News

Developer sales shrink 34.3% in May

But sales for the first five months soar 61%. Private homes sold by developers last month shrunk by 34.3% to 1,024 units compared to April when there was a total of 1,558 units sold. According to PropNex, while the figure in May might have taken a dip compared to the previous month due to the lack of new major launches, it still reflects the positive market sentiments in the first half of 2017. On a yearly basis, total units sold sits at 7,555, 61% up from 4,915 units in the first five months of 2016. PropNex Realty CEO Ismail Gafoor commented, “Like what we witnessed in April, consumers are continuing to pick up units nearing TOP dates. This is evident in the results of the five best-performing projects of this month. Especially for Parc Riviera and Sol Acres EC which have continued to sell well in the first five months of 2017.”  

Will exports still provide a boost to Singapore's economy?

Analysts have lowered their export growth forecast. Singapore's export strength has been giving a fillip to its economy after emerging from the YoY contraction in November 2016. To recall, Singapore's non-oil domestic exports (NODX) momentum surged in 1Q17. Specifically, NODX value rose by +15.2% YoY in 1Q17, a report by Morgan Stanley said. However, looking at the prospects for the sector, economists and analysts surveyed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore lowered their growth forecast for NODX to 5.6%, down from the 6.1% seen last year. "There have been questions on whether the export recovery could be sustained after April NODX saw a reversal from the previous strong growth and contracted unexpectedly," Morgan Stanley said. It furthered, "Given MS global macro team’s view that the global expansion is now on a surer footing,as it is being driven by a recovery in private sector demand, we think the rising global tide will help to lift Singapore’s exporters and the weak NODX print in April is likely an aberration."  

Singapore M&A activity drops 20.3% to US$22.4b

It’s Singapore’s slowest first half period for deal making activity since 2013.

4 things to look out for in SingPost

The results from the TradeGlobal acquisition review is one.

Daily Markets Briefing: STI down 0.13%

Expect markets to be fairly cautious today.

Chart of the Day: 1,983 HDB flats resold in May

This is an 8.1% increase from the previous month.

SPH-Kajima JV emerges as top bidder for Upper Serangoon Road site

Their subsidiaries bid $1.13b for the mixed development site.

Mid-tier residential segment lead rebound in resale prices

CCR and RCR prices rose 1.1%. Residential resale prices managed to rebound in May, strongly led by the high-end and mid-tier segments, as resale prices in the core central region (CCR) and rest of central region (RCR) rose 1.1% MoM, while mass market resale prices (outside central region or OCR) dipped 0.4% MoM. According to OCBC Investment Research, transaction volumes similarly improved in May with 1,235 non-landed private homes sold – up 17.4% MoM over April 2017 and by a whopping 57.7% YoY over May 2016. "Through our channel checks, buyer sentiments have clearly improved after the latest tweaks to the property curbs in March 2017 where some measures relating to the SSD and the TDSR were relaxed," it said. It furthered, "We believe these changes were, on a net basis, supportive of the physical market and continue to forecast for general home prices to reach an inflection point by 2018."  

Why investors may find Singapore's specialist clinic chains risky

As it turns out, asset-light-model is still a new concept.

Singapore's economic growth forecast raised to 2.5%

It will be led by the surge in manufacturing growth.

HDB rents tick up by 0.7% in May

Around 1,873 HDB flats were rented.

Singapore's offshore assets to rise 8% until 2021

It is keeping up with Switzerland in attracting foreign wealth.

Condo rents down 0.8% in May

But rental volumes went up 12.5%.