DAILY NEWS

Daily News – 28th March 2017

Singapore Economy

International schools in Singapore still growing
Expatriate growth in Singapore may have tapered off due to tighter control of the inflow of foreign labour, but demand at international schools here continues to climb, going by a study by International School Consultancy (ISC) Research. In many other South-east Asian countries, demand is even stronger, driven by the local population, said Sami Yosef, head of South East Asia Research at ISC Research.
http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/government-economy/international-schools-in-singapore-still-growing

Singapore Real Estate

Surge in foreign buying in Singapore assets: JLL
Foreign investments in Singapore property assets surged 441 per cent year on year in 2016 to US$4.1 billion on the back of mega deals such as Qatar Investment Authority’s purchase of Asia Square Tower 1 for US$2.45 billion. Excluding the abnormally large Asia Square deal, inbound investment would still have surged 117 per cent from US$760 million in 2015 to about US$1.65 billion in 2016. Conversely, there was a 16 per cent drop in investments from domestic investors in Singapore assets in 2016 to about US$5.3 billion.
http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/real-estate/surge-in-foreign-buying-in-singapore-assets-jll

New on-road bicycle lane to open in Changi East
Cyclists will be able to travel safely alongside cars from April 22 when the island’s first on-road bicycle lane opens in Changi East. There will be a 10km-long, dedicated 2m-wide lane for two-wheelers on both sides of the extended Tanah Merah Coast Road. The bicycle lane, which can fit two cyclists riding abreast, will be demarcated from the vehicular carriageway.
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/new-on-road-bicycle-lane-to-open-in-changi-east?login=true
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/cycling-lanes-on-extended-tanah-merah-coast-road-to-open-on-apr/3628412.html
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/new-extended-tanah-merah-coast-road-opening-apr-22-will-have-road-cycling-lane

Companies’ Brief

Trading halt called for RHT Health Trust amid talk of buyout
RHT Health Trust called for a trading halt on Monday morning after it was queried by the Singapore Exchange on unusual share-price movement for the second time in two months. The halt was lifted at night. The halt came as a Bloomberg report said the trust’s major shareholder, Fortis Healthcare, was considering a buyout of all the units it didn’t already own in the trust. Fortis currently owns 29.6 per cent of RHT.
http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/trading-halt-called-for-rht-health-trust-amid-talk-of-buyout
http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/rht-health-trust-queried-amid-talk-of-shareholder-buyout
http://www.straitstimes.com/business/fortis-healthcare-may-buy-out-singapore-listed-trust?login=true

CapitaLand plans more investments in Vietnam
Property developer CapitaLand wants to “significantly increase” its S$2.1 billion presence in Vietnam and may build a Raffles City integrated project there, it said in a press release on Monday evening. Lim Ming Yan, CapitaLand’s president and group chief executive officer, said in the statement that the group plans to buy more sites in Vietnam to build homes, “possibly yielding 2,000 to 2,500 units this year”. It also wants to invest in offices, serviced residences and integrated developments there and could potentially build a Raffles City there, he said.
http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/capitaland-plans-more-investments-in-vietnam
http://www.straitstimes.com/business/companies-markets/capitaland-to-expand-in-vietnam

CapitaLand to manage SingPost Centre mall
CapitaLand Ltd, through its wholly-owned shopping mall business, CapitaLand Mall Asia, on Tuesday said it has signed its first third-party mall management contract in Singapore with Singapore Post (SingPost) for its upcoming mall at the new SingPost Centre. Under the contract, CapitaLand will oversee the pre-opening and retail management for the five-storey SingPost Centre mall.
http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/capitaland-to-manage-singpost-centre-mall
http://www.straitstimes.com/business/property/capitaland-inks-contract-to-manage-mall-at-new-singpost-centre

Views, Reviews & Forum

HDB leases: Buyers’ short-term focus may lead to future woes
It may serve as a “wake-up call” to buyers that not all old flats will be eligible for the Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (Sers), as National Development Minister Lawrence Wong reminded Singaporeans last week in a blog post. But analysts believe the warning may go unheeded for the time being because the mindset of buyers is different today: They are looking to buy a Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat and sell it off within five to 10 years, in contrast to the previous generation which generally bought flats with the intention of living in them for decades.
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/hdb-leases-buyers-short-term-focus-may-lead-future-woes

President Hollande calls for ‘regulated globalisation’ amid rise of populism
Strong political will must be injected into the global push for “regulated globalisation”, and multilateral institutions play a crucial role, French President François Hollande said in a speech in Singapore on Monday. Addressing his audience at the 40th Singapore Lecture, he used the pulpit offered by his final tour outside Europe to issue a rallying cry to world leaders to push back against populism and other forces threatening the current world order, which has benefited so many.
http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/government-economy/president-hollande-calls-for-regulated-globalisation-amid-rise-of-populism