Commenting on China producing its own immersion deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography machines, SMU Associate Professor of Finance Fu Fangjian said that successful production of domestic DUV machines would represent a “milestone breakthrough” in China’s technology push against US restrictions.
In an interview, SMU Associate Professor of Finance Fu Fangjian discussed the latest 12.5% tariffs imposed by the US on Singapore. Assoc Prof Fu explained that the effect on Singapore is minimal as Singapore is an open market and US exports account for 11.5% of exports.
Commenting on China producing its own immersion deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography machines, SMU Associate Professor of Finance Fu Fangjian said that successful production of domestic DUV machines would represent a “milestone breakthrough” in China’s technology push against US restrictions.
Commenting on Metro’s closure after its leases expire in Paragon and Causeway Point, SMU Associate Professor of Marketing (Education) Seshan Ramaswami said that with the rise of e-commerce, the core advantage of department stores – "convenience" – has almost completely disappeared. Assoc Prof Ramaswami mentioned that the concept of department stores became popular in Singapore in the 1970s, and its heyday ended in the late 1990s. He noted that most department stores have barely managed to stay afloat, and began to decline in the 2010s.
In an interview, SMU Assistant Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship (Education) Terence Fan said Singapore's public transport does not need drastic changes, but incremental improvements, particularly improved bus reliability, so commuters can plan around that. He stressed the need for specificity, as problems may be localised to particular morning peaks, MRT lines, directions or bus routes, leading to more efficient and effective solutions using fewer resources.
The SMU Sim Kee Boon Institute for Financial Economics (SKBI) and the University of Maryland Centre for Financial Policy organised the Quant Investment Forum, hosted by UBS. The event marked SKBI’s 16th Annual Conference and convened over 150 leading academics and industry practitioners for a research-focused exchange on the intersection of AI and investment management and trading. SMU’s Keppel Professor in Financial Economics and Director of SKBI Zhang Hong said the forum reflects SMU's growing role in this domain.
DBS Group Research and SMU’s Sim Kee Boon Institute for Financial Economics (SKBI) released the latest Singapore Index of Inflation Expectations (SInDEx) which showed that households in Singapore have modestly raised their expectations for near-term price increases, driven by mounting global uncertainties, supply chain disruptions and the spectre of new tariffs. The one-year-ahead headline inflation expectations climbed to an average of 3.4% in June, from 3.3% in March.
At the launch of the 24th Singapore Prestige Brand Award (SPBA) on 21 July 2026, SMU Professor of Marketing (Practice) and Associate Dean (Impact) of the Lee Kong Chian School of Business Sabine Benoit, said the growing use of AI search is changing how consumers make decisions, and businesses should focus on Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) so their content is more likely to be cited and recommended by AI tools.
Commenting on recent shopping and lifestyle developments along Orchard Road, SMU Associate Professor of Marketing (Education) Seshan Ramaswami explained that e-commerce shifts are systemic and consumers may be perfectly content to enjoy experiences on the street without spending anything. He said that patrons may eat, enjoy experiences, meet friends, and hang out – all without expenditure on shopping for physical goods.
SMU Assistant Professor of Finance Shihao Yu co-authored a working paper with Stanford researchers and identified signs that traders may be manipulating one of Polymarket's most popular Bitcoin betting markets by briefly influencing the cryptocurrency's price used to decide the wagers. They also found repeated bursts of one-sided trading on the Binance exchange that temporarily moved Bitcoin's price in the final seconds before bets closed, benefiting traders positioned in the same direction.
