Singaporeans' inflation expectations inch up as oil prices bounce back

Slower interest rate hikes are also a key reason.

Singaporean households expect median inflation to hover at 2.79% over the coming year, according to the latest quarterly survey for Singapore Index of Inflation Expectations (SInDEx) by Singapore Management University (SMU).

This is higher than the 2.74% recorded in December 2015.

Significantly, for a subgroup of the population who own their accommodation and use public transport, the One-year-Ahead median Singapore core inflation rate for the subgroup rose significantly to 2.91% in the March 2016 survey compared to 2.67% in December 2015, which was its lowest level since June 2013.

The uptick was on back of rising global oil prices and more tempered expectations of an interest rate hike by the US Federal Reserve.

“The rise in global oil prices from 12-year lows and a concurrent increase in consumer confidence helped improve the market sentiment in the last quarter," said Assistant Professor of Finance Aurobindo Ghosh, who is the Principal Investigator of the
SInDEx Project.

"The anticipated strengthening of the US dollar was also slower than expected. The combined impact might have dampened Singaporeans’ expectations of inflation through more benign imported inflation," he added.

The people you want to reach are already in this room.

Every quarter, SBR lands on the desks of the founders, CFOs, and directors running Asia's most consequential companies. Every day, they open our newsletter and read our website. It's a room that took twenty years to build — and it's the one most of our partners are trying to get into.

The good news is that the door is open. We work with companies on thought leadership articles, sponsored content, industry summits across Southeast Asia, regional awards programmes, podcasts, and media placements in print and digital. The shape of the right partnership depends on what you're trying to do, which is why we'd rather start with a conversation than send a rate card.

If you have something this room should know about, tell us. We'll tell you honestly whether we can help, and how.

No rate cards until we understand the brief. It's a better use of everyone's time.

Book a meeting

| Or download the media kit (PDF)

240,000 senior readers quarterly in print Top 1,700 Singapore companies reached

7 markets across Southeast Asia