PHARMACEUTICALS
Glaxo mulls new vaccine
GlaxoSmithKline PLC is considering whether to develop a new vaccine against a sexually transmitted infection that is threatening to become unstoppable. The company is in discussions with regulators about how the label on Bexsero, its vaccine that prevents a form of meningitis, could be expanded to include gonorrhea, an age-old disease that is becoming more difficult to treat, said Emmanuel Hanon, head of research and development at Glaxo’s vaccine unit. The UK drugmaker is also looking at the possibility of developing a vaccine targeted specifically against gonorrhea, he said.
EUROPEAN UNION
ECB too male-heavy
The European Central Bank (ECB) should bring more women into leadership jobs to improve gender balance, the only female member of the powerful institution’s board said. “I’m convinced that diversity in management positions is an intelligent idea to pursue,” Sabine Lautenschlaeger said. Lautenschlaeger’s appeal follows the ECB’s vote early this month in favor of a male candidate, Italy’s Andrea Enria, to succeed banking supervision chief Daniele Nouy from next year.
FINANCE
Goldman must boost controls
Goldman Sachs Group Inc was told by regulators to tighten its risk oversight and increase reports of internal debates about deals just after the bank completed US$6.5 billion of bond financing for Malaysian state fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd, the Financial Times reported. Goldman implemented changes to the internal committees that oversee how its operations work, under pressure from the New York Federal Reserve, the newspaper said. The reforms were agreed upon in 2013 after the US Federal Reserve pressed Goldman to be more transparent, but were not publicly disclosed, it reported.
CRYPTOCURRENCIES
Bitcoin tumble continues
Bitcoin’s tumble worsened over the weekend, putting last year’s crash within striking distance of the cryptocurrency’s worst bear markets. The virtual currency fell as low as US$3,475 on Sunday, Bitstamp prices showed. The crash, which also ensnared rival coins such as Ether and XRP, has entered the same league as bitcoin’s 93 percent plunge in 2011 and its 84 percent rout from 2013 to 2015, during the collapse of bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox.
SINGAPORE
Firm’s troubles affect bonds
An investigation into troubled Indonesian property developer PT Lippo Karawaci, controlled by the Southeast Asian billionaire Riady family, is reverberating in the bond market. Singaporean dollar-denominated notes issued by First Real Estate Investment Trust and those sold by OUE Ltd, which is controlled by the family, have dropped as a liquidity crunch prompts concern that the group is using other entities to help shore up finances.
ELECTRONICS
Justices hear Apple defense
Apple Inc is at the US Supreme Court to defend the way that it sells apps for iPhones against claims by consumers that the company has unfairly monopolized the market. The justices heard arguments yesterday in Apple’s effort to end an antitrust lawsuit that could force the iPhone maker to cut the 30 percent commission it charges software developers whose apps are sold exclusively through Apple’s App Store. A judgement could triple the compensation to consumers under antitrust law if Apple loses.
POWERING UP: PSUs for AI servers made up about 50% of Delta’s total server PSU revenue during the first three quarters of last year, the company said Power supply and electronic components maker Delta Electronics Inc (台達電) reported record-high revenue of NT$161.61 billion (US$5.11 billion) for last quarter and said it remains positive about this quarter. Last quarter’s figure was up 7.6 percent from the previous quarter and 41.51 percent higher than a year earlier, and largely in line with Yuanta Securities Investment Consulting Co’s (元大投顧) forecast of NT$160 billion. Delta’s annual revenue last year rose 31.76 percent year-on-year to NT$554.89 billion, also a record high for the company. Its strong performance reflected continued demand for high-performance power solutions and advanced liquid-cooling products used in artificial intelligence (AI) data centers,
SIZE MATTERS: TSMC started phasing out 8-inch wafer production last year, while Samsung is more aggressively retiring 8-inch capacity, TrendForce said Chipmakers are expected to raise prices of 8-inch wafers by up to 20 percent this year on concern over supply constraints as major contract chipmakers Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and Samsung Electronics Co gradually retire less advanced wafer capacity, TrendForce Corp (集邦科技) said yesterday. It is the first significant across-the-board price hike since a global semiconductor correction in 2023, the Taipei-based market researcher said in a report. Global 8-inch wafer capacity slid 0.3 percent year-on-year last year, although 8-inch wafer prices still hovered at relatively stable levels throughout the year, TrendForce said. The downward trend is expected to continue this year,
Vincent Wei led fellow Singaporean farmers around an empty Malaysian plot, laying out plans for a greenhouse and rows of leafy vegetables. What he pitched was not just space for crops, but a lifeline for growers struggling to make ends meet in a city-state with high prices and little vacant land. The future agriculture hub is part of a joint special economic zone launched last year by the two neighbors, expected to cost US$123 million and produce 10,000 tonnes of fresh produce annually. It is attracting Singaporean farmers with promises of cheaper land, labor and energy just over the border.
US actor Matthew McConaughey has filed recordings of his image and voice with US patent authorities to protect them from unauthorized usage by artificial intelligence (AI) platforms, a representative said earlier this week. Several video clips and audio recordings were registered by the commercial arm of the Just Keep Livin’ Foundation, a non-profit created by the Oscar-winning actor and his wife, Camila, according to the US Patent and Trademark Office database. Many artists are increasingly concerned about the uncontrolled use of their image via generative AI since the rollout of ChatGPT and other AI-powered tools. Several US states have adopted
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