Singapore gold investment soars 37% to 2.2 tonnes in Q2 while jewellery demand wanes
[SINGAPORE] Investment appetite for gold remains strong in Singapore, with 2.2 tonnes of gold bars and coins purchased in the second quarter of 2025, according to World Gold Council’s report released on Thursday (Jul 31). Meanwhile, gold jewellery demand in Singapore declined 8 per cent to 1.5 tonnes, as record gold prices curbed spending power…
Read MoreWho Is James Andrew McGann? Man Arrested for Murders of Parents in Front of Their Children at Arkansas Devil’s Den State Park
A suspect has been arrested for the brutal double murder of two parents who were killed protecting their young daughters during a hike in Arkansas’ Devil’s Den State Park on Saturday—bringing a tense five-day manhunt to an end. Arkansas State Police arrested 28-year-old James Andrew McGann of Springdale while he was getting a haircut in…
Read MoreChina’s cyberspace regulator questions Nvidia over AI chip privacy risks
Published Thu, Jul 31, 2025 · 02:04 PM [BEIJING] China’s cyberspace regulator said that it has asked US semiconductor maker Nvidia to explain whether its H20 artificial intelligence (AI) chips have any backdoor security risks. The Cyberspace Administration of China said that it met with Nvidia on Thursday (Jul 31) after US lawmakers called for…
Read MoreChina’s cyberspace regulator summons Nvidia over H20 chip security risks concerns
Published Thu, Jul 31, 2025 · 02:04 PM [BEIJING] China’s cyberspace regulator said that it has asked US semiconductor maker Nvidia to explain whether its H20 artificial intelligence (AI) chips have any backdoor security risks. The Cyberspace Administration of China said it met with Nvidia on Thursday (Jul 31) after US lawmakers called for advanced…
Read MoreSingapore, Asia stocks with high yields, growth potential highlight of JP Morgan Asset Management’s fund strategy
[SINGAPORE] JP Morgan Asset Management (JPMAM) intends to focus on small- and mid-cap (SMID) Singapore stocks, as well as high-yielding markets in the Asia-Pacific, to revitalise investor interest in local equities. The fund strategy, announced at the asset manager’s third-quarter outlook briefing on Tuesday (Jul 29), is part of the Equity Market Development Programme (EQDP)…
Read MoreSocGen lifts targets after French retail rebounds sharply
[PARIS] Societe Generale (SocGen), France’s third-largest listed bank, raised its annual profit target on Thursday (Jul 31) after a strong rebound in its French retail business lifted second-quarter results above expectations. The French lender raised its 2025 return on tangible equity target, a key profitability measure, to around 9 per cent from a previous goal…
Read MoreLufthansa reports higher-than-expected Q2 earnings
Published Thu, Jul 31, 2025 · 01:23 PM [BERLIN] Lufthansa on Thursday reported better second-quarter results than expected, boosted by low oil prices and currency effects, and confirmed its full-year guidance. The German airline group reported an operating profit of 871 million euros (S$1.29 billion), compared with 805 million euros expected, according to an analyst…
Read MoreStanChart sets US$1.3 billion buyback as first-half profit outstrips forecasts
[HONG KONG/LONDON] Standard Chartered (StanChart) reported on Thursday (Jul 31) a higher-than-expected 26 per cent jump in first-half pretax profit, as a strong performance in the wealth, markets and global banking businesses boosted revenue at the lender. Emerging markets-focused StanChart also announced a further US$1.3 billion share buyback that it said would start imminently. The…
Read MoreKering Foundation Sets Date for Fourth Annual ‘Caring for Women’ Dinner in New York
The Kering Foundation is returning to The Pool for its fourth annual Caring for Women dinner. The foundation will host the VIP event, which raises support for organizations working to end gender-based violence against women, at the midtown venue during New York Fashion Week on Sept. 11. “To ensure that women and children can live…
Read MoreFamily office for Hong Kong’s richest builds out hedge fund team
[HONG KONG] A money manager for some of Hong Kong’s richest families is building a hedge fund team to allocate money away from private equity after its clients asked for more liquid investments. VMS Group, which has about US$4 billion in assets under management, hired equities veteran Raymond Jook as managing director in April. The…
Read MoreDrones were just used to drop a vehicle on the battlefield for a stranded soldier, Ukrainian brigade says
A Ukrainian brigade said it used an FPV drone to deliver an escape bike to a trapped soldier. Its chief of staff said it took three tries with a Heavy Shot drone to make a successful drop. It’s one of the first recorded instances of an FPV drone being used for such logistics in a…
Read MoreBank of Japan offers cautiously upbeat view, keeps rates steady
[TOKYO] The Bank of Japan kept interest rates steady on Thursday and offered a cautiously optimistic view on the economic outlook, after Tokyo’s trade deal with Washington cleared some uncertainty surrounding its fragile recovery. The central bank also revised up its inflation forecasts and said risks to the price outlook were “roughly balanced,” a sign of its increasing conviction Japan will make progress towards meeting the…
Read More