Wednesday, September 30, 2015
New SG50 Note Folders
Singaporeans who missed out on getting themselves the coveted SG50 note folders have reason to cheer as the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has announced on Wednesday, Sep 30, that more folders will be available from November.
The MAS said every Singaporean household is entitled to two SG50 note folders from Nov 11 to 30 and can be collected for free at any community centre or club (CC).
USA Home Prices
US home prices growth remained essentially unchanged in July as the strong housing market continued to give steady support to the US economy, according to private data released Tuesday.
Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary
New Zealand has unveiled plans to create a South Pacific marine sanctuary the size of France, saying it would protect one of the world's most pristine ocean environments.
Prime Minister John Key said the Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary would cover an area of 620,000 sq km about 1,000 km off New Zealand's northeast coast.
Bill Gates
Microsoft founder Bill Gates retained his title as wealthiest American, while three founders of online companies joined the top 10, according to the Forbes 400 list released on Tuesday.
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Starbucks Corp
Starbucks Corp is trying out the buy-one, give-one model embraced by startups like Toms Shoes and Warby Parker.
Starting Tuesday, the chain will donate a coffee tree to farmers for every bag of coffee beans that customers buy from its 7,400 US company-owned locations. The yearlong program is part of an effort to raise awareness about the rust fungus that's damaging crops in Central America.
Alcoa Inc
Alcoa Inc said on Monday it will split into two companies to separate its struggling aluminum smelting operations from production of lightweight metals for its faster-growing aerospace and automotive business.
Apple Inc
Apple said on Monday it had sold more than 13 million iPhone 6s and 6s Pluses during their first weekend of availability in 12 markets, setting a record for its marquee product.
Monday, September 28, 2015
Ringgit
Malaysia's ringgit headed for its biggest weekly decline since a US dollar peg was imposed in 1998 as investigations into a state investment company spread to the US, exacerbating losses driven by a slowdown in China and tumbling commodity prices.
Rate Hike
When the US Federal Reserve last week opted against its first rate hike in nine years, governments around Asia breathed a sigh of relief. But that relief could be short lived. While the region's biggest economy, China, can likely withstand any negative flow through whenever the Fed does eventually move, others, like Malaysia are braced for a hit to growth.
Interest Rates
Kansas City Fed President Esther George on Friday said she believes the Fed should raise interest rates soon so that it will "have the luxury" of being able keep rate hikes gradual.
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Technical Recession
The factory output numbers for August are worse than expected - and the question on the lips of some economists now is not whether Singapore is already in a technical recession, but how serious it is.
Boeing Tanker Plane
Boeing Co's first fully equipped KC-46A refueling plane completed a four-hour inaugural flight on Friday, a milestone for the US$49 billion program that has run into cost and schedule issues in recent years.
Pound
The pound may arrest its slide against the euro because the Bank of England will increase interest rates much sooner than markets are predicting, according to BNP Paribas SA.
Saturday, September 26, 2015
USA Services Sector
Growth in America's services sector eased during September to its slowest rate at any time during the last three months as new business expansion weakened for a second month, an industry report showed on Friday.
iPhone 6s
The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus hit stores around the world on Friday, at the start of what is expected to be a record weekend for sales of Apple Inc's marquee product.
Priv
BlackBerry announced plans Friday to sell an Android-powered smartphone, in the latest reboot effort from the faded star of the sector.
The Canadian firm said its would begin selling "Priv," describe as "a flagship handheld device that will run on the Android operating system with BlackBerry security," expected to be available later this year.
Friday, September 25, 2015
Amazon Puzzle
Which company is a better investment, Google or Amazon.com? Conventional wisdom suggests Google, which turns huge profits, enjoys better gross margins, and has a far lower price-to-earnings ratio. Yet Amazon's stock has returned 62.6 per cent in the past year, compared with 9.6 per cent for Google.
El Nino
The haze, a result of forest fires in parts of Indonesia, is set to remain until November, due in part to the dry spell caused by the El Nino effect said to be among the strongest since records were kept in 1950.
360-Degree Viewing
Facebook on Wednesday began rolling out 360-degree viewing at the leading social network, letting people change their perspectives in specially created videos.
Caterpillar Inc
Caterpillar Inc said it could cut up to 10,000 jobs through 2018 as part of a restructuring plan to save up to US$1.5 billion annually.
Thursday, September 24, 2015
Schools in Singapore
Schools in Singapore will close on Friday (Sept 25) due to the worsening haze conditions.
The 3-hour PSI level had crossed the hazardous markoft 316 at 9pm, while the 24-hour PSI reading for Singapore was between 219-270.
USA Manufacturing Sector
Growth in the US manufacturing sector showed no month-over-month change during September, staying at August's sluggish pace which was the weakest in almost two years, according to an industry report released on Wednesday.
USA Crude Stocks
US crude stocks fell more than expected last week, while gasoline stocks increased and distillate inventories fell, data from the Energy Information Administration showed on Wednesday.
PIMCO
Pacific Investment Management Co says US inflation will pick up - at a time when the Treasury market is signaling the opposite.
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
COE 23 September 2015
Certificate of Entitlement (COE) prices ended lower in the latest tender on Wednesday (Sept 23).
Cat A COE for cars up to 1,600cc ended at $55,399, lower than the previous $57,089 in the Sep 9 bidding.
Cat B COE for cars above 1,600cc closed at $60,001, lower than the previous $62,101.
Cat C COE for goods vehicles and buses went down to $45,289 from the previous $48,601.
Cat D COE for motorcycles went up slightly to $6,158 from the previous $6,112.
Cat E Open COE went up slightly to $61,300 from the previous $61,010.
Dropbox
Cloud storage firm Dropbox, one of the best-known Silicon Valley startups, has no imminent plans for a public share offering, founder and chief executive Drew Houston said Monday.
Office 2016
Microsoft Corp said it began the worldwide roll-out of Office 2016, the latest addition to its cloud-based subscription service Office 365, on Tuesday.
4chan
The popular anonymous online forum 4chan on Monday announced that it has been bought by the founder of hit Japanese-language message board 2channel.
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
USA Home Sales
US home resales fell more than expected in August, a cautionary sign for the US housing market which has recently looked on stronger footing.
Magnus
A subsidiary of Magnus Energy is forking out A$1 million (S$1 million) in cash to subscribe for 8 million shares in a new Australian oil and gas company.
European Central Bank
Greece's liabilities to the eurozone's bank payment system climbed last summer to highs not seen since 2012, as fears Greece would be forced out of the eurozone drove money out of the country, data from the European Central Bank showed on Monday.
Monday, September 21, 2015
1MDB
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has launched an investigation into allegations of money-laundering at troubled Malaysian state fund 1MDB, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday citing an unidentified source.
Singapore Formula One Grand Prix
Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel won an incident-packed Singapore Formula One Grand Prix on Sunday after world champion Lewis Hamilton retired early for the first time this season and a spectator set heart rates fluttering when he strolled on to the track.
New Cabinet in Australia
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced a new ministerial lineup, promoting women and younger lawmakers as he seeks to refresh the government by removing figures loyal to his predecessor, Tony Abbott.
Sunday, September 20, 2015
German's Love Affair
Few things are so closely tied with Germany's national identity as the automobile. But changes in demographics, consumer behaviour and new technologies are beginning to steer that relationship, especially for young people, in a different direction, analysts say.
Volkswagen
Volkswagen AG's admission that it cheated to make nearly half a million diesel cars appear cleaner-burning than they are leaves the automaker facing billions in fines, its executives risking criminal charges and its US expansion plans in peril.
Mitsubishi Motors
Japan's Mitsubishi Motors Corp has started preparing for the closure of its sole US factory after failing to find a buyer for the high-cost auto plant, the Nikkei business daily reported on Saturday.
Saturday, September 19, 2015
Payrolls in USA
Payrolls rose in 32 US states in August and the jobless rate fell in 29, adding to evidence that the labour market is supporting growth in the world's largest economy.
BlackRock
The Federal Reserve will likely raise US interest rates at its December policy meeting after it decided to stick to its near-zero rate policy on Thursday, Rick Reider, a top bond manager at BlackRock said on Friday.
PIMCO
Treasuries advanced for a second day after the Federal Reserve kept interest rates near zero. Pacific Investment Management Co says policy makers may wait until next year before raising them.
Thai Boat Noodle
799 New Changi Road
Bedok Point
#02-32/34
Tel: 64459932
Opening hours: 11am to 10pm
Friday, September 18, 2015
Greece
European unease that Greece may falter on its bailout promises after elections on Sunday looks misplaced, at least initially, as its pressing need for money means that whoever wins is likely to toe the line.
Unemployment Benefits
The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits fell last week to the lowest level in eight weeks, suggesting the labour market continued to strengthen despite the recent tightening in financial market conditions.
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Google will start testing a delivery service for fresh food and groceries in two US cities later this year, stepping up competition with online retailer Amazon.com and startup Instacart Inc.
Burberry
UK luxury-goods maker Burberry Group plc introduced a channel on Apple Inc's music service in the latest example of the fashion and technology industries coming together.
WatchOS 2
Apple Inc said it will not release watchOS 2, an updated operating system for the Apple Watch, on Wednesday as planned after it discovered a bug in development.
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Brent Crude Futures
Brent crude futures traded at their deepest discount to later-dated contracts since June, signaling the global oil surplus is growing more severe.
Auto Production
US manufacturing output contracted more than expected in August, dragged down by a sharp fall in auto production that could moderate economic growth in the third quarter.
Capital Spending
US chief executives are cautious about the economy's near-term prospects and expect to trim capital spending over the next six months, according to a survey by the Business Roundtable.
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Airbus
Airbus Group said on Monday that production of its first US-built jetliner is several weeks behind schedule due to tooling problems, but that the company expects to deliver the plane on time to customer JetBlue Airways Corp in the second quarter of 2016.
Long Winter
The commodities bear market may last for many years, with oil dropping as low as US$35 a barrel, as production cuts haven't been sufficient to wipe out the global surplus, according to Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc.
Gold
Gold bulls can't shake the specter of higher US interest rates as Federal Reserve policy makers gather this week.
Prices are trading near a one-month low, investors are dumping holdings through exchange-traded products, and the metal's volatility is rebounding. A resilient US job market and dollar strength are adding to gold's woes, spurring money managers to cut their bets on a rally by more than a third.
Monday, September 14, 2015
Android Pay
Google's Android Pay rolled out on Thursday to US customers, becoming the latest system to allow consumers to tap their phones to pay for purchases at retailers.
Amazon
Amazon.com Inc surpassed Wal-Mart Stores Inc. as the world's biggest retailer by market value after a surprise second-quarter profit sent the e-commerce company's stock into record territory.
Wal-Mart
After years of meeting demands for ever cheaper prices, many Wal-Mart Stores Inc suppliers are saying no to new margin-squeezing storage fees and a payment schedule that could delay for months how quickly some are paid.
Sunday, September 13, 2015
Bombardier
Bombardier Inc is refocusing the sales campaign for its tardy CSeries jet on established airlines, a shift away from reliance on lessors and small carriers.
Lufthansa
German pilots' union Vereinigung Cockpit has proposed fresh talks with Lufthansa management over early retirement benefits, a day after a court ruled a strike was unlawful because the union had overstepped its mandate.
Earthquake in Tokyo
A moderate earthquake hit Tokyo early Saturday, waking residents and shaking buildings in the Japanese capital, but there was no immediate report of any damage.
The 5.4-magnitude quake, with its epicentre located in Tokyo Bay, struck at 5:49 am (2049 GMT), according to the US Geological Survey.
Saturday, September 12, 2015
Syrian Refugees
US President Barack Obama's administration on Tuesday said it was looking at further measures to address the Syrian refugee crisis, amid criticism the world's largest economy is not doing enough.
Migration Crisis
As they cope with the worst migration crisis in decades, European Union states want some flexibility from the European Commission when it reviews their draft budget plans - but the commission says the EU fiscal rules must be respected.
Since the beginning of the year, about 500,000 migrants have reached the European Union, fleeing war and poverty in their home countries.
Crude Oil
Crude oil fell on Friday after Goldman Sachs slashed its price forecast through next year, while global equity markets traded mixed on worries over the economic outlook and whether the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates next week.
Friday, September 11, 2015
Consumer Comfort in USA
Consumer attitudes in the U.S. held steady last week as weaker perceptions about the buying climate offset more sanguine views of household balance sheets.
Wholesale Inventories in USA
US wholesale inventories fell in July for the first time in nearly two years, a tentative sign that businesses were starting to whittle down a huge stockpile of merchandise that could weigh on production in the second half of the year.
Job Growth in USA
The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits fell last week, suggesting a moderation in job growth in August was an aberration.
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