Market Snapshot
Singapore stocks opened higher on Thursday. STI rose 0.6%, SIA rose 1.3%, Seatrium rose 2.5%, Nio fell 9.6%.
Stocks to Watch
Singapore Airlines (SIA): The national carrier is said to be rewarding eligible employees with a profit-sharing bonus of 7.94 months for FY2024, following the group’s record earnings, The Business Times has learnt. This comes as the airline posted its highest earnings of about S$2.7 billion for the year ended Mar 31, up 24 per cent from the year before. Its top line was up 7 per cent year to a record high of S$19 billion. SIA shares fell 0.4 per cent or S$0.03 to S$6.81 on Wednesday, before the results were released.
Seatrium: It was awarded a contract from Single Buoy Moorings, an SBM Offshore company, for the topside fabrication and integration of a floating production storage and offloading vessel. Work is slated to commence in Q3 2024, announced the group on Thursday. Shares of Seatrium ended Wednesday S$0.21 or 11.7 per cent lower at S$1.59, after the group was announced as one of five heavyweight counters to be removed from the MSCI Singapore Index.
OUE Healthcare: The healthcare group is proposing to sell a vacant mixed commercial development plot in Kuala Lumpur for RM125 million (S$35.6 million). It expects to receive net cash proceeds of about RM120.3 million from the sale, after deducting the sales commission and the estimated professional fees and other related expenses, it said on Wednesday evening. Its counter last traded flat at S$0.026 on Tuesday.
SG Local News
PM Wong calls on Singaporeans to support each other, help his government take the country forward
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong called upon Singaporeans to join him in taking the country forward, after he was sworn in as Singapore’s fourth prime minister on Wednesday (May 15).
“As prime minister, I will lead and bear responsibility for the decisions I take,” he said. “But I will also engage and maximise the combined energies, imaginations and strengths of all Singaporeans.
“That is how we will take our nation forward in this dangerous and troubled world.”
Singapore Airlines Staff to Get Nearly 8 Months of Bonus After Record Profit: ST
Singapore Airlines Ltd. staff, including pilots, may get a profit-sharing bonus of 7.94 months, the Straits Times reported, citing an announcement it had seen from chief executive officer Goh Choon Phong.
This compares with the 6.65 months of bonus that most of the airline’s staff received last year, with some getting an extra 1.5 months for their work during the Covid-19 pandemic, the local newspaper reported on Thursday.
Grab’s Q1 loss narrows to US$115 million
Grab reported a net loss of US$115 million for the first quarter of 2024, narrowing 54 per cent from its loss of US$250 million a year prior.
This was primarily due to better group adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda), as well as improved share-based compensation expenses, said the ride-hailing giant on Thursday (May 16).
The latest quarter’s results also included a US$31 million foreign exchange loss, along with US$94 million in non-cash share-based compensation expenses.