Despite the compelling arguments in favor of stockpiling long-term bonds, traders are not without challenges in their pursuit of these coveted assets. One of the key issues facing traders is the limited availability of long-term bonds in the market, as issuers may be reluctant to lock in low rates for an extended period. This scarcity of supply could drive up prices and intensify competition among investors vying for a piece of the long-term debt pie.
Man City line up 6ft5in La Liga star as club chiefs look to solve defensive crisis in transfer window
Volunteer Janet Lee (right) has planned a Christmas party for palliative care patients at Kang Le Day Hospice. SINGAPORE – It is that time of the year again, when most people gather their nearest and dearest and sit down for a meal in familiar company. But for every flat filled with laughter, there may be another shrouded in silence. Separated from their loved ones by death, disputes or distance, many are marking the close of another year – alone. Loneliness can feel especially acute when everyone else seems to be having the best holiday ever. According to a 2023 American Psychological Association poll, the stress levels of 41 per cent of adults increase during the holiday season. Such festive social and emotional isolation afflicts many in Singapore too, which is why some residents are trying to stem the tide, one party at a time. This year-end, The Straits Times speaks to the people who are choosing to celebrate not with friends and family, but with those who have no one else. Lonely Christmas no more Married couple David and Esther Loh are hosting a party for strangers who need company this Christmas. PHOTO: COURTESY OF DAVID LOH When 29-year-old David Loh sits down for dinner on Dec 24, he might not recognise anyone at the table, apart from his wife. The gallery manager and his wife, Mrs Esther Loh – a 28-year-old creative strategist at a social media agency – are throwing a party for people who might feel lonely around this time of year. It will be the second such gathering they have hosted, following a similarly-themed get-together in 2022 that went viral on TikTok. That video, viewed more than 100,000 times since, attracted close to 300 responses from people eager to attend. To minimise disappointment, they capped party sizes at 15 people and organised three gatherings over the Christmas weekend and Chinese New Year, over and above the sole session they had planned. For 2024, the couple have a new venue – a friend’s event space and pottery studio in Chinatown that can accommodate 30, twice as many attendees as two years ago. They still hope to keep things small and intimate, with numbers capped at 30 a gathering. Mr Loh says: “It would be a tragedy if a 200- or 300-strong crowd shows up, and lonely people leave feeling the same way. We want to create a place where we can be more intentional with hosting, where people can talk to one another and be heard.” For Mrs Loh, it is important that everyone feels seen and heard. “When people think of Christmas, they think of celebrating with friends and family. They might not think about those on the outskirts who don’t have that. It’s a period when the lonely get lonelier,” she says. Her husband knows that feeling all too well. The social work graduate used to spend Christmas on his own, tending a gallery in Millenia Walk over the holidays, with no celebrations to look forward to. He says: “I’m a pretty positive, mentally healthy individual, and still I felt the weight and loneliness of being alone. I’d take the bus home and feel sad that I had nothing on that night. So, I wanted to make space for people like myself.” The couple, who are Christian, will sponsor pizza and side dishes – halal, to cater to as many guests as possible – as well as gifts for the Dec 24 party. They have set aside a $1,000 budget for this. The Lohs organised a similar party for strangers in 2022, which received nearly 300 responses. PHOTO: COURTESY OF DAVID LOH In 2022, 45 people of all ages and religions turned up across their three parties. There was an empty nester in her 50s, whose sons had moved overseas to study; a woman in her 30s spending her first Christmas without her late husband; and a man who had been on the brink of suicide. Despite their differences, these strangers were able to open up to one another and conversations ran raw. To the Lohs’ surprise, some attendees kept in touch after that night. “Everyone there sort of knew the other attendees were also lonely, so there was a sense of empathy and solidarity,” recalls Mrs Loh. The couple hope to inject more joy and excitement into their 2024 programme with activities like pottery painting. “We’re not trying to change someone’s life. We just want to change someone’s night. If deep friendships happen, that’s great. But we don’t have lofty ideas. We just want to make them feel like they had a good Christmas.” YOU’RE INVITED!!!! Drop us a DM to rsvp so we can plan for the food 😛🍕🍕 When: 24 Dec 22, Sat Time: 730pm-OTOT Where: City Hall (DM for more info) #christmas2022 #fypsg #youareinvited More information will be released on the couple’s TikTok account ( @davidandesther ) in December. I’ll (not) Be Home for Christmas Coliwoo senior operations manager Javier Lim is hosting a party for residents who are spending the festive period away from home in December. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM This will be Mr Javier Lim’s 15th Christmas away from home, so the 38-year-old Malaysian senior operations manager at co-living operator Coliwoo knows how his clients must feel. A bittersweet melancholy settles over Coliwoo’s apartments at this time of year. Most of its residents are expatriates, international students or digital nomads, whose families are thousands of kilometres away. “It’s sad seeing people in their rooms during the festive period. They’re lonely, they miss home. Sometimes, they’ll come to the management office just to have someone to chat with,” says Mr Lim. To lift their spirits, he started throwing Christmas parties for residents two years ago. The 2024 bash will be held at Coliwoo’s Orchard residence, and he is expecting 50 to 60 guests. Sponsored by Coliwoo, a buffet of Western dishes – such as prawns with garlic aioli and sauteed garden vegetables – will be catered, and prizes will be up for grabs. As part of Mr Lim’s eco-conscious aims, game booths will be built out of recycled materials such as cardboard, egg trays and plastic bottles. In addition to organising the party on Dec 20, Mr Lim is working the holiday shift on Christmas Day. He will be stationed at the company’s Boon Lay property, where he will oversee operations and manage requests from residents. “I find the festive shift very rewarding,” he says, adding that because he is so familiar with the staff and some of the residents, it feels almost like he is with friends. Staff also share drinks and desserts with residents in the lounge on days when they work late. “Here, you get a lot of these value-added activities that help build a strong community spirit, so people feel at home. We don’t just provide them with a roof over their heads.” The bachelor, whose two sisters also live overseas, sees his parents in Kelantan only after the festive season. But texts, video calls and knowing that they are just a four-hour flight away in Kelantan away help temper his homesickness. Last Christmas Volunteer Janet Lee will dress up as Santa Claus to spread festive cheer at Kang Le Day Hospice. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY The elderly patients of a palliative care centre look on in amusement as Ms Janet Lee struggles with her Santa Claus costume. “I must be the skinniest Santa Claus ever,” she quips with a wry smile, strapping a beard across the lower half of her face. “Maybe I should stuff a pillow under the top.” The 59-year-old volunteer is testing out the costumes she plans to don on Dec 9, when Kang Le Day Hospice celebrates a cross-cultural Christmas with an Asian buffet and Western carols. She expects around 30 attendees. It was the housewife’s idea, and one of the many contributions she has made since she started volunteering with HCA Hospice, which runs the centre in Marsiling, in June 2023. Moved by the care and compassion its team showed to her late mother in her final days some four years ago, Ms Lee decided to reciprocate by helping out. The memories she has made have stuck with her. In particular, her friendship with her very first patient – an elderly man she refers to as Mr N – continues to shape the work she does. Mr N suffered from dementia and anxiety, which made it difficult to interact with him at first. But Ms Lee eventually won over the former postman with her rendition of the Carpenters’ Please Mr Postman. He shared his life story with her, while she entertained him with games and activities, keeping him company until his death in August 2023. “I was very sad upon hearing the news, but I was also thankful for the opportunity to have created some happy moments while he was around,” she says. Thus was born her idea of organising parties to spread that joy to more patients, most of whom have only six months to a year left to live, and are likely celebrating their last Christmas. Ms Lee preparing a bunny costume ahead of the Christmas party at Kang Le Day Hospice. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY Though to many of these seniors, Christmas is not as culturally significant as Chinese New Year or Hari Raya, Ms Lee – who usually does not celebrate Yuletide herself – believes in seizing any opportunity to get everyone together. “I enjoy doing the work. I’m happy to see them relax and have fun. If not, usually they just sit here and say, ‘All I do here is eat and wait for time to pass.’ It’s quite negative,” she says. To inject some energy into the room, Ms Lee, who describes herself as “quite a serious person”, busts out her goofy side. She will lead a singalong in her Santa Claus outfit, while her 35-year-old anaesthesiologist daughter, who is helping her, will tower over the party in a 2m-tall bunny suit. The festivities cannot stretch beyond two hours as the patients tire quickly, but she says it is heartening to see their energy return, even momentarily. Mr Lee Fatt Ping (left) leading seniors St Luke’s ElderCare Serangoon Centre in an arts and crafts activity. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY At St Luke’s ElderCare Serangoon Centre, 71-year-old retiree Lee Fatt Ping is also keenly aware of the needs of his fellow merry-makers. Though the seniors here are not terminally ill, many have conditions that might hamper their ability to participate. The volunteer, who visits the centre on Tuesday mornings, has prepared a simple arts and crafts activity to spread cheer this festive season. It comprises four strips of coloured paper that can be folded to form a heart, representing peace, love and joy – sentiments the Christian associates with Christmas. “It’s a way for them to come together and stamp their identity on this place. It gives them a sense of ownership,” he says, explaining that the completed paper hearts can then be hung up as decorations. However, he also has to take into consideration those with weaker psychomotor skills and poor eyesight. In such cases, Mr Lee will encourage one of their friends to help them, or get them involved through simple questions such as “What colour is this?” and “Is this pretty?”, to which they can respond with a thumbs up or down. “We have to adjust to their capabilities and make sure they feel included. The important thing is not to discredit them but encourage them to try again, if they want to.” When it comes to the more reserved seniors who do not want to participate, he will approach them as a supplicant, asking for assistance or help – a move that is guaranteed to flatter. “They’ll say, ‘You don’t know how to do meh?’, but it gets them involved.” Mr Lee Fatt Ping (second from right) will be one of the few volunteers on duty during the year-end festive period. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY The former civil servant-turned nursing home executive, who completed a master’s degree in ageing at The University of Melbourne in his late 60s, will be one of the few volunteers on duty at a time when most are away on holiday. He says: “If I can be around, I’m happy. This is a very meaningful time for me. I want to spread my blessings during this time when we’re reflecting on the year, and being grateful for all the good and bad, the highs and lows.” Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads. Read 3 articles and stand to win rewards Spin the wheel now
The arrests of the two main operators have dealt a significant blow to the criminal infrastructure behind Manson Market. The suspects are believed to have been involved in the operation of the platform for an extended period, generating substantial profits from illegal activities conducted on the platform. The authorities have confiscated a significant amount of evidence, including digital devices, financial records, and communication logs, which will be crucial in building a strong case against the perpetrators.Asensio's performance on the pitch has also garnered praise from his teammates, who recognize his talent and the value he brings to the team. His ability to score goals in crucial moments and his knack for finding the back of the net from long range have made him a fan favorite among Real Madrid supporters.
Irish premier Simon Harris has said Fine Gael will gain seats in the General Election despite a further fragmentation of Irish politics. Fine Gael won 35 seats in the 2020 election, but 18 of those TDs did not seek re-election in Friday’s poll. An exit poll puts the party’s support at 21%, a fraction of a percentage behind the main opposition party Sinn Fein. Mr Harris, the outgoing Taoiseach, was elected with 16,869 first preference votes, well above the quota. He celebrated with his wife Caoimhe, his parents Bart and Mary, his sister Gemma and his political team at the count centre in Greystones, Co Wicklow. Ahead of his re-election, Mr Harris told reporters he was “cautiously optimistic” about the election result and said it was “clear that my party will gain seats”. “It’s also clear that Fine Gael will top the poll in at least 10 constituencies, many more than we did the last time, that we will gain seats in constituencies where we haven’t had seats in many years, like Tipperary South and Waterford, and that we will add second seats in other constituencies as well,” he said. “I think the people of Ireland have now spoken. We now have to work out exactly what they have said, and that is going to take a little bit of time.” In one of the five consecutive broadcast media rounds he did from the Greystones count centre, he said there were a lot of areas where there were “straight shoot-outs” between Fianna Fail and Fine Gael for final seats. He described the Sinn Fein vote as “pretty significantly down”, the Fianna Fail vote as “marginally down” and the Fine Gael vote as “static” compared with its 2020 vote. He said it was “a very close, a very competitive election” and that “we haven’t seen a Sinn Fein surge or anything like it”. He said: “It was predicted by many that I would become the Taoiseach for a brief period of time, take over from Leo Varadkar, and then have to rebuild my party from the opposition benches as Sinn Fein led a government. “We don’t know what’s going to happen on government formation yet, but that is now looking less likely than it was.” He acknowledged that it was “a very difficult day” for the Green Party and paid tribute to their work in the coalition government, alongside his party and Fianna Fail. “Definitely, politics in Ireland has gotten much more fragmented,” he said. Fine Gael minister Helen McEntee said that her party’s campaign had been “positive”. “The feeling on the doors was very much that people were relatively happy with the government,” she said on RTE Radio. “It will come down to the last seats and it will come down to transfers,” she said of the final result, adding that Fianna Fail and Fine Gael were performing better than the exit poll estimated.
As the villagers bid farewell to the enigmatic visitor, one question lingers in their minds: Will the Four-Legged Stranger return one day, or will it fade into legend, a fleeting memory of a captivating encounter that defied explanation?Sam Hicks, defense lead Abilene Christian over Northern Arizona 24-0 to extend 1st trip to playoffs
Sonic the Hedgehog 3: Mainland China Release Set for January 10th Next YearDespite the turbulent environment, some private banks managed to thrive amidst the chaos by embracing innovation, focusing on customer-centric strategies, and building strong partnerships with fintech companies. By harnessing the power of data analytics, artificial intelligence, and blockchain technology, these forward-thinking institutions were able to streamline their operations, personalize their services, and deliver value-added solutions to their clients. Moreover, by forging alliances with fintech firms and collaborating with industry disruptors, these private banks were able to stay ahead of the curve and differentiate themselves in a crowded marketplace.The Chinese State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) confirmed the initiation of the antitrust probe into NVIDIA, focusing on the company's business practices, market dominance, and potential violations of fair competition regulations. The investigation comes amid growing concerns over the power wielded by tech behemoths and their impact on market competition and consumer rights.