☕️ [Task Coins Giveaway] Daily Market Talk

Midday update: Singapore exports stunned with +24.5% in April, more than double forecasts (electronics ripped +66.7%). AI infrastructure week is loaded ahead: Nvidia earnings, Google I/O 2026 (Gemini 3/4 + AI glasses expected), AMD Developer Day. SM Lee visits China Mon–Fri (Guangxi + Shanghai) while Putin lands in Beijing Tue–Wed — two state-level visits in the same window.

💬 Today's 3 Big Questions

1. Singapore exports +24.5% with electronics +66.7% — AI infrastructure demand is showing up in HARD data, not just stock prices. Are you adding to SG semi-test names (AEM, UMS, Frencken) as direct beneficiaries, playing the cycle through Nvidia + Micron, or hedging into the NVDA earnings night?
2. SM Lee in China Mon–Fri + Putin in Beijing Tue–Wed + China April data + NVDA earnings + Google I/O + AMD Dev Day — China narratives converging across diplomatic, data, and tech vectors. Long the China tech basket (BABA, Tencent, BIDU, Bilibili), play SG-China supply-chain proxies (ST Eng, NetLink), or sit out?
3. Keppel walks from the M1 divestment (M1-Simba merger halted by regulators) and announces a 25-year Telstra Bifrost cable deal; SingLand buys Novena Square stake from UOB (S$299m); UOL acquires former Faber House for S$68.5m. SG corporate-action density is rising fast. Position through specific names or wait for clearer post-Trump-Xi flow signals?

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⏰ Deadline: May 18, 2026, 11:59 PM (SGT)

📊 Quick Market Recap

🌍 Global Macro & Markets

• Putin visits China May 19–20; SM Lee visits China May 18–22 (Guangxi + Shanghai) — two state-level visits in the same window.
• China April industrial / retail / fixed-asset investment data drops this week.
• Samsung 18-day strike risk materialising — supply-side tightness for HBM / SSD that already drove +63% / +19% MoM pricing per Korea customs.
• SpaceX Starship V3 first flight + Shenzhou-23 launch window also this week.

🇺🇸 US Markets: AI Infrastructure Mega-Week

• Nvidia (NVDA) — Q1 earnings; the most consequential single print of the year given the AI capex contracts already announced (OpenAI US$50bn, Anthropic US$200bn Google).
• Google I/O 2026 — market expecting Gemini 3 / 4.0 model release plus AI-glasses hardware.
• AMD Developer Day — MI400 commercial milestones and software-stack updates in focus.

🇸🇬 Singapore Markets

• 📈 STI near 5,000; OCBC Research target 5,250.
• April exports +24.5% YoY (vs. consensus ~11%); electronics +66.7% led by disk media, ICs and PCs; non-electronics +10.9% on pharma, instruments, specialised machinery. Total merchandise trade +33.1% YoY (vs. March's +38.3%).
• UK names Singapore as "most strategically important" partner; SG accounts for ~60% of British exports to SEA; UK-Singapore Digital Economy Agreement has boosted services trade +27% since 2022.
• HDB HIP expanded — 18,000 more homes; 127 housing projects under construction (vs. 110 a year ago).
• ST Engineering (S63.SG) — Q1 revenue +11% to S$3.3bn (rebased +15% ex-LeeBoy); growth across all core segments; net profit growth outpaced rebased revenue.
• Keppel (BN4.SG) — Removed proposed M1 stake divestment from 2025 monetisation plans after regulators halted M1-Simba merger assessment; separately secured 25-year fibre deal with Telstra International on the Bifrost Cable System.
• Singapore Land Group (U06.SG) — Subsidiary acquired UOB's 20% stake in Novena Square JV for S$299m cash; UOL (parent) retains 60%.
• UOL (U14.SG) — Agreed to buy remaining interest in former Faber House (Orchard Road) for S$68.5m, including UOB's stake + one-twelfth share in the 30-year airspace lease.
• SIA (C6L.SG) — April passenger traffic +7% YoY (13.7bn RPK), outpacing +6.3% capacity growth; shares +2.4% to S$6.42 on Friday.
• Keppel REIT (K71U.SG) — FY25/26 DPU −6.3% to 12.71 cents on higher borrowing costs and FX translation.

🇭🇰 Hong Kong & China Markets

• Baidu (9888.HK) + Bilibili (9626.HK) earnings this week — AI compute capacity, content monetisation, and Kling-style video gen narratives all on watch.
• Watch for China-tech bid into the SM Lee + Putin diplomatic optics.

📅 Key Events Tonight / This Week

• 🇺🇸 Nvidia earnings — This week
• 🇺🇸 Google I/O 2026 + AMD Developer Day — This week
• 🇨🇳 Putin China visit — May 19–20
• 🇸🇬 SM Lee in China — May 18–22
• 🇨🇳 China April industrial / retail / FAI data — This week
• 🇸🇬 DBS dividend payment — ~May 20
• 🇸🇬 Singapore April CPI release — ~May 22
• 🇸🇬 Singapore Q1 GDP final release — May 26

Disclaimer: For reference only, not investment advice.