Market View: Trump baffles with sudden U-turn on China buying Iranian oil; Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s relatively flexible tone on rate cuts; Bank of Japan officials split over rate pause, inflation risks; Sembcorp, ST Engineering to watch

Money Matters with Hongbin Jeong and Chua Tian Tian

Singapore shares rose today to track regional gains seen in Asian markets.

The Straits Times Index went up by 0.46% to reach 3,922.19 points at about 2.36pm Singapore time, with a value turnover of S$921.09M seen in the broader market.

In terms of companies to watch, we have Sembcorp Industries, after the company’s wholly owned subsidiary, Sembcorp Financial Services, announced the issuance of S$300 million notes under its S$5 billion Euro Medium Term Note programme established in July 2023.

Elsewhere, from US President Donald Trump appearing to undermine years of US sanctions on Iran by giving its biggest customer, China, the green light to carry on buying its oil, to a deep dive into the Bank of Japan’s latest summary of opinions – more international headlines remain in focus.

On Market View, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian unpacked the developments with Jeff Ng, Head of Asia Macro Strategy, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation.

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