Wasn't sennett and d'nest doing quite well last weekend?
Wasn't sennett and d'nest doing quite well last weekend?
IMHO,
I believed that CM7 is working. Sales volume will continue to gradually dwindle even as developers are selling below their expected selling price. We need to give CM7 time to work into the system. We need patience. It can't be immediate.
1. Trilinq and many other developments across the island suffered from slow sales.
2.Clearly if wasn't for this CM7, Urban Vista, DNest, Sennet Residences will continue to sell well if not better and faster pace at a higher per square foot. Why So? I personally think these developments are well priced,well located and well designed products that appeal to first time buyers needs. These clearly are not samples that represent the whole property situations in Singapore.
For property to collapse like what we see during the Asian Crisis in 98 as well as SARS 2003, it is rather difficult and i must say almost impossible. Cause our government is proactive clearly by the pace and intensity of the cooling measures. In fact having these cooling measures implemented not only ensures a stable growth and continued gradual upward trend in Singapore's long term property prices but also provides counter measures(by lifting them) to sudden and strong external shocks that is detrimental to Singapore economy and property prices.
This is critical to provide a solid social safety net for our fast ageing population as well as create stability in our society. in the mean time, our pace of property appreciation will definitely be gradual if not stagnant while allowing many other fellow Singaporeans to catch up as their wages will continue to rise over time.
Last edited by ///scuderia; 19-03-13 at 08:19.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/100562024
China Showing Symptoms of Financial Crisis: Report
Published: Monday, 18 Mar 2013 | 4:08 AM ET
By: Ansuya Harjani
Assistant Producer, CNBC Asia
Just as concerns over a hard landing in the world's second largest economy look to have faded, economists at Nomura sounded a warning that the Chinese economy is exhibiting the same worrying symptoms that triggered the 2008 financial crisis.
The country's rapid buildup of leverage, decline in potential growth and elevated property prices, are three red flags that should not be downplayed, according to economists at the bank, Zhiwei Zhang and Wendy Chen.
"China faces rising risks of a systemic financial crisis and the government needs to take action quickly to contain such risks. We believe the true extent of financial risks in China is not fully appreciated by investors," Zhang and Chen wrote in a report released over the weekend.
According to the analysts, if China maintains a loose policy stance this year it would heighten the risk of a financial crisis in 2014. Easy monetary policy risks pushing up inflation and leverage in the economy, making the eventual de-leveraging process more disruptive.
"This is clearly a dangerous choice, but we cannot rule it out given political pressures to maintain strong growth," Nomura said in the report.
Leverage, a leading indicator of financial strain and measured as a ratio of domestic credit to gross domestic product (GDP), has reached its highest level since records began in 1978. This ratio was 121 percent before the financial crisis of 2008 and has risen to 155 percent in 2012, as a result of the government's fiscal and monetary policies to support growth.
(Read More: Time to Remove the Punch Bowl in China?)
"China's leverage rose by 34 percent of GDP in five years — a worrying sign given its history," they said, noting leverage in the U.S. rose by around 30 percent of GDP in the five years before entering a crisis.
The Chinese government has in the recent months sent a number of "unusually strong" signals that it is concerned about financial risks in the economy, they said.
During the People's Bank of China's (PBOC) fourth-quarter monetary policy committee meeting, the central bank said "controlling risks" was a top policy objective.
Last week, PBOC governor Zhou Xiaochuan said the risk banks face on loans to local governments should not be underestimated. He noted that around 20 percent of loans to the financing arms of local governments were risky, several media reported.
In addition to worrying levels of leverage, China is facing a decline in potential growth, according to the economists, driven by a decline in the labor force and productivity growth. The country's working age population began to decline in 2012, according to Nomura.
(Read More: China's Aging Population Threatens Its Manufacturing Might)
Last year, China's economy expanded 7.8 percent, its slowest pace in 13 years. In 2013, the government has set an annual growth target of 7.5 percent.
Property Bubble?
Rapid property price inflation is the final warning sign in the economy, they said, noting that unusually strong increases in asset prices have typically preceded banking crises.
According to official data, housing prices have risen 113 percent from 2004 to 2012 in major Chinese cities. However, they deem the data highly "questionable" and "contradictory" to observations on the ground.
Citing a report by three professors in Tsinghua University and National University of Singapore, Nomura said property prices rose by 250 percent from 2004 to 2009, far outstripping the level of growth in the official index. This compares to a rise of 84 percent for the Case-Shiller U.S. housing price index from 2001 to its peak in 2006.
(Read More: Why China's Property Market Is Getting Scary)
The government has acknowledged risks in the property sector through imposing a slew of measures to stabilize prices earlier this month including the stricter enforcement of a 20 percent capital gains tax on home sale profits.
However, Zhang and Chen, expect they will be ineffective in keeping a lid on prices in the long run.
"The pattern has been for house prices to initially dip after tightening policies are introduced, then to rebound, which suggests that the risks have not been mitigated," they said.
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore...n-workers-poll
Close to 9 in 10 Singaporeans support measures to tighten inflow of foreign workers: poll
TODAYonline
18 Mar 2013
SINGAPORE — Close to nine in 10 of Singaporeans who took part in a poll by the government’s feedback channel, REACH, supported the measures to tighten the inflow of foreign workers.
REACH said the set of measures, namely reducing the Dependency Ratio Ceiling; tightening the criteria for S Passes and Employment Passes; and raising the foreign worker levies, received the highest level of support in its telephone poll of 972 citizens.
The poll was conducted from Feb 27 to March 8.
Eight in 10 supported the initiatives of the new Budget, while more than six in 10 agreed that it will contribute significantly towards building a better Singapore.
Budget measures related to restructuring the economy for quality growth, such as the Wage Credit Scheme, were the most warmly welcomed.
Sixty-nine per cent of respondents agreed that the Wage Credit Scheme, in which the government co-funds the wage increases for Singaporean employees earning up to a gross monthly wage of S$4,000, will encourage businesses to raise wages of these Singaporeans. CHANNEL NEWSASIA
http://sbr.com.sg/economy/news/what-...-singapore-gdp
Singapore Business Review
ECONOMY | Staff Reporter, Singapore
Published: 19 Mar 2013
What the 30.6% NODX plunge could mean for Singapore GDP
It's not a very pretty picture.
According to Nomura, non-oil domestic exports (NODX) plunged 30.6% in February, far worse than expectations (Consensus: -16.0%; Nomura: -19.2%).
Base effects played a role given that NODX last year was at its highest in February in nominal dollar terms – but that is only part of the story.
On a sequential seasonally adjusted basis, NODX fell another 2.4% m-o-m after falling by 1.8% in January.
Here's more from Nomura:Weakness was seen across the board, but most notably in key items: electronics (-27.4% y-o-y), pharmaceuticals (-22.9%), and structures of ships & boats (-99.4%).
By destination, NODX worsened sharply in every major market led by the US (-52.1%), EU (-52.2%) and China (-10.6%), despite better-than-expected data in the US.
Our view has been that NODX will be volatile but we were still surprised by how extreme and broad-based the decline in February was.
There is still a case to expect some pickup in the near term as base effects fade, pharmaceuticals swing the other way, and oil rig shipments come through. However, the underlying improvement we forecast in H2 is increasingly under threat.
Taking the latest data into account, our monthly GDP tracker suggests very weak growth of -3.0% y-o-y for Q1 so far (verus +1.2% in the previous quarter).
Unless there is a sharp rebound in the March indicators, the risk is that this could put more pressure on the authorities to provide some form of short-term support and ease policy, which puts the spotlight back on the next MAS policy announcement in April.
http://www.todayonline.com/business/...rkets-declines
Exports plunge 30.6% as demand in key markets declines
Electronics exports continued to struggle, decreasing by 27.4 per cent on-year. Photo: Bloomberg
By Wong Wei Han
TODAYonline - 19 Mar 2013
SINGAPORE — Exports declined more than expected last month, hit by a combination of the Chinese New Year lull and a sharp fall in demand in key markets.
Non-oil domestic exports (NODX) fell by 30.6 per cent on-year in February, said International Enterprise (IE) Singapore yesterday, reversing the marginal 0.4 per cent on-year expansion in January. On a seasonally adjusted, month-on-month basis, NODX fell by 2.4 per cent. The result was worse than the consensus forecast by economists polled by Reuters, who expected exports to fall 16 per cent on-year.
“What makes February’s NODX plunge worrying is that Singapore is not in a recessionary phase of the business cycle and the global economy seemed to be improving over the last few months,” said UOB economist Francis Tan.
He pointed out that, while the sharp decline was due to some extent to the high base effect — Chinese New Year fell in February this year, while it was in January last year — even if that factor was stripped out, NODX for January and February combined still declined 16.4 per cent on-year.
Exports to the European Union, Singapore’s top market, dropped by 52.2 per cent last month, while shipments to the United States dropped 52.1 per cent.
“This shows that the decline this time is only partially due to base effects and continued weakness in several export items still plagued overall NODX,” said Mr Tan.
Electronics exports continued to struggle, decreasing by 27.4 per cent on-year and worsening from January’s 5.6-per-cent decline. PC parts saw the biggest fall in exports within the sector, declining 43.2 per cent on-year.
Despite facing a seventh straight month of contraction, there are signs that a recovery may be on the cards for the Republic’s electronics sector. “With the US SEMI Book-to-Bill ratio biting above parity for the first time since May 2012 in January 2013 to reach 1.14, the cyclical uptrend in the global electronics cycle over the next few months seems intact and will probably trickle down to strong export demand for Asian economies,” said Mr Tan.
Non-electronics exports fell 32 per cent on-year in February, weighed down mainly by pharmaceutical exports, which plunged 56.5 per cent.
Credit Suisse analyst Michael Wan said the biomedical sector might see subdued growth in 2013 after expanding about 10 per cent last year. “Pharmaceutical output is likely to see slower growth given that most plants are already at full capacity, and realistically, only one plant can potentially expand capacity this year.” Wong Wei Han
http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/prem...ivals-20130319
Business Times
Published March 19, 2013
Feb exports dive 30.6%; S'pore lags trading rivals
Pharmaceuticals and oil rigs register big fall, even as weakness in electronics persists
By Chuang Peck Ming
[SINGAPORE] Singapore's exports plunged far more than expected in February from a year earlier, dragged down by a sharp drop in pharmaceuticals and oil rigs as well as continued weakness in electronics.
In a performance more reminiscent of recessions, non-oil domestic exports (NODX) fell 30.6 per cent last month from a year ago - on a par with the 31 per cent decline when the tech bubble burst in 2001 and the 35 per cent slide during the global financial crisis.
Latest data released yesterday by International Enterprise Singapore surprised private-sector economists who were forecasting a 16 per cent decline. Singapore scraped through a technical recession in the last quarter, and the NODX bounced back from a 16.3 per cent drop in December to record a modest 0.4 per cent gain in January.
Office Boy spoken to many people in the office (those expats) and asked them with the Cyprus bank problem what would they do ?
Many say that Europeans will try to pull money out of Europe.
I ask : then put the money where ?
They reply : You siao ar ? Of course put in SINGAPORE LA!
DKSG
Originally Posted by DKSG
More money, more inflation, more factories close down -> export drop.
Win liao.
On other hand, Germans happy like bird, euro drop, their factory even more competitive.
Maybe Singapore should follow suit and impose a tax on money coming in and out. The cash can be used to solve the flooding and transport problem.
Do you sincerely think we dont have the money to solve these problems ?Originally Posted by sgbuyer
The government earned $3.6B in 2012 ALONE!
They dont need more money. We are one of the richest countries in the world already! What they need is the brain (brain of a layman) to solve these problems. Most of those holding offices (including those who say they were born in 3 room flats) are NOW not in HDB or take MRT to work. They cannot understand the problems and difficulties. They use technicality to solve human problems.
DKSG
Originally Posted by DKSG
wow $3.6b a lot? i know apple one company only last quarter earned $16b.
http://sbr.com.sg/hr-education/news/...retirement-all
Singapore Business Review
HR & EDUCATION | Staff Reporter, Singapore
Published: 19 Mar 2013
2 in 5 Singaporeans have never saved for retirement at all
31% haven't really gave it a thought.
According to HSBC's survey on retirement planning, a good two-fifths (41%) of people in Singapore have never saved towards retirement at all.
Most claim they are held back by the cost of day-to-day living (47%), followed by 32% saying they are saving or investing in a different way and 31% confessing they have never really thought about it.
They have cited the costs of buying a home or paying off mortgages (38%) as the top obstacle which significantly impacts their ability to save for retirement.
Other key roadblocks which can derail one’s retirement saving here are unemployment (29%), financing children’s education (24%) and starting a family (23%), reflecting the type of trade-offs people here are prepared to make between saving up for retirement and other seemingly more important life goals and pressing day-to-day financial obligations.
http://sbr.com.sg/residential-proper...ust-operations
Singapore Business Review
RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY | Staff Reporter, Singapore
Published: 19 Mar 2013
Singapore REITs debt levels surge despite robust operations
What could be the risks?
According to Fitch Ratings' special report on SREITs, the availability of low-cost debt and the demand for dividend distributions in an environment of falling asset yields is leading to an increasing use of debt in Singapore Real Estate Investment Trust (SREIT) funding mixes.
The increasing leverage of SREITs poses several risks to the sector, including refinancing risk and exposure to interest-rate shocks.
The competition for assets that results from the use of leverage will put downward pressure on underlying asset yields and further exacerbate this trend.
Here's more from Fitch Ratings:Short-Dated Lease Maturities: A structural feature of the commercial property market in Singapore is the short-dated maturity of leases.
This feature poses a challenge to the funding options available to SREITS. SREITS have, typically, resorted to short-term borrowings to manage asset/liability mismatches.
Interest-Rate Sensitivity: Over the past six years, SREIT funding costs have benefited from falling short-term rates. However, in a normalised interest scenario, coverage metrics appear weak.
In the event of a sudden move to higher interest rates, the gap between asset yields and interest rates would widen owing to the much slower pace at which asset yields are prone to self-correct.
In a rising-interest-rate environment, SRETs may be able to switch to secured borrowings or securitisation given that the majority of SREIT assets are unencumbered.
Alternatively, SREITs may be required to resort to asset disposals or equity raisings in order to provide sufficient coverage of fixed charges
Weak Liquidity Profiles: With reliance on short term bank debt, the liquidity profile of the SREIT sector is generally weak. Fitch Ratings expects the asset/liability duration mismatch to persist across the SREIT sector over the medium term.
A shift towards capital market-supplied debt, which has longer duration that bank debt, is yet to gain momentum and remains a longer-term prospect.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-0...n-deepens.html
European February Car Sales Drop 10% as Recession Deepens
Bloomberg.com
By Mathieu Rosemain - Mar 19, 2013 3:00 PM GMT+0800
Europe’s car-market contraction accelerated in February as price cuts by Fiat SpA (F), PSA Peugeot Citroen (UG) and Renault SA (RNO) failed to attract drivers amid a recession in the region and a political stalemate in Italy.
Registrations dropped 10 percent to 829,359 vehicles last month from 923,553 a year earlier, the Brussels-based European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, or ACEA, said today in a statement. Two-month sales fell 9.3 percent to 1.75 million cars. The decline in January amounted to 8.5 percent.
Rising unemployment as a recession deepens in the 17 countries using the euro has deterred consumers from making large purchases. The decline in demand was exacerbated in Italy by an inconclusive parliamentary election that has frozen economic policymaking in the country. A sales drop in Germany,Europe’s biggest car market, accelerated in February, even as Fiat, Renault and the Peugeot and Citroen brands led discounting in the country.
“Economic and political uncertainties, combined with different carbon dioxide-based vehicle taxation policies across Europe result in a very mixed picture for the car market,”Allan Rushforth, senior vice president and chief operating officer of Hyundai Motor Co. (005380)’s European business, said in a statement.
The ACEA reports figures for the 27-nation European Union plus Switzerland, Norway and Iceland. Deliveries in western Europe, which excludes countries that have joined the EU since mid-2004, plunged 10 percent to 774,415 vehicles in February.
Biggest Markets
Four of Europe’s five biggest automotive markets shrank last month, with the steepest plunge in Italy at 17 percent. Deliveries in Germany dropped 11 percent, compared with an 8.6 percent decline in January. The U.K. market increased 7.9 percent to 66,749 cars in February.
European sales by Paris-based Peugeot, the region’s second-biggest carmaker, fell 13 percent in February. Registrations at Renault, based in the Paris suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt, declined 8.6 percent. Turin, Italy-based Fiat posted a 16 percent drop in European sales.
Demand for cars in Europe is set to fall for a sixth consecutive year in 2013, according to IHS Automotive research company. Full-year sales declined to a 17-year low in 2012.
German Discounting
Dealers in Germany reduced car prices by an average 11.7 percent last month, versus 11.5 percent a year earlier, with discounting at Fiat widening to 16.5 percent of the list price from 12.7 percent, according to Autohaus PulsSchlag trade magazine. Peugeot, Citroen and Renault’s combined average price cut in Germany was 13.5 percent in February, it said.
Renault Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn is among industry leaders saying governments may need to consider reviving incentives to encourage trade-ins of older cars for newer vehicles. Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne, who holds the ACEA’s rotating presidency, has countered that “natural” demand is preferable.
Peugeot and Renault are each planning 17 percent cuts in their French workforces, and have reached agreements with unions within the past week on severance packages. Renault pledged in the deal signed March 13 to keep all its plants in France open until at least 2016 in exchange for increased worker productivity. Peugeot’s accord, reached yesterday, governs terms for the shutdown of its plant in the Paris suburb of Aulnay.
Plant Shutdowns
Other carmakers announcing European job cuts and plant closings since mid-2012 include General Motors Co. (GM), Ford Motor Co. (F) and Honda Motor Co. (7267)
GM’s group sales in Europe last month dropped 20 percent, led by a 38 percent decline for the Chevrolet brand. The company’s Opel division reached an agreement on March 15 with workers at three of its German plants on a pay freeze through 2015 as part of a profit-restoration strategy.
Opel also plans to stop making cars at its plant in Bochum, Germany, in 2016, where the assembly line employs about 3,100 workers. The shutdown would be the first of a German auto plant since World War II.
European sales by Dearborn, Michigan-based Ford fell 21 percent in February. The manufacturer, which is forecasting a loss of $2 billion in Europe for 2013, won approval on March 15 from workers at its plant in Genk, Belgium, of severance terms for when the factory closes in 2014.
Volkswagen AG (VOW), Europe’s biggest carmaker, posted a 7.2 percent decline in sales in the region last month, led by a 12 percent drop at the Skoda brand. VW’s Audi division, the world’s second-largest maker of luxury vehicles, sold 3.8 percent fewer cars in Europe in February.
To contact the reporter on this story: Mathieu Rosemain in Paris at [email protected]
No worry..even through YOUNG KOK cum INEXPERIENCE SELETAR airbase have waited for over 4-yrs in his rental flat.. He has not gave up searching for more interesting bad news to do copy & paste..Originally Posted by Regulators
In fact not long after MR B go MIA.. He had promoted & tookover MR B as TWIST & TURN cum DIVERT ATTENTION EXPERT.. Posted bad news from China.. to HK.. lan lan cannot make it.. Diverted to Europe.. & to all over the world..
Still cannot make it.. lan lan act blur now post S'pore news
The young kok will have problem renting soon. HDB cannot rent out so much to foreigners now so rental will go up. He will continue to rent and repent.
Originally Posted by Rysk
If that's the case.. very soon will become like MR B..Originally Posted by thomastansb
SELETAR airbase will spend much more time day & night searching for bad news all around the world.. & speed up his copy & paste.. in his rental flat..
Getting really tired of all these lies about me from a certain person. I owned my own home as well as commerical properties for my business premises. All my properties and vehicles are fully paid. I have absolutely no debt, and my company has also absolutely no debt. Renting is stupid, something I will never do.
Mr seletar, would you buy 70y LH BTO + 10-15y MOP (not possible to upgrade, no asset enhancement) for 4y of annual pay as highlighted by Khaw?
There is no free lunch in this world. Your ideal world of NO DEBT will soon materialize but don't complain when the value of the property never increase over time.
Ride at your own risk !!!
Wow didn't know our so-called 'lies' will make you tired!Originally Posted by seletar
Even through you been lying & tried your luck by saying "Prices have been dropping in the resale market" on last June... and despite desperately searching for bad news all over the world to do copy & paste trying to prove that "Property price is coming down fast"..
YOU STILL HOLDING TIGHT TIGHT TO YOUR OWN PROPERTIES!!!
I think you know something which we dun know..
Dun be selfish.. share share leh
http://www.propertyguru.com.sg/prope...p-dubai-buyers
20th June 2012:
Originally Posted by seletar
I don't qualify to buy HDB or EC due to income, but I do know that HDB prices had gone up a lot and so have the cost of living. I welcome the move to reduce prices by 30% so that young families, poor and middle class will not be burden with too much debt.
I don't expect others to have no debt like me but Singapore's domestic private debt to GDP ratio is huge, second highest in Asia, and growing faster than most of its neighbours. According to MAS last week it is currently at 118% of GDP. Much of that debt are mortgage loans and it poses the greatest risk to our banking system and economy. http://www.chinapost.com.tw/business...creasingly.htm
I need a home for my family and premises for my business to operate so of course I will hold and not sell my properties. Resale property prices have indeed drop, just look at the CCR transactions. CCR were the properties I am looking at but currently still not interested to buy.
Originally Posted by seletar
IMHO, the most overvalued property in Singapore are 3rm resale flats followed by 4rm/5rm resale, mature estate BTOs, and then 99 years leasehold private property. Private freehold is the least overvalued.
Last edited by sgbuyer; 20-03-13 at 13:50.
mr seletar is just another capitalist pretending to be socialist after he sold his investment property...
and he is aiming at CCR property yet he thinks HDB price is too expensive because again, he does not own one ..
now Kenobi-wan can offer you 100k BTO, you can always sell off everything, close your biz, stay in it, and live happily / worry free / debt free for life
indeed like amk said, it will be an enlightening moment once the cheap BTO option is available
Ride at your own risk !!!
Most people talk cock only. They want to buy cheap and sell expensive.
If BTO is cheap, 10 years MOP and cannot rent out whole unit, cannot sell to open market, you think Singaporeans will buy?
You buy 100k, sell 120k back to HDB 25 years later. Your friend buy 250k, sell 750k OMV 25 years later.
Originally Posted by phantom_opera
if indeed Kenobi-wan can offer socialist housing ... I must say Singapore has the best housing option in the world liao ... both socialist and capitalist housing option are available yet HDBs do not become a slum or HK cage living Do we then have a socialist HDB town sooner or later lolOriginally Posted by thomastansb
Ride at your own risk !!!
Originally Posted by thomastansb
Why not? It all depends on the price and the location of these BTOs.
Many buy for own stay don't mind restrictions as long as the price is right and the location is good.
40% below current BTO prices. Suburban. Cannot rent out, cannot sell in OM. Price increase is pegged to inflation.
Originally Posted by sgbuyer
Originally Posted by phantom_opera
More lies at me. Since when did I sell my property? My properties are necessities as it's my family's home and my company premises.
Sell everything and close my business just to buy BTO? This is getting ridculous, I think only greedy and selfish people like you think about benefiting from everything. Please be aware that BTO is for poor and middle-class Singaporeans, kindly do not deprive your fellow citizens. HDB prices and living costs had gone up a lot, I see it as a good thing in wanting cheaper BTOs for the poor and middle class, especially the young.
CCR is in the private market, subject to market forces, my decision to buy or not is not in anyway related to HDB.
Wow!! Didn't know your "TWIST & TURN cum DIVERT ATTENTION" tactics is even better than MR B..Originally Posted by seletar
One moment (TWIST & TURN) talked BIG BIG "Prices have been dropping in the resale market".. Next moment say "HDB price gone up a lot.." but "CCR have indeed drop" mah..
Go one BIG round (DIVERT ATTENTION) searching for bad news all over the world to do copy & paste.. just becoz.. "blah blah blah.. debt are mortgage loans and it poses the greatest risk to our banking system and economy.."
So simple boh!! We are not three years old kid leh..
Sure you have not problem paying your rental???
OR You are thinking 1 in hand for own stay is not enough and looking to buy more & more but wish to see a major correction..
Last edited by Rysk; 20-03-13 at 16:11.
Did you read the article? Mortgage loans are the greatest risk to the banking system and economy according to the DBS economist. And about the huge domestic private debt in Singapore.
CCR resale prices had indeed drop.
I beginning to think that you behave like a three year old kid.