DAILY NEWS

Daily News – 2 March 2016

Singapore Real Estate

1 in 5 HDB loan applicants asked for larger loans: MND
The Housing and Development Board (HDB) approved 200,000 applications for an HDB Loan Eligibility letter between 2012 and 2015 and of these, one in five, or 40,000, appealed for a larger housing loan. Appellants generally asked for a larger loan so they could widen their flat choices, without specifying a loan quantum, Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong said in a written parliamentary reply to Non-Constituency Member of Parliament Leon Perera on Tuesday (Mar 1).
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/1-in-5-hdb-loan/2562528.html

Feb BTO exercise: Bidadari continues to see high demand
New flats in Bidadari continue to be in demand among potential homebuyers, with five-room and multi-generation units being the most oversubscribed in the first Build-To-Order (BTO) sales exercise of 2016.
As at 5pm on Tuesday (Mar 1), five-room and multi-generation flats in Bidadari’s Alkaff Oasis were the most coveted, with 3,020 applicants vying for just 236 units – an application rate of 12.8 per cent. Of these, second-timers dominated the numbers – with an application rate of about 91 per cent, compared to first-timers, who had an application rate of 9 per cent.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/feb-bto-exercise-bidadari/2563164.html
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/no-let-demand-bidadari-units-bto-exercise

Singapore corporates on the prowl for properties in Australia
Sustained yield differentials between Australian real estate and assets in the mature markets of New York, London, Paris and Tokyo are set to keep Singapore corporates on the prowl for properties in Australia. Singapore companies have already shelled out US$1.85 billion in Australian real estate last year amid a slowdown in their domestic market. This makes Australia the top overseas real estate market for Singapore companies. It is trailed by the UK, China, Malaysia and South Korea.
http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/real-estate/singapore-corporates-on-the-prowl-for-properties-in-australia

Golden Wall Centre eyes S$250m to S$270m in enbloc sale
Golden Wall Centre, a freehold commercial property located at the junction of Short Street and Rochor Canal Road, will be launched for collective sale on Thursday. The bids for the site are expected to be in the range of S$250 million to S$270 million, according to its collective sale committee. This translates to S$2,113-S$2,283 per square foot (psf) on the existing gross floor area of the building.
http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/real-estate/golden-wall-centre-eyes-s250m-to-s270m-in-enbloc-sale

Companies’ Brief

Profits of S’pore-listed companies hit by fall in oil, property prices
The fall in oil and property prices translated to weaker profits for several Singapore-listed companies that announced their full-year figures. As at late-Monday, 433 listed companies had released their results for the full year ended December 2015, data from The Business Times showed. They recorded a combined S$25.2 billion in profits, down 22.7 per cent from the year-ago period.
http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/profits-of-spore-listed-companies-hit-by-fall-in-oil-property-prices

JLL Singapore reshuffles its research arm
Spurred by significant growth in South-east Asia, investment management and professional services firm Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) announced on Tuesday a reshuffle of its research arm in Singapore. Dr Chua Yang Liang, the company’s South-east Asia research head, will cede some of his duties to Ms Tay Huey Ying, a former researcher with Colliers International and academic at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. As the new head of research for Singapore, she will lead a team of analysts in covering residential, commercial, industrial, retail and capital market research.
http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/real-estate/jll-singapore-reshuffles-its-research-arm

SRX launches new property magazine
Streetsine Technology Group on Monday announced the launch of its print and digital magazine to be included as a quarterly insert in The Straits Times. The SRX Property Magazine is a joint project with StreetSine’s majority shareholder, Singapore Press Holdings (SPH). It aims to chronicle the evolution of Singapore’s real estate and provide property analysis, reference guides, and expert opinions.
http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/real-estate/srx-launches-new-property-magazine

Singapore’s cleantech companies starting to take off in the region
http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/energy-commodities/singapores-cleantech-companies-starting-to-take-off-in-the-region

Views, Reviews & Forum

Possible extension for HDB shops
Heartland shops sold on a 30-year lease will be taken back by the Housing Board when the lease expires, National Development Minister Lawrence Wong confirmed yesterday.
http://www.straitstimes.com/politics/singapolitics/parliament-shorts-possible-extension-for-hdb-shops