CNA938 Rewind - Using AI in sports training – how athleticism is a numbers game
CNA938 Rewind - What is a pre-authorisation certificate and why is Great Eastern suspending it?
Insurer Great Eastern has suspended the issuance of pre-authorisation certificates for Mount Elizabeth hospitals, while others like Prudential and AIA are continuing to do so. Andrea Heng and Susan Ng chat with Eddy Cheong, CEO at Havend to get an explainer on the procedures involved and how it might further threaten the cost of insurance for private medical facilities.
15 mins
CNA938 Rewind - Using AI in sports training – how athleticism is a numbers game
The NBA has introduced the use of artificial intelligence to make its players better – a move shared by many other sports to improve their sportsmen and women. Andrea Heng and Susan Ng chat with Loron Orris, Founding Partner of Asia Sports Tech to determine the upper limit for athleticism and if AI is enough to achieve the perfect score.
16 mins
CNA938 Rewind - Million-dollar HDBs: a sign of supply crunch for larger flats
Analysts expect this year to be a record for resale HDB units sold for at least $1 million – pointing to signs of tight supply and steady demand for larger units. Andrea Heng and Susan Ng chat with Vairavan Shanmugam, Data Insights Specialist from Ohmyhome to assess the resale market and track price trends.
10 mins
CNA938 Rewind - Trump claims Iran and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire – will it hold?
US President Donald Trump announced a complete ceasefire between Israel and Iran, hours after Iran launched a retaliatory strike on a US air base in Qatar. The potential deal could end a 12-day war between the countries, with Iran winding down its missions first, followed by Israel 12 hours later. There's been no official confirmation of the agreement from Israel or Iran. Andrea Heng and Susan Ng chat with Mouin Rabbani, non-resident senior fellow at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs.
10 mins
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Business Times
30 minutes ago
- Business Times
Global de-dollarisation trend intact as safe-haven rally in US dollar peters out
[SINGAPORE] The US dollar's recent bout of strength – a short-lived one – amid rising Israel-Iran tension signals that the greenback's safe-haven status is intact. But its swift slide on news of a ceasefire on Tuesday (Jun 24) also suggests that the de-dollarisation narrative is still in play, said analysts. Deutsche Bank's global head of emerging markets and Asia-Pacific research, Sameer Goel, told The Business Times: 'The price action last week, including in Asian currencies, in response to geopolitical risk in the Middle East supports the more traditional safe-haven appeal of the dollar... 'But I don't think that reverses the de-risking trend in global markets to re-calibrate their unhedged exposure to the dollar,' he said. Goel said that two concurrent dynamics are underway in markets: One is a more cyclical de-risking from the unhedged concentrated exposure to the US dollar; the second is a slower, but more structural de-dollarisation trend, in line with shifts in global trade and payment systems. The de-risking relates more to the reduced appeal of growth/rates/fiscal exceptionalism that has underpinned the greenback's outperformance in the last few years. It is also about finding the appropriate price – the value of the US dollar and/or yields – to continue funding the US' large twin deficits, he said. The economist added that de-dollarisation is more about growing alternative non-dollar pools of liquidity to fund global trade and capital market transactions. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 8.30 am Asean Business Business insights centering on South-east Asia's fast-growing economies. Sign Up Sign Up MUFG Bank's senior currency analyst, Michael Wan, agreed that the shift to rebalance away from the US dollar was intact, despite 'some speed bumps or detours, and beyond week-to-week market gyrations'. 'The gravitational pull is still there,' he concluded, noting that key drivers for Asian economies include significant existing overweights in US assets, greater supply chain fragmentations and longer-term fiscal concerns in the world's largest economy. A refuge, no less That said, Julius Baer economist David Meier maintained that US dollar weakness since the beginning of the year is not necessarily at odds with its safe-haven characteristics. 'A country's reserve currency status is built on a combination of preconditions including a large, stable economy, institutional strength/warranting of property rights, deep financial markets, and is protected by military strength – all of which remain intact in the US,' he said. 'Although erratic policymaking is casting doubts on its institutional strength, as long as property rights remain warranted, the safe-haven character of the US dollar should hold.' Moody's Analytics director and head of Asia-Pacific economics, Katrina Ell, agreed that the greenback was still an attractive haven asset. She noted that recent heightened uncertainty due to the US' 'chaotic protectionist stance' had driven its assets to be less attractive as it was the source of the instability; then escalated Middle East tensions once again sent investors back to the greenback. Currency moves The US dollar index over the weekend crept up towards the key 100 threshold – a level last hit in late May – after US President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social about the 'very successful air strikes' on three Iranian nuclear sites on Jun 22. The American currency reversed its trajectory late on Monday evening, weakening after the US Federal Reserve governor teased an interest rate cut at the next policy meeting in July. It sank further on Tuesday morning to around the 98 level as Trump announced a 'complete and total' ceasefire between Israel and Iran. In response, major East Asian and South-east Asian currencies – which have mostly logged year-to-date gains against the US dollar – first weakened over the weekend, and then reversed their losses at the start of the week. The South Korean won, Malaysian ringgit and the Philippine peso recorded some of the largest movements against the greenback. Julius Baer's Meier said the earlier underperformance could be attributed to their 'higher cyclicality and greater sensitivity to risk aversion', which he noted as greater than the Asian safe-haven Singapore dollar or the offshore renminbi's policy-driven stability. Litmus tests On the psychological levels of the US dollar index Meier is watching in the near to medium-term – which could signal a continuation of the safe-haven rally versus a reassertion of the de-dollarisation narrative – he flagged 97 as the most recent support level and 99 as the resistance level. But he cautioned that defining levels is more in the realm of technical analysis than fundamental analysis. MUFG Bank's Wan noted: 'In the very near term, I'm looking for the 99.415 level at the 50-day moving average for the US dollar index to hold for the next downtrend.' If the greenback's safe-haven rally still has legs, the analyst expects its strength to be accompanied by a rally in US Treasuries and/or equities. 'Conversely, if the de-dollarisation narrative is reasserting itself, I would expect dollar weakness to be combined with bond markets outside the US doing better than the US; US equities lagging the rest of the world; and/or alternative safe havens (whether perceived or otherwise) such as gold, Bitcoin, yen, franc and perhaps even the Singapore dollar, to do well.' Policy pivot or pause? On the Fed and regional central banks' next moves, analysts are divided. Moody's Analytics' Ell cautioned that the threat of widespread tariffs remains a dark cloud, which means a sustained energy price increase would be a body blow. 'If this conflict keeps upward pressure on energy prices, the expectation that global inflation will stay contained should be abandoned,' she said. Julius Baer's Meier acknowledged that higher oil prices may exacerbate upside inflation risks, but maintained that the house anticipates only a temporary spike in oil prices. 'We do not expect the conflict to escalate to the point of closing the Strait of Hormuz, leading to a significant oil crisis, (hence) the impact on inflation is likely to remain within limits,' he said. 'Consequently, we do not expect this conflict to be a factor that would delay further monetary policy easing by the Fed or other global central banks,' added Meier. Deutsche Bank's Goel noted the increasing signs of difference in opinion within the Federal Open Market Committee on whether the central bank should stay on the sidelines in the face of elevated uncertainty, or act more imminently to ease rates. He said: 'A weaker dollar, meanwhile, together with reduction in geopolitical tail risk as it relates to a supply-side shock to oil prices, should give more comfort and space for Asian central banks to ease monetary policy.'
CNA
44 minutes ago
- CNA
Israel-Iran conflict: Concerns over impact of ceasefire uncertainty on India's oil imports
In India, concerns over the impact of the Israel-Iran conflict on oil imports and uncertainty over the ceasefire are already spilling over to consumers. Ishan Garg reports from New Delhi.
Independent Singapore
an hour ago
- Independent Singapore
Airlines to face higher operating costs in the long term as route options shrink amid global conflict, analyst says
FB screengrab/ Singapore Airlines Airlines will be facing higher operating costs in the long run as route options shrink due to growing global conflict, according to JLS Consulting's aviation analyst John Strickland. The Guardian reported that after the United States launched strikes on Iran, major airlines — including Singapore's flag carrier, Singapore Airlines (SIA), Air France-KLM, and British Airways — cancelled flights in the Middle East. Meanwhile, Finnair put all its flights to Doha on hold until the end of the month. The aviation industry has always steered clear of unnecessary risk. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, most Western airlines have been banned from the Russian airspace, which has already had a major impact on flights between Europe and Asia. Following Iran's missile attack on US bases, Qatar temporarily closed its airspace on Monday evening, disrupting key Gulf hubs. These airports play a major role in international aviation, with routes now becoming more limited as tensions escalate. Just as the closure of Ukrainian and Russian airspace led to complaints from operators over air traffic control delays, a similar scenario could unfold in the Middle East, Mr Strickland said. For now, flights over Iraq and Iran are still off-limits, while in Israel, only a few rescue flights by El Al are allowed to bring nationals home. Mr Strickland said, 'The Gulf is a busy region, even for airlines who are not based there. The more it is restricted, the more challenging it is for airlines.' He noted that while cancellations were primarily prompted by safety concerns, shrinking route options will add significant time to flights, which not only makes flights longer but also more expensive to operate as they are 'burning more fuel'. He also added that if crews are on duty longer, flights might be cancelled due to working hour limits, crew shortages, or safety and security reasons. Share prices of several airlines have dropped since Israel's initial attack on June 12. /TISG See also What we know about the new Brazilian Covid-19 variant P.1 Read also: '2nd isn't a bad thing': Singapore Airlines named world's second best airline for 2025
