US STOCKS last week suffered their biggest losses since the early-year rout because of renewed confusion over the path of interest rates.

AS Singapore entered a new decade, the spotlight swung away from international affairs and onto highprofile developments in the local scene that marked the country's coming into its own and set the stage for more to unfold. Succession in domestic politics, with Goh Chok Tong taking the reins as Singapore's second prime minister, was accompanied by significant changes in the financial arena.

A MILITARY background is beneficial in a management role in a startup, according to Lawrence Lim, Singapore's former chief of artillery, whose appointment last month as the new chief operating officer (COO) of crowdfunding platform CoAssets both surprised and inspired the startup community here.

PRIVATE equity firm ShawKwei & Partners hopes to make two more deals in the region amid "a good time for investing", founder Kyle Shaw told TheBusiness Times as his firm announced the merger of formerly Singapore-listed precision manufacturers Beyonics and Chosen Holdings.