Philip Chua Business Blog

Posts Tagged ‘authority’

(SINGAPORE) The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is seeking sweeping new powers to seize insurers in distress and to supervise their liquidation to protect policyholders.
It also wants to raise the limits on the compensation offered by the policy owners’ protection fund (PPF) schemes for both life and general insurers, to better protect policy owners.
The PPF schemes were introduced in the In… more

PRIVATE sector economists expect Singapore to grow even faster next year, as more signs emerge that the economy is returning to normal.
Growth is tipped to hit 5.5 per cent next year after a 2 per cent contraction this year – based on the median expectations of 20 economists, released yesterday by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).
This is better than the 4.5 per cent growth they predicted… more

(SINGAPORE) Inflation is now expected to be higher in 2010, as a result of increased Housing and Development Board property values.
The government has revised its consumer price index (CPI) inflation forecast to between 2.5 and 3.5 per cent, from a one to 2 per cent range previously.
This is to account for the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore’s recent revision of annual values of HDB properti… more

FINANCE Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam yesterday said the government will use every tool at its disposal ‘in a calibrated fashion’ to prevent boom and bust in the property market. One day after the Monetary Authority of Singapore served notice of further action to cool the housing market if needed, in the face of growing speculation risks, Mr Tharman spoke about the need to manage the property cy… more

FIRST, the good news. Singapore’s economy has moved beyond the initial post-crisis bounce of growth and will continue to expand as genuine demand begins to stabilise around the world.
But Singaporeans must prepare for a ’slower and steadier’ pace of expansion next year than they are used to, said the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) yesterday.

Even though Asian economies have recovered stro… more

Recent GDP surge may taper off; slow, uneven recovery on the cards
(SINGAPORE) Services will fuel growth next year as the economy settles to a more gradual pace following two euphoric quarters, says the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

With only modest recovery in end demand in sight, manufacturing is expected to rebound at a moderate pace. The services, meanwhile, will pick up the slack and dr… more

(SINGAPORE) The new breed of ’shoebox’ private apartments may have caught the imagination, but don’t expect them to invade the housing landscape. Some may not even get the planning authority’s approval, going forward, if recent decisions are any guide.
Earlier this month, Singapore saw its smallest ever apartment unit – at 258 square feet – being put on the market at the Suites@Guillemard project…. more

(SINGAPORE) Amid uncertain domestic and international economic conditions, the Monetary Authority of Singapore yesterday retained its neutral policy stance and left the width of its undisclosed Sing-dollar trading bands unchanged.
The news drove the local currency to a four-day low against the greenback, after it had chalked up significant gains in the past week.
Explaining its decision, MAS said … more

(SINGAPORE) While the full-year growth forecast for the Singapore economy has been hiked sharply after two resurgent quarters, the 2010 outlook is somewhat more subdued, the government says.
The recession may have ended but GDP growth in 2010 is expected to be slower than in previous post-recession periods, says the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).
Advance estimates of third-quarter GDP gr… more

AFTER coming in at zero per cent this year, inflation is likely to pick up again next year, on the back of higher oil and food prices.
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has flagged these two factors as the main drivers of inflation next year, predicting it will rise to 1 per cent to 2 per cent.
In its twice-yearly monetary policy statement yesterday, the central bank also said inflation is… more