Ringgit hits new low of RM3.50 against Singapore dollar; economists expect downward trend to continue
The Malaysian ringgit – already one of Asia’s worst-performing currencies in 2023 – sank to a new low of RM3.50 against the Singapore dollar on Tuesday (Oct 24), with economists expecting the downtrend to continue as the US dollar strengthens further.
Since the start of the year, the ringgit has fallen by nearly 6.6 per cent against the Singapore dollar, from RM3.2742 on Jan 3.
Against the greenback, the ringgit was trading at RM4.7850 on Tuesday – 8.6 per cent weaker than the rate at the start of the year – as the Malaysian currency continues to be affected by declining exports and a growing interest-rate differential with the US.
Price gap between resale condos in CCR and RCR the smallest in 22 years: OrangeTee & Tie
Prices of resale private homes in Singapore picked up slightly across all three market segments in the third quarter.
Prices of non-landed and landed homes – excluding executive condominiums (ECs) – in the Core Central Region (CCR) rose 0.3 per cent to S$2,087 per square foot (psf) in Q3 2023 from S$2,080 psf in Q2 2023, OrangeTee & Tie’s report indicated on Tuesday (Oct 24).
Resale prices of homes in the Rest of Central Region (RCR) edged up 1.3 per cent to S$1,744 psf and those in the Outside Central Region (OCR) increased 2.2 per cent to S$1,421 psf in Q3 2023.
Money-laundering bust blows chill into Singapore’s luxury residential space
A chill wind is blowing over the luxury residential market as foreign buyers face a triple whammy of higher interest rates, a recent hike in the Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD) and increased scrutiny following Singapore’s largest money-laundering crackdown.
Transaction volumes are slowing across prime condominiums, conservation shophouses and even landed homes, as indicated by lawyers, property agents and consultants interviewed by The Business Times.
OCBC to deploy generative AI bot for all 30,000 staff globally
OCBC Bank has become the first local bank to go big on generative artificial intelligence (gen AI), putting a chatbot fuelled by the tech at the command of its 30,000 employees across 19 countries.
After a six-month trial, the bank’s head of group data office Donald MacDonald on Tuesday launched OCBC ChatGPT, which, similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, combs the Web and produces answers at the prompt of a text query.
The bot, developed with Microsoft Azure, will help employees at the bank’s 420 branches and offices across the globe with writing, research and ideation from November, he said.
Banks’ anti-scam measures avert, recover S$57.6 million in first nine months: ABS
Banks in Singapore have prevented and recovered a total of S$57.6 million from scam losses in the first nine months of the year, the Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) said on Tuesday (Oct 24).
Newly introduced anti-malware tools have further protected customers from potential losses of at least S$18.6 million, even as they are progressively rolled out across banks, the association added.
It noted that banks will continue to introduce new anti-scam measures and enhancements – which may cause some inconveniences for customers.
Mapletree Logistics Trust posts 0.9% rise in Q2 DPU to $0.02268
The manager of Mapletree Logistics Trust (MLT) reported a distribution per unit (DPU) of $0.02268 for the second quarter ended Sept 30, 2023, up 0.9 per cent from $0.02248 in the same period a year ago.
The amount distributable to unitholders in Q2 FY23/24 rose 4.2 per cent to $112.5 million, from $108 million previously. This was due mainly to higher revenue from existing assets, along with a divestment gain of $8.8 million during the quarter.
Gross revenue for the quarter rose 1.5 per cent to $186.7 million, while net property income (NPI) gained 1.2 per cent to $162 million.