Golfing stalwart resigns as director of Pan-West
LOH Ah Joo, the man known to many as the ‘godfather of golf’, has resigned as a director of Pan-West (Private) Ltd, the company he founded 40 years ago.
CRCT posts 10% fall in Q4 DPU to 2.04 cents
CapitaRetail China Trust (CRCT) yesterday reported a 10 per cent fall in income to be distributed in fourth quarter 2009 to $12.7 million from $14.1 million a year ago as rental revenue fell.
Business briefing
SINOTEL Technologies Ltd has obtained the approval of the Shenzhen Development Bank (SDB) to provide credit financing of up to 40 million yuan (S$8.2 million) to fund working capital needs.
SingPost reports 20.6% rise in Q3 profit
SINGPOST turned in a better performance for the December quarter compared to a year ago, which it attributed to an improving economy, government relief measures and the consolidation of a new business, Quantium Solutions.
Petra Foods buys rest of Petra Armajaro stake
PETRA Foods has acquired the remaining 32 per cent stake in its investment holding firm, Petra Armajaro Holdings Pte Ltd, for 9.4 million euros (S$18.43 million).
Petrovietnam Finance plans S’pore listing in Q3
PETROVIETNAM Finance Corp (PVFC), an arm of Vietnam’s state oil monopoly, plans to list shares on the Singapore stock exchange in the third quarter of this year, its chairman said yesterday.
China Electronics boosts TPV stake, may make general offer
CHINA Electronics Corp has increased its stake in TPV Technology Ltd above the 30 per cent level that would require it to make a general offer for all shares of the world’s largest contract computer monitor maker, according to announcements yesterday.
Fisch adds Asian convertibles to global fund
FISCH Asset Management has been adding Asian convertible bonds to the global fund that it manages for Schroders, taking advantage of attractive valuations in markets such as India, and targeting consumer and industrial names.
At a glance
A bone to pick
IT’S easy to guess what bak kut teh is about from the name of the dish, which translates to ‘meat bone tea’ (it’s a soup dish boiled with pork bones, duh).
Don’t sweat the small stuff
‘TO me, bak kut teh is best enjoyed on a day when you don’t have any meetings, especially meetings with new friends or customers,’ announces Jimmie Lee.
Health-conscious foodie
YOU could call Tay Chin Ann something of a health-conscious foodie.
Unique offerings
IT looks like a pretty violent reunion dinner is on the cards when restaurants advise you to add mallets and bamboo poles to your place settings.
Quirky & quaint
SYDNEY’S more bohemian areas – Potts Point, Surry Hills, Newtown, Dank Street – are brimming with vintage fashion, antiques, art, rare books and good ol’ fashioned coffee.
iPad or iFad?
GEEKS put their gadget purchases on hold this month in anticipation of Apple’s long-rumoured iPad, and the tablet computer cast its shadow over every other gadget release, but when it was unveiled in San Francisco on Wednesday, it seemed to bring up more questions than answers.
Sweet relief
NON-healing leg wounds and ulcers are an ever-present worry for diabetics, but a new oral nutritional therapy medicine and a new stent bring hope.
The Continental end of the rubber band
THE Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 is another standard bearer in the high-performance segment.
Fancy Falken
HIGH-PERFORMANCE Japanese tyres like those of Bridgestone and Yokohama have seen their list prices climb together with the higher yen.
A5 ace
RARELY does a single car combine driveability, utility and good looks all in one package but the Audi A5 Sportback comes very close.
Lexus with attitude
THE Lexus marque may be synonymous with luxury, a silent cabin, reliability and even excellent after-sales service but by and large, it is still perceived as rather sedate when rated on a scale of automotive excitement.
And the band played on
IT’S likely that when Carlo Bozotti goes for one of his weekly jogs along Lake Geneva, he hums the tune of Deep Purple’s Smoke on the Water. The song, one of his favourites, is one of the most famous sung by the iconic rock band.
Wall Street worries plague stocks
WHEN the week began, it was clear – at least to us – that the selling of the previous week could have been partly due to China’s tightening moves
Which came first – the iPad, the iPAD or the IPAD?
AS if fending off endless jokes about the name of its new iPad tablet computer wasn’t enough, Apple may soon find itself embroiled in trademark disputes with some companies that have already laid claim to that very same name.
Seagate donates $25k for budding artists
TO support better arts training for underprivileged children, Seagate Technology International has donated $25,000 to The Business Times Budding Artists Fund (BT BAF).
Cape Breton Island eyes trade links with region
IT’S not just about sailing crews and the race itself, but also the networking events and the corporate meetings that are going around the peripheries of the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race stopover in Singapore this week, too.
$100K to be premium player at casino
THE last thing high rollers or premium players want to worry about is not having enough cash to gamble.
Singapore most open to globalisation: E&Y
A NEW survey by Ernst & Young has put Singapore at the top of a ranking of countries most open to globalisation, international trade and culture.
A*Star, EDB tie up with Stanford to train talent in medtech
THE Agency for Science, Technology & Research (A*STAR) and the Economic Development Board (EDB) are channelling $9 million over three years toward a partnership with the Stanford University Biodesign Program to establish a new training programme.
Singapore, Costa Rica conclude FTA talks
SINGAPORE and Costa Rica have successfully concluded negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries after four rounds of talks.
Briefing
MINISTER for Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang has appointed five new members to the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB).
S’pore goes on a hiring spree, IRs lead charge
THE final three months of 2009 saw jobs being created at a furious pace. Meanwhile, fewer people are out of work as unemployment fell sharply to 2.1 per cent in December.
Oei’s sister emerges to carve her own niche
THE brother has hogged the headlines all these years, and now it is the sister’s turn to make a splash.
Dec bank lending up 1.1%, fastest in over a year
BANK lending expanded in December at the fastest monthly pace in more than a year as loans to most business and consumer segments increased, a sign of growing confidence among banks and borrowers in the economic recovery.
Business sentiment in S’pore picking up
BUSINESS sentiment in Singapore’s manufacturing and services sectors appear to have turned around, as companies now expect increased activity in the first half of 2010.
US economy grows 5.7% in Q4, fastest in 6 years
THE US economy grew at a faster-than-expected 5.7 per cent pace in the fourth quarter, the quickest in more than six years, as businesses made less aggressive cuts to inventories and stepped up spending.
Bank of S’pore ready to pursue grand plans
THE head of Bank of Singapore, the newly renamed private banking unit of OCBC Bank, yesterday set out ambitious goals for the business that would expand its reach to Europe and the Middle East.
Growing a global private bank with Asian roots
THE predicament of a wealthy client losing money on his investments may well be one of the most difficult for private bankers. After all, the objective of wealth preservation is often professed in the same breath as the label ‘trusted adviser’.
iPad – Nice evolution but less than a revolution
IT was hailed as a ‘Jesus Tablet’, a saviour of the struggling media industry.
CAAS in drive to boost aviation sector
A $100 MILLION fund is being rolled out to help the aviation sector fly.
Senate backs Bernanke with least ‘yes’ votes
US Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke survived a Senate battle, bruised. The question is whether the Fed was scarred, too.
It’ll be raining sixes this weekend
IF YOU’RE cricket-mad or even cricket-curious, you’d do well to spend at least part of this weekend at the Indian Association (IA) on Balestier Road.
How Goldman can win the PR war
TO: Lloyd Blankfein Re: Winning the Public Relations War
Japan deflation in December fastest on record
BASIC consumer price deflation in Japan accelerated to its fastest pace on record last month, confounding official assurances that the rate of decline would moderate and stepping up pressure on the authorities to adopt more radical approaches in dealing with the problem.
Samsung emerges top tech firm in sales
Samsung Electronics has risen to the top tier of global technology companies – by sales.
Windows 7 fuels 60% surge in Microsoft’s Q2 net income
MICROSOFT Corp’s new Windows 7 software fuelled a surge in profit and revenue last quarter, making up for a lingering slump in the rest of its business.
Malaysia on drive for investments
MALAYSIA plans to make a major push for investments at an annual investor conference in March by pitching for equity as well as direct investments.
BNM hints at raising rates this year
BANK Negara Malaysia (BNM), the country’s central bank, yesterday signalled its intention to raise interest rates sometime this year although it downplayed the formation of any asset bubbles.
India leaves rates unchanged but drains excess liquidity from system
INDIA’s central bank kept interest rates on hold yesterday but moved to drain excess liquidity from the banking system in an effort to tame surging inflation without hurting economic recovery.
Chinese public opinion against Greek bonds
IF Beijing’s decision whether to buy Greek bonds depended on public opinion, Athens might as well skip China during its planned investor roadshow through Asia.
Thai finance minister backs capital outflow plan
THAI Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij said yesterday that he backed a central bank plan to allow more capital outflows, which is aimed at easing upward pressure on the baht.
|