Latest news with #AudreyWan
Bloomberg
4 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Singapore Kids Grapple With the Tyranny of Tutoring
Each week we'll bring you insights into one of Asia's most dynamic economies. If you haven't yet, please sign up here. This week, Audrey Wan reminisces about her education in Singapore and looks a the burden of private tutoring, while Gabrielle Ng examines the furor over an eyewatering bid for a medical clinic lease.
Bloomberg
17-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Singapore Makes a Big Bet on the Future of Air Travel
Welcome to the Singapore Edition newsletter. Each week we bring you insights into one of Asia's most dynamic economies. If you haven't yet, please sign up here. Amid all the uncertainty surrounding the path of the global economy, Singapore just made a huge vote of confidence in the future. Audrey Wan looks at the start of something big, while Ishika Mookerjee marvels at the delights of Labubu and Alfred Cang considers the impact of DeepSeek's 'tech madman.'
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Singapore Air sees trade woes hurting demand in cautious outlook
By Danny Lee and Audrey Wan (Bloomberg) – Singapore Airlines warned tariff and trade tensions on top of broader economic and geopolitical uncertainties could hurt demand for passenger and cargo flights. The city-state flag carrier's cautious outlook emerged despite full-year profit beating estimates and revenue rising to a record as strong travel demand countered intensifying pressure from competitors and geopolitical headwinds. 'The global airline industry faces a challenging operating environment,' the airline said in a statement. The growing challenges 'may impact consumer and business confidence, potentially affecting both passenger and cargo markets,' adding it remained vigilant to adapt to changing market conditions. Net income rose 3.9% to S$2.78 billion ($2.1 billion) in the year ended March 31, higher than analyst estimates for S$2.4 billion. Revenue edged 2.8% higher to a record S$19.5 billion, topping expectations for S$19.3 billion. Singapore Air's muted final quarter underscores the uncertainty hanging over the carrier for the year ahead. While the airline had been confident about robust travel demand, US President Donald Trump's ever-changing policies have hurt consumer sentiment and upended global trade flows. The airline's passenger yield – a key metric of profitability – declined slower than in the previous three years, falling 5.5% to 10.3 Singaporean cents per kilometre. Expenses, including fuel costs, rose. Singapore Air's caution stopped short of any concrete financial impact. That contrasts with major US airlines like American Airlines Group Inc. and Delta Air Lines, which withdrew their full-year guidance, while United Airlines took the unusual step of offering two forecasts factoring in a scenario with and without a tariff impact. Europe's largest carrier, Deutsche Lufthansa, had warned last month it had limited earnings visibility amid the trade tensions. Singapore Airlines Group, which includes budget unit Scoot, carried a record 39.4 million passengers in the fiscal period. The carrier also has a 25.1% stake in Tata Group-run Air India. The city-state's flag carrier has entered deals to jointly operate flights and coordinate schedules and airfares on routes between Singapore and the likes of Indonesia, Japan, Germany and Malaysia with rival carriers to shore up its competitive defences. Net income was boosted by a one-off non-cash gain of S$1.1 billion booked in the third quarter. Stripping out the one-off item, adjusted net income fell 37% to S$1.7 billion. Shares in Singapore Air closed 0.3% higher in Singapore Thursday. That takes its year-to-date gains to 6.8%. More stories like this are available on ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Singapore voters are largely content but undecided as poll nears
By: Audrey Wan and Low De Wei (Bloomberg) — The average Singaporean voter is content and prioritises bread-and-butter issues ahead of geopolitics in their voting considerations, according to a BlackBox Research survey. Over 80% of about 1500 respondents are satisfied with the city-state's trajectory, a sign of confidence in the government with a national vote to be held by November. Optimism among younger citizens aged 21-29 was 'particularly pronounced,' based on the survey conducted March 28 to April 8. Still, about three in 10 of the Singaporeans polled are undecided on who they will vote for, according to the results released on Friday. The under 30s and the lower-income households showed more voter uncertainty. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong had a stable approval rating of 75%, Opposition leader Pritam Singh's popularity rose 7 points to 71% from the previous quarter despite his conviction in February for lying to a parliament committee. 'This election won't necessarily come down to personalities or geopolitics – there are a lot of votes to be won on the ground,' BlackBox CEO David Black said. 'Election campaigning will revolve around the day to day issues, so the parties and their candidates will need to be at the ready or suffer for it.' While cost of living, jobs and housing affordability are top of mind for Singaporeans, international developments including the impact of tariffs and US-China ties also have an influence on voter sentiment, according to the survey. The BlackBox poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5%. A YouGov survey released on Tuesday found that the ruling People's Action Party could secure at least 40% of votes while Singh's Workers' Party would garner 12% of the votes. More stories like this are available on ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Singapore's opposition claim ‘gerrymandering' ahead of election
By Audrey Wan (Bloomberg) – Opposition parties in Singapore called into question revisions to the electoral boundaries, accusing officials of 'gerrymandering' ahead of a critical vote only months away. The Electoral Boundaries Review Committee released its report on Tuesday proposing changes to all but nine electoral divisions. 'It is nothing short of massive gerrymandering in plain sight,' the fringe People's Power Party said in a Facebook post. 'This is really unhealthy for democratic development, disruptive and wasteful of resources in reorganising town councils and disrespectful to Singaporeans at large.' The main opposition Workers' Party noted 'significant changes' to areas it had been working in in recent years. Others called out the committee comprised of top civil servants and led by the secretary to Prime Minister Lawrence Wong for not providing sufficient explanation for the changes. The city-state's elections department did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. Objections to Singapore's process of deciding electoral boundaries are not new in a political system that's been dominated by the ruling People's Action Party since independence in 1965. In August, Progress Singapore Party raised a motion in parliament calling on the government to review how the boundaries are drawn, 'to reduce the potential for gerrymandering in our system.' The motion was later rejected by popular vote. The government said that suggestion was based on 'false premises' and the committee works in the interest of voters, not those of political parties. 'Much of the EBRC's decision-making remains unexplained,' Progress Singapore Party Secretary-General Hazel Poa said in a Facebook post on Tuesday. 'The EBRC could have accounted for the population shifts without making drastic changes to existing major electoral boundaries.' Changes to the electoral zones signal that Singapore is approaching its next vote, the first since Wong took over the top post from long-time incumbent former Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in May. In the last election in 2020, the ruling PAP won 89% of the parliamentary seats in its worst performance ever due in part to concerns about the economy. Worries about cost of living pressures remain top of mind for Singaporeans. Wong has warned that the next vote which is due by November, but could come much sooner, would be a high-stakes one and that even a modest swing in the popular vote would lead to a weaker government. This year, the electoral boundaries committee said it took into consideration significant changes in the number of electors in current divisions due to population shifts and housing developments. It recommended increasing the number of electoral divisions from 31 to 33 and the number of seats in parliament from 93 to 97. More stories like this are available on ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
