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☆ Asset manager says China's 'extreme valuations' look ideal for stock picking
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-15 | by ( Shafi Musaddique | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

That's the view of Caroline Cai, CEO of U.S.-based Pzena Investment Management. "This is really for the first time in the last seven, eight years where we think you're getting paid to expose yourself to China," Cai told "CNBC Squawk Box Asia" this week. The investment firm has ramped up its exposure to Chinese equities in the last two years. "It's not because we have a particularly positive view on longer term Chinese macro, we kind of think things are pretty challenging. "Our view is, if the risk is obvious to everyone, at least you're getting paid to take some exposure," she added.

Persons: Caroline Cai, Cai, we're, Adam Coons, CNBC's Organizations: Pzena Investment Management, CNBC, Winthrop Capital Management, People's Bank of China Locations: China

☆ A Singaporean AI startup is trying to disrupt the 100-year-old market research industry
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-14 | by ( Shafi Musaddique | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Finding ways to attract consumers to buy packaged goods stretches back to the 1920s when American psychologist Daniel Starch created the world's first market research study. Founded in Singapore in 2018, the startup provides AI-powered market research with real-time predictive analytics. Rival firms include ZoomInfo Sales, Trajaan and Brandwatch Consumer Intelligence, all of which deploy a variety of technology to comb through consumer data and marketing trends. Somsubhra Gan Choudhuri, co-founder and CEO Ai Palette, said AI can take up much of the brain power usually done by people. Along with VC investors, Ai Palette has had the backing of the Singapore government, which is committing more than three quarters of a billion Singaporean dollars ($7,500,000) to AI development to strengthen its AI ecosystem.

Persons: Daniel, Ai, Gan Choudhuri, CNBC's, Choudhuri, Kellogg, Conor Delahunty, Vishal Harnal Organizations: ZoomInfo, Brandwatch Consumer Intelligence, CNBC Tech, Diageo, Nestlé, Pepsico, Symrise, Global, Venture Locations: Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines

☆ From coffee beans to milk, this Singapore-based startup uses AI to determine ingredient quality
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-07 | by ( Shafi Musaddique | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Using its patented digital fingerprint technology, ProfilePrint can rapidly analyze the identity and quality of ingredients, helping agribusinesses save money and time. The problem, he explained, is a system of multiple rounds of physical food samples exchanged between buyer and sellers, replicated across "every part of the supply chain." Machine learning means the technology analyzes food samples at a molecular level and recognizes food quality within seconds. As well predicting the quality and flavor profiles, the company's ingredient quality platform can offer their client various options when it comes to balancing quality with price. Profile Print is not alone within the still embryonic pool of food quality and AI startups.

Persons: Alan Lai, Lai Organizations: CNBC Tech, Traders Locations: Singapore, California

☆ Federal Reserve rate cuts could prove to be a boon for Southeast Asian economies
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-01 | by ( Shafi Musaddique | Kevin Lim | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The U.S. Federal Reserve's decision to cut interest rates in September, with further reductions expected, could prove to be a boon for the emerging economies of Southeast Asia. David Sumual, chief economist of Bank Central Asia, said Indonesia is one such country that could take advantage of both short-term and long-term Fed policy. Higher rates in the U.S. have traditionally been a negative for emerging markets as U.S. investors typically send their dollars home in search of decent yields. But on the flipside, when U.S. rates ease, it can boost emerging markets who see renewed flows into their economies. Global commodities (a cornerstone of many emerging markets) also tend to rise in price as the U.S. dollar drops on a more dovish outlook by the Federal Reserve.

Persons: Saurabh Agarwal, Warburg Pincus, CNBC's, David Sumual Organizations: U.S, Federal, Warburg, Bank Central, CNBC, Federal Reserve Locations: Southeast Asia, Asia, Bank Central Asia, Indonesia, U.S

☆ Vietnam waits for major upgrade to its $200 billion stock market
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-28 | by ( Shafi Musaddique | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Vietnam's long wait for emerging market status could soon be over. The Southeast Asian nation is currently classified as a frontier market and has been on the FTSE emerging market watchlist since 2018. An upgrade to emerging market status could see global funds pouring billions into Vietnam's financial market which currently has a market value just north of $200 billion. Speaking to CNBC's "Street Signs Asia" before the confirmation, Maybank Investment Bank Vietnam's Head of Equity Research Thanh Quan Trong said that the FTSE upgrade for Vietnam to emerging market status could come as early as September 2025. "We are seeing good progress in Vietnam fixing the regulatory bottlenecks to get the market upgraded to emerging market status," Trong told CNBC.

Persons: Equity Research Thanh Quan Trong, Pham Minh, Trong Organizations: FTSE, Russell, Maybank Investment, Vietnam's, Equity Research, FTSE Russell, CNBC, World Bank, Vietnam's Institute for Economic, Research Locations: Vietnam

☆ Malaysia must avoid 'boom-bust' cycles to finally claim Asian Tiger status, central bank governor says
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-25 | by ( Shafi Musaddique | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Abdul Rasheed Ghaffour, governor of Bank Negara Malaysia, during a news conference at Sasana Kijang Center, which houses Bank Negara Malaysia facilities, in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia is working toward having the "the right ingredients" to finally claim "Asian Tiger" status, but must avoid the traps of widening inequality seen elsewhere. That's according to Abdul Rasheed Ghaffour, the governor of the central bank of Malaysia, who believes the southeast Asian country must avoid a "boom-bust cycle that has happened before." But it may be a case of better late than never, thanks to better-than-expected economic growth this year. Ghaffour said Malaysia is moving into producing logic chips — more advanced chips often know as the brains of electronic devices.

Persons: Abdul Rasheed Ghaffour, Ghaffour, Karen Tso, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris Organizations: Bank Negara Malaysia, Bank Negara, Washington , D.C, CNBC, Asian Tigers, Oxfam, Taiwan's, Budget, Accounting, Statistics, Tech, Intel, Economic, ASEAN, Republican, Democratic Locations: Bank, Bank Negara Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, Washington ,, Hong Kong's, Penang, European, U.S, Malaysian, Thailand, Indonesia .

Eradicating corruption in Malaysia continues to be a difficult hurdle Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim needs to overcome if he wants to attract more foreign direct investments into the country. To my mind ... the major problem is poor governance and endemic corruption," he told CNBC's JP Ong. Anwar explained that both domestic and foreign investors will garner more confidence when they see consistency in transparent processes and a stronger commitment to put an end to corruption. "Although, we are still carrying on this mission, because I had strongly suggested that when, in terms of corruption, it is almost systemic. When it comes to systemic, which means the mission, the crusade against corruption, has got to be full force," he added.

Persons: Anwar Ibrahim, Anwar, CNBC's JP Ong Locations: Malaysia

☆ Fearful of the 'middle-income trap,' Indonesia pushes for major policy reform
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-26 | by ( Shafi Musaddique | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Incoming President Subianto has promised to continue the charge toward making Indonesia a high-income economy. Economic reforms passed through by the outgoing president will make the achieving Indonesia's grand vision easier. "Widodo put in place a bunch of economic reforms, the most noticeable being making it easier to hire and fire new workers. Indrawati hopes to avoid "the middle-income trap" — an economic development situation where growing economies stagnate at middle-income levels and are unable to advance to the ranks of high-income countries. Major policy reforms, she believes, will help Indonesia sidestep that.

Persons: Sri Mulyani Indrawati, CNBC's, Joko Widodo, Prabowo Subianto, Subianto, Widodo, Gareth Leather, Indrawati Organizations: Afp, Getty, country's Finance, International Monetary Fund, Defense, Capital Economics, CNBC, Lowy Institute Locations: Jakarta, Indonesia, Washington, Australian, China, Asia

☆ Etihad reveals $7 billion investment plan over five years, will retrofit old Boeing jets
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-25 | by ( Shafi Musaddique | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Etihad Airways on Wednesday revealed a $7 billion investment plan over the next five years in a bid to "double the size of the airline until 2030." Speaking to CNBC's Dan Murphy, Etihad's Group Chief Executive Officer Antonoaldo Neves revealed passengers should expect "a totally different airline" within the next two to three years. Much of the $7 billion will go into revamping its existing fleet of planes, as well as the purchase of new aircraft further down the line, he said. But Neves is aiming for the skies, with the hope of having up to 170 planes by the end of the decade. Neves said Etihad will begin retrofitting and revamping "dated" Boeing 777 planes from 2026 onward, this is due to what he described as "the constraints that we have in the global aviation market."

Persons: CNBC's Dan Murphy, Antonoaldo Neves, Abu, Neves Organizations: Etihad Airways, Etihad's, Etihad, Boeing, United Arab Locations: Abu Dhabi, Europe, Southeast Asia, United Arab Emirates

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