US Markets Wrap: US Fed cuts rate and turns cautious

U.S. markets pulled back as investors digested a mixed bag of Big Tech earnings and a cautious tone from the Fed. While Alphabet impressed, Meta and Microsoft stumbled, sparking a rotation out of AI and into banks and healthcare. Portfolio Manager Daniel Tan from Grasshopper Asset Management unpacks the tech pull back, the Trump–Xi summit’s trade signals, and what it all means for markets heading into year-end. Produced/Presented: Ryan HuangImage by Mohamed Hassan from PixabaySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Could Singapore’s Straits Times Index really reach 10,000 points by 2040? That’s the forecast from DBS, pointing to sustained growth in the economy and capital markets. But as IPOs continue to be oversubscribed and institutional investors dominate allocations, the big question is: how can individual investors get a bigger piece of the pie? Phua Zhenghao, Group Head of Investments for Asset Management at CGS International, discusses what’s driving optimism in Singapore’s equity market, and what it’ll take to make that growth more inclusive.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are you ready to test your news smarts? This week on the Breakfast Show Quiz, we dive into the biggest stories from October — from global tech layoffs and the U.S. government shutdown, to Donald Trump’s Asia tour. Play along at home, see how well you’ve been keeping up with the headlines! Presented by Audrey Siek & Ryan Huang  Produced by Audrey Siek Edited by Dan Koh Photo and music credit: Pixabay & its talented community of contributorsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Singapore is getting older, but also more active. Yet one in three seniors still suffers a fall each year, with treatment and rehabilitation costing families thousands. The Breakfast Show invites Martin John, Director & Osteopath at Orchard Health Clinic, to discuss how preventive care is reshaping Singapore’s healthcare economy, why movement is the new medicine, and what entrepreneurs can learn from building a business around better living.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happens when four market watchers pick wildly different stocks and track them for a month? Join Dan, Ryan, Emaad, and Audrey as they revisit their October stock picks, from Chinese e-commerce giants to biotech heavyweights and quirky toy makers, to see whose call crushed it and whose didn’t quite stick the landing.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cyber threats never take a break, and neither can the companies protecting against them.  Gene Yu, CEO and Founder of Blackpanda, shares how cybersecurity in Southeast Asia is evolving, why innovation matters without losing sight of the fundamentals, and how companies can stay resilient in this ever-changing world. Produced and presented by Audrey SiekSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re talking about the phenomenon known as BookTok, and how social media is giving publishing a real boost. Yu may have seen this in Kinokuniya or other bookstores that now have some shelves dedicated to social media recs! Audrey and Dan chat about our last reads and how we get our reviews.   Presented by Audrey Siek & Dan Koh Produced by Audrey Siek Edited by Trisha Yeong Photo and music credit: Pixabay & its talented community of contributorsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Agnes AI has become one of Asia’s fastest-growing AI platforms, built right here in Singapore. The Breakfast Show sits down with Bruce Yang, Founder & CEO of SapiensAI, to unpack how the company scaled to two million users in three months, what this says about Singapore’s AI adoption, and the lessons entrepreneurs can learn about building tech that truly adds value.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Even with inflation, higher rates, and talk of a spending slowdown, consumers are still tapping away, and Visa’s numbers prove it. With quarterly revenue up 12 percent and cross-border transactions climbing 12 percent, Visa remains one of the clearest reflections of how the world spends. Dan Koh and Audrey Siek find out what these results reveal about consumer confidence, digital payments, and the quiet power of a company that moves nearly half the world’s money.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Fed has begun cutting again, but without the comfort investors expected. Jerome Powell’s message was clear: the path to lower rates will be “data-dependent,” not automatic. Meanwhile, stocks remain at all-time highs, gold continues to glitter, and yields are refusing to budge. Dan Koh speaks with Ben Emons, Chief Investment Officer at Fed Watch Advisors, about what the Fed’s shift in tone really means, how the end of quantitative tightening could reshape liquidity, and whether markets are due for a healthy pullback after months of record highs.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.