In Focus

Biomedical manufacturing dragged down the manufacturing output in December 2010 and for the whole of 2010.

The country's strong economic growth and brisk activity in the financial and high-technology industries pushed Singapore to top the rankings.

Transport, housing and food were the main drivers to the high CPI inflation.

The ratings agency said Singaporean banks will benefit from a more stable property market as their exposures to property speculators, price shocks, and loan losses will decline.

Improved market conditions will trigger a more active recruitment for the first quarter of 2011.

Investment spending in industrial properties increased over 90% and it is expected to surge in 2011.

The recent round of cooling measures are likely to dampen market transactions over the next few months, DBS said.

Developers’ sales volume is expected to dip sharply to the 500 to 800-unit range in January and February 2011 as market players re-assess their position following the harsh set of cooling measures announced on 13 January 2011.

Unit transaction volumes are expected to fall to 12,000 units this year, said Macquarie.

Opening of the integrated resorts in Singapore has increased tourist arrivals, Philip Securities said.

In the survey conducted by HSBC, only 20% of the respondents preferred to allocate their portfolios in Singapore.

Singapore Tourism Board expects the target of 12.5 million tourists to be comfortably met this year.

Employers are using bonus schemes, stock options or education benefits to lure back an increasing number of skilled Singaporeans heading for Australia and other foreign shores for more attractive job opportunities.

The bank says the country is about to enter into “normal times” after rebounding quickly from the global financial crisis and posting a record 14.7% GDP growth for 2010.

The average gross rent of prime first-storey space in the area increased by a marginal 0.3% q-o-q from $39.70 per sq ft per month in Q3 2010 to $39.80 per sq ft per month in Q4 2010.

Facebook has released a map which shows Facebook users and their connections around the world, but China remains a black hole in this friendship map of the world.