In today’s briefing:
- Singapore’s Secured Lenders: Filling the Credit Gap
- Ohayo Japan | Nvidia to Police Rogue Agents
- Oil & Gas Report (18 September 2026)
- Singapore Market Roundup (28-Sep-2026): UOBKH’s Koh maintains $1.16 target price for UI Boustead
Singapore’s Secured Lenders: Filling the Credit Gap
- Singapore’s listed secured lenders (two deposit-funded finance companies and two pawnbrokers) provide a complementary source of credit to SMEs and to individuals who borrow against property, vehicles, jewellery and gold, and whose financing needs may be smaller, less standardised or more time-sensitive than those typically prioritised by conventional banks.
- This role rests on three things: (1) banks’ underwriting appetite and execution speed differ enough to leave openings in smaller, more bespoke credit; (2) borrowing costs remain supportive of specialty-lending economics; and (3) financing gaps persist that favour alternative underwriting models, particularly asset-backed lending built on collateral value and recoverability.
- Demand for specialised financing should hold up alongside Singapore’s established banking system as a result.
Ohayo Japan | Nvidia to Police Rogue Agents
- Geopolitical tensions over the Strait of Hormuz, rising oil prices and a sharp increase in Treasury yields pressured equities.
- Nvidia announced a record $150 billion buyback, bringing total authorization to $235 billion, as CEO Jensen Huang cited strong cash generation and confidence in AI-driven growth.
- SpaceX’s (-2.2%) Starship reached Earth orbit for the first time and deployed all 26 Starlink V3 satellites.
Oil & Gas Report (18 September 2026)
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Economic growth has contributed to oil demand growth.
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In particular, the economic growth of countries outside the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (“OECD”) has contributed to oil demand growth over the recent two decades.
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Meanwhile, countries that are part of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (“OPEC”) accounted for around 35% of global oil production in 2024, while non-OPEC countries accounted for the balance.
Singapore Market Roundup (28-Sep-2026): UOBKH’s Koh maintains $1.16 target price for UI Boustead
- UOBKH’s Koh keeps target price at $1.16 for UI Boustead REIT.
- UOBKH maintains ‘buy’ on Reclaims Global due to strong 1HFY2027 results.
- Geo Energy anticipates a significant rise in net profit for 3QFY2026 and FY2026.
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