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Business Times
9 hours ago
- Business
- Business Times
BT Money Hacks: Is now the time for ETFs?
If you've been spooked by the current investment landscape of volatility in global markets, you might be looking for alternatives. Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are low-cost investment vehicles that allow investors to track popular indexes or benefit from experienced manager selections aiming to outperform the market. Unlike open-end mutual funds, ETFs are traded on exchanges throughout the day. In the latest episode of Money Hacks by The Business Times, Howie Lim, speaks to Dina Ting, senior vice president, head of Global Index Portfolio Management, Franklin Templeton to gain a better understanding of ETFs and if they are right for skittish investors. The increasing popularity of ETFs Ting shares that ETFs provide investor choices that they haven't had before. Many strategies are now packaged into ETFs at a very low cost. The popularity of ETFs she says is skyrocketing, pointing out that new records in net flow into ETFs are being set almost every year. With market volatility on the rise due to political factors, ETFs might offer precise exposure and a variety of strategies. Whether it's a strategy that protects against volatility, doubles it, or balances income and performance, there's an ETF for that. 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 What are the risks Despite their benefits, ETFs face headwinds similar to specific stocks. The main concern is liquidity during extreme market events. However, historical performance has shown ETFs to be reliable reflections of their underlying holdings, providing an alternative liquidity source when traditional markets are closed. In stressed markets, Ting suggests that ETFs could offer easier liquidity, especially in fixed income investments. She expands on this in the podcast which makes this a key highlight. Diversification investment strategy ETFs are just a wrapper for various investment strategies. They offer advantages like tax efficiency, especially for US investors, and the ability to trade throughout the day unlike mutual funds, which trade only at day's end. ETFs are competitively priced, and the variety of available strategies has contributed to their increasing popularity among institutional and retail investors alike. Ting highlights why investors should consider international diversification, given tariff uncertainties suggesting that this is an opportunity now to balance investment portfolios. Listen now to learn more about ETFs and make an informed decision on whether this is an appealing entry point into the stock market for you if you are a new investor. If you have feedback or an idea for a podcast episode, contact us at btpodcasts@ Stay tuned for more episodes of Money Hacks. --- Written and hosted by: Howie Lim (howielim@ With Dina Ting, senior vice president, head of Global Index Portfolio Management, Franklin Templeton Edited by: Howie Lim & Claressa Monteiro Produced by: Howie Lim & Chai Pei Chieh A podcast by BT Podcasts, The Business Times, SPH Media --- Follow BT Money Hacks podcasts every Monday: Channel: Amazon: Apple Podcasts: Spotify: YouTube Music: Website: Do note: This podcast is meant to provide general information only. SPH Media accepts no liability for loss arising from any reliance on the podcast or use of third party's products and services. Please consult professional advisors for independent advice. --- Discover more BT podcast series: BT Correspondents: BT Market Focus at: BT Podcasts at: BT Branded Podcasts at : BT Lens On:
Business Times
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Business Times
MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions expands Singapore production facility
[SINGAPORE] Electronics manufacturer, MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions, announced on Friday (May 30) the completion of its expanded production facility in Tuas. The expansion aims to scale up the production of Agromax – its flagship silver sintering paste, which is used for bonding electrical components and creating electrical connections. In response to media queries, Tom Hunsinger, MacDermid Alpha's vice-president of semiconductor assembly, said that the company is a major player in the silver sintering paste production. He did not specify its market share for silver sintering paste. A spokesperson for the company told The Business Times that production capacity has now doubled. The company expects the expansion to add slightly fewer than 100 new jobs across operations, engineering, and research and development positions in Singapore over the next few years. Hunsinger said that MacDermid Alpha wishes to work with the Singapore government and local universities on training programmes and aims to tap the local universities' talent pool to hire new staff. 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 For instance, MacDermid Alpha has partnered the Nanyang Technological University for R&D. Element Solutions, the parent company of MacDermid Alpha, operates three facilities in Singapore with a combined workforce of more than 250 employees. Hunsinger said that the production facility in Tuas is the company's only production facility in the world that produces silver sintering paste. It noted that the global surge of power electronics, particularly within the electric vehicle (EV) sector, has intensified the demand for silver sintering paste. Global sales of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles rose 29 per cent year on year in April. In Singapore, EVs accounted for around 40 per cent of new car registrations in the first quarter of 2025. Rick Fricke, MacDermid Alpha's executive vice-president, head of electronics, said that the expansion in the Republic is a strategic move that reflects the rising global demand for interconnect materials such as silver sintering paste. He added that the move also reflects McDermid Alpha's confidence in Singapore's strong manufacturing. 'This expansion positions us to accelerate the transition of next-generation materials from research and development to high-volume production, strengthening our global supply chain and market responsiveness.' Hunsinger said that he is optimistic that the company is in a relatively good position, when asked if US President Donald Trump's tariffs had any impact on the business. 'We are reasonably well-protected because we have a global footprint,' he added, noting that MacDermid Alpha produces and ships most of its products within Asia. He said that Asia represents 60 per cent of MacDermid Alpha's total business, with South-east Asia growing 'rapidly'. Marcus Dass, senior vice-president and head of global enterprises at the Singapore Economic Development Board, said: 'This investment strengthens Singapore's position in the global semiconductor value chain and supports the rising demand for high-performance materials in growth sectors like EVs.' Singapore has secured more than S$18 billion worth of semiconductor-related investments across manufacturing and R&D in the last two years. Micron Technology invested US$7 billion in Woodlands for an advanced packaging facility in Woodlands in January 2025.
Business Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Times
Market Focus Daily: Friday, May 30, 2025
Asian markets reverse as appeals court gives Trump tariffs reprieve; Chinese tech stocks drop as US-China trade talks 'stalled'; India's Ola Electric slumps as loss doubles. Synopsis: Market Focus Daily is a closing bell roundup by The Business Times that looks at the day's market movements and news from Singapore and the region. Written and hosted by: Emily Liu (emilyliu@ Produced and edited by: Chai Pei Chieh & Claressa Monteiro Produced by: BT Podcasts, The Business Times, SPH Media --- 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 Follow BT Market Focus and rate us on: Channel: Amazon: Apple Podcasts: Spotify: YouTube Music: Website: Feedback to: btpodcasts@ Do note: This podcast is meant to provide general information only. SPH Media accepts no liability for loss arising from any reliance on the podcast or use of third party's products and services. Please consult professional advisors for independent advice. Discover more BT podcast series: BT Money Hacks at: BT Correspondents: BT Podcasts: BT Branded Podcasts: BT Lens On:
Business Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Times
Market Focus Daily: Thursday, May 29, 2025
US court blocks Trump's tariffs, Asian stocks rally; South Korea central bank cuts rate, while stocks rally ahead of Presidential elections; Top Thai wind power firm to fund 65 billion baht of spending with IPO. Synopsis: Market Focus Daily is a closing bell roundup by The Business Times that looks at the day's market movements and news from Singapore and the region. Written and hosted by: Emily Liu (emilyliu@ Produced and edited by: Chai Pei Chieh & Claressa Monteiro Produced by: BT Podcasts, The Business Times, SPH Media --- 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 Follow BT Market Focus and rate us on: Channel: Amazon: Apple Podcasts: Spotify: YouTube Music: Website: Feedback to: btpodcasts@ Do note: This podcast is meant to provide general information only. SPH Media accepts no liability for loss arising from any reliance on the podcast or use of third party's products and services. Please consult professional advisors for independent advice. Discover more BT podcast series: BT Money Hacks at: BT Correspondents: BT Podcasts: BT Branded Podcasts: BT Lens On:
Business Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Times
China's selective BRI comeback in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar
[SINGAPORE] Beijing is selectively reviving big-ticket infrastructure projects in South-east Asia's most aid-dependent nations, restarting Cambodia's stalled China-backed canal while treading more cautiously in debt-laden Laos and conflict-ridden Myanmar. Dr Jayant Menon, visiting senior fellow at the Iseas-Yusof Ishak Institute, said: 'While there was a clear trend away from large-scale projects before the pandemic, these have made a return, driven by concerns over China's economic slowdown.' This shift underscores the increasingly fraught trajectory of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in South-east Asia's least-developed economies, as it continues to weigh strategic gains in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar against rising debt, political risk and global scrutiny. This could also explain why the deeply ambitious BRI goals contrast with the slowing inflows into China's immediate mainland neighbours in the region – particularly Myanmar and Laos – in recent years. Mounting reputational and environmental concerns have played no small part in this shift. 'Concerns had been raised internationally, including environmental degradation and accusations of 'debt-trap diplomacy',' Dr Menon told The Business Times. For instance, Chinese hydropower projects in Laos and numerous dams in the Mekong River have sparked fears among Asean countries of ecosystem damage to the river and its surroundings in previous years. 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 In response, Beijing appeared to recalibrate its strategy. 'Through its Global Development Initiative, China focused more on smaller-scale, social sector-oriented projects – particularly in health and education – which were seen as less risky from a reputational standpoint,' said Dr Menon. But with two of these three countries steeped in crisis, the future of China's economic role in the region's inner corners remains uncertain. 'It's difficult to read the tea leaves,' he added, describing the conflicting signals of China's emphasis on both large-scale strategic projects and its softer social development efforts. Such efforts include the China-Asean Digital Education Alliance launched in 2023 to foster regional cooperation in digital infrastructure for education. US President Donald Trump's tariffs may provide impetus that attracts more private Chinese investment into the region beyond state-backed infrastructure projects. 'There is a role for China's burgeoning private sector to be involved, but it all depends on how the trade war unfolds,' said Dr Menon. 'If it leads to decoupling, we might see duplicate supply chains – one for the US, one for the rest of the world.' Fragile states Since its launch in 2013, BRI has channelled at least US$679 billion in infrastructure financing globally – nearly 10 times the US total over the same period. About 31 per cent of that has gone to Asia. Countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia have absorbed the lion's share of China's regional lending, with Beijing providing US$18.4 billion and US$7.5 billion, respectively, from 2015 to 2022, based on research by the Lowy Institute. For the region's three less-developed countries, these investments over the same period display deep financial reliance. While most Asean member states receive between 1 and 3 per cent of their gross domestic product in Chinese development finance, the figure exceeds 8 per cent in Laos and Cambodia. That dependence is compounded by a lack of alternatives. 'South-east Asian states with acute development needs and constrained access to development financing – Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar – are the most reliant on China,' wrote Alexandre Dayant, deputy director of the Indo-Pacific Development Centre at the Lowy Institute in a report on the subject in April. 'The engagement of these states with other development options is minimal,' the report found. These countries are important to Beijing as some of its strongest economic and strategic allies – offering overland access to South-east Asia, regional clout and strategic connectivity. China has focused heavily on rail connectivity, including the Laos-China railway linking Kunming to Vientiane, which cuts travel time to the Chinese border by up to 11 hours. It was completed in 2021. Uneven returns Yet the heavy debt undertaken by the Lao government to finance the project, under a joint venture with China, has brought few economic benefits, said Dr Menon. Since BRI's inception, Laos has accumulated a heavy debt load from Chinese lending, largely in hydropower and electric grid projects. In 2020 Vientiane ceded control of its national power grid to a Chinese state firm in exchange for debt relief. The Lowy Institute estimated Laos' liabilities at some US$17 billion, or 112 per cent of its 2023 GDP, with at least US$5 billion owed to China. This clouds the future of China's continued investments in the country, said Lowy Institute researcher Riley Duke in a report on Tuesday (May 27). 'Beijing faces a dilemma – pushing too hard for repayment could damage bilateral ties and undermine its diplomatic goals,' he said. In Myanmar, China's dealings have largely been hosted through the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, but civil conflict has put much of Beijing's projects on hold. The corridor boasts among various projects the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and the deep sea port located within the coastal town, designed to offer Beijing strategic access to Myanmar's oil and gas pipelines away from a potential chokepoint in the strait of Malacca. Meanwhile, Cambodia's dealings with China have been more successful. During China President Xi Jinping's visit to Cambodia in April, contracts were signed to continue construction of the Funan Techo Canal, which would provide access to the gulf of Thailand from the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh. With such access, goods from the capital city would no longer have to transit through Vietnamese ports such as Ho Chi Minh City through the Mekong River. The canal's construction was previously believed to have stalled over China's lack of financial commitment to the project. An expressway from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville has been a major success, reducing travel time to the SEZ, Dr Menon noted. Once reputed as a hotspot for illegal Chinese casinos, an online gambling ban and a post-pandemic inflow of investments in the hospitality and manufacturing sectors are set to boost the coastal town's economy. Chinese automaker BYD, for instance, plans to launch its second assembly plant in South-east Asia in Sihanoukville this year. Trade over tensions As geopolitical rivalries intensify, Beijing is doubling down on economic diplomacy in South-east Asia. China's commerce ministry announced on May 21 that an upgraded 3.0 version of the Asean-China free trade area deal, first signed in 2002, would be signed by year-end, aiming to deepen cooperation in digital trade, green growth and supply chain links. Such integration could soften the blow on industries such as solar projects, after sweeping US tariffs rattled Asean exporters in April. 'This shift can strengthen China-South-east Asia ties in clean energy partnerships, potentially increasing emerging markets' access to more affordable clean energy technologies that can accelerate the region's low-carbon transition,' said OCBC environmental, social and governance analyst Ong Shu Yi, following the development. Laos, who escaped the levies, has continued to pursue its ambitions in the sector through deals with China and other Asean countries. This is made possible, Dr Menon noted, as the Asean region and China are far more willing to put aside geopolitical differences in pursuit of mutual economic benefit compared to the US. 'The US prefers to trade and invest with its allies only, but Asean countries continue to trade with China even when they have disputes over issues like the South China Sea,' he remarked.
