North Korea Fires Missile, 4 Crew Killed in Bab el-Mandeb Attack and SGX Eyes ETF Expansion 

Headline news for August 12, 2026: North Korea fires its 11 ballistic missile of the year from Wonsan at six this morning Singapore time days ahead of joint US-South Korea military drills. Four crew members are killed in a Houthi attack on a cargo ship in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait as attacks on two …

Singapore Upgrades Its GDP Forecast, Adani Charges Dropped and Iran Rejects Compensation Demands 

Headline news for August 11, 2026: Singapore upgrades its 2026 GDP growth forecast to 4.5 to 5.5 per cent, driven by stronger-than-expected first-half growth on the back of the global AI investment boom. A US court dismisses fraud and bribery charges against Gautam Adani, though the judge calls the…

OCBC and UOB Beat Estimates, US Hits Polysilicon With 15% Tariff and Houthis Strike Saudi Arabia 

Headline news for August 7, 2026: OCBC's Q2 profit surges 22 per cent to S$2.22  billion, declaring a $0.47 interim dividend. UOB's profit rises 10 per cent. The US imposes a 15 per cent tariff on polysilicon targeting Chinese semiconductor and solar supply chains. Houthis wound eleven civilians in…

Hormuz Coordinates Agreed, DBS Declares 81 Cents Dividend and South Korea Eyes 3% Growth 

Headline news for August 6, 2026: Iran and Oman agree the geographical coordinates of a proposed Hormuz shipping route but the waterway stays closed as long as the US naval blockade holds and a fee dispute remains unresolved. DBS declares eighty-one cents in dividends per share as net profit grows …

NTUC's Deputy Secretary-General Desmond Tan on jobs, AI and layoffs

Singapore's retrenchments have risen to their highest level since 2020, with degree holders and mid-career professionals among the hardest hit. In this episode of Lens on Singapore, Claressa Monteiro sits down with Desmond Tan, Deputy Secretary-General of NTUC and Senior Minister of State in the Pr…

Iran Seeks Hormuz Control, Oil Falls 5 Per Cent and Wall Street Hits Records

Headline news for August 5, 2026: Iran wants full control of inbound shipping through the Strait of Hormuz under a framework being negotiated with Oman and its position is unlikely to change. Oil falls more than five per cent and Wall Street closes at record highs as hopes grow for a diplomatic res…

US-Iran Diplomatic Confusion, Singapore's Manufacturing Extends AI-Led Growth

Headline news for August 4, 2026: President Donald Trump said the US is engaged in talks with Iran, while Tehran has flatly denied that any negotiations are underway or scheduled. Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's detained former leader, met with an International Committee of the Red Cross representative…

US and Japan Intervene in Yen Markets, Iran Talks Resume and Oil Tumbles Six Per Cent 

Headline news for August 3, 2026: The US and Japan conduct their first coordinated yen intervention since 1998 with Tokyo estimated to have spent US$53.7 billion to halt the yen's slide. US-Iran talks resume today but reports of a cruise missile strike on a US oil tanker in the Strait cast fresh do…

UEFA Boycotts the World Cup, Microsoft Surges and the BOJ Holds at One Per Cent 

Headline news for July 31, 2026: UEFA and all fifty-five European member nations vote unanimously to boycott the World Cup unless FIFA abandons its plan to sell private stakes in its tournaments. Microsoft surges fifteen per cent: its biggest single-day gain in eighteen years, adding US$450 billion…

US Launches Fresh Strikes on Iran; Singapore Rolls Out S$900M Support Package

Headline news for July 30, 2026: U.S. Central Command announces fresh strikes on Iran, following a drone strike on an Egypt tanker, and Iran’s attack on a U.S. military base in Jordan. Japan’s rescue teams race against time in their search for survivors after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake on Tuesday.…