Philip Chua Business Blog

Posts Tagged ‘asia pacific’

STOCKS here started the holiday-shortened week on a bullish note yesterday, propelled by major contract wins at some firms and renewed optimism for the economic recovery boosting banks and commodities-related stocks.

The Straits Times Index (STI) finished 36.34 points or 1.3 per cent higher at 2,797.88, the highest closing level since Aug 14 last year.

Elsewhere in Asia-Pacific yesterday, othe… more

58% of respondents expect to spend more on research and development in next 12 months
MOST business leaders in the Asia-Pacific believe it will take two to three years for the global economy to recover fully.
In the meantime, many are gearing up for future growth and plan to spend more on research and development in the next 12 months.
These findings come from a survey conducted jointly by Pricewa… more

(SINGAPORE) It is far from business as usual for Asia-Pacific’s syndicated loan market – notwithstanding last month’s mega US$2.4 billion Noble deal.
Volumes are much lower than last year, according to Thomson Reuters LPC.Its data shows that this year, up to Nov 2, syndicated loan volumes for Asia-Pacific ex-Japan reached US$118 billion with 449 deals. In 2008, there were 811 deals amounting to US… more

EVEN as the stock markets pick up, expect to see fewer designer labels on fellow passengers on the MRT in coming months, if the latest survey released yesterday by Omnicom Media Group (Asia Pacific) is anything to go by. Singaporeans ranked among the most thrifty in the region, with 45 per cent of respondents planning to be either ‘a little more cautious’ or ‘a lot more cautious’ with spending ove… more

(SINGAPORE) When it comes to pledged shares and margin loans, disclosure rules that require directors to make a judgment call are inadequate, the CFA Institute Centre for Financial Market Integrity said.
In a paper released yesterday, the CFA Institute Centre urged for higher disclosure standards in this area across Asia-Pacific stock exchanges.
Directors are the ones tasked with deciding whether… more

Singapore expected to benefit from its direct domestic plays, says AMPCI
GLOBAL equities are at the early stage of a three-to-five-year bull market, said Kerry Series, head of Asia Pacific Equities at AMP Capital Investors (AMPCI).
Mr Series, who spoke to BT in Singapore yesterday, noted that Asian stocks could outperform on the back of stronger earnings growth and investor demand.
Despite the m… more

WHILE the global economic environment has begun to stabilise, there are three potential threats that could slow down or derail the recovery, warned Standard & Poor’s Asia-Pacific chief economist Subir Gokarn yesterday.
Dr Gokarn cited inflation, high interest rates and subdued overseas demand as the key risks to Asia’s export-dependent nations trading their way back to growth.

He told the cr… more

ANZ bank will not bother targeting heartlanders here but focus its energies on affluent customers with assets of at least $100,000.
Mr Alex Thursby, ANZ’s chief executive for Asia-Pacific, Europe and America, told a briefing yesterday that it did not have the firepower to take on local banks in the mass market.

‘We have no ability to compete with that segment, frankly, with DBS, OCBC or UOB,’ sa… more

(SINGAPORE) Unfazed by keen competition in the local banking scene, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) is aiming for ‘high growth’ in its newly acquired units and will look to hire in the medium to long term.
‘Growth in institutional and private banking combined in the last two years has been approximately 50 per cent per year,’ said ANZ Asia-Pacific, Europe and America CEO Alex Thu… more