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China averts liquidity squeeze that was wreaking havoc on bonds

BEIJING (BLOOMBERG) - China's central bank has pumped enough cash into the banking system to convince government bond investors that the worst is finally over. Over the past month, the People's Bank of China has had to work especially hard to rein in borrowing costs after a surge in credit defaults damped commercial lenders' enthusiasm to make loans. The central bank injected a net US$84 billion (S$111 billion) in one-year funding and US$8 billion of short-term cash into the financial system in the final five weeks of 2020 alone. The PBOC is likely to maintain sufficient liquidity around the Lunar New Year holiday in mid-February, when demand for cash is typically high. Policy makers vowed this month there would be no hasty reversal of monetary easing, saying China's economic recovery wasn't yet solid enough. The assurance came after Beijing signaled it will unwind some of the stimulus measures put in place to support growth during the pandemic in an effort to stabilize the record amount of leverage in the economy. The injections have helped calm money markets and arrest the longest selloff in government debt since 2007. Interest rates on short-term interbank debt have fallen to a ...

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Gold firms as US dollar slides to multi-year low

BENGALURU (REUTERS) - Gold prices edged higher on Wednesday (Dec 30), as the prospect of increased fiscal aid pushed the US dollar to its lowest in more than two years, although global Covid-19 vaccine rollouts and increased risk appetite limited bullion's gains. Spot gold rose 0.7 per cent to US$1,890.61 per ounce by 1.47pm EST (1847 GMT). US gold futures settled up 0.6 per cent at US$1,893.40. "The US dollar index touched a new low - that's working in favour of the gold and silver markets," said Kitco Metals senior analyst Jim Wyckoff. "However, upbeat risk appetite in the market place, evident by stock indexes at or near record highs is tempering buying enthusiasm. You've got this tug and pull at work right now." The US dollar index touched a low since April 2018 following US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's decision to delay a vote on increasing Covid-19 relief checks to US$2,000. US stocks rose on hopes of additional fiscal stimulus and on optimism over vaccine rollouts, as Britain became the first country to approve a vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University. "The bigger picture is that gold is still holding up incredibly well at these price levels and t...

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US dollar plumbs more than 2-year lows to Singapore dollar

NEW YORK (REUTERS) - The Singapore dollar, euro, Aussie and New Zealand dollars all posted more than two-year highs against the struggling greenback as investors bet on more US fiscal support and positioned for year-end in light trading volume. Investors are betting that an improving economic outlook as Covid-19 vaccines are rolled out and unprecedented fiscal and monetary stimulus will boost global growth and asset prices in 2021. US economic growth is expected to drag behind peers, however, with the US currency also suffering from rising fiscal and current account deficits as the government increases spending to tackle coronavirus-related business shutdowns. Data on Wednesday showed that the advance US goods trade deficit rose to a record US$84.8 billion (S$112 billion) in November, from US$80.3 billion in November. "The start of Covid-19 immunisation campaigns in several countries as well as additional US fiscal support have reduced downside risk to the global economy and bode well for general financial market sentiment. This remains a drag for USD," Elias Haddad, senior currency Strategist at Commonwealth Bank of Australia, said in a report on Wednesday. The US dollar fell 0.4 ...

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Dow edges to record as US stock rally resumes

NEW YORK (AFP) - Wall Street stocks resumed their holiday season rally on Wednesday (Dec 30), shrugging off the dimming chances of more US stimulus being enacted while another coronavirus vaccine advanced. The Dow edged to a fresh record, with analysts pointing to bargain-hunting after equities fell on Monday. Britain became the first country in the world to approve AstraZeneca and Oxford University's low-cost Covid-19 vaccine, another option to tame the deadly disease. The United States has already cleared vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell threw more cold water on the prospect for raising stimulus payments to US$2,000 (S$2,600) from the US$600 maximum included in the just-enacted US relief bell, criticising a measure backed by President Donald Trump in a speech on the Senate floor. The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished up 0.2 per cent at 30,409.56, narrowly overtaking an all-time high registered on Monday. The broad-based S&P 500 added 0.1 per cent at 3,732.04, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index gained 0.2 per cent to 12,870.00. "Investors are taking a breather," said Maris Ogg of Tower Bridge Advisers. "We are runnin...

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Gas tariff for households to rise slightly for January to March

SINGAPORE - The gas tariff for households will increase slightly, by 0.23 per cent, for the next three months compared with the quarter before, City Gas said on Wednesday (Dec 30). From Jan 1 to March 31, the tariff before goods and service tax (GST) will rise by 0.04 cent per kilowatt hour (kWh), from 17.19 cents per kWh to 17.23 cents per kWh, said the piped town gas producer and retailer. City Gas explained that this is due to an increase in fuel costs compared with the previous quarter. It reviews gas tariffs based on guidelines set by the Energy Market Authority (EMA), the gas industry regulator which approves the new tariffs as well. More on this topic Related Story S'pore shifting to cleaner alternatives, but LNG to remain primary energy source for now Related Story Parliament: Increased household electricity and gas consumption from April to July due to Covid-19 measures

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Singaporean Dickson Yeo, who spied for China in the US, arrested by ISD upon his return

SINGAPORE - The Singaporean who spied on the United States for China has been arrested by the Internal Security Department on his return to Singapore on Wednesday (Dec 30). Dickson Yeo Jun Wei, 39, had been sentenced to 14 months’ jail in the US for spying, and he revealed to investigators there that his "previous intelligence taskings targeted other states apart from the US", said the ISD in a release on Wednesday. The ISD will interview Yeo to establish if he had engaged in "activities prejudicial to Singapore’s security". "Singapore will not allow our nationals to be subverted or used by any foreign actors for activities prejudicial to our security and national interests," said the department. "The Government takes a very serious view of any Singaporean who enters into a clandestine relationship with a foreign government and engages in espionage or subversive activities at the behest of the foreign power." The ISD added that such individuals will be firmly dealt with. It cannot provide any further information, as investigations are still being done. Yeo had pleaded guilty in July this year, to obtaining sensitive information from Americans under the direction of Chinese intellig...

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New NTU endowment fund in honour of late engineering dean kicks off with $1m donation

SINGAPORE - The Nanyang Technological University's (NTU) pioneer engineering batch of 1985 on Wednesday (Dec 30) launched an endowment fund in honour of the late Emeritus Professor Chen Charng Ning. Prof Chen, who was founding dean of NTU's then School of Civil and Structural Engineering, a deputy president of the university, and founding chairman of the Building and Construction Authority, died on Nov 30 last year. He was 80. He was also board chairman of Santarli Holdings, whose construction arm seeded $1 million to the fund "without hesitation", according to former member of Parliament Lee Bee Wah. She co-chairs the endowment fund committee alongside fellow former MP Inderjit Singh. They are both from the 1985 cohort. The fund aims to award scholarships worth up to $15,000 and bursaries of up to $10,000 annually to engineering undergraduates from underprivileged families. It is already halfway to its goal of raising at least $2 million. Speaking as guest of honour at the launch, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said that for every dollar raised, the Government would contribute $1.50 to NTU's general endowment fund. "On top of this, the Government also provides a 250 per cent...

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Karaoke outlet suspended for letting 51 people consume alcohol at midnight on Christmas

SINGAPORE - A karaoke outlet has been ordered to suspend operations for 20 days for failing to comply with Covid-19 safe management measures on Christmas Day. MZS Family Karaoke in the Orchard Road area was found to have allowed large groups of more than five customers on its premises, and to have let them consume alcohol at 12.05am, the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) said on Wednesday (Dec 30). The karaoke outlet stopped operations from last Friday. The ministry added that the police are investigating 51 individuals for not complying with safe distancing measures. Separately, seven more food and beverage (F&B) outlets were fined $1,000 each for breaching safe management measures between Dec 18 and last Saturday. These breaches include admitting and seating groups of more than five customers, allowing groups to mingle, seating groups less than 1m apart, and providing games to patrons despite not being an amusement centre. In phase three of Singapore's reopening, which kicked in on Monday, F&B outlets are allowed to accept bookings for groups of up to eight people. But mingling between groups, as well as the serving and consumption of alcohol after 10.30pm are ...

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Minimum legal age for smoking raised to 21 from Jan 1

SINGAPORE - The minimum legal age for the purchase, use, possession, sale and supply of tobacco products will be raised from the current 20 years to 21 on Jan 1, 2021. This is the third and last change to the minimum age requirement under the amendments to the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act, which were passed in Parliament in November 2017. The minimum legal age was first raised from 18 to 19 years old on Jan 1, 2019, and from 19 to 20 years old on Jan 1, 2020. On Wednesday (Dec 30), the Ministry of Health (MOH) reminded the public of the changes, and said raising the minimum legal age is part of Singapore's ongoing efforts to reduce smoking prevalence. Other efforts by the ministry, together with the Health Promotion Board and the Health Sciences Authority (HSA), include public education, taxation, smoking cessation programmes, bans on tobacco advertising, point-of-sale display ban, and standardised packaging of tobacco products. "Tobacco use is one of the highest contributors to ill health and premature death in Singapore. It is associated with cancers, ischaemic heart disease, stroke, lung disease and many other diseases," it added. The MOH said the tobacco ind...

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Epazz Developed Smart Contracts for HEMP IEO on the Asia Token Exchange

CHICAGO, IL, Dec 30, 2020 - (ACN Newswire) - Epazz Inc. (OTC: EPAZ), a provider of blockchain cryptocurrency mobile apps and cloud-based business software solutions, announced today that the company is working with Greenheart CBD Hemp company in developing their smart contracts for their IEO (Initial Exchange Offering). The company will be enhancing their smart contract software to allow other organizations interested in launching their IEO using an easier way to create and modify their smart contracts without needing a programmer. According to Carlos R.W., senior economist and researcher at De Meijer Independent Financial Services Advisory (MIFSA), the global blockchain market size would grow exponentially in 2021. More businesses from many industries expressed their increasing interest in using Blockchain technology to advance their business processes. The COVID-19 pandemic fast-tracked the digital transformation drive in many aspects, including distributed ledger or blockchain technology. Thus, the global blockchain market size will expand from US$3 billion in 2020 to US$39.7 billion by 2025 at an effective compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 67.3%. Many industries are looking...

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XRP cryptocurrency tumbles as Coinbase exchange moves to suspend trading

LONDON (REUTERS) - Cryptocurrency XRP slumped 19 per cent on Tuesday (Dec 29) after Coinbase, a major US virtual coin exchange, said it would suspend trading in the digital currency. California-based Coinbase said on Monday it would suspend trading in XRP after the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) last week charged an associated blockchain firm, Ripple, with conducting a US$1.3 billion unregistered securities offering. Ripple has rejected the charges, saying XRP is a currency and does not need to be registered as an investment contract. XRP, the third-biggest cryptocurrency, was last down 18.7 per cent at an intra-day low of US$0.20, its lowest since July. It has slumped by over half since the SEC move. The move by Coinbase comes as it prepares for a stock market listing, with a confidential application to the SEC to go public. It would be the first major US crypto exchange to list on the stock market. Coinbase, one of the most well-known cryptocurrency platforms, said trading in XRP moved into limit only from Monday, and would be fully suspended on Jan 19. Financial regulators around the globe are still grappling with how to regulate bitcoin, XRP and rival cryptocurrenc...

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AirAsia sells stake in India venture to Tata for $50.4 million

MUMBAI (BLOOMBERG) - AirAsia Group, hit by the coronavirus pandemic that's decimated passenger demand, is selling its 32.7 per cent stake in AirAsia India Ltd. to its partner Tata Sons for about US$38 million (S$50.4 million). The Malaysian low-cost carrier entered into an agreement with Tata Sons, which already owns 51 per cent of the venture, according to an exchange filing on Tuesday (Dec 29). AirAsia Group last month said it was reviewing investment in its cash-strapped Indian affiliate, hours after its Japan unit filed for bankruptcy. The group has also stopped funding AirAsia India leaving the future of the company largely dependent on India's Tata Group. Chief executive officer Tony Fernandes this month said AirAsia is evaluating its venture with the Tata Group, while the two expand their relationship in the digital business. "At the right time we will make the announcements, but definitely our strength is Southeast Asia and that's where most of our expansion is going to be over the next two to three years," he said in a Dec. 7 interview with Bloomberg Television. AirAsia India started flying in 2014 with a promise to break even in four months. But it's never made money in w...

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US markets retreat from records as stimulus hits snag

NEW YORK (AFP) - Wall Street closed lower on Tuesday (Dec 29) after the Senate blocked a move to boost federal stimulus cheques to US$2,000 (S$2,600), sending indices retreating from records set the day before. Much of Monday's upbeat sentiment came after President Donald Trump's signed into law a US$900 billion stimulus package that extends unemployment programmes helping people during the pandemic, as well as US$1.4 trillion budget to fund the government. The president had called for an increase the next round of stimulus payments from the US$600 maximum set in the Bill, and the House of Representatives approved a measure to do that. But on Tuesday, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked that change and Wall Street, which started the day in positive territory, dialed back its gains. The benchmark Dow Jones Industrial Average finished 0.2 per cent lower at 30,335.67, while the broad-based S&P 500 also lost 0.2 per cent to finish at 3,727.04. The tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index dropped 0.4 per cent to 12,850.2 at the close. Boeing shares rose 0.1 per cent after its 737 Max jet returned to commercial service in the United States with an American Airlines flight b...

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Spotlight on single-owner plots, older CBD offices

Single-owner plots and older central business district (CBD) offices are now in the spotlight as residential property developers eye strong residential sales. Cushman & Wakefield (C&W) expects more buzz in residential investment activity in the early part of 2021 as residential sales continue to keep pace, it said in its market outlook 2021 series. C&W executive director of capital markets Shaun Poh said the recent sale of the Guillemard-Jalan Molek site at $93 million has sparked a wave of interest among residential developers, particularly mid-sized ones, to look at sites that will help them ride the current cycle. These include single-owner plots and older CBD offices that can take advantage of the CBD Incentive Scheme which motivates owners of these buildings to redevelop their properties into mixed-use projects, including residential. Private residential prices registered a gain of 0.8 per cent in the third quarter of the year, compared with the second quarter, bringing prices to its peak since the third quarter of 2013. For the full year, sales are expected to come in at around 20,000 units, C&W said. Ms Christine Li, C&W head of research for Singapore and South-east Asia, sa...

Cambodia, KrisEnergy venture starts crude oil production

PHNOM PENH • Cambodia has begun extracting its first crude oil from fields in the Gulf of Thailand, in a venture between Singapore's KrisEnergy and the government, both parties said yesterday, bringing an end to years of delays. Prime Minister Hun Sen announced the news on social media while KrisEnergy said the concession started production on Monday and would progress in phases once new wells were commissioned and completed. "I... am pleased to inform all Cambodians about the start of Cambodia's first oil production in the long-awaited Block A," Mr Hun Sen said on his Facebook page. Mr Kelvin Tang, chief executive of KrisEnergy's Cambodian operations, called the event "an important strategic milestone" for the company. "There has been a steep learning curve for all involved," he added in a statement. Cambodia and Singapore-listed KrisEnergy signed a pact in 2017 to develop 3,083 square kilometres of the Khmer basin in the Gulf of Thailand known as Block A. Cambodia has struggled to develop its oil fields as few companies were willing to invest in the area, following a global oil price slump in 2014. Singapore-listed KrisEnergy, which has been a partner in the project for more than...

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Ng Teng Fong General Hospital gets new CEO

SINGAPORE - Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH) announced on Tuesday (Dec 29) that it will be promoting Dr Quek Lit Sin to chief executive officer with effect from Jan 1. Dr Quek is currently the deputy chief executive of the hospital and will be replacing its founding CEO, Mr Foo Hee Jug, who had held the position for 11 years. Mr Foo will focus on and expand his current role at the group level as deputy chief executive of the National University Health System (NUHS). Professor Yeoh Khay Guan, chief executive of NUHS, said: "I wish to express our deepest appreciation to Mr Foo Hee Jug for his invaluable contribution and leadership. I look forward to (his) continuing contributions in his role as deputy chief executive, (where he will lead) the Group's digital and service transformation to achieve better efficiency and improve patient experience." He will continue to oversee the JurongHealth Campus with the chief executive of NTFGH reporting to him, said Prof Yeoh. The JurongHealth Campus comprises Jurong Community Hospital, Jurong Medical Centre and NTFGH. In 2015, Mr Foo and his team developed and built the 700-bed NTFGH and 400-bed Jurong Community Hospitalas Singapore's first ...

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Police disperse crowd gathered outside school uniform shop in Ang Mo Kio

SINGAPORE - Police had to disperse a crowd which gathered outside a uniform shop in Ang Mo Kio on Tuesday morning (Dec 29), many of whom were there to buy school uniforms for their children before school starts next week. Many parents had arrived at the Jeep Sing Fashion store around 8am, two hours before its opening, for a queue ticket. By around 10am, more than 100 people had formed a snaking queue to get into the shop located at Block 4012, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10, with some ignoring the one metre safe distancing requirement. Six police officers were then spotted outside the uniform shop urging parents to stand further apart, and to encourage some to leave. Around 70 people who had queue tickets were left in the line. On its website, the shop advised customers not to turn up as all queue tickets for the day had been issued. Mr Shio Kumar, 46, who works in the marine industry, waited two hours before he finally got his three-year-old daughter her kindergarten uniform. Schools reopen on Jan 4. He had waited in line for three hours on Monday, but was told to return another day because of the size of the crowd. Madam Sharon Yee, 33, could not get a queue ticket to buy uniforms for her ...

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Singaporeans can overcome challenges of 2020, emerge stronger: President Halimah

SINGAPORE - At the end of a very unusual and challenging year, with Covid-19 causing serious economic and social disruption, Singapore needs "all hands on deck" to overcome the crisis and build a better future for generations to come, President Halimah Yacob said in her New Year message on Tuesday (Dec 29). She added she was confident that Singaporeans were up to the task, noting that the people have shown time and again to be made of sterner stuff, with crises strengthening them and making them even more resilient. Speaking in a video released by the Istana, Madam Halimah said: "We now have to reassess the way we organise our lives, work and businesses as there is no going back to the pre-Covid-19 period. But there are also opportunities. "Covid-19 has accelerated the use of technology, and long-term challenges such as climate change have gained a new impetus. Countries are using the opportunity to reshape their recovery towards a more green and sustainable economy." But the President also observed that Singapore was still experiencing economic headwinds induced by the pandemic, particularly in the aerospace and tourism-related sectors. She said that with concerted efforts, a full...

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Twelve Cupcakes founders Daniel Ong, Jaime Teo charged with offences under Employment of Foreign Manpower Act

SINGAPORE - Local radio DJ Daniel Ong Ming Yu and former model Jaime Teo Chai Lin were hauled to court on Tuesday (Dec 29) over offences under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act linked to pastry chain Twelve Cupcakes, which they founded. They allegedly allowed the chain to underpay the wages of their foreign employees between 2013 and 2016. There were also instances involving some workers who, for periods between 2012 and 2013, did not receive any income. The court heard that the staff purportedly did not receive their stipulated wages within a week of the end of the salary periods. One employee – Zhu Weihong – did not receive his monthly salary of $2,000 within a week of the last day of the month. This happened between Sept 8 and Nov 8, 2012. Ong, 45, and Teo, 43, are each facing 24 charges involving eight employees. The court heard that Teo intends to plead guilty to her charges on Jan 26 next year. Ong’s case has also been adjourned to that day. For each charge under the Act, an offender can be jailed for up to a year and fined up to $10,000. The firm, under new owners Dhunseri Group, had pleaded guilty earlier this month to 15 charges of underpaying the employees in 2017 an...

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Coinbase to suspend trading in XRP after US suit against Ripple

BENGALURU (REUTERS) - Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase said on Monday (Dec 28) it would suspend trading in cryptocurrency XRP after US regulators last week charged associated blockchain firm Ripple with conducting a US$1.3 billion (S$1.7 billion) unregistered securities offering. The move by San Francisco-based Coinbase comes as the firm is preparing for a stock market listing and has confidentially applied with the US Securities and Exchange Commission to go public. It would be the first major US crypto exchange to list on the stock market. Coinbase said trading in XRP moved into limit only from 2:30pm Pacific time on Monday, and would be fully suspended on Jan 19 at 10am. The SEC has charged two Ripple executives for personal gains they received from the offering. Ripple created and sold XRP, the third-biggest cryptocurrency by market value. Founded in 2012, Coinbase is one of the most well-known cryptocurrency platforms globally and has more than 35 million users in more than 100 countries. More on this topic Related Story Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase files for IPO as Bitcoin soars past US$23,000 Related Story Booming crypto market a potential haven for money laundering: Stu...