Gross Domestic Product GDP - Property Launches & Investments

Singapore Home-Price Drop in 2016 Might Prompt Reversal of Curbs

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Thursday, 10 November 2016 in Property News

A further slide in residential home prices in 2016 may finally persuade the Singapore government to take its foot off the brakes in Asia’s worst-performing property market.

Property brokers including Knight Frank LLP and Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. said the government may be swayed to lift some of the curbs that have depressed local home sales and damped values. Home prices could drop as much as 8 percent this year, extending a similar decline since their peak in 2013, if an economic slowdown in the island-state becomes severe, according to Ong Teck Hui, National Director of Research & Consultancy at Jones Lang LaSalle in Singapore.

ECs the driving force in new home sales

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Monday, 24 October 2016 in Property News

Singapore developers sold 769 private housing units in September including executive condominiums (ECs), down 3.7 percent from the 799 units sold in the previous month, revealed data published on Monday (17 October) by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA).

Year-on-year, sales rose about 18 percent compared to the 629 units sold in September 2015.

The Importance Of Inflation And GDP

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Sunday, 17 January 2016 in Property News

Investors are likely to hear the terms inflation and gross domestic product (GDP) just about every day. They are often made to feel that these metrics must be studied as a surgeon would study a patient's chart prior to operating. Chances are that we have some concept of what they mean and how they interact, but what do we do when the best economic minds in the world can't agree on basic distinctions between how much the U.S. economy should grow, or how much inflation is too much for the financial markets to handle? Individual investors need to find a level of understanding that assists their decision-making without inundating them in piles of data. Find out what inflation and GDP mean for the market, the economy and your portfolio.

The 5 lessons of Singapore

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Sunday, 03 January 2016 in Property News

The picture emerging for Singapore is one of optimism and opportunity.

Appreciate the ‘fine’ city

In public perception, Singapore is perhaps most renowned for its somewhat zealous law making. (If you are convicted of littering more than once, you will have to spend a few hours cleaning a public place, wearing a brightly coloured bib).

But to corporates, the enduring legacy of its colonial past is a backbone of English Common Law, especially in contract, arbitration and labour law. This is married with a firm respect for Intellectual Property rights, where infringement can be viewed as a criminal rather than civil offence.

Singapore per capital GDP has risen to become almost 80% higher than Europe's
It takes 3 days to start a business in Singapore compared to the world of average 24
Singapore physical location means it has become a major gateway for trade to and from Asia

Weak property market to fuel Singapore deflationary streak in 2016

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Sunday, 20 December 2015 in Property News

And transport-related prices probably won’t spike either.

According to a report by BMI, Singapore headline inflation is expected to remain subdued in 2016, amid mild commodity price, monetary aggregate, transport, and housing fundamentals. This will extend Singapore’s deflationary trend that’s lasted over the last 12 months.

BMI forecasts that the deflationary impulse from housing will persist as the gradual rollback of decline in the inflow of skilled foreign labour has impacted demand right when an influx of new units poured into the market. Meanwhile, regulators are adamant on property market cooling measures such as loan-to-valuation ratios and additional buyer’s stamp duties.

Sharp drop in China's trade raises fears about its economy

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Wednesday, 09 September 2015 in Property News

SHANGHAI • China's imports tumbled last month, adding to concerns about the health of the world's second-largest economy and its contribution to global growth.

Imports dived 13.8 per cent from a year earlier, far more than the dip of 8.2 per cent forecast by analysts, and the 10th consecutive monthly drop, reflecting both lower global commodity prices and sluggish demand.

A surprise devaluation in the yuan early last month, combined with slowing consumer demand, will dent the prospects of imports picking up significantly soon.

URA- Release of 1st Quarter 2015 real estate statistics

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Sunday, 26 April 2015 in Property News

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) released today the real estate statistics for 1st Quarter 20151.

PRIVATE RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES

Private residential market at a glance (excluding ECs):

Growing leverage, high property prices, rising cross-border bank exposure need close watch: MAS

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Sunday, 30 November 2014 in Property News

GROWING leverage, still high property prices and rising cross-border bank exposure in Singapore warrant close monitoring, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said in its annual Financial Stability Review on Thursday.

According to the report by the central bank's Macroeconomic Surveillance Department, corporate debt to gross domestic product (GDP) ratio in Singapore has trended upwards since the Global Financial Crisis, rising to 78 per cent in the second quarter of 2014, from 52 per cent in Q2 2008. Household debt-to-income ratio has also edged up to 2.3 times in 2013, from 1.9 times in 2008.

Singapore Q3 GDP misses forecasts

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Monday, 03 November 2014 in Property News

Singapore's economy grew at a slower-than-expected pace in the third quarter, an advanced estimate from the government showed on Tuesday, adding to concerns about whether the wealth city state can shake off the impact of sluggish global growth.

The economy expanded 2.4 percent in the third quarter from the year-ago period, missing a Reuters forecast for a 2.8 percent gain and following a rise of 2.4 percent rise in the previous quarter.

Quarter-on-quarter, gross domestic product (GDP) grew 1.2 percent on an annualized basis compared with expectations for a 1.8 percent rise and after the 0.1 percent expansion in the second quarter.

Singapore Retail market overview

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Sunday, 15 June 2014 in Property News

Economic Growth
Singapore recorded strong economic growth from 2000, with an average annual real gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of 5.3% over 2001-2012. This growth was achieved despite the effects of the global financial crisis (GFC), which caused growth to decrease to 1.7% in 2008 and -1.0% in 2009.

The Singapore economy is highly integrated, translating to growth being sensitive to fluctuations in the global economy, as evidenced by the significantly decreased growth rates recorded in 2008 and 2009. It also means that the Singapore economy is one of the first to recover from a downturn, exemplified by GDP growth increasing rapidly in 2010 to 14.8%. Economic activity moderated to normal historical levels in 2011.

Premature to unwind cooling measures: Maybank Kim Eng

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Thursday, 16 January 2014 in Property News

Chief economist sees smaller home supply in long term

[SINGAPORE] The government is not likely to be unwinding any of its property cooling measures this year, said Maybank Kim Eng head of research Ng Wee Siang.

"As long as interest rates remain where they are now, that would be too premature."

Instead, it is more probable that the government would reduce the number of private homes and HDB flats that will come onstream in the longer term, he added.

Costly, but Singapore is value for money: Savills

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Monday, 23 December 2013 in Property News

18 September 2013: In the latest World Cities Review, Hong Kong has the highest total accommodation costs among 10 cities studied, at US$1.625 million annually, followed by New York and London.

Singapore was ranked sixth at US$1.005 million per annum was top in “value for money” ranking, which measures total costs against the GDP per capita for each city.

Banks Speeding Asia Promotions Doubles Rate of Pay Raises: Jobs

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Friday, 13 December 2013 in Property News

Ang Eng Siong, 33, has been promoted every year since he completed Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. (OCBC)’s management associate program in 2010, when he was put in charge of two older, higher-ranked colleagues.

“My team members were all a lot more experienced in that particular role,” said Ang, now a vice-president of corporate treasury in Singapore under the chief financial officer. “An opportunity to manage an important project would be rare so they wanted just to give me the exposure.”

S'pore 'financial system healthy but risks remain'

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Wednesday, 11 December 2013 in Property News

Singapore's financial system - from household balance sheets to corporate lending - remains in sound shape, but challenges lie ahead.

The assessment came from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), which released its annual report card on the sector on Tuesday. There were plenty of positives, but the regulator warned of considerable risks ahead, including sharply higher interest rates.

Property fuels surge in S'poreans' net wealth

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Wednesday, 04 December 2013 in Property News

MAS review shows household debt rising, but savings piling up faster; cautions that risks remain-

Singapore households have been given a clean bill of health as far as their debt is concerned. Despite warnings of an increasing exposure to mortgages, net wealth has grown robustly over the past decade and stands at about four times GDP, according to the Monetary Authority of Singapore Financial Stability Review 2013

Singapore households have been given a clean bill of health as far as their debt is concerned. Despite warnings of an increasing exposure to mortgages, net wealth has grown robustly over the past decade and stands at about four times GDP, according to the Monetary Authority of Singapore Financial Stability Review 2013.

Singapore Miracle Dimming as Income Gap Widens Squeeze by Rich

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Tuesday, 03 December 2013 in Property News

Economic miracles sometimes need course corrections, even in Singapore, which last year was home to more U.S. dollar-millionaire households per capita than any other country, according to Boston Consulting Group Inc.

From 1959 onward, under the leadership of Lee Kuan Yew and his successors, Singapore transformed itself into a rich hub for a range of industries, from financial services to transportation, to pharmaceuticals, Bloomberg Markets magazine reports in the September issue. From 1960 to 2010, the city- state’s GDP increased 41-fold, to 285 billion Singapore dollars, as it became the world’s second-busiest container port and fourth-largest financial center. Three of the world’s six strongest banks are based in Singapore, according to a June Bloomberg Markets ranking.

Singapore Regulator Sees Bank Risk From Rising Global Rates

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Tuesday, 03 December 2013 in Property News

Singapore's central bank warned that rising global interest rates could weigh on household and corporate debt and pose risks for banks in the city-state.

A 3 percent increase in mortgage rates would boost the share of overly indebted households to as much as 15 percent from 10 percent now, the Monetary Authority of Singapore MAS said in its annual financial stability review today. Banks also need to guard against credit quality deterioration as rates increase after Singaporean companies’ median debt-to-equity ratio rose to 39 percent at the end of June, the authority said.

S'pore economy to be productivity driven

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Friday, 29 November 2013 in Property News

Change is likely to result in shift to jobs in services sector: JP Morgan exec

THE local economy is entering challenging times as it transits to one led by productivity and it's also a fallacy to think that the economy will benefit as much as previously from stronger growth of the developed markets.

People tend to compare Singapore with global cities but it actually has a developing market structure, only the cost of living is comparable to places such as New York and Hong Kong, said James Sullivan, JP Morgan head of Asean/Singapore equity research.

"All of us who live here know it is very expensive," said Mr Sullivan yesterday in a Singapore equities outlook presentation.

Not only is Singapore among the costliest cities in the world, its ranking continues to move higher.

The Case of the Falling COV: A Step towards Affordability?

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Monday, 25 November 2013 in Property News

Recent findings released by the Singapore Real Estate Exchange (SRX) drew much attention to Cash-Over-Valuation (COV) premiums for Housing and Development Board (HDB) resale flats, with reports stating that overall COVs across all HDB property types have been experiencing a declining trend. In fact, this downward spiral has been said to be so persistent that by the start of September 2013, COVs are said to have fallen to a 4 year low.

In a country where property continues to stir public debate, it is hardly surprising that word about falling COV prices would spread into daily conversations. After all, COVs are by nature often deemed to be an unfair negotiation tactic employed by property sellers for a quick profit, causing much furore amongst those wishing to purchase their first home or to upgrade.

Surge in new homes "will push rents, prices down"

Posted by Property Launch Invest on Saturday, 16 November 2013 in Property News

A RECORD surge in the supply of new homes is likely to trigger a drop in rents and prices by up to 15 per cent between now and 2016 amid tepid population growth, a report warned yesterday.

A total of 100,000 new private non-landed homes and 123,000 Housing Board homes are expected to be completed by 2017, said research house Religare.

This translates to a 7 to 8 per cent expansion in the yearly supply of new non-landed homes.

PROPERTY LAUNCHES & INVESTMENTS

Property Launches & Investments

The picture emerging for Singapore is one of optimism and opportunity.

Appreciate the ‘fine’ city

PRIVATE RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES