Market View: Conflicting signals on situation in the Middle East – how are global investors taking in the news?; Oil price outlook in focus; Alibaba unveils new chip design to meet surging demand for AI; Japan’s inflation slips below BOJ’s target for the first time since 2022; Mixue reports 33% jump in profit; Singtel to watch

Singapore shares traded in the positive territory today, in line with movements seen in the region. The Straits Times Index was up 0.51% at 4,865.95 points at 2.27pm Singapore time, with a value turnover of S$1.10B seen in the broader market. In terms of companies to watch, we have Singtel, after the local telco last afternoon was hit with more than 9,700 user reports of a disruption on Downdetector, after three consecutive days of issues last week. Elsewhere, from how investors are reading into the mixed signals from the US and Iran on the war in the Middle East, to how Japan’s key inflation gauge slowed more than expected to its weakest pace in nearly four years as utility subsidies cooled energy costs, more international headlines remained in focus. Also on deck, how Alibaba is launching a new chip for agentic AI and inference computing, adding to a portfolio of semiconductors designed to drive its AI ambitions. On Market View, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian unpacked the developments with Nirgunan Tiruchelvam, Head of Consumer & Internet, Aletheia Capital. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.