Glossary
72 words you met as dotted underlines in our stories: the meaning, plus why it mattered in that story. It grows every day.
Bab el-MandebGeography
The strait between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
In this story Yemen's government says it has driven the Houthis out.
First appeared · No. 1 (2026-10-05)
bad debtsBanking
Loans that borrowers cannot repay.
In this story A risk for banks when rates rise.
First appeared · No. 3 (2026-10-07)
bioeconomyEconomics
Making products such as chemicals and materials from living organisms.
In this story Singapore's S$118 million research push.
First appeared · No. 1 (2026-10-05)
blue chipsMarkets
Shares of large, established companies.
In this story A rout in banks and other blue chips.
First appeared · No. 4 (2026-10-08)
bond offeringFinance
A sale of debt securities to investors.
In this story Tencent is weighing one.
First appeared · No. 4 (2026-10-08)
bond yieldsFinance
The return investors earn on bonds. When yields rise, bond prices fall.
In this story Rising worldwide for weeks.
First appeared · No. 3 (2026-10-07)
Category ATransport
The COE category for smaller cars and less powerful electric cars.
In this story Would be merged with Category B.
First appeared · No. 4 (2026-10-08)
chargebackMoney
A refund made by your card issuer when a purchase is not delivered.
In this story A reason to pay by credit card.
First appeared · No. 1 (2026-10-05)
COETransport
Certificate of Entitlement, the right to own a vehicle for 10 years, bought by bidding.
In this story Car premiums stay above S$130,000.
First appeared · No. 3 (2026-10-07)
COE renewalsTransport
Paying to extend a car's certificate beyond 10 years.
In this story LTA asks whether the new system should apply.
First appeared · No. 4 (2026-10-08)
Committee of InquiryDefence
A formal panel set up to investigate a serious incident.
In this story Often convened after training deaths.
First appeared · No. 4 (2026-10-08)
data centreTechnology
A building that houses computer servers for storing and processing data.
In this story Major ones face new rules.
First appeared · No. 3 (2026-10-07)
deterrent sentencesLaw
Punishments set high enough to discourage others from committing the same crime.
In this story The goal of the new laws.
First appeared · No. 2 (2026-10-06)
DietPolitics
Japan's national parliament.
In this story Where Takaichi gave her policy speech.
First appeared · No. 1 (2026-10-05)
Digital bankFinance
A bank that operates mainly through apps, without branches.
In this story Revolut is one.
First appeared · No. 4 (2026-10-08)
digital economyEconomics
Economic activity carried out through digital technology, both in technology firms and in other industries.
In this story Valued at S$144.1 billion.
First appeared · No. 1 (2026-10-05)
Digital Infrastructure BillLaw
Proposed law setting security and resilience rules for major data centres and other digital infrastructure.
In this story Debated in Parliament on Tuesday.
First appeared · No. 2 (2026-10-06)
disproportionateStatistics
More often than their share of the population would predict.
In this story The study's claim about civil servants' home purchases.
First appeared · No. 1 (2026-10-05)
dividendsFinance
Payments a company makes to shareholders from its profits.
In this story Why many retail investors hold the banks.
First appeared · No. 3 (2026-10-07)
due processLaw
The principle that legal steps are fair, follow the rules and give people a chance to respond.
In this story Chan said it will be followed for the eight officers.
First appeared · No. 2 (2026-10-06)
El NiñoClimate
A periodic warming of the eastern Pacific that tends to bring drier weather to South-east Asia.
In this story Forecasters expect strong El Niño conditions until November.
First appeared · No. 1 (2026-10-05)
electricity importsEnergy
Power bought from other countries and brought in by cable.
In this story Part of the Tekong study, the Straits Times said.
First appeared · No. 2 (2026-10-06)
escrowLaw
Money held by a third party until a service is delivered.
In this story One safeguard CASE could ask for.
First appeared · No. 1 (2026-10-05)
Federal ReserveCentral banking
The US central bank.
In this story Its September minutes are due on Thursday.
First appeared · No. 3 (2026-10-07)
fiscal disciplineEconomics
Keeping government spending and borrowing under control.
In this story Takaichi's promise to the Diet.
First appeared · No. 1 (2026-10-05)
Foreign fundsMarkets
Overseas investment funds that buy and sell shares in Singapore.
In this story They can sell bank shares quickly.
First appeared · No. 4 (2026-10-08)
GDPEconomics
Gross domestic product, the total value of goods and services an economy produces.
In this story The digital economy is a larger share of it.
First appeared · No. 1 (2026-10-05)
headcountBusiness
The number of staff a company employs.
In this story Revolut's in Singapore will grow to 300.
First appeared · No. 4 (2026-10-08)
heat hazardSport
An FIA declaration allowing measures to protect drivers in extreme heat.
In this story Declared for the Singapore race.
First appeared · No. 4 (2026-10-08)
hydrogen-readyEnergy
Built to run on natural gas now and switch to hydrogen later.
In this story Possible power plants on the site.
First appeared · No. 2 (2026-10-06)
informed tradingFinance
Buying or selling using information that others do not have.
In this story The NBER paper's claim about civil servants' home purchases.
First appeared · No. 2 (2026-10-06)
IPOFinance
Initial public offering, when a company first sells its shares to the public.
In this story Deluge plans one on SGX.
First appeared · No. 2 (2026-10-06)
lending marginsBanking
The difference between what banks earn on loans and pay on deposits.
In this story Higher rates can lift them.
First appeared · No. 4 (2026-10-08)
lifetime driving banLaw
A court order disqualifying a driver from holding a licence for life.
In this story Imposed on the driver in the Tampines crash.
First appeared · No. 1 (2026-10-05)
LNG terminalEnergy
A facility that receives liquefied natural gas from ships and turns it back into gas.
In this story A third one could sit on Pulau Tekong.
First appeared · No. 2 (2026-10-06)
market valueFinance
The total value of a company's shares at the market price.
In this story OCBC lost about S$8 billion of it.
First appeared · No. 3 (2026-10-07)
median open market valueCars
The middle value of a model's assessed value across recent registrations.
In this story Would decide each model's rebate or surcharge.
First appeared · No. 4 (2026-10-08)
National Bureau of Economic ResearchResearch
A private US research organisation that publishes economics working papers.
In this story Its paper started the review.
First appeared · No. 2 (2026-10-06)
national servicemanDefence
A Singaporean serving compulsory national service.
In this story Died after being found unconscious.
First appeared · No. 4 (2026-10-08)
neutrinosPhysics
Tiny particles with almost no mass that pass through matter.
In this story Halzen's IceCube catches the rare ones that hit ice.
First appeared · No. 2 (2026-10-06)
Open CategoryTransport
Category E, whose COEs can be used for any vehicle except motorcycles.
In this story LTA asks how it should change.
First appeared · No. 4 (2026-10-08)
optogeneticsScience
A technique that uses light-sensitive proteins to switch chosen cells on or off with light.
In this story The subject of this year's medicine Nobel.
First appeared · No. 1 (2026-10-05)
peak demandEnergy
The highest level of electricity use at any one time.
In this story EMA projects it to grow 2.4 to 4.8 per cent a year.
First appeared · No. 2 (2026-10-06)
peatlandEnvironment
Waterlogged land made of decaying plant matter. When drained and dry it burns slowly and gives off thick smoke.
In this story Dry peatland in Sumatra and Kalimantan makes fires hard to put out.
First appeared · No. 1 (2026-10-05)
peer-reviewedResearch
Checked by independent experts before publication.
In this story The NBER working paper was not.
First appeared · No. 2 (2026-10-06)
performance bonusPay
A payment on top of salary linked to results.
In this story Ranged from 2.5 to 6 months for office-holders.
First appeared · No. 2 (2026-10-06)
Phase 2CEducation
The P1 registration phase open to children with no prior links to a school.
In this story 15 per cent at popular schools live in public housing.
First appeared · No. 3 (2026-10-07)
PM2.5Environment
Fine particles 2.5 micrometres or smaller that can go deep into the lungs.
In this story Elevated in four regions.
First appeared · No. 2 (2026-10-06)
POFMALaw
The Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act.
In this story Kokila Annamalai contests a charge under it.
First appeared · No. 3 (2026-10-07)
policy statementCentral banking
MAS's regular announcement on its exchange-rate policy and outlook.
In this story Due later this month.
First appeared · No. 4 (2026-10-08)
prepaid packagesConsumer
Services paid for in advance, such as gym memberships or beauty treatments.
In this story CASE wants mandatory safeguards for them.
First appeared · No. 1 (2026-10-05)
PSIEnvironment
The Pollutant Standards Index, NEA's measure of air quality, averaged over 24 hours from six pollutants.
In this story Above 101 in every region on Monday.
First appeared · No. 1 (2026-10-05)
public consultationGovernment
A period in which the public can give views on a proposal.
In this story Runs until 2 November.
First appeared · No. 4 (2026-10-08)
Public Service DivisionGovernment
The agency in the Prime Minister's Office that sets rules and policy for the civil service.
In this story It ran the review of 191 officers.
First appeared · No. 2 (2026-10-06)
reintegrationDiplomacy
Bringing a member back into full participation.
In this story Malaysia's aim for Myanmar in ASEAN.
First appeared · No. 4 (2026-10-08)
repo rateCentral banking
The rate at which a central bank lends to commercial banks.
In this story India's rose to 5.50 per cent.
First appeared · No. 3 (2026-10-07)
retrenchmentEmployment
Dismissal because a job is no longer needed, not for misconduct.
In this story MOM is reviewing its measures.
First appeared · No. 3 (2026-10-07)
rogue AI agentsTechnology
AI programs acting on their own in harmful ways.
In this story None reported attacking government agencies.
First appeared · No. 3 (2026-10-07)
safety time-outWorkplace safety
A planned pause in work to review risks and procedures.
In this story MOM urged firms in three sectors to hold one.
First appeared · No. 1 (2026-10-05)
scam mulesCrime
People who let criminals use their bank accounts or phone lines to move scam money.
In this story Shanmugam wants deterrent sentences for all of them.
First appeared · No. 2 (2026-10-06)
snap electionPolitics
An election called before it is due.
In this story Spain will vote on 29 November.
First appeared · No. 1 (2026-10-05)
south-easterly windsWeather
Winds blowing from the south-east, which carry smoke from Sumatra towards Singapore.
In this story Expected to continue on Tuesday.
First appeared · No. 1 (2026-10-05)
sovereign debtEconomics
Money borrowed by a national government.
In this story Markets are worried about France's.
First appeared · No. 2 (2026-10-06)
Strait of HormuzGeography
The narrow sea route out of the Gulf, through which much of the world's oil passes.
In this story Tanker attacks there reached a weekly high.
First appeared · No. 4 (2026-10-08)
Straits Times IndexMarkets
The main index of 30 large companies listed on SGX.
In this story Fell 1.6 per cent on Wednesday.
First appeared · No. 3 (2026-10-07)
supervisory expectationsRegulation
What a regulator expects firms to do, used in its inspections.
In this story MAS set them out for AI.
First appeared · No. 3 (2026-10-07)
termination noticesEmployment
Formal notices ending a worker's employment.
In this story Issued to about 120 Crystal Jade workers.
First appeared · No. 3 (2026-10-07)
tighten enforcementRegulation
More inspections and stronger penalties for breaches of the rules.
In this story MOM's step alongside its voluntary call.
First appeared · No. 1 (2026-10-05)
underperformFinance
An analyst rating that expects a share to do worse than the market.
In this story Macquarie's new call on Jardine's South-east Asian unit.
First appeared · No. 3 (2026-10-07)
unhealthy rangeEnvironment
PSI readings from 101 to 200. NEA advises people to cut down on prolonged or strenuous outdoor exercise.
In this story The band the whole island reached on Monday.
First appeared · No. 1 (2026-10-05)
US Treasury yieldsFinance
The interest rates on US government debt, a benchmark for borrowing costs worldwide.
In this story MAS answered a question on them in Parliament.
First appeared · No. 3 (2026-10-07)
working paperResearch
A draft research paper shared before formal review.
In this story The NBER paper that set off the review.
First appeared · No. 2 (2026-10-06)
No results.