Latest news with #Kuan
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Look for income-paying assets amid uncertainties: CIMB Bank
Find out what's new on ST website and app. CIMB expects fixed income will outperform, at least in the second half of the year, while it is staying neutral on equities. SINGAPORE – Investors can navigate volatile markets by focusing on investments that generate income, such as fixed income securities and shares, noted CIMB Bank on June 18. Mr Jason Kuan, Singapore director of investment research and advisory at its Chief Investment Office, told a briefing that the US tariff announcements in April prompted customers to ask the bank if they should adjust their portfolios or even sell up. 'We've always advocated that you should build a globally diversified portfolio,' noted Mr Kuan. 'But probably more importantly, it is to stay invested. And the best way is to weather the volatility because these things come time and time again.' He also backed investments that pay dividends: 'This income can really help to cushion volatility in the portfolio. When things start to finally settle, you can shift your assets over to more growth-oriented and more exciting stuff.' Mr Kuan said CIMB expects that fixed income will outperform, at least in the second half of the year, while it is staying neutral on equities. He also referred to Singapore as 'a harbour in choppy waters', one that offers neutrality and a relatively stable currency, so investors could consider Singapore dollar assets as part of their diversified portfolios. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore 30% of aviation jobs could be redesigned due to AI, automation; $200m fund to support workers: CAAS Singapore HSA looking to get anti-vape cyber surveillance tool with AI capabilities Singapore Alleged Kpod peddler filmed trying to flee raid in Bishan charged with 6 offences Singapore NTU upholds zero grade for student who used AI in essay; panel found 14 false citations or data Singapore Character counts as much as grades: Desmond Lee tells students after a class on race and culture Singapore Residents in South West District get help to improve employability, find career opportunities Life Kinokuniya opens third bookstore at Raffles City, weeks ahead of schedule Business DBS shares rally to a new record as STI clocks yet another high 'This can be in the form of shares listed on the Singapore Exchange, Singdollar-denominated bonds or hedged share classes for mutual funds.' Mr Kuan added that the Singdollar has been appreciating against the weakening US dollar and expects this to continue. The Singdollar is up more than 6 per cent against the greenback in 2025. He is also hopeful of an upswing in the fortunes of the Singapore stock market, in the light of the Monetary Authority of Singapore announcing measures in February to revive the bourse. Mr Jason Kuan, CIMB Singapore's director of investment research and advisory at its Chief Investment Office, told a briefing that the US tariff announcements in April prompted customers to ask the bank if they should adjust their portfolios. PHOTO: CIMB Mr Kuan noted that the stock market is largely capitalised by the three local banks – DBS, OCBC and UOB – and other blue-chip stocks. 'They are trying to find ways to re-energise the Singapore equity market and really to get more companies to list here. So we look forward to that.' National projects could also boost the economy amid a weaker global economic outlook and the impact of US tariffs, he said. The Singapore Government in April lowered its forecast for 2025 growth to 0 per cent to 2 per cent, from a range of 1 per cent to 3 per cent previously. The construction of Changi Airport's Terminal 5 and the expansion of Marina Bay Sands continue to provide support for the Singapore economy and jobs market, he added.
![[Watch] Malaysian Influencer Hits Rock Bottom, Becomes Lalamove Driver To Get Back On Track](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.therakyatpost.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F06%2FUntitled20-1.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
![[Watch] Malaysian Influencer Hits Rock Bottom, Becomes Lalamove Driver To Get Back On Track](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fall-logos-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ftherakyatpost.com.png&w=48&q=75){kind=small}
Rakyat Post
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Rakyat Post
[Watch] Malaysian Influencer Hits Rock Bottom, Becomes Lalamove Driver To Get Back On Track
Subscribe to our FREE A Malaysian influencer, Tommy Kuan from ' And he's not ashamed about it. The popular food vlogger, known for his humorous and engaging style, hit a brutal low in late 2024. Nothing was working. Pitches got ignored. Creative ideas fell flat. He stopped filming entirely and spent days rotting at home, watching his bank account drain. Kuan said in a recent video that he was doing everything wrong. I realized if I kept this up, I'd run out of money and my mental health would tank. Getting Back Behind the Wheel So, he did something practical: he applied to drive for the delivery app Lalamove. He likes driving anyway, and it beats sitting around being useless. The gig worked – spending hours alone in his car, delivering stuff around town, helped clear his head. The routine got him out of the house, while the small but steady income kept him afloat, but most importantly, it gave him time to think. Some things started making sense again. Inspiration came back. Now work is trickling back in. Kuan, who has a background in acting, only delivers a couple of days a week because other projects are picking up. From Viral to Vindicated The video about his delivery stint blew up online, with fans cheering him on. Some cynics accused him of making a sponsored ad for Lalamove, but Kuan shut that down quickly. I'm a small-time guy. Lalamove wouldn't come to me for advertising. He stressed he wasn't looking for pity—just sharing how he climbed out of a hole. The lesson? Sometimes the best way forward is to take any job that pays while you figure out what's next. Share your thoughts with us via TRP's . Get more stories like this to your inbox by signing up for our newsletter.
Global News
31-05-2025
- Health
- Global News
Residents advised to take precautions as smoke fills Saskatchewan's skies
Going outside this weekend may be difficult for some as wildfire smoke begins to move south. Lung Saskatchewan president Erin Kuan says the best thing one can do to protect themselves is to stay indoors to avoid the smoke. Some signs that your body is not doing well in the smoke is headaches, watery eyes, scratchy throat and generally feeling unwell. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy If those symptoms occur, Kuan says to head indoors, whether that be a mall, library or any area with air conditioning. When going inside is not an option, Kuan recommends wearing a 95-style mask. The Central Urban Metis Federation (CUMFI) by St. Paul's Hospital in Saskatoon is handing out masks to the homeless who are forced to stay outdoors. CUMFI is also accepting donations for evacuees in Saskatoon. They will be collecting items such as personal hygiene products, water, diapers, bathing suits, toys and clean summer clothing. CUMFI will then deliver the items to evacuees around the city. Story continues below advertisement Watch the video above to find out more about how the smoke is affecting Saskatoon.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
We're facing a student loan default crisis. This academic research might help
How information is presented can have an outsize impact on your actions. Behavioral scientists at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School recently tested a similar theory. They wondered if the right messaging — in the form of a 'nudge,' or reminder — could help struggling student loan borrowers. 'There have been large studies that have shown nudges can work in vaccinations or helping to reduce failure to appear in court,' says Robert Kuan, a third-year PhD student at Wharton who co-authored a January study in partnership with the Biden Administration's Education Department. 'But we didn't really know if it would work for student loan repayment.' It did. Performed in the fall of 2023 (after the COVID-19-caused pause on monthly payments), the study sent various types of emails to federal loan borrowers about their repayment options. Those nudges reduced credit-harming delinquencies by 0.42 percent. That might not seem like a lot, but if the research team had scaled the best-performing nudge to all of the nearly 13 million federal loan borrowers included in the study, they could have helped about 80,000 borrowers nationwide avoid delinquency. The Department of Education resumed debt collection on May 5 for five million federal student loan borrowers who are in default (or more than 360 days delinquent). By their own accounting, the number could grow to 10 million by the summer. Put another way: The $1.6 trillion student loan crisis, which has no apparent end in sight, is looking more and more bleak by the day, particularly for those far behind in repayment. But the Wharton study — 'Behavioral Nudges Prevent Loan Delinquencies at Scale' — may be a glimmer of light. It shows how an Education Department that's well-intentioned and well-equipped to help borrowers along in repayment could make a small but significant dent in the country's overwhelming education debt. After all, nudges appear to work even for borrowers who might be most desperate to put their debt in a drawer, close it shut and not think about it. Money and mental health According to Bankrate's Money and Mental Health Survey, 43 percent of U.S. adults say money negatively impacts their mental health, at least occasionally, causing feelings of anxiety, stress, worrisome thoughts, loss of sleep, depression and other effects. 'This is what makes this experiment pretty surprising because we're sending emails to people who have missed a loan payment,' says Kuan. 'So, this is a difficult-to-move population.' And yet, the study showed a positive effect of emailed nudges: reduced delinquency and a higher rate of applying for income-driven repayment (IDR) plans that cap a borrower's monthly dues at a percentage of their discretionary income. (Though a Wharton school professor, Sylvain Catherine, co-authored separate research on whether IDR plans benefit borrowers in the long run.) They held an average of $34,655 in outstanding loans and owed an average of $340 per month. 63% had missed a payment by 60 days or more in the past. 21% had defaulted on a loan. 39% had graduated from college. Some borrowers received the Education Department's standard message after missing a payment. Other borrowers received a behavioral science-designed message encouraging them to apply for an IDR plan — while highlighting their potential savings — and/or to enroll in automatic payments. Some borrowers in the latter group also received a follow-up message (or second nudge). Kuan recognizes that we are in a different position than when the study was performed. Many of the Education Department officials he and his colleagues collaborated with are no longer employed there. Related reading: Biden Administration's top higher ed official: Dismantling the Education Department won't fix how Americans pay for college Plus, borrowers might have been paying more attention to a Biden Administration hell-bent on targeted loan forgiveness and generous repayment options, like the since-scuttled SAVE repayment plan. 'But it still is very promising that by sending people emails, they didn't just ignore them,' says Kuan. 'And we actually got people to take action and put themselves in a better financial position because of that.' In other cases, perhaps where borrowers aren't in or on the verge of delinquency or default, a helpful reminder to be actively engaged in repayment can't hurt. Worst-case scenario: It winds up in the borrower's spam folder. Best case: They save time, money and stress. For example, the Wharton study found that, just by sending a follow-up email, rates of applying to IDR plans rose by 10 percent, says Kuan. 'Not to say that nudges by themselves will change the world, because there's still, with student loans, structural solutions that we can think through, like loan forgiveness and making student loan debt easier to discharge under hardship circumstances,' says Kuan. 'Nudges aren't a replacement for those. But to the extent that we might be politically divided and structural solutions aren't viable, then nudges are a great complement. They're cost-effective, they leverage psychological insights, and they can be implemented at scale.' Kuan's "surprising" study results Percentages beat dollars. Borrowers who received messages of their potential IDR-related savings in percentage form were more likely to take action than peers who received messages about equal-sized savings presented in dollars and cents. Simpler isn't always better. Borrowers who received messages recommending two actions (say, applying for IDR and enrolling in autopay) were more likely to act than borrowers who received a simpler, one-action recommendation. Kuan received Pell Grant funds and borrowed student loans for his undergraduate degree. He credited his first post-college job with helping to aggressively repay education debt. So, he has a 'personal' tie to America's education debt problem, even if he can't directly relate to the most distressed borrowers. 'In our dataset of 13 million borrowers, there are some people with hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loans,' says Kuan. 'And I can only imagine how a person thinks about paying something that they think they can never [fully] repay. So, that is something that I think must be so demoralizing for an individual.' The Wharton study is a low-cost solution for the Education Department to help some of these borrowers. But, as Kuan acknowledged, it's not a universal problem-solver. If you're feeling demoralized, consider that, as bleak as it may seem, there's always a best next choice for your repayment. You might investigate options like those highlighted in the study: IDR can be a way to temporarily or permanently lower your monthly dues to fit within your budget. Autopay is a simple hack for avoiding late payments (and earning an interest-rate reduction in some cases). Other repayment strategies to consider include: Federal loan forgiveness: There are various ways to discharge student loan debt, including Public Service Loan Forgiveness for government and nonprofit workers at eligible employers. Loan repayment assistance: For federal or private loans, seek out aid programs from states, private organizations and even companies that pay off student loans. Repayment pauses: Postponing your payments temporarily via deferment or forbearance for federal loans and via some private lenders can be useful if you need time to rebuild your income or fix your budget — but interest usually accrues during such pauses. Make extra payments: This can cut down the accrual and compounding of student loan interest. One popular method is repaying your student loans biweekly. Student loan refinancing: Creditworthy applicants can seek a lower interest rate by refinancing with a private lender — at the risk of permanently forfeiting federal loan protections. If you're in dire need of help, don't hesitate to ask. You might consider contacting your federal loan servicer, the Education Department's Default Resolution group or working with a certified student loan counselor or lawyer. Consider this a nudge. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
New Straits Times
06-05-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
Hartalega FY25 net profit surges nearly six-fold to RM75mil
KUALA LUMPUR: Hartalega Holdings Bhd's net profit for the financial year ended March 31, 2025 (FY25) surged nearly six-fold to RM74.54 million from RM12.50 million a year earlier, driven by stronger sales volume. Revenue rose 40.76 per cent to RM2.59 billion, compared with RM1.84 billion a year earlier. "The significant increase of RM747 million or 41 per cent in revenue was mainly driven by a 40 per cent increase in sales volume," it said in a statement. For the fourth quarter (Q4) ended March 31, 2025, Hartalega recorded a net profit of RM14.48 million, slightly lower than the RM14.9 million posted a year earlier. Revenue for the quarter rose 15.3 per cent year-on-year to RM611.55 million, from RM530.34 million in the same quarter last year. Higher sales volume and stronger selling prices lifted revenue, but net profit was dragged down by increased non-operating expenses during the quarter. Hartalega chief executive officer Kuan Mun Leong said the group's full-year performance reflects encouraging signs of recovery for the sector. Nevertheless, he cautioned that the operating environment remains volatile, with the global rubber glove market still facing oversupply and ongoing pricing pressure. "In addition, US demand is expected to remain moderated in the near term following the earlier front-loading activities as well as the ongoing trade uncertainties. "However, despite the impact of escalating US-China trade tensions on the global trade landscape, this could also serve as a catalyst for Malaysian manufacturers to regain export market share in the US," he said. On the sector outlook, Kuan said the rubber glove industry's prospects remain positive. He said global demand has surpassed pre-pandemic levels and is expected to grow further, driven by rising healthcare needs, greater hygiene awareness and broader usage across medical and non-medical sectors.
