SG Morning Call | Singapore Stocks Open Higher; MAS Survey Shows Economists Raising 2025 Growth Forecast

Market Snapshot

Singapore stocks opened higher on Thursday. STI rose 0.1%; Singtel rose 0.9%; SGX rose 0.7%; SIA rose 0.5%; UOB and OCBC rose 0.2%; NIO fell 0.8%; DBS fell 0.3%.

Stocks in Focus

$Singtel(Z74.SI)$: The board of its unit, Optus, on Thursday released a report from an independent review into its major Sep 18 outage, which uncovered gaps in process, accountability and escalation and information protocols, Singtel said on Thursday. It also highlighted “challenges in Optus’ culture” that affected decision-making and response times. Shares of Singtel ended Wednesday 0.2 per cent or S$0.01 lower at S$4.55.

$Stoneweg Europe Stapled Trust(SET.SI)$ (Sert): The stapled group has entered into an agreement to amend and restate an existing facility agreement to optimise its balance sheet, the managers said on Thursday. The amended and restated term loan facility agreement is for an aggregate amount of 85 million euros (S$128.9 million), of which 70.6 million euros will be initially drawn down to refinance an outstanding loan. The facility may be increased up to 185 million euros and its proceeds will go towards general corporate funding purposes. Stapled securities of Sert ended Wednesday 0.6 per cent or 0.01 euro lower at 1.6 euros.

$Acrophyte Hospitality Trust(XZL.SI)$: An indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Acrophyte Hospitality Management Trust, ARA USH Chicago, has proposed to sell the Hyatt Place Primacy Parkway in the US for US$7.8 million, said a company filing on Wednesday. Located in Memphis, Tennessee, the property has 126 rooms and is 11.3 miles (18.2 km) south-east of the Memphis Central Business District. The proposed sale price represents an 8.8 per cent discount to an independent valuation by DBS Trustee as at Jul 31. The counter closed flat at US$0.255 before the announcement.

$HG Metal Manufacturing(BTG.SI)$: A unit of the steel distributor, HG Construction Steel, has exercised an option to purchase an industrial property in Tuas for S$20.8 million. The move will more than double the group’s land area, said a bourse filing on Tuesday. The property has a tenure of 30 years that commenced from Dec 15, 2007, and about 12 years are left. The counter closed flat at S$0.49 on Wednesday.

SG Local News

Singapore MAS Survey Shows Economists Raising 2025 Growth Forecast

Economists have raised their forecasts for Singapore's growth in 2025 but see the pace moderating next year, with monetary policy expected to be held steady at a review next month, a survey of forecasters by the Monetary Authority of Singapore showed on Wednesday.

Most respondents in the December quarter survey cited geopolitical tensions as a top downside risk for the city-state, while four in 10 economists flagged the potential of the artificial intelligence bubble bursting, a risk that was not highlighted in the September quarter survey.

Meanwhile, a sustained AI-led tech cycle upturn and resilient global growth were seen as potential upside risks.

The median forecast for growth this year was raised to 4.1% from 2.4% in the previous survey, with growth in 2026 seen moderating to 2.3%.

Singapore Bonds Break From Treasuries as Haven Demand Grows

Singapore sovereign-bond sensitivity to Treasuries has declined, an indication that investors are looking for alternatives to dollar assets.

Moves in the two markets have become almost independent of each other, after their correlation fell to nearly zero. Singapore’s fiscal discipline is boosting the appeal of its AAA-rated bonds which are graded above Treasuries amid concern over government finances in the US.

This decoupling bodes well for Singapore’s bonds with US Treasuries vulnerable to increased volatility as worries about the Federal Reserve’s independence resurface in the run-up to the appointment of a new central bank chair. Singapore’s bonds also stand out as fiscal concerns send yields from Japan to Germany soaring.

Mainstream Car COE Premium Climbs 3.9%, but Large Car Category Slides 7.1%

There were mixed results for Certificates of Entitlement (COEs) in the final round of bidding for 2025, as both buyers and dealers focused on the mainstream category.

Category A rose 3.9 per cent or S$4,088 to S$109,501.

The category applies to cars that have engines of up to 1,600 cubic centimetres (cc) in capacity or with up to 97 kilowatts (kW) of power, or for electric vehicles (EVs) with up to 110 kW of power.

The premium for Category B fell 7.1 per cent or S$8,798 to S$115,002. It previously hit an all-time high of S$121,000 in June’s second round of bidding.

Category B is for larger, more powerful cars with engines of more than 1,600 cc or 97 kW in capacity, or for EVs with more than 110 kW of power.