Neo

Random notes and thoughts of mine

[Neo @cheewei_neo]

Note to self

1. You Don't Know What You Do Not Know....

2. If a company can compound Trust consistently, how and what can make it fail, other than black swan events?

[Bloomberg @business]

Indonesia is seeking to raise 10 billion yuan through a panda bond sale, returning to China’s onshore debt market as Southeast Asia’s largest economy confronts MSCI’s double downgrade threat https://t.co/HMzdjtMDu2

[Neo @cheewei_neo]

"Many younger shoppers are gravitating away from prominent logos and status-driven purchases in favour of understated products that emphasise craftsmanship and quality, fuelling the rise of so-called “quiet luxury”.
https://t.co/JRHZNwpgHi

[Neo @cheewei_neo]

OCBC to add ringgit to Singapore-based savings accounts from Oct 23
https://t.co/RGR1v13rPk

[Neo @cheewei_neo]

LHN expands into eldercare with senior living concept Jubiliv

"The initial phase offers seniors caregiver support and medication management services, alongside shared amenities and active ageing activities."
https://t.co/C4ZnvK7T9Q

[Reuters @Reuters]

UBS is working on possible scenarios including shifting its headquarters, or a merger with another bank, if Switzerland introduces new banking rules it deems excessively strict, according to three people familiar with the matter https://t.co/DGRa06rQL5

[Neo @cheewei_neo]

"Analysts have said that personal lines and small commercial are the segments most exposed to automation, and they make up a small share of revenue at most large brokers."

[Neo @cheewei_neo]

".... deep client relationships, proprietary data and the money to invest in technology give large firms an edge. He suggested smaller and private equity-backed rivals will find it hard to match the pace, and that this could feed future acquisitions."

https://t.co/qG4mCNj19H

[Neo @cheewei_neo]

Another casualty from AI....

https://t.co/APJz6u4Oyr

[Neo @cheewei_neo]

"If you are not prepared to be wrong, you will never come up with anything original" - Sir Ken Robinson

[Neo @cheewei_neo]

“Low-emissions hydrogen is also unlikely to achieve meaningful commercial-scale deployment across the region before 2030, ”
https://t.co/FLoIkkeotk

[Neo @cheewei_neo]

"We solved our own operational challenges so well that we created a technology business from it,”

Innovating and spinning out a new business internally 👍
https://t.co/0qSkTGUq6v

[Neo @cheewei_neo]

"inventory recommendation is also a working-capital decision. Every additional case a small retailer orders requires cash upfront and occupies shelf space until it sells...."'

https://t.co/32xkyBawfL

[Bloomberg @business]

The Chinese yuan is gaining renewed attention as a currency to fund carry trades as a surging yen forces investors to seek alternatives, strategists say https://t.co/H63p34sSmS

[Neo @cheewei_neo]

US diesel supplies hit record low as demand season looms

"Increasing demand for the the fuel amid precariously low stockpiles could push prices even higher and stoke energy-driven inflation."

https://t.co/mCJOO12BTP

[Neo @cheewei_neo]

Forbes Asia names 15 Singapore firms on list of 100 small companies to watch in 2026
https://t.co/bhB8E5aZEM

[Neo @cheewei_neo]

Contract negotiation skills need to be stepped up, and extra scrutiny is required to ensure projects' commercial viability as well.....

[Neo @cheewei_neo]

"As AI drives productivity gains, clients have become increasingly vocal about getting more for less......IT provider's clients were demanding the same work for 25 per cent to 30 per cent less while expecting faster delivery and higher productivity."

https://t.co/wfSpfoqWET

[Neo @cheewei_neo]

The sad truth about retail businesses in Asia, and in particular Singapore. Anyone going going into physical retail space really needs to rethink their strategy....the probability and cost of failure is extremely high.

https://t.co/QstsTAGx9S

[Bo Wang @BoWang87]

Moderna/Merck just ran a 1,137-patient Phase 3 trial where every single dose was unique to that patient's tumor. It worked.

The pipeline: surgical resection → whole exome + RNA sequencing → ML neoantigen ranking → mRNA encoding up to 34 patient-specific targets → manufactured and shipped in 8 weeks. One drug, different sequence for every patient.

The ML step is worth to note: the algorithm ingests WES + RNA-seq to identify somatic mutations, then predicts which of those will actually be immunogenic, ie, displayed on tumor cell surface and trigger a T-cell response. It's designed to keep learning from accumulated clinical and immunogenicity data across patients, not just per-patient.

INTerpath-001 (Stage IIB-IV resected melanoma, 2:1 randomized): combination with pembrolizumab beat Keytruda alone on both primary (RFS) and key secondary (DMFS) at interim. Phase 2b at ASCO 2026 showed 49% reduction in recurrence/death, 59% in distant metastasis/death at 5 years. Phase 3 confirmed both.

What this validates:
— tumor-specific neoantigen prediction by ML works in a blinded trial at scale
— 8-week personalized mRNA manufacturing is operationally real
— effect is additive on PD-1 blockade, not redundant

This is first positive Ph3 for individualized neoantigen therapy. First positive Ph3 for any mRNA cancer therapeutic.

What a great time to live in!! This is the best time for AI & biotech!

[The Wall Street Journal @WSJ]

An experimental cancer vaccine kept melanoma from coming back. It’s the first successful late-stage mRNA study validating decades of custom-treatment research https://t.co/nfhZF7xwq1