Posts by Swedan Margen
Gold prices dip on firmer US dollar
Published Mon, Feb 16, 2026 · 09:52 AM [BENGALURU] Gold edged lower on Monday (Feb 9) as the US dollar rose after bullion notched a more than 2 per cent gain in the previous session, as cooler-than-expected US inflation data lifted expectations for interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. Spot gold fell 0.4 per…
Read MoreA family fights to keep control of 157-year-old firm in Japan
Nearly half of Japan’s listed companies are tied to a founding family, many of which no longer have enough equity to guarantee control [TOKYO] Ishikawa is a remote, mountainous prefecture bordering the Sea of Japan, but the fate of a drug store chain whose local roots go back to 1869 has implications for Tokyo’s financial…
Read MoreMarco Polo Marine Q1 gross profit up 32% at S$14 million on fleet additions
[SINGAPORE] Integrated marine logistics company Marco Polo Marine on Monday (Feb 16) posted revenue for its first quarter ended Dec 31, 2025, of S$32.8 million, up 27 per cent from S$25.8 million in the same period the prior year. This was mainly due to the group’s ship chartering operations, which underwent a “significant expansion” after…
Read MoreRampant AI demand for memory is fuelling a growing chip crisis
The fundamental reason for the squeeze is the buildout of artificial intelligence data centres [TAIPEI] A growing procession of tech industry leaders, including Elon Musk and Tim Cook, are warning about a global crisis in the making: A shortage of memory chips is beginning to hammer profits, derail corporate plans and inflate price tags on…
Read MoreStocks to watch: ThaiBev, Marco Polo Marine, Lendlease Reit, Centurion, HPL
[SINGAPORE] The following companies saw new developments that may affect trading of their securities on Monday (Feb 16): Thai Beverage : The mainboard-listed company on Friday posted sales revenue for the first quarter ended Dec 31, 2025, of 86.7 billion baht (S$3.5 billion), down 6 per cent from 92.3 billion baht in the same year-ago…
Read MoreUS forces board second sanctioned oil tanker in Indian Ocean
Published Mon, Feb 16, 2026 · 08:09 AM THE US military boarded an oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking the vessel for thousands of miles, saying it tried to circumvent President Donald Trump’s energy blockade in the Caribbean against sanctioned ships. The Pentagon, in a post on X Sunday, said US forces conducted…
Read MoreEUR/USD expected to continue uptrend after recent short-term correction
THE euro is the second most traded currency by volume globally and forms the most actively traded currency pair with the US dollar. It is also widely held as a global reserve currency, serving as the common legal tender across the eurozone. Rising geopolitical risks in the United States have fuelled discussions around de-dollarisation, positioning…
Read MorePositive reaction to market reforms opens door to broader enhancement of growth capital sector
The result could be a bigger pipeline of new listings, and some struggling listed companies going private [SINGAPORE] Back in November, this column said the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) ought to slow-walk the allocation of billions of dollars to fund managers under the Equity Market Development Programme (EQDP). With stock valuations becoming stretched, and…
Read MoreCenturion Corp eyes Middle East expansion while shoring up domestic presence
The property player is targeting worker and mid-skilled housing in around three countries in the Middle East [SINGAPORE] 2025 was a landmark year for property player Centurion Corp , marked by the listing of its accommodation trust in one of Singapore’s largest initial public offerings of the year. The group is now laying the groundwork…
Read MoreA lot of bull: As STI breaches 5,000, what more can we call for?
We should shift the whole market to unit shares, and get rid of the inefficient odd lot market that investors are sometimes forced into THE Straits Times Index (STI) crossed the 5,000 mark as Finance Minister Lawrence Wong delivered Budget 2026 last Thursday (Feb 12). The significance of 5,000 – apart from being the latest…
Read MoreVisa-only Games highlights Europe’s payments headache
Published Mon, Feb 16, 2026 · 06:14 AM [MILAN] Anyone trying to buy a souvenir at the official Olympic stores at the Milano Cortina Games will have been exposed to an issue troubling Europe’s policymakers: the dominance of foreign payment providers and the fading role of cash. Under a sponsorship deal with the International Olympic…
Read MoreWarner Bros weighs reopening sale negotiations with Paramount
Both Paramount and Netflix have indicated they would be willing to raise their bids in order to secure a deal for Warner Bros Published Mon, Feb 16, 2026 · 05:47 AM WARNER Bros Discovery Inc is considering reopening sale talks with rival Hollywood studio Paramount Skydance Corp after receiving its hostile suitor’s most recent amended offer, people with…
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