SINGAPORE – Returning home for Chinese New Year is not on the cards for many Malaysians here this year, with some even opting to work during the festive break to earn some extra money. Malaysian Ken Lim, 27, who works…
Read MoreColorado labor department doesn’t release new unemployment figures, prepares for Friday town halls
The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment did not release new unemployment numbers on Thursday, the day the department generally puts out the totals of new claims filed during the prior week. After launching its new system for people on…
Read MoreJapan factory activity contracts as state of emergency weighs
TOKYO (REUTERS) – Japan’s factory activity slipped into contraction in January and the services sector was more pessimistic, a private-sector survey showed on Friday (Jan 22), as emergency measures taken in response to a resurgence of Covid-19 infections hurt sentiment….
Read More40% of S'pore-based employers plan to hire more staff: Survey
SINGAPORE – Almost half of all Singapore-based employers plan to increase headcount this year, with a significant number looking for people with information technology or IT capabilities, a survey noted yesterday. It found that 40 per cent of employers polled…
Read MoreData shows fall in big-ticket start-up investments
SINGAPORE – The global pandemic has had a profound impact on the appetite to invest in new start-ups, according to data compiled by global data analytics specialist GlobalData. The British-based data research firm found that big-ticket, billion-dollar deals were mostly…
Read MoreWhen will US interest rates rise? Fed chief says 'no time soon'
WASHINGTON (NYTIMES) – With the incoming administration of US President-Elect Joe Biden pushing for more economic stimulus and with multiple coronavirus vaccines already approved, some investors have been wondering whether the Federal Reserve might soon start to ease off its…
Read MoreUS Q1 budget deficit surges to record US$573 billion amid pandemic
WASHINGTON (AFP) – As spending remained high amid the coronavirus pandemic, the US budget deficit surged by 61 per cent in the first three months of the 2021 fiscal year, the Treasury Department said on Wednesday (Jan 13). Spending compared…
Read MoreTemasek fund backs India start-up bringing AI technology to farms
BANGALORE (BLOOMBERG) – CropIn, an artificial intelligence (AI) and data-based agritech start-up, has raised US$20 million (S$26.4 million) in a funding round led by Temasek-backed ABC World Asia, as the coronavirus pandemic accelerates the adoption of digital technologies in farming….
Read MoreOpec+ warns of risk to oil recovery from resurgent Covid-19 pandemic
LONDON (BLOOMBERG) – Opec warned of risks to the oil market from the resurgent pandemic, a day before the group and its allies meet to consider another increase in production. “The outlook for the first half of 2021 is very…
Read MoreChina factory activity expands at slower pace in December
BEIJING (REUTERS) – China’s factory activity expanded in December but at a slower pace, as the country leads a pack of major economies emerging from the coronavirus slump. The official manufacturing Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI) fell to 51.9 in December…
Read More