Market Insights - Investor Hedging and Positioning
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Join a panel of financial experts as they unpack the key investment trends defining the second half of 2025 amid rapid economic and technological shifts. Discover how AI and deglobalisation are reshaping opportunities. Learn how to navigate market volatility, build resilient portfolios and position your investments for growth.
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Business Times
4 minutes ago
- Business Times
Trump's pay-for-play chips deal generates alarm and optimism
[NEW YORK] US President Donald Trump's controversial plan to take a cut of revenue from chip sales to China is leading to concerns that the US government will find new ways to start charging companies for a range of business activities with other countries. Experts and sources familiar with the matter said that the surprise deal, in which Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) agreed to pay 15 per cent of their revenues from Chinese AI chip sales to the US, potentially provides a path to enter the Chinese market despite severe export controls, tariffs and other trade barriers. The question that companies must now confront is whether the risk is worth taking. Sources familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations, said that companies are struggling to figure out what the president's order means for their future, especially given the unpredictable nature of Trump's decision-making. 'This is truly bizarre and unusual, and the troubling thing, beyond the individual instances of AMD and Nvidia, is the possibility that this will be expanded,' said Gary Hufbauer, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. 'Everything is now 'national security', according to the new definition, which means it's all subject to export licenses and then they give you a license based on your contribution.' There are concerns that US trade agencies could begin charging fees to companies every time there's a meeting to discuss tariffs, according to sources familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations. The Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security, which issues export licenses, was not consulted about the revenue deal, according to sources familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified discussing private conversations. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up Trump administration officials defend the idea as a smart way to generate revenue for the US government and suggest it will extend well beyond the chips sector. 'I think we could see it in other industries over time,' Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday. 'I think right now this is unique, but now that we have the model and the beta tests, why not expand it?' Bessent defended the deal and rejected any national-security concerns around the decision to sell Nvidia's H20 chip to China, something that had been earlier barred for fear of giving China a boost in the artificial intelligence (AI) race. 'There are no national security concerns here,' Bessent said. 'We would not sell any of the advanced chips. So, the H20, I don't know whether you'd say they are four, five, six levels down the chips stack.' Either way, the deal highlights how Trump has pushed to open a wave of new revenue streams, including by taking ownership shares of companies or extracting higher fees to live or work in the US. The US is weighing sales of a so-called 'gold card' residency permit, it won a 'golden share' to have direct say over corporate actions by United States Steel, and it's secured investment pledges and potential revenue-sharing in country-level tariff talks. That's aside from the barrage of product tariffs that have at times left massive dislocations in globally traded markets. The matter further surprised China hawks in Congress, who have been unimpressed by the administration's reassurances. Rep John Moolenaar, the Michigan Republican who chairs the US House Select Committee on China, questioned the legal basis for the move and suggested it does an end-run around controls put in place to limit the sale of sensitive technology to US adversaries. 'Export controls are a front-line defence in protecting our national security, and we should not set a precedent that incentivises the government to grant licenses to sell China technology that will enhance its AI capabilities,' he said. It also raises questions about where the administration will steer the revenue. Trump has mused about issuing tariff rebate checks, though he has yet to seriously pursue the idea, while at other times, he's said that it would go towards narrowing the large budget deficit. The administration had debated launching a sovereign wealth fund before shelving those plans for now. It's too soon to say whether the administration will seek to revive the fund and steer revenue there, one official familiar with deliberations said. 'Trump's aides argue that these measures will strengthen America's AI leadership by maximising its global influence and market share,' Hal Brands, a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a former Pentagon official, wrote in Bloomberg Opinion. 'Yet it is also possible that they will simply eat into America's innovation advantage.' BLOOMBERG
CNA
4 minutes ago
- CNA
Aceh ranks among poorest provinces in Indonesia, despite billions in aid
Aceh's multi-billion-dollar special autonomy fund from Indonesia's central government is set to expire in 2027. The fund was established to support the province's reconstruction and poverty alleviation efforts following the 2005 peace agreement. In the second installment of CNA's series on the Aceh peace deal, Saifulbahri Ismail explores why, nearly 20 years later, Aceh continues to rank among Indonesia's poorest provinces.
CNA
33 minutes ago
- CNA
Hunt for new Lions head coach down to 5 names, including ex-Tottenham Hotspur assistant coach
SINGAPORE: The hunt for a new national football head coach has intensified, with the shortlist down from 10 names a week ago to five now, CNA understands. A few candidates – including former Tottenham Hotspur assistant coach Nick Montgomery – are in Singapore for interviews to snag the top job, after Japanese tactician Tsutomu Ogura resigned on Jun 24 due to personal reasons. His exit left Singapore looking for its fourth national coach in six years. Assistant coach Gavin Lee has stepped in to lead the Lions as caretaker in the meantime. While the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) has kept its final candidates under wraps, Montgomery and a mystery Spaniard are among those who have been spotted in town for talks. Montgomery left the English Premier League side in June after a year there, where he won the Europa League. He was previously head coach of Scottish Premiership club Hibernian and Australian A-League side Central Coast Mariners. The 43-year-old spent most of his playing career at Sheffield United. NO MAJOR TROPHIES SINCE 2012 The incoming coach will face high expectations from the new FAS Council, led by billionaire Forrest Li who was elected president in April. Li, who founded tech giant Sea, also owns Singapore Premier League (SPL) club Lion City Sailors. He told reporters last week he hopes that with success on the field, more people will follow local football and that interest will grow. Singapore are currently 159th in the world rankings. "We have the best city planning, the best airport, best highways. A lot of things are world-class – why not football?" Li said. Ogura left Singapore at the top of their third-round Asian Cup qualifying group, with four points after their first two matches and four games left. Finishing top means qualifying for Asia's premier competition for the first time ever on merit. The Lions have not secured a major trophy in more than a decade since winning Southeast Asia's football championship, the AFF Championship, in 2012. Observers said a new coach needs to be hired soon in order to build relationships with the players and understand the local football environment. Football pundit and commentator Rhysh Roshan Rai said Ogura had 'brought a lot more belief' into the Lions, who now have clearer ideas about the team. 'They want to try and dominate teams … They want to go out and play, and they want to show that they have courage on the ball, so I think all these things are really encouraging and you would like to see this continue,' added the former Singapore Armed Forces FC midfielder. 'I don't think it'll be a good idea to get someone who's going to basically rip up all the tactics and come in with his own ideas, own approach. Because at the international level, you don't have much time to work with these players.' Rai noted that the new coach will also have to consider if Lions are getting enough playing minutes in the SPL, which recently raised the number of foreign players to seven per match. 'We're seeing SPL clubs, for example, signing foreign goalkeepers, and so that's going to be a key area as well. We already don't have a great goalkeeping situation in Singapore,' he added. Ogura had left his role with some advice for Singapore football. 'Singapore must look for its own way, not chase another country, or chase another way of how to do things,' he said. 'Always keep confidence. Keep trust to our players, then our staff, then I think for Singapore a new history is coming.'
