overall fare hike of 9‑13 percent for the next two months. The measure is paired with exemptions...
The Iran War Is Reshaping Global Aviation
The Iran war forced the closure of Iranian and Iraqi airspace, grounding Gulf carriers and stripping Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad of much of their long‑haul capacity. European flag carriers such as Lufthansa, British Airways and Air France‑KLM quickly redeployed...
After Yeo’s, Tiger Beer: Why some Singapore F&B Firms Leave – and Others Stay
Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore (APBS) and Yeo Hiap Seng announced plans to scale back Singapore production, moving brewing to Malaysia and Vietnam and consolidating canned‑drink manufacturing in Malaysia. The decisions illustrate an accelerating regionalisation of Singapore’s food‑and‑beverage sector as firms...
Buyback Consideration in First Quarter Surpasses S$500 Million
In the first quarter of 2026, about 50 Singapore‑listed companies repurchased roughly S$560 million (≈ $414 million) of shares, up from S$330 million a year earlier. Singtel led the market with S$123 million (≈ $91 million) of buybacks, followed by OCBC at S$116 million (≈ $86 million) and Keppel at...
How Discounts, Deals Are Helping Petrol Players Counter Cnergy’s Low Pump Prices
Singapore’s retail petrol market faces new competition from Cnergy, which sells 95‑octane at about S$2.40 per litre (~$1.78). Incumbents like Shell and Sinopec counter with stacked discounts that bring their effective prices close to Cnergy’s, e.g., Shell’s price drops to...
How the Iran War Is Fuelling Wild Swings in Interest-Rate Bets
The Iran war has injected fresh uncertainty into global inflation and growth forecasts, prompting dramatic swings in interest‑rate swap markets across the US, UK and Europe. Traders have shifted from betting on rate cuts to pricing multiple hikes within minutes,...
Japanese Firms Reduce Share Buybacks for First Time Since 2020
Japanese listed companies announced 1,365 share‑buyback programmes for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026, a slight decline from 1,399 the prior year and the first drop since 2020. Total repurchases amounted to a record 24.9 trillion yen (about $161 billion), following a...
Stocks to Watch: ST Engineering, Nio, Yangzijiang Shipbuilding, China Everbright Water
Singapore’s ST Engineering secured a six‑year, roughly $444 million marine subcontract from Abu Dhabi Ship Building to supply platform systems for eight missile‑gun boats for the Kuwait Navy, lifting its shares 2.7 % to S$11.10. Chinese EV maker Nio reported a 136 %...
Expectations for AGM and Reporting Timeliness
SGX Regulation (SGX RegCo) reports a growing number of listed issuers seeking extensions to hold their annual general meetings (AGMs) and publish required financial, annual and sustainability reports. The exchange’s listing rules mandate an AGM within four months of fiscal...
‘Real Pain’ to Set In: Businesses Brace for Impact as EMA Warns of Potentially Sharper Rise in Power Tariffs
Singapore’s Energy Market Authority warned that electricity and town‑gas tariffs will likely rise sharper in coming quarters as global energy costs surge amid the Gulf conflict. SP Group lifted household electricity rates by 2.1% – an increase of S$0.0056/kWh (≈ $0.0041/kWh)...
Wall St Opens Higher on Mideast De-Escalation Hopes; Monthly Losses Loom
Wall Street opened higher on Tuesday as investors cheered a report suggesting a possible de‑escalation in the Middle East conflict. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 325.6 points, or 0.72%, to 45,541.76. The S&P 500 gained 52.2 points, up 0.82% to...
OCBC to Trim Interest Rate for Flagship 360 Account From May 1
OCBC announced it will lower the interest rate on its flagship 360 Account to 4.45% per annum for the first S$100,000 (about $74,000) starting May 1, down from 5.45%. This is the first adjustment to the 360 Account rates in 2026...
CDL CEO Sherman Kwek’s FY2025 Pay Jumps 71% to S$5.1 Million as Group Profit Triples
City Developments Ltd (CDL) announced that CEO Sherman Kwek’s total FY2025 compensation jumped 71% to S$5.1 million (≈ $3.8 million), after the group’s profit more than tripled to S$629.7 million (≈ $466 million). Executive chairman Kwek Leng Beng also saw a 24% pay rise, earning S$7.4 million (≈ $5.5 million). The...
China's Zhipu Posts 132% Rise in Annual Revenue on AI Boom
Zhipu AI, a Tsinghua University spinoff, reported a 131.9% revenue surge in 2025, reaching 533.9 million yuan (about $75 million) from its core on‑premise deployments and 190.4 million yuan ($27 million) from cloud API services. The company posted a net loss of 4.72 billion yuan...
JD.com-backed Group Picks Banks for IPO of Singapore Reit: Sources
JD.com’s property arm and partners have appointed Bank of America, DBS Group and UBS as advisers for a Singapore‑based real estate investment trust (REIT). The REIT, which will bundle assets from JD Property, Partners Group and EZA Hill, targets roughly...
Events Manager Kin Productions Lodges Preliminary Prospectus for Catalist IPO
Kin Productions, a Singapore‑based sports‑events manager, lodged a preliminary prospectus to list on SGX’s Catalist board, aiming to raise capital for expansion into event tourism. The company reported nine‑month FY2025 net profit of S$4 million (≈$3 million) and revenue of S$56.5 million (≈$42 million),...
Apac Airlines Fly 9% More Passengers in February, but Iran War Clouds Outlook
Asia‑Pacific airlines carried 33 million international passengers in February, a 9 percent year‑on‑year increase. Revenue passenger kilometres rose 8.8 percent and the average load factor climbed to 83.4 percent, buoyed by Chinese New Year leisure travel. Jet fuel costs surged from about $90 to...