DAILY NEWS

Daily News – 2nd, 3rd & 4th April 2016

Top Stories

Strong national identity ‘key for Singapore to get to SG100’
Whether Singapore makes it to SG100 will depend on whether citizens feel they have a sense of national identity as one people and a shared obligation to help one another, in particular the less well-off, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Chan Chun Sing said yesterday. And the youth should not just ask what the country can offer to help them, but what they can do to make it better, he told over 200 young people at a dialogue on a visit to Geylang Serai ward in Marine Parade GRC.
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/strong-national-identity-key-for-singapore-to-get-to-sg100

Budget 2016 targets help at companies, families who need it most
This year’s Budget was a relatively quiet affair – no blockbuster handout packages or radical policy announcements – but its low-key nature belied a weighty message. In his maiden Budget speech on March 24, Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat made it clear that the push for economic transformation and restructuring is becoming an increasingly urgent priority
http://www.straitstimes.com/business/economy/budget-2016-targets-help-at-companies-families-who-need-it-most

Nine-day Budget debate starts on Monday
Parliament will sit for nine days, starting on Monday, to debate the Government’s Budget statement for the new financial year, and the hot topics will include help for small businesses and vulnerable Singaporeans to weather the uncertain economic climate. In the first three days of the annual marathon, MPs will weigh in on the programmes and spending priorities that Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat announced on March 24.
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/nine-day-budget-debate-starts-on-monday

Singapore Real Estate

Slower decline in home prices in Q1
Public and private home prices here fell at a slower pace in the first quarter than the quarterly average last year but some analysts say the bottom may not quite be in sight. Housing Board (HDB) flat resale prices eased about 0.1 per cent, while private home prices slid about 0.7 per cent to mark the 10th straight quarter of decline, according to flash estimates out yesterday.
http://www.straitstimes.com/business/property/slower-decline-in-home-prices-in-q1

Two-speed market develops for private-home prices
A two-speed market may be emerging in the private residential property market, with the price declines for non-landed units in prime areas and the city fringe moderating, while declines for suburban non-landed units and landed homes accelerate.
http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/real-estate/two-speed-market-develops-for-private-home-prices

Going flat out to turn smart-home vision into reality
What if your home was clad in an outer skin that sucked in sunlight and made it into electricity for the air-conditioner while keeping out noise and other pollution? In a partnership between the National University of Singapore (NUS) and property developer City Developments (CDL), two labs are being set up to see how it can be done.
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/going-flat-out-to-turn-smart-home-vision-into-reality

Dorm operators get more creative
Mired in slower takeup rates and falling occupancy, dormitory space providers are getting more creative in offering value-added services to set themselves apart from the competition. Tighter controls on foreign labour inflow, coupled with companies choosing to rightsize in the current climate of slowing economic growth are some of the road bumps faced by the sector.
http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/dorm-operators-get-more-creative

Landlord-Anchor tenant relationship in the spotlight
Anchor tenants – like major department stores and big name brands – have long been used to pull the crowds into shopping malls. But against a more challenging retail landscape, industry analysts told Channel NewsAsia that this strategy may no longer have the same draw. The landlord-anchor tenant relationship is also coming under the spotlight, amid an ongoing rental dispute between landlord Ngee Ann Development and department store Takashimaya, its long-time anchor tenant at Ngee Ann City shopping centre.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/landlord-anchor-tenant/2662272.html

New developments underway at Seletar Aviation Park
Seletar Aerospace Park, which houses more than 60 aerospace companies, including multi-national corporations (MNCs) and local small and medium enterprises (SMEs), aims to create more than 10,000 jobs by 2018. As the 320-hectare industrial park becomes home to more employees, new developments are being planned to bond the community, said its developer Jurong Town Council (JTC).
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/new-developments-underway/2661964.html

Property portals flourish despite subdued market
The lean spell in the Republic’s real estate market may have caused many agents to leave the industry, but those who remain have increased their marketing expenditure to stay ahead of the competition — resulting in a flourishing property portals segment here. Property portals TODAY spoke to said their businesses have expanded in the past year due in part to the growing number of listings put up by agents, which translates into revenue growth.
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/property-portals-flourish-despite-subdued-market?singlepage=true

Companies’ Brief

CEO of Reit manager believes in venturing beyond comfort zone
As the saying goes, he who dares, wins. It is this adventurous streak that defines Mr Wilson Tan, chief executive officer of CapitaLand Mall Trust Management, which manages CapitaLand Mall Trust (CMT), Singapore’s first real estate investment trust (Reit). Mr Tan’s insatiable curiosity drives him to try everything once, especially when it comes to food – he has sampled everything from starfish, bats and earthworms to porcupines and civet cats.
http://www.straitstimes.com/business/companies-markets/ceo-of-reit-manager-believes-in-venturing-beyond-comfort-zone

Eights ways for SMEs to tap Budget 2016
http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/sme/eights-ways-for-smes-to-tap-budget-2016

Lower consent threshold for collective sales
We live in a densely populated island city-state, and making full use of our land space is a priority. The Government implemented the “en bloc” strategy as a means to encourage the redevelopment of older estates as a practical solution towards enabling a growing population in the future.
http://www.straitstimes.com/forum/letters-in-print/lower-consent-threshold-for-collective-sales

Setting the tone from the top (Pg 30)
http://epaper.businesstimes.com.sg/jr/jrpc.php?date=2016-04-04&page=1&ed=1