Opinion

I received an email from the Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX) on Thursday - an invitation to attend a seminar on Temasek's retail bond. The retail bond which is being offered by Singapore's sovereign wealth fund, was launched on Wednesday (17 Oct). This bond comes with a five-year maturity and a fixed interest rate of 2.7 per cent Up to $200 million of …

The fact that the ministers in the Peoples' Action Party (PAP) run government get high salaries while there are reports of people living in dumpsters and old people working as cleaners are a common sight in Singapore can certainly be considered proof that there is truth in what the Oxfam index on the tackling of income inequality says in its …

I would think that it would be common practice to cross your "T"s and dot your "I"s when you are compiling a report that could potentially lead to a court case that could cost the public millions. According to reports, this is not the methodology practiced by PwC partner Goh Thien Phong (Goh). It is mind-boggling that he saw no need …

Singapore has fared very well in two international rankings recently. Hot on the heels of Singapore's stellar showing on the Human Capital Index (HCI) released by the World Bank, Singapore has also come in at second place in the World Economic Forum's (WEF) competitiveness rating. Less salubrious is the nation's results in the Commitment to Reducing Inequality index (CRI) released by Oxfam …

I refer to the news report by Straits Times on Wednesday, “Temasek offering first retail bonds at 2.7% fixed interest”. The article states that “Investment company Temasek has launched its first public bond offer for retail investors.” Someone asked me what is the difference between the subject Temasek’s first public bond for retail investors and Temasek’s first retail private equity …

Earlier this month, the question of ministerial pay was raised yet again in Parliament. The Prime Minister was asked if he could list both the components of the salaries of ministers as well as the amounts paid for each component each year from 2013 to 2017. Also, the PM was asked to state the actual amount of the National Bonus …

As readers will remember, just a couple of weeks ago, it was publicly announced that NTUC Enterprise was in the process of acquiring kopitiam. It should be noted that this acquisition, if it is given the go ahead by the anti competition watch dog, will give the NTUC group a virtual monopoly over food ranging from raw to cooked in …

Reuters reported yesterday (16 Oct) that Temasek Holdings is buying Israeli cybersecurity technology and services provider Sygnia. Financial details were not provided but a source with knowledge of the deal, who asked not to be named, told Reuters that Temasek is paying US$250 million. Sygnia, which has offices in Tel Aviv and New York, will maintain its operational independence while …

Last Thursday (11 OCT), a member of the public, Mr Lee Chee Meng, wrote to ST Forum complaining that NTUC Foodfare does not give patrons much choice for the subsidized meals. NTUC Foodfare gives special discounts to Singaporeans who are on Comcare or are concessionary cardholders, such as senior citizens or NTUC union members. Mr Lee wrote, "When Rice Garden …

Straits Times reported today (16 Oct) that its parent Singapore Press Holdings has reported a 19.7 per cent fall in net profit for the year. Net profit fell $69 million to $281.1 million for the 12 months to Aug 31, it said. But it added that this was due to huge one-off gains in the last financial year. If one-offs …