DAILY NEWS

Daily News – 16th May 2019

Singapore Real Estate

Early sales of private homes for May indicate it could top April’s full-month sales
Early sales of private homes for May show it is likely to surpass April’s, a month where developers sold 735 private homes in the absence of major launches. April’s tally was down around 30 per cent from the 1,054 units moved in March, and marginally higher than the 733 units developers sold in the corresponding month a year ago.
https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/real-estate/early-sales-of-private-homes-for-may-indicate-it-could-top-aprils-full-month-sales
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/housing/new-private-home-sales-slip-in-april-on-fewer-launches
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/new-private-home-sales-fall-30-in-april-from-march-amid-sharp-11535200

Singapore condo rents up 0.6% in April, HDB rents down 0.1%: SRX
Rents for non-landed private homes in Singapore rose 0.6 per cent in April from March, while rents for HDB flats dipped 0.1 per cent, said real estate portal SRX on Wednesday. Year on year, rents for condominiums and private apartments rose 2.4 per cent; all regions recorded increases.
https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/real-estate/singapore-condo-rents-up-06-in-april-hdb-rents-down-01-srx-0
https://www.straitstimes.com/business/property/condo-rents-rise-06-in-april-hdb-rents-slip-01-srx
https://www.srx.com.sg/research/54172/non-landed-private-residential-rents-rise-06-in-april-2019-and-up-24-year-on-year-hdb-rental-prices-down-01-in-april-but-up-03-year-on-year

No change to CPF interest rates, HDB mortgage rate for July-September
Interest rates for all Central Provident Fund (CPF) accounts, along with the HDB mortgage rate, will remain the same from July 1 to Sept 30, the CPF Board and the Housing Board said on Wednesday. The Ordinary Account (OA) interest rate will be maintained at 2.5 per cent per year. This means the interest rate for HDB mortgage loans, pegged at 0.1 per cent above the OA interest rate, will remain at 2.6 per cent per year.
https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/government-economy/no-change-to-cpf-interest-rates-hdb-mortgage-rate-for-july-september
https://www.straitstimes.com/business/economy/no-change-to-cpf-interest-rates-hdb-mortgage-rate-for-july-september
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/cpf-hdb-mortgage-interest-rate-housing-loan-11535148

Companies’ Brief

CDL latest to seize new opportunities in China
THE ongoing trade spat and China’s credit crunch may have created opportunities for Singapore developers, with City Developments Limited (CDL) becoming the latest to seal a major property deal in China. The property giant is taking up a 24 per cent stake in Chinese developer Sincere Property Group for 5.5 billion yuan (S$1.1 billion), marking the group’s single biggest investment in China so far.
https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/real-estate/cdl-latest-to-seize-new-opportunities-in-china
https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/cdl-more-than-doubles-q1-gain-to-s199m-ceo-joins-board
https://www.straitstimes.com/business/property/cdl-invests-11b-in-chinese-real-estate-developer

SC Capital Partners buys Canberra office complex for A$62m
Singapore-based SC Capital Partners has agreed to buy Finlay Crisp Centre, located in Canberra’s central business district in Australia, for A$62 million (S$58.74 million). The 99-year office complex, with a capital value of A$2,174 per square metre (sq m), was sold off-market by Marc Giuffrida, the executive director of CBRE Global Capital Markets, Asia.
https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/real-estate/sc-capital-partners-buys-canberra-office-complex-for-a62m

Metro invests 200m yuan in Chengdu mall through property fund
Property development and investment group Metro Holdings has agreed to invest 200 million yuan (S$39.8 million) for a 50 per cent stake in Xiamen CICC Qihang Equity Investment Partnership, or CICC Qihang Fund for short. The property fund has a fund size of 400 million yuan and was set up by CICC Capital, the private equity arm of China International Capital Corporation (CICC).
https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/metro-invests-200m-yuan-in-chengdu-mall-through-property-fund-0

AA Reit to buy Gold Coast industrial property for A$38.5m
Aims Apac Reit (AA Reit) is expanding its footprint in Australia with a A$38.46 million (S$36.92 million) acquisition of a freehold industrial facility in Gold Coast. In a statement on Wednesday, its manager noted that AA Reit has entered into a sales and purchase contract with GSM Rocket Australia to purchase Boardriders Apac HQ, in the suburb of Burleigh Heads, Queensland.
https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/real-estate/aa-reit-to-buy-gold-coast-industrial-property-for-a385m
https://www.straitstimes.com/business/companies-markets/aa-reit-buys-property-in-gold-coast-for-36m

Banyan Tree Q1 profit dives 74% to S$5.2m on lower revenue
Resort operator Banyan Tree Holdings has posted a 74 per cent drop in net profit to S$5.2 million for the first quarter ended March 31, from S$20.2 million a year ago, due to lower revenue across all segments. Earnings per share fell to 0.62 Singapore cent, from 2.4 cents a year ago. No dividend has been declared for the period, unchanged from a year ago, according to a regulatory filing late on Wednesday.
https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/banyan-tree-q1-profit-dives-74-to-s52m-on-lower-revenue
https://www.straitstimes.com/business/companies-markets/banyan-tree-q1-profit-tumbles-74-to-52m-on-lower-revenue