Business and technology quick bites

Updated version as at 12.30 pm

The highlighted words in red are links to the news article.

March 3, 2021,

Business News 

1. Robinhood, the online brokerage used by many retail traders to pile in to heavily shorted games like GameStop, has made an ambitious push into loaning its clients’ shares to short sellers as it expands its business. 
2. Easy Eat, a Singapore-based AI foodtech startup has approached a new round of funding from investors including Silicon Valley veteran and  and former Uber chief product officer Manik Gupta. The startup is seeing “great adoption and engagement” for its products among F&B outlets in Malaysia. 
3. Cosmetics tycoon Kak Ton to set on selling her multi-million ringgit lavish mansion with an indoor pool. Kak Ton and her daughter Emcee Nadia Annuar gave a virtual house tour on Instagram Live. 
4. British finance minister Rishi Sunak plans to say in a budget speech that he will do “whatever it takes” to support the economy through what he hopes will be the final months of coronavirus restrictions. 
5. Wall Street ended lower on Tuesday, with Apple and Tesla losing ground, while materials and energy companies climbed as investors waited for the US Congress to approve another stimulus package. 
6. Shares in heavily-shorted mortgage provider Rocket Companies saw its stocks surge, in an eye-popping  move reminiscent of the rallies that powered GameStop and other so-called meme stocks earlier in the year. 
7. Britain to “modernise” its listing rules to attract more high-growth and “blank cheque” SPAC company flotations to London. 
8. AMMB Holdings Bhd’s share and structured warrant prices opened lower on Bursa Malaysia after a two-day suspension following the financial services provider’s global settlement proposal announcement. 

Technology News 

1. WhatsApp users can now update the app through app stores for its new feature which is Android devices can  mute the audio in videos before sharing, either in chat or to the Status update. 
2.  Chipmakers such as Samsung Electronics Co Ltd will require a couple of weeks to continue its production in Texas after closedown caused by severe weather, and customers could face knock-on effects in several months’ time.