Money continues to flow into Singapore.

Singapore continues to attract inflows of money. I have friends from USA and Europe who are parking their money in savings accounts in Singapore although they get only 0.1% interest. Why? The Singapore Dollar has been appreciating against their home currencies and is likely to get stronger.

Singapore also has a AAA rating when it comes to sovereign bonds. This has been attracting much attention. The latest to announce intention to invest in Singapore bonds is Schroder Investment.

Does it stop at bank deposits and bonds? Emphatically, no. Hot money is hungry for productive assets in Singapore. The rising supply of money has kept interest rates low, creating a credit boom. This is a big reason why prices of condominiums, especially those in the luxury segment, have shot through the roof in recent times.

The last I heard, some people with a lot of money have turned their attention to industrial properties in Singapore as yields on residential properties are relatively low at about 4% now. Will industrial properties see their prices pushed up next?

The rising value of the Singapore Dollar and continuing inflow of money into our country has created problems for our industries as well because our exports become less competitive. As it is, our GDP shrank 7.8% in the last quarter.

I believe that the Monetary Authority of Singapore has to limit hot money inflows or cap gains on the Singapore Dollar and soon.

Singapore bonds attract Schroder with Asia’s sole AAA ratings
Thursday, 25 August 2011

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