In this episode, our host and Head of Research, Thilan Wickramasinghe, discusses how weakness in US technology stocks, renewed Middle East tensions and rising oil prices are driving investors to reassess regional positioning. As global uncertainty increases, the focus shifts towards domestic growth drivers and markets that can better withstand external volatility.

We begin with our Regional Head of Research, Anand Pathmakanthan, who shares his latest ASEAN strategy. He explains why he is OVERWEIGHT on Singapore and Malaysia, UNDERWEIGHT on the Philippines, and discusses opportunities emerging across Indonesia and Thailand. The conversation also highlights key investment themes and conviction stock ideas across the region.

Next, we turn to our Economist, Brian Lee, who examines Singapore’s recent macroeconomic strength, including April’s manufacturing growth surge and resilient retail sales data. He also discusses the outlook for growth, inflation and MAS policy for the remainder of the year.

Finally, our Analyst, Miaomiao Liu, introduces a new BUY initiation on Elite UK REIT. She discusses the REIT’s attractive dividend yield, defensive characteristics, potential value-unlocking opportunities and the key risks investors should monitor, including GBP and interest rate exposure.