Monday, May 5, 2008

S&P Assigns BBB Rating To CapitaLand Bonds

Source : The Business Times, May 5, 2008

STANDARD & Poor's has assigned BBB rating to two sets of convertible bonds for $1 billion and $430 million issued by CapitaLand in 2007 and 2006 respectively.

The rating assignment, which was not solicited by CapitaLand, on the bonds comes after S&P's announcement in March on assigning BBB+ corporate credit rating to CapitaLand and BBB rating on the group's $1.3 billion 10-year convertible bond issue raised earlier this year with a 3.125 per cent per annum coupon rate.

The $1 billion 15-year bonds issued in 2007 have a 2.95 per cent coupon rate, while the $430 million 10-year bonds issued in 2006 have a coupon of 2.1 per cent.

In its release on Friday, S&P said the BBB rating on these two series of bonds reflects their senior unsecured nature.

Debt at the company and subsidiaries levels and priority liabilities at the subsidiaries level are approximately 43 per cent of total assets at the group level, the statement noted.

S&P said it expects the ratio to be maintained at or above 40 per cent of the group's total assets in the short to medium term.

Marine Groups And Property Trusts Shine

Source : The Business Times, May 5, 2008

Smaller firms also gained from boom in construction, oil & gas industries

SHIPBUILDERS, property trusts and companies related to the construction and oil and gas industries mostly reported strong earnings growth in the first three months of the year, boosted by strong demand and high property prices.

Among the firms that saw the biggest percentage jump in earnings were Singapore-listed Chinese marine groups Cosco Corp and Yangzijiang Shipbuilding. Both saw their net profit double from a year earlier, buoyed by strong demand for shipbuilding, shiprepair and marine engineering services.

Smaller firms also benefited from the boom in the construction and oil and gas industries.

Beng Kuang Marine, which provides engineering services and equipment to firms in the marine, offshore oil and gas, and construction industries, reported a doubling in net profit for the quarter to $2.35 million, from $1.18 million a year earlier.

And BH Global Marine, which supplies electrical cables and lamps to shipyard operators and ship owners, said its net profit rose 24 per cent to $5 million in the first quarter.

The construction and marine engineering sectors here are likely to stay robust despite the impact of a slowing US economy, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last Thursday in his May Day rally speech to workers.

Among the construction sector-related firms, cement-maker Jurong Cement saw its first-quarter net profit jump to $1.08 million, from $169,000 a year earlier. Although revenue fell, its gross profit margin improved mainly due to lower raw material costs compared with a year earlier, when material prices rose sharply as a result of the Indonesian ban on sand exports.

But AusGroup, which provides engineering services to oil and gas and mining-related firms, stunned investors when it issued a profit warning on April 25, saying that it would report a loss for its third quarter to end-March. The unexpected loss is due to a provision made 'arising from uncertainties around the interpretation of the terms of a major contract being performed by a subsidiary in Australia', the firm said.

In an update three days later, AusGroup said that it expects to release its results by May 15, and that the loss would not exceed A$4 million (S$5 million).

Property trusts that had reported their earnings for the three months to end-March by Friday night all did well. Excluding Ascendas India Trust, which listed only last August, all 13 real estate investment trusts (Reits) which had comparable periods a year earlier said that net profit rose.

Among them, K-Reit Asia saw the largest percentage jump in net profit. Its distributable income of $11.4 million for the quarter was almost three times the $4.3 million that it earned a year earlier. This was mainly due to a $10.9 million income contribution from its one-third interest in One Raffles Quay.

Seletar air park catering to both old, new tenants

Source : The Business Times, May 5, 2008

Allocation of land to be done in phases as it becomes available, says JTC

The first phase of the development of the Seletar Aerospace Park (SAP) is on track and detailed plans are already in place to cater to the needs of both existing and new tenants.

JTC Corp, which is spearheading the redevelopment of the aerospace park together with the Economic Development Board (EDB), revealed this when it took BT on a tour of the facilities last week.

Seletar Aerospace Park is a 300 hectare development which will house a cluster of aerospace MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) players, design and manufacturing specialists, training campuses and aviation-related businesses. The existing runway - built by the British air force over half-a-century ago - is also being extended to cater to bigger business jets.

Much of the current work centres on the East Camp area, around the houses, hangars and offices around Old Birdcage Walk and areas adjacent to the east side of the runway. This is where companies like Fokker Services Asia, Hawker Pacific, Honeywell, Dassault Falcon, Executive Jets Asia and others are currently located. Soh Eng Chen of JTC Corp's Industrial Development Department, whose team is responsible for the SAP redevelopment, said most of the work on the first phase would be completed by the first half of 2009.

'The houses have been refurbished to cater to numerous business offices, while new hangars with runway access will be built for those who need them,' he said. He added that more land with runway access will be allotted in West Camp, where there will also be a multi-storey office complex for tenants. This building is expected to be occupied primarily by business jet operators, air charter companies and other aviation businesses.

Meanwhile, current East Camp tenants (who include players like Air Transport College, Execujet Asia and Life Support Equipment) will have to plan their move to new locations within the park. In all, excluding runway land, some 140 ha of industrial land has been set aside for businesses by JTC.

But Mr Soh said that while all tenants would have the opportunity to site themselves in new premises, land allocation would be done in phases as it becomes available. The challenge which JTC faces is that the area is not a greenfield development, and as such, it has to address the issue of relocating existing businesses and residents.

'Many of these companies are operating out of decades-old and dilapidated office structures,' said Mr Soh. The only existing tenants who will not move are ST Aerospace and Jet Aviation, both of whom have huge facilities at Seletar West Camp. Their current land use is deemed optimal. Mr Soh revealed that enquiries have been coming in from potential new tenants.

Meanwhile, two of the industry's most prominent players have already booked themselves in.

Earlier this year, Rolls-Royce broke ground on its $320 million Trent aero engine facility at the SAP, while engine maker Pratt & Whitney is building its new US$30 million, 105,000 sq ft facility in the park. Meanwhile, ST Aero is spending $17.3 million to build a two-bay hangar, while Jet Aviation's existing facility is also being extended.

In recent months, some existing tenants had expressed concerns about the availability of new premises and facilities amid the ongoing development. But JTC said it was addressing these concerns by engaging these operators and evaluating their needs.

The 10-year project - which is estimated to cost upwards of $60 million - is expected to provide a huge shot in the arm for Singapore's aviation sector ambitions. The park is also expected to create 10,000 jobs and contribute $3.3 billion annually to the economy when fully operational.

Officials Predict Recession For New York State

Source : The Business Times, May 5, 2008

More budget cuts required as tax revenue forecasts are pessimistic

(ALBANY, New York) State budget officials said last Thursday that New York's economy was slipping into a recession that could last till early next year and prove worse than the recession looming before the country as a whole.

The worst is yet to come: A woman going through job listings at an employment centre; historically, recessions in New York have lasted twice as long and inflicted deeper job losses, compared with those in the nation as a whole

Laura Anglin, the budget director for governor David Paterson, said that key economic indicators, like falling corporate profits and four consecutive months of job losses nationally, had convinced state budget analysts that the United States was already in a recession and that New York was soon to follow.

'New York tends to lag the nation,' Ms Anglin said. 'That's why we worry that the worst is yet to come.' Historically, recessions in New York, compared with those in the nation as a whole, have lasted twice as long and inflicted deeper job losses, according to state budget officials.

Job growth in the state is expected merely to stagnate next year.

The downturn appears far worse nationally than previously projected, with more than US$200 billion in write-offs till April at major financial firms and 63,000 layoffs in the financial and insurance sectors. On Wall Street, which supplies one-fifth of the state's tax revenue, bonuses are expected to be down 11 per cent this fiscal year, after a small decline last year and a 25 per cent increase the year before.

Those forecasts were paired with sharply more pessimistic tax revenue forecasts for the coming years, which Ms Anglin - echoing Mr Paterson's recent calls for more budget cuts - said would require drastic reductions in state spending. Over the last nine months, the state has revised its projections for this year downward by US$1.7 billion.

New Yorkers are tightening their belts, Ms Anglin said. 'They're feeling the crunch of higher prices; they're having to manage their resources better. I think that the typical New Yorkers should know that we're aware of that and that the state needs to do the same thing.'

The budget gap for the next fiscal year is projected at US$5 billion. It is expected to increase to US$7.7 billion in the 2010 fiscal year and US$8.8 billion in the 2011 fiscal year, according to the budget office, approaching levels not seen since the recession that followed the Sept 11 attack, which all but put Lower Manhattan out of business for months. Without the budget cuts already planned for next year, Ms Anglin said, spending would increase by 10.2 per cent over this year compared with revenue increases of only 2.7 per cent, a level she described as 'not sustainable'. Because of steadily increasing state spending, Ms Anglin said, even a quick recovery would not necessarily ameliorate future budget gaps.

Mr Paterson sought and won hundreds of millions of dollars in additional cuts from his commissioners and agency heads soon after succeeding Eliot Spitzer in March. Last week, he suggested that he wanted the Legislature to take the unusual step of reopening the budget to seek more cuts for next year and after.

The just-approved budget increased spending by 4.8 per cent overall for the current fiscal year, with significant increases in school aid, upstate economic development and capital improvements to the state university system. Medicaid continues to be a major state expense.

Not since former governor George Pataki's first term has New York actually cut spending, said Edmund McMahon, director of the Manhattan Institute's Empire Center for New York State Policy, which advocates less government spending. Mr Paterson, he suggested, would need to do the same.

'The budget gaps are clearly spending-driven. And the budget gaps were made worse by the budget they just did,' Mr McMahon said. 'The school-aid spigot is going to have to be turned off. And he's going to have to fight his own battles on Medicaid.' - NYT

Queen Margaret University Starts Classes In Singapore

Source : The Business Times, May 5, 2008

It is the latest addition to the global schoolhouse initiative

THIS morning was a landmark occasion for Scotland's renowned Queen Margaret University (QMU), as students began classes for the first time at its Asia campus in Singapore - the first full-fledged overseas site by a British institution to open in Singapore.

Landmark: QMU's Asia campus is the first full-fledged overseas site by a British institution to open in Singapore

The 133-year-old QMU's presence, the latest addition to the Republic's global schoolhouse initiative, is a significant one, and comes three years after another UK university, Warwick, abandoned plans to operate a campus here, citing concerns over academic freedom and possible research restrictions, among other issues.

Just last year, QMU was accorded full university status, which resulted in it dropping the word 'College' from its name and confirming its status as a university-level institution.

Home to QMU's Asia campus is a serene, 18,000 sq m site nestled in the heartlands at Ah Hood Road, off Balestier Road. QMU's lease for the land will see it pay $38 million in rent over the next 15 years.

The new four-storey campus, the result of a joint venture between the Edinburgh-based QMU and its Singapore partner - the East Asia Institute of Management - is just the latest success story coming out of a seven-year-long working relationship for both parties.

Richard Kerley, the pro vice-chancellor of QMU (International) said the realisation of the Asia campus was down to 'the mutual trust, respect and confidence between the two institutions, built up over years'.

On how QMU plans to set itself apart from the other private universities in Singapore, given that competition for the student dollar is already so intense, Prof Kerley told The Business Times: 'We have, arguably, the most multi-national student population, with about 70 per cent of them coming from China, India, Vietnam and some 15 other countries from the Asia-Pacific region. Students from Singapore, in particular, benefit greatly when they study on our campus, with its rich, multi-cultural environment.'

QMU, which was recently named one of the top 10 modern universities in the UK's Sunday Times Good University Guide, eventually hopes to see up to 6,000 students enrolled in the Singapore campus. They can have their pick of a variety of business management degrees, as well as courses in banking and finance.

The flagship programme is its hospitality and tourism degree - an ideal one given that the demand for such graduates is soaring thanks to a boom in the tourism and services industry in Singapore and the region.

The stand-out offering that Prof Kerley is banking on to seal QMU's status as a major player is the bilingual degree programme in business and management-related fields.

Other courses in the pipeline include a Bachelor of Nursing, and specialist degrees in health science areas such as occupational therapy and physiotherapy.

Mapletree Assets To Hit $15b-20b In A Yr

Source : The Business Times, May 5, 2008

Temasek unit wraps US$600 million first close of new India-China fund

Mapletree Investments' total asset size, comprising assets under management as well as on its own balance sheet, has nearly doubled to around $10.5 billion - inclusive of the recently announced acquisition of a $1.7 billion portfolio from JTC Corp - from $5.6 billion a year ago.

In a year's time, it could grow further to $15 billion-$20 billion, Mapletree Investments CEO Hiew Yoon Khong told BT in a recent interview.

In the pipeline: Mapletree Business City, with 1.7 million sq ft, will come up next to PSA Building. Both assets are headed for Mapletree Commercial Trust

The increase will come largely from new private funds the fully-owned unit of Temasek Holdings is starting, including the US$1.5 billion-US$2.0 billion Mapletree India-China Fund (MICF) focusing on development and opportunistic redevelopment of real estate in the two mega markets. 'This fund will invest in office, retail and residential property,' Mr Hiew said.

The first closing, which has just been completed, has raised US$600 million, contributed equally by Mapletree and an international institutional investor that has declined to be named.

The fund's second closing, slated for July, will also see Mapletree and the investor putting in US$200 million each, with another US$500 million to US$1 billion to be subscribed by third-party investors.

MICF has secured two seed investments in China. One is a residential and retail development named Future City in Xi'an's Beilin District. The project has a total development value of $196 million and will span almost 1.56 million sq ft in gross floor area. Future City will have four residential towers and a nearly 400,000 sq ft mall to be named VivoCity Xi'an. Construction began in March last year and the development is slated for completion by July 2010. The targeted opening date for the mall is October 2010.

The second seed investment for MICF is an existing office block in Beijing's Central Business District with a gross floor area of around 400,000 sq ft and an investment value of about $165 million. Upon completion of the acquisition in June 2008, an anchor tenant will lease 35 per cent of net lettable area. 'We expect to seal a third investment in China soon for MICF - a retail and serviced apartment development in Guangzhou,' said the 46-year-old former investment banker.

As for India, the fund has identified two investments in Bangalore - an office and residential project, and a pure office development.

Over the next 12 months, Mapletree also expects to start sequel funds to the Malaysia-focused CIMB Mapletree Real Estate Fund (CMREF) and the Mapletree Industrial Fund (MIF). The latter has so far bought some $300 million of non-warehouse industrial properties in Singapore, Malaysia and China. 'For CMREF 2, we are targeting to raise about RM1 billion (S$430 million); CMREF 1's RM500 million is almost fully invested,' Mr Hiew said.

The group has held back plans to float more real estate investment trusts or Reits in Singapore because of unfavourable financial market conditions. One of these is the Mapletree Commercial Trust, which will hold about $3 billion of Mapletree's Singapore assets in the HarbourFront and Alexandra Road areas. 'With the deferment, we've been focusing on growing the net income of the initial assets planned for the commercial trust and working on building a strong pipeline of assets for possible acquisition by the trust,' Mr Hiew said.

'We'll launch the trust when the market stabilises, hopefully before the end of the year,' he added.

The centrepiece of the trust will be VivoCity, valued at about $2 billion. Other assets are likely to include nightspot St James Power Station, HarbourFront Centre, PSA Building and Merrill Lynch HarbourFront, which is slated for completion in the third quarter of this year.

The future acquisition pipeline for the trust includes two projects currently under construction - Mapletree Anson, a 19-storey Grade A building at Anson Road/Enggor Street slated for completion in Q3 2009, and Mapletree Business City, which which is expected to be ready in the second half of 2010.

The latter project is being built on the site of the former Alexandra Distripark (Blocks 1-3) and on an adjacent plot at Alexandra Terrace. 'This will be a modern business campus with about 1.7 million sq ft net lettable area (NLA) comprising an office block and three business park blocks with amenities like a 350-seat auditorium, big function rooms. We'll have a foyer for cocktails, gym with lap pool, even a childcare centre and convenience store, plus roughly 1,100 carpark lots,' Mr Hiew said. The development will also have a foodcourt and al fresco-style restaurants.

So far, two tenants, including a financial institution, have leased a total of about 200,000 sq ft. Mapletree Business City will be integrated with Mapletree's adjacent properties - The Comtech and PSA Building - to form the group's Alexandra Precinct assets. PSA Building will be directly connected to Labrador MRT Station under the Circle Line opening in 2010.

As for Mapletree Anson, with about 325,000 sq ft NLA, about 40,000 sq ft has been leased so far. 'The building's completion in Q3 2009 will be ahead of the completion of the first phase of Marina Bay Financial Centre,' Mr Hiew noted.

Plans to float Embassy Reit here - in partnership with India's Embassy Group - have also been put on the backburner as structuring issues relating to changes in Indian laws on foreign funding and consequential tax issues are being ironed out first. The proposed Reit will hold business parks in Bangalore.

Buffett Says US In Recession, Banks To Face Pain

Source : The Business Times, May 5, 2008

OMAHA - Warren Buffett, the world's richest person, said on Sunday the US economy is in recession, putting him at odds with a government report that showed weak growth.

Mr Buffett offered his assessment during a wide-ranging news conference, a day after a record 31,000 shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway attended the insurance and investment company's annual meeting in Omaha.

Mr Buffett said housing problems will weigh down bank results for 'a couple of years' and the industry's large losses and write-downs due to bad debts are not over 'by a long shot'

Last Wednesday, the Commerce Department said the economy grew at a 0.6 per cent annual rate in the first quarter. But Mr Buffett said the nation's population also grew, making the real growth rate lower. He also said that, even if the data do not show the economy retracting, people feel as though it is.

'The US is in recession as I define it,' he said. 'I would define that as a situation where people are doing less well than they were three months, six months or eight months earlier and most businesses find themselves in that position too.

'If we are in a non-recession, I don't think people want to see it going in the same direction as it is and saying it's wonderful.' Weakness at Berkshire units that sell bricks, carpets and other products dependent on a healthy housing market contributed to a 64 per cent decline in overall first-quarter profit.

Housing remains a critical problem, he said, as hundreds of thousands of homeowners find their mortgage payments heading higher, or that their homes are worth less than they owe.

Mr Buffett said he wrote US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson a letter in which he favoured giving people taking out mortgages one-page statements, headlined 'WARNING' in red, describing the maximum rates they could face.

While Mr Buffett said the government could help borrowers who were misled on what they would owe, he opposed helping people simply because their home values have dropped, or investors who bought mortgage securities without understanding the risks.

Borrowers, he said, 'shouldn't be penalised for being misled, but shouldn't be protected against mistakes.' He estimated that more than 80 per cent of borrowers with 'option' or 'pick-a-payment' mortgages that let them pay less than the principal due, in fact did so, and that many now owe more than their homes' values.

'Surprise, surprise,' he added.

Bear Stearns a 'watershed'
Mr Buffett said housing problems will weigh down bank results for 'a couple of years' and the industry's large losses and write-downs due to bad debts are not over 'by a long shot'. 'There's going to be more pain, sure,' he said.

Yet Mr Buffett said the US Federal Reserve's brokering in March of JPMorgan Chase & Co's purchase of the nearly bankrupt investment bank Bear Stearns Cos averted a 'contagion', including possible runs on other investment banks.

'The idea of a financial panic ... has been pretty well taken care of,' he said. 'That was a watershed event.'

But shareholders could still be hurt.

Alluding to a large stock offering last week by Citigroup, which lost close to US$15 billion over the last two quarters, Mr Buffett said: 'Citigroup is replenishing its stock at US$25 when it was buying it back not too long ago at US$50. Many institutions not only grew the Kool-Aid, but drank it ... They paid a price, but the price was really paid by shareholders.'

And Mr Buffett said banks need better risk management. He said he recently considered the prospects of a large investment bank, which he did not identify, by reading its 270-page annual report. He said he highlighted 25 pages where he did not understand what he had read.

'I decided not to pick that one, Mr Buffett added.

Heightened risk may also affect government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. He said the government 'is asking (them) to take on more risk per mortgage and more (risk in) their portfolio. By any other standard of government operation, they wouldn't be able to borrow another dime.'

Buying in Britain
Mr Buffett, 77, said Berkshire still has three internal candidates to replace him eventually as chief executive officer, including one who would step in immediately, and four candidates to succeed him as chief investment officer. He has not publicly identified any of the candidates.

Since taking it over in 1965, Mr Buffett has built Berkshire into a US$207 billion conglomerate of about 76 operating units, and about US$147 billion of stocks, bonds and cash.

On Sunday, Mr Buffett said Berkshire may be 'close' to buying a medium-sized British company and 'will look' at Royal Bank of Scotland's (RBS) insurance operations, including its Direct Line home and car insurance business. RBS said last month it may sell all or some insurance operations.

Mr Buffett also said some bond insurers that rival his new Berkshire Hathaway Assurance Corp do not deserve their 'triple-A' credit ratings. He said this may be one reason Berkshire, also rated triple-A, was able to capture US$400 million of business in its first full quarter.

'The US$400 million we wrote in the first quarter were entirely secondary market transactions,' he said. 'We see every day that people are coming to us and paying us more than they paid to the original bond insurer.' -- REUTERS

US In 'Awfully Pale Recession': Greenspan

Source : The Business Times, May 5, 2008

NEW YORK - The United States has fallen into an 'awfully pale recession' and may remain stagnant for the rest of the year, former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan was quoted on Monday saying.

'We're in a recession,' Bloomberg news agency reported Mr Greenspan had said in a television interview. 'But this is an awfully pale recession at the moment. The declines in employment have not been as big as you'd expect to see.'

Last week a government report showed employers shed jobs in April at a slower rate than had been feared, providing some relief about the slowing economy.

Mr Greenspan doubted there would be an immediate recovery, saying stagnation for the rest of the year was the most likely outcome. 'That's certainly the most benevolent scenario,' he said. 'It's not all that far from being the most probable.'

The economy would not start turning around until home prices started settling and eased pressure on finance companies to write off mortgage-related losses, Mr Greenspan said.

He has said before that the economy is in a recession, although he also said at that time that it was too soon to say how deep or prolonged the downturn would be. His office could not be reached immediately for comment. -- REUTERS

13 Asian Nations Agree To Set Up US$80b Crisis Fund

Source : The Business Times, May 5, 2008

MADRID - Finance ministers of 13 Asian nations agreed here on Sunday to set up a foreign exchange pool of at least US$80 billion to be used in the event of another regional financial crisis.

China, Japan and South Korea will provide 80 per cent of the funds, with the rest coming from the 10 members of Asean, they said in a joint statement issued after talks on the sidelines of an Asian Development Bank meeting in Madrid.

The 13 nations agreed after the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis to set up a mainly bilateral currency swap scheme known as the Chiang Mai Initiative (CMI) to protect their currencies from turmoil in the future.

At the ADB's last annual meeting in Japan in May 2007, they decided to set aside part of their foreign reserves for a multi-nation system of reserves for use in emergencies, but did not decide on the size of the pool.

'We are committed to further accelerate our work in order to reach consensus on all of the elements which include concrete conditions eligible for borrowing and contents of convenants specified in borrowing arrangements,' the statement said.

The foreign exchange pool would be self-managed and be governed by a single contract that will be legally binding, it added.

Vietnam's Finance Minister Vu Van Ninh, who co-chaired the Madrid meeting, said the 13 nations would now work to develop a way of monitoring the fund.

'We think it is very important to have a rigorous surveillance system, especially in the context that regional economies have made an important and big integration into the world economy,' he told reporters.

Japanese Finance Minister Fukushiro Nukaga, the other meeting co-chair, did not give a timeline for the the creation of the fund when asked, saying only that it 'should be achievable in terms of its objectives.' The creation of the pool is a big step towards the creation of an Asian equivalent of the Washington-based International Monetary Fund (IMF).

During the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis Indonesia, Thailand and South Korea had to borrow heavily from the IMF to boost their finances as investors sold their currencies.

The IMF forced the governments of the three nations to make unpopular spending cuts, sell state-owned firms and raise interest rates in exchange for the loans of over US$100 billion.

Asian economies are being challenged by rising energy and commodity prices as well as the vulnerability of financial markets, the finance ministers said in the statement.

'The regional economy has continued its strong growth and is forecast to remain robust although somewhat weaker,' it said.

'We confirmed the importance of taking appropriate actions to ensure that economic activity continues at a sustained pace by balancing policies to deal with these risks,' it added.

The ADB predicts Asia's developing economies will expand by 7.6 per cent in 2008, its lowest level in five years, after surging ahead 8.7 per cent last year.

Inflation in the region should hit 5.1 per cent this year, its highest level since the 1997-1998 financial crisis.

The 13 countries are China, Japan, South Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), made up of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. -- AFP

Reits Rise On Bullish Credit Suisse Note

Source : The Business Times, May 5, 2008

Units of Singapore Real Estate Investment Trusts (Reits) rose more than 3.5 per cent after Credit Suisse said it preferred the defensive nature of Reits to property developers.

Credit Suisse preferred Frasers Centrepoint Trust for its defensive suburban portfolio and ranks CapitaMall Trust as its top pick, citing long-term growth potential.

CapitaMall Trust, 27 per cent owned by CapitaLand, gained as much as 3.6 per cent to $3.75 (US$2.75) with over 3.3 million shares traded.

Frasers Centrepoint Trust, the property subsidiary of conglomerate Fraser and Neave, surged as much as 4.8 per cent to $1.30 with around 468,000 shares changing hands.

'We believe S-Reits face lesser downside risks to developers given higher income stability from rentals, longer lease tenures and greater dividends visibility,' Credit Suisse analyst Shirley Wong said in a client note.

Southeast Asia's largest property developer CapitaLand fell as much as 0.4 per cent to $7.06 while City Development, the region's second-largest developer, lost as much as 1.4 per cent to $12.32. -- REUTERS

上海一些开发商制造“抢购楼房”假象网上流传:楼盘合同撤销率超过40%

《联合早报》May 5, 2008

(上海综合讯)中国大陆楼市低迷的一、二月份刚过,上海媒体就出现上海“楼市回暖”、“价量齐放”等言论。但网上却流传关于上海楼盘合同撤销率高过40%的信息,揭露一些开发商用假合同或雇人排队拿号的手段,制造“抢购”的假象。

今年4月7日,毕业于北京大学经济学研究生进修班、目前从事管理咨询业的孙启柱,在网上贴出《上海40%的售房合同是假的——根据房地产交易中心的统计》的文章,引起许多人跟帖议论。

当时,上海房价正以每平方米1万6405元(人民币,下同,3173新元)的历史新高,“印证”楼市活跃的言论。

“五一”小黄金周期间举行的上海房地产春季展示会,开发商希望掀起“抢购”热潮,但不少消费者仍停留于观望。(中新社)

合同撤销率有的高达100%

孙启柱关注房市已有两三年,去年初本打算在上海买房;从今年3月开始,他在上海市房地产交易中心主办的网页上发现,去年“上海十大期待楼盘”和“十大楼价翻番楼盘”的平均合同撤销率高达40%,有的甚至达到100%!

在媒体披露后,上海市房屋土地资源管理局随即表示,目前上海市所有在售楼盘的预售合同撤销率约为3%;至于被曝光高撤销率的18个楼盘,开盘至今,网上共签订预售合同8971套,撤销297套,撤销率为3.3%,基本正常。

《中国新闻周刊》引述上海市房地产交易中心办公室官员刘纪来的话,“网上房地产”销售进度表里面的“签约次数”,只包括“预售合同”(或“销售合同”),而“合同撤次数”(含预定)却在这之外又包含了“定金合同”。

刘纪来表示,“统计口径不对称”,是调查结果和媒体披露的撤销率不一致的主要原因。

恶意炒高房价

被指合同撤销率高达100%的沿海丽水馨庭楼盘提供的数据显示,截至4月10日被撤销的285套中,只有两套是预售合同撤销,其中一户还是客户要求多加亲属名字而导致原来预售合同撤销。其余的定金合同撤销中,除少部分是客户换房或退房外,绝大部分是由于客户资金、时间安排等逾期签约的。

但刚成为沿海丽水馨庭业主的张姓女士声称:“100%的合同撤销率,即使大部分是定金合同撤销也是不太正常的,其中肯定有开发商利用某些手段登记掉一些房子,从而主观恶意炒高房价。”

雇“黄牛”排队拿号

孙启柱回顾今年二月底到三月初看房的经历:“售楼处称房子早就卖光了,但据附近知情的房屋中介介绍,这里从来没有开盘过。”

4月19日在“上海康城”的开盘现场,齐源地产置业顾问张先生透露:“那些排队拿号来参加开盘看房的人当中,大部分是‘黄牛’。很多都是附近的保安或其他被请过来的人,五十块钱一天。”

北京大学房地产金融研究中心主任冯科认为,中国政府通过紧缩信贷来实施宏观调控,几乎让开发商资金断流。规范的开放商需要35%的资本金,而大部分开发商达不到这个要求。面对工程队催款,国土局催交土地款,税务局催交税款,开发商压力巨大,“因此用假合同获得按揭完全可能。”

上海长宁区住宅发展局高级经济师顾海波认为,以“统计口径不对称”来回应部分楼盘合同撤销率过高的问题是牵强的,“只是管理层的一面之词,真实情况消费者根本无法知道!不管是定金合同撤销还是预售(销售)合同撤销,其实质、用意和结果就是哄抬房价。”

上海财经大学应用统计研究中心上月14日发布的数据显示,上海今年第一季度消费者购房意愿仅为32.6点,比上季度下跌4.3个百分点,被访者中认为第一季度购房时机差的比例则增至四分之三。

另据《新闻晨报》报道,在4月11日至13日的上海第十届一、二手房展会上,现场成交的房源只有七、八套;相比于5万套左右的参展房源,访问者表示将实地看房的房源仅为150套,比去年下跌了约81%。

深圳房地产市场趋冷 房价可能跌到06年水平

《联合早报》May 5, 2008

(深圳讯)深圳四月份房地产成交均价跌破每平方米一万元(人民币,下同,1934新元),开发商在“五一”小黄金周打出“特价房”策略也未能奏效。分析人士认为,深圳楼价可能要下跌到2006年底水平。

深圳市国土房产局网站成交数据显示,4月30日深圳新房成交283套,均价为每平方米9323元(1803新元),创下去年10月以来的新低。2006年8月,深圳新房成交均价突破一万元,达到每平米1万0669元;去年10月,更达到每平米1万7350元(3355新元)的最高价。

多数开发商在“五一”期间虽然都推出特殊优惠,但据深圳市国土部门披露,在“五一”三天假期,深圳楼市成交量分别为208套、151套、185套,比起四月前三周日均成交量仅60到80套有较大上升,但逊于四月最后一周日均150到280套的成交量,更没恢复到此前交易旺期日均250到300套的高度。

《深圳商报》记者随机抽访的近40位购房者中,80%都选择了“继续观望”。半年多来,深圳房价在四月最后一周跌破了此前盘桓数月、每平米1万2000元(2321新元)的支撑价位。

深圳市房地产研究中心副主任王锋预计,继三月份深圳整体房价创下每平米1万3600元新低后,四月均价可能会跌至每平米1万2000元。

深圳中原地产策略资源中心总经理周曜此前指出,深圳房价可能会在今年六、七月跌到1万1000元(2127新元)的水平(即2006年底的价位)。

New $38m Campus For UK’s First Offshore University

Source : TODAY, Monday, May 5, 2008

THE United Kingdom’s first offshore campus in Singapore has moved into its new $38-million premises. The Queen Margaret University (QMU) Asia Campus has been operating at its Balestier site since May 2.

The enhanced facilities of the new, self-contained campus at Ah Hood Road will help the university to “widen and deepen” its undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, according to QMU Asia and its local partner, East Asia Institute of Management(EASB).

In the pipeline is the design of bilingual tertiarylevel programmes, in English and Chinese, in response to the globalisation of Asian business and the internationalisation of the marketplace.

Proffesor Richard Kerley, pro-vice Chancellor of Queen Margaret University (International), said: “Our success in building degree-level studies in Hospitality and Tourism will now be added to developments in other degree-level studies. Degrees in events management, health-related disciplines, management and business are now at the advanced planning stage.”

Students can also look forward to interesting student-centred learning and recreational activities, according to the university.

Facilities at the new campus, which is equipped for up to 6,000 students, include a students’ learning centre, a video-conferencing room, a postgraduate resource centre, a Hospitality Training Centre, a multipurpose hall, two badminton courts, three basketball courts, two tennis courts, one cricket quad, a running track and a gym.

Stamford Raffles' London Home For Sale

Source : The Electric New Paper, May 05, 2008

Current owner seeks S'pore buyer for $9.5million property

A BIG piece of Singapore history is up for sale - in London.

The last home of Singapore's founder, Sir Stamford Raffles, has been put on the market for pounds;3.5 million ($9.5million).

The property, Highwood House, has two storeys, eight bedrooms, and sits on almost an acre (about 4,000 sq m) of land in Highwood Hill, an exclusive suburb in London.

Compare that to Singapore, where the average price of a Good Class Bungalow - a class of bungalows in certain exclusive areas such as Nassim Road, with a minimum plot size of 1,400 sq m - is $13.8 million.

Sir Raffles, who founded Singapore in 1819 and returned to England in 1824, lived in the house from June 1825 till his death in July 1826.

His wife, Lady Sophia Raffles, continued living in the house until she died in 1858.

But those hoping to find a manor filled with a treasure trove of antiques will be disappointed.

The house has been through several owners and tenants since Sir Raffles.

From the 1950s to the early 1980s, it was used first as a Red Cross convalescence home, then as a nursing home.

The interior has since been converted into several apartments and rented out to tenants.

Singapore businesswoman Esther Zheng, 27, who has lived in the UK for the past 10 years, saw the property on sale and contacted The New Paper on Sunday.

She was checking out the price of another house in the area on the Internet when she spotted the listing for the Raffles' home.

'There was even a plaque on the wall which says that 'Sir Stamford Raffles, Founder of Singapore, lived here', she said.

Intrigued, Ms Zheng sent the listing to her Singapore friends on social networking site Facebook, and arranged to see the house through a property agent on 1 May.

She said: 'When we arrived... it was obvious that the property was quite run-down and needed a lot of work. The paint was slightly faded and peeling.

'The interior of the property was desolate and derelict, with many of the rooms having water stains and holes in the walls.'

But she said the terrace was beautiful, and she could still see the original elegant cornices and high ceilings where the chandeliers would have been.

One of the upper rooms also has a great view of the valley below and the surrounding countryside.

The highlight of the visit for MsZheng was when her partner pointed out a square brass box fitted to the wall, which had glass circles cut into it and numbers below.

She said: 'This was where small bells would have been hung that were connected with string to the rooms above. When someone in one of the bedrooms rang the bell, the servants could respond immediately.'

FADED BEAUTY

Overall, she said, it was very interesting but sad to see the house's faded beauty.

'I understand the property has also been turned into investment flats, which seems sacrilegious in a way.

'It's very strange to see a piece of history that is important to Singaporeans go on sale without much fanfare. Although a lot of British people know Singapore exists, they probably wouldn't be able to name the person who founded it.

'I hope that someone will buy the place and restore it to the way it had been. Or better yet if someone makes a museum of the place so that Singaporeans and other Asians who remember their founder can make a pilgrimage,' Ms Zheng said.

The property's current owner, DrDerek Segall, 81, a retired nursing home medical director, said he bought it in 1978 for pounds;130,000 to expand his business.

He told The New Paper on Sunday in a long-distance telephone interview: 'I had a nursing home in the vicinity, and Highwood House was also a nursing home then.'

He used it to house his employees.

Dr Segall said that when he bought the property, he had no idea that it was connected to Sir Raffles.

HISTORY UNCOVERED

It was only when he obtained a copy of the property's history, for record purposes, that he found out.

He then found the blue plaque with the dates that Raffles had stayed at the house, in the front driveway.

It had been placed on a wooden stand, which was knocked over and cracked.

He had the plaque fixed onto the front wall of the house and, in the early 1980s, converted the interior into several residential apartments to rent out to tenants.

Dr Segall, who has two adult children, said he decided to sell the house more than a year ago because he was 'getting on' and would like a sum of money in his retirement.

Besides Highwood House, he owns four other properties in London and Spain.

He said he had about 'half a dozen' offers for the house, but they fell through for various reasons.

He now hopes to find a Singapore buyer, and plans to come here later this year to speak to some real-estate agents.

'Singaporeans may be attracted to occupying the house that was occupied by the founder of their island.

'From time to time, I've been in the house when people have suddenly turned up and walked up the garden. They say, 'We're from Singapore, we're visiting London and we're here to see Sir Stamford Raffles' house.' They're all fascinated by it.'

Dr Segall said the house has been empty since January.

'(The tenants) all left recently at the same time when they discovered the house was for sale,' he said.

But Dr Segall said that he saw it as a blessing in disguise - he plans to move into Highwood House in a month's time.

He said: 'Tenants can be very disappointing in the way they treat a property, so I'm taking the opportunity to refurbish and redecorate apartments that were occupied.'

Mr Jim Falconer, a sales manager with UK's Winkworth Estate Agents, said: 'The potential of the house lies in returning it to a single dwelling. It would be a magnificent period home and would be among the very few homes of that period in the area.'

He added that given the property's history and its former use as both a convalescence and nursing home, it 'will require extensive renovation to return it to its original splendour'.

RESTORATION NEEDED

Agreeing, Mr James Goldsobel, of Richard James Estate Agents in UK, said: 'It is not what it was and needsadiscerning purchaser to sympathetically restore it to its former glory.'

Would Singapore's National Heritage Board (NHB) consider buying the house? Its spokesman replied that it already has some of the important memorabilia and artefacts from Sir Raffles, such as letters and portraits, which are on display at the National Museum of Singapore.

Mr Walter Lim, director of corporate communications and industry promotion at NHB, said: 'Raffles' old home, while significant, cannot be transported back to Singapore for the appreciation and education of the public, or study by our curators.

'The Board also does not participate in the acquisition of historically significant buildings in foreign lands as our key thrust lies in the collection of artefacts, artworks and archival materials of historic significance.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PROPERTY LOCATED IN ONE OF UK'S RICHEST SUBURBS

Highwood House facts:

# Freehold

# Early 19th century Georgian mansion

# Set in grounds of almost an acre.

# Gross internal area of about 8,000 sq ft (740 sq m). Presentlyconverted into three apartments plus one unconverted apartment. Total: Eight bedrooms.

# Grade II listing issued by the English Heritage (the equivalent of the National Heritage Board), meaning the building is either ofarchitectural merit or has historical significance.

# Located in Highwood Hill, which was featured last December in The Sunday Telegraph as one of Britain's top 10richest suburbs. According to UK real-estate agent Jim Falconer, property prices in this area can go above pounds;10 million ($27m).

World's First US$2b Home Rising In Mumbai

Source : The Business Times, May 03, 2008

(MUMBAI) A 27-storey sea-facing skyscraper coming up in downtown Mumbai will soon be home to a family of five. With a price tag nearing US$2 billion, it will be the world's largest and most expensive home - ever.

The proud owner of this property, which will be ready by January next year, is Mukesh Ambani, head of Mumbai-based petrochemical giant Reliance Industries and the fifth richest man in the world.

The only remotely comparable high-rise property currently on the market is the US$70 million triplex penthouse at the Pierre Hotel in New York, designed to resemble a French chateau, and climbing 525 feet in the air. The Ambani residence will be 550 feet high with 400,000 square feet of interior space.

Mr Ambani's home costs much more than a hotel or high-rise of similar size because of its customised measurements and fittings, the Forbes magazine reports.

A hotel or condominium has a common layout, replicated on every floor, and uses the same materials throughout the building, such as door handles, floors, lamps and window treatments. But the Ambani home, called Antilla, differs in that no two floors are alike in either plans or materials used. At the request of Nita Ambani, the tycoon's wife, if a metal, wood or crystal is part of the ninth-floor design, it shouldn't be used on the eleventh floor, for example. The idea is to blend styles and architectural elements so spaces give the feel of consistency, but without repetition.

While visiting New York in 2005, Nita Ambani was in the spa at the Mandarin Oriental New York, overlooking Central Park. The contemporary Asian interiors struck her just so, and prompted her to inquire about the designer.

The Ambanis then consulted architecture firms Perkins + Will and Hirsch Bedner Associates, the designers behind the Mandarin Oriental, based in Dallas and Los Angeles, respectively.

Antilla's shape is based on Vaastu, an Indian tradition much like Feng Shui that is said to move energy beneficially through the building by strategically placing materials, rooms and objects.

Forbes reported that atop six stories of parking lots, Antilla's living quarters begin at a lobby with nine elevators, as well as several storage rooms and lounges. Down dual stairways with silver-covered railings is a large ballroom with 80 per cent of its ceiling covered in crystal chandeliers. It features a retractable showcase for pieces of art, a mount of LCD monitors and embedded speakers, as well as stages for entertainment. The hall opens to an indoor/outdoor bar, green rooms, powder rooms and allows access to a nearby 'entourage room' for security guards and assistants to relax.

For more temperate days, the family will enjoy a four-storey open garden. The top floors of entertaining space, where Mr Ambani plans to host business guests (or just relax), offer panoramic views of the Arabian Sea.

Mr Ambani plans to occasionally use the residence for corporate entertainment, and the family wants the look and feel of the home's interior to be distinctly Indian; 85 per cent of the materials and labour will come from outside the United States, most of it from India.

Where possible, the designers told the Forbes, whether it's for the silver railings, crystal chandeliers, woven area rugs or steel support beams, the Ambanis are using Indian companies, contractors, craftsmen and materials firms.

Elements of Indian culture juxtapose newer designs. For example, the sinks in a lounge extending off the entertainment level, which features a movie theatre and wine room, are shaped like ginkgo leaves (native to India) with the stem extending to the faucet to guide the water into the basin.

Forbes estimated Mr Ambani's net worth at US$43 billion in March. The couple, who have three children, currently live in a 22-storey Mumbai tower that the family has spent years remodelling to meet its needs.

Missing Owners' Condo Unit Sold For $1.6m

Source : The Straits Times, May 05, 2008

AN UNUSUAL auction of an apartment at King's Mansion off Tanjong Katong Road has attracted strong bidding - driving up the sale price to $1.59 million, well above expectations.

The condominium's management corporation had taken the rare step of selling the three-bedroom property after the owners had disappeared for more than a decade.

The auction, conducted on Wednesday, came after the foreign owners had failed to pay property fees, which could have run up to $30,000 or more.

The management corporation had tried repeatedly to get in touch with the four owners and their lawyers - but to no avail.

The sale price was considered fairly strong in a generally weak auction market, analysts said.

The starting bid for the freehold 1,604 sq ft high-floor unit was $1.18 million, which was within the guide price of $1.1 million to $1.2 million.

Five bidders chased the price up, with a local businessman succeeding in buying the unit at $1.59 million, said Knight Frank's auctioneer, Ms Mary Sai.

This price works out to about $991 per sq ft (psf), considerably higher than the starting bid of $735 psf.

A somewhat larger unit at King's Mansion, at 1,808 sq ft, sold for $1,106 psf a few months back, according to a caveat lodged in February.

After deducting fees and other expenses, such as costs associated with arranging this week's auction, the management corporation is expected to keep the rest of the money in a trust for the owners.

Mystery surrounds why the owners departed the scene and why they have failed to make themselves known despite publicity prior to the auction.

If they ever do reappear to claim the balance of the sale proceeds, it is likely they will make a tidy profit.

This article was first published in The Straits Times on May 3, 2008.

Bogus Contractors Make Their Rounds At Woodlands Drive

Source : Channel NewsAsia, 04 May 2008

Bogus contractors are apparently making their rounds at Woodlands Drive.

Residents said contractors claiming to be from the town council and the Housing and Development Board (HDB) have been knocking on their doors.

The contractors showed some form of identification document to justify their claims before recommending that residents change their door locks.

They cited a rise in theft cases in the area.

HDB said changing door locks is not part of any of its upgrading or maintenance programmes.

It said flat owners will be informed beforehand if maintenance or rectification works need to be done in their flat.

Flat owners will also be notified on who will carry out the works and when such works will be done.

Residents are advised to call the police if the contractors continue to harass them, and if they suspect they could have been misled by these so-called HDB-appointed contractors. - CNA/ac

Buffett Says US In Recession; Banks To Face Pain

Source : The Straits Times, May 5, 2008

OMAHA (Nebraska) - MR Warren Buffett, the world's richest person, said the United States economy is in recession, putting him at odds with a government report that showed weak growth.

Mr Buffett offered his assessment during a wide-ranging news conference on Sunday, a day after a record 31,000 shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway attended the insurance and investment company's annual meeting in Omaha.

Last Wednesday, the Commerce Department said the economy grew at a 0.6 per cent annual rate in the first quarter. But Mr Buffett said the nation's population also grew, making the real growth rate lower. He also said that, even if the data do not show the economy retracting, people feel as though it is.

'The US is in recession as I define it,' Mr Buffett said. 'I would define that as a situation where people are doing less well than they were three months, six months or eight months earlier and most businesses find themselves in that position too.

'If were are in a non-recession, I don't think people want to see it going in the same direction as it is and saying it's wonderful.'

Weakness at Berkshire units that sell bricks, carpets and other products dependent on a healthy housing market contributed to a 64 per cent decline in overall first-quarter profit.

Housing remains a critical problem, he said, as hundreds of thousands of homeowners find their mortgage payments heading higher, or that their homes are worth less than they owe.

Mr Buffett said he wrote US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson a letter in which he favoured giving people taking out mortgages one-page statements, headlined 'Warning' in red, describing the maximum rates they could face.

While Mr Buffett said the government could help borrowers who were misled on what they would owe, he opposed helping people simply because their home values have dropped, or investors who bought mortgage securities without understanding the risks.

Borrowers, he said, 'shouldn't be penalised for being misled, but shouldn't be protected against mistakes'. He estimated that more than 80 per cent of borrowers with 'option' or 'pick-a-payment' mortgages that let them pay less than the principal due, in fact did so, and that many now owe more than their homes' values.

'Surprise, surprise,' he added.

Bear Stearns a 'watershed'
Mr Buffett said housing problems will weigh down bank results for 'a couple of years' and the industry's large losses and write-downs due to bad debts are not over 'by a long shot'. 'There's going to be more pain, sure,' he said.

Yet Mr Buffett said the US Federal Reserve's brokering in March of JPMorgan Chase's purchase of the nearly bankrupt investment bank Bear Stearns averted a 'contagion', including possible runs on other investment banks.

'The idea of a financial panic ... has been pretty well taken care of,' he said. 'That was a watershed event.' But shareholders could still be hurt.

Alluding to a large stock offering last week by Citigroup, which lost close to US$15 billion (S$20 billion) over the last two quarters, Mr Buffett said: 'Citigroup is replenishing its stock at US$25 when it was buying it back not too long ago at US$50. Many institutions not only grew the Kool-Aid, but drank it ... They paid a price, but the price was really paid by shareholders.'

And Mr Buffett said banks need better risk management. He said he recently considered the prospects of a large investment bank, which he did not identify, by reading its 270-page annual report. He said he highlighted 25 pages where he did not understand what he had read.

'I decided not to pick that one,' Mr Buffett added.

Heightened risk may also affect government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Mr Buffett said the government 'is asking (them) to take on more risk per mortgage and more (risk in) their portfolio. By any other standard of government operation, they wouldn't be able to borrow another dime'.

Buying in Britain
Mr Buffett, 77, said Berkshire still has three internal candidates to replace him eventually as chief executive officer, including one who would step in immediately, and four candidates to succeed him as chief investment officer. He has not publicly identified any of the candidates.

Since taking it over in 1965, Mr Buffett has built Berkshire into a US$207 billion conglomerate of about 76 operating units, and about US$147 billion of stocks, bonds and cash.

On Sunday, Mr Buffett said Berkshire may be 'close' to buying a medium-sized British company and 'will look' at Royal Bank of Scotland's insurance operations, including its Direct Line home and car insurance business. RBS said last month it may sell all or some insurance operations.

Mr Buffett also said some bond insurers that rival his new Berkshire Hathaway Assurance do not deserve their 'triple-A' credit ratings. He said this may be one reason Berkshire, also rated triple-A, was able to capture US$400 million of business in its first full quarter.

'The US$400 million we wrote in the first quarter were entirely secondary market transactions,' he said. 'We see every day that people are coming to us and paying us more than they paid to the original bond insurer.' -- REUTERS

Asean Nations Agree To Set Up S$109b Crisis Fund

Source : The Straits Times, May 5, 2008

MADRID - FINANCE ministers of 13 Asian nations agreed here on Sunday to set up a foreign exchange pool of at least US$80 billion (S$109 billion) to be used in the event of another regional financial crisis.

China, Japan and South Korea will provide 80 per cent of the funds, with the rest coming from the 10 members of Asean, they said in a joint statement issued after talks on the sidelines of an Asian Development Bank meeting in Madrid.

The 13 nations agreed after the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis to set up a mainly bilateral currency swap scheme known as the Chiang Mai Initiative (CMI) to protect their currencies from turmoil in the future.

At the ADB's last annual meeting in Japan in May 2007, they decided to set aside part of their foreign reserves for a multi-nation system of reserves for use in emergencies, but did not decide on the size of the pool.

'We are committed to further accelerate our work in order to reach consensus on all of the elements which include concrete conditions eligible for borrowing and contents of convenants specified in borrowing arrangements,' the statement said.

The foreign exchange pool would be self-managed and be governed by a single contract that will be legally binding, it added.

Vietnam's Finance Minister Vu Van Ninh, who co-chaired the Madrid meeting, said the 13 nations would now work to develop a way of monitoring the fund.

'We think it is very important to have a rigorous surveillance system, especially in the context that regional economies have made an important and big integration into the world economy,' he told reporters.

Japanese Finance Minister Fukushiro Nukaga, the other meeting co-chair, did not give a timeline for the the creation of the fund when asked, saying only that it 'should be achievable in terms of its objectives.'

The creation of the pool is a big step towards the creation af an Asian equivalent of the Washington-based International Monetary Fund (IMF).

During the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis, Indonesia, Thailand and South Korea had to borrow heavily from the IMF to boost their finances as investors sold their currencies.

The IMF forced the governments of the three nations to make unpopular spending cuts, sell state-owned firms and raise interest rates in exchange for the loans of over US$100 billion.

Asian economies are being challenged by rising energy and commodity prices as well as the vulnerability of financial markets, the finance ministers said in the statement.

'The regional economy has continued its strong growth and is forecast to remain robust although somewhat weaker,' it said.

'We confirmed the importance of taking appropriate actions to ensure that economic activity continues at a sustained pace by balancing policies to deal with these risks,' it added.

The ADB predicts Asia's developing economies will expand by 7.6 per cent in 2008, its lowest level in five years, after surging ahead 8.7 per cent last year.

Inflation in the region should hit 5.1 per cent this year, its highest level since the 1997-1998 financial crisis.

The 13 countries are China, Japan, South Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), made up of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. -- AFP

Middle East Investors 'Looking To S-E Asia'

Source : The Straits Times, May 5, 2008

MIDDLE Eastern investors are increasingly looking to Singapore and other South-east Asian nations for deals as financial ties grow between the two regions.

So says Standard Chartered (Stanchart) Bank's group head for origination and client coverage, Mr V. Shankar.

Stanchart is well-positioned to become a leading player in this area. In the past year, it has advised on more than 40 per cent of the deal flow from Middle East to this region, which totalled US$8 billion (S$10.9 billion).

The figure was up from the US$987 million in the 12 months preceding, and Mr Shankar believes it will continue to rise in the years ahead.

'The financial ties between the Middle East and Asia are strengthening by the day and we are seeing more East-East relationships being formed,' he said in a recent interview.

'Oil and natural gas from the Middle East are vital for China, Japan and all the fast-growing markets in the Asia-Pacific region, which are fast ramping up their infrastructure.

'And the oil-generated capital and liquidity in the Middle East are fuelling a search for investments with high returns.'

Mr Shankar added that a recent report by McKinsey estimated that Gulf countries would have US$9 trillion to invest by 2020.

Stanchart began boosting its presence in the Middle East three years ago and now has a team of 50 corporate advisers there.

Mr Shankar, who is also a member of Stanchart's group management committee, said this put the bank in an enviable position as Singapore's business with the Gulf looks set to soar.

'Between 2004 and 2006, total trade between Singapore and the Middle East shot up from US$20.9 billion to US$30.8 billion, an increase of 47 per cent.

'Currently, Singapore companies are working on more than $6 billion worth of projects in the Middle East.'

Stanchart is no stranger to deals between the Republic and Gulf countries. It recently advised the Al-Futtaim group in its successful bid for Singapore's oldest retailer, Robinson & Co.

Looking ahead, Mr Shankar said the bank would leverage on its experience and capabilities in the region to shore up its position as a major player.

'Stanchart is well-placed to seize future opportunities, thanks to our growing geographical reach and the scale and breadth of our products and capabilities.

'We have an established history in Singapore, having been in the market for 150 years, and we have been operating in the Middle East for more than 50 years. We feel we can act as a strong local bank in all the different markets for our clients.'

Worst Of Wall Street Crisis Over, Says Buffett

Source : The Straits Times, May 5, 2008

Credit crunch has eased for bankers but Berkshire chief sees more pain for people with individual mortgages

Omaha - MR WARREN Buffett, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Berkshire Hathaway, said the global credit crunch has eased for bankers, and the Federal Reserve probably averted more failures by helping to rescue Bear Stearns.

'The worst of the crisis in Wall Street is over,' he said last Saturday on Bloomberg Television. 'In terms of people with individual mortgages, there's a lot of pain left to come.'

The billionaire was interviewed before the annual meeting of the company, which is based in Omaha, Nebraska.

Mr Buffett, who is listed as the world's richest man by Forbes magazine, said the Fed acted properly when it arranged a US$2.4 billion (S$3.3 billion) buyout in March of New York-based Bear Stearns by JPMorgan Chase.

He said he turned down the opportunity to buy the troubled investment bank because he lacked enough capital and time to craft a solution. More failures and wider panic may have resulted if the regulators had not halted the run on Bear Stearns, he added.

'The worry was that there would be contagion; it was a very real worry,' he said. 'If Bear Stearns had gone, the next day, somebody else would have gone. It could've been a very, very, very chaotic situation.'

Mr Buffett said he was contacted in March before JPMorgan, the third-biggest United States bank by assets, agreed to buy Bear Stearns.

The person calling him, whom he would not identify, was 'someone responsible' and was not from the Fed or the Treasury.

'As I understand it, Bear Stearns had US$65 billion due on Monday and I didn't have US$65 billion,' Mr Buffett said. 'I couldn't get my mind around that situation in the required time.' New York-based JPMorgan was the right buyer for Bear Stearns, he added.

JPMorgan agreed in mid-March to acquire Bear Stearns, once the fifth-biggest US securities firm, after customers grew concerned about the company's health and pulled out their money, leaving Bear Stearns short on cash.

JPMorgan, which received financial support from the Fed, raised the purchase price a week later to US$10 a share from US$2 to mollify Bear Stearns shareholders who said they were not getting enough.

In a question-and-answer session at the shareholder meeting, Mr Buffett said that from a risk perspective, some banks got 'too big to manage'. Berkshire's own investment in derivative contracts has recovered US$500 million to US$600 million of lost value since end-March.

The company will make 'significant money' from the derivatives over the long term, he said at the meeting, which was attended by a record 31,000 shareholders.

He and Berkshire vice-chairman Charlie Munger fielded questions for five hours, often humorously, on investing, the economy, politics and life. Attendance has soared since Berkshire in 1996 created Class B shares worth 1/30th of a Class A share. These made it easier for ordinary investors to invest with Mr Buffett.

On the issue of succession, Mr Buffett, 77, said Berkshire still has three internal candidates to eventually succeed him as CEO, and four candidates to become chief investment officer.

To replace him, Berkshire plans to split his job into three parts - chief investment officer, CEO and chairman.

Mr Buffett has refused to publicly identify the candidates, but he has said previously that after he dies, his son will take over as chairman to ensure Berkshire's culture is preserved. Mr Howard Buffett already serves on the board.

BLOOMBERG NEWS, REUTERS, ASSOCIATED PRESS


US$65 BILLION? I DON'T HAVE THAT MUCH

'As I understand it, Bear Stearns had US$65 billion due on Monday and I didn't have US$65 billion.'

BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY CEO WARREN BUFFETT, on why he turned down the opportunity to buy Bear Stearns. He added that the Federal Reserve acted properly when it arranged a US$2.4 billion buyout in March of the troubled investment bank by JPMorgan Chase.

En-Bloc System Needs Relook, As Bayshore Shows

Source : The Straits Times, May 5, 2008

IF THE Government still thinks the current laws under the Building Maintenance and Strata Management Act and the Land Titles (Strata) Act (Amendment) are sufficient to regulate the issues of collective property sales, this tale of two condos may provide food for thought, especially as the Government has invited feedback on these laws.

On April 27, Bayshore Park and Mandarin Gardens both held annual general meetings. These two estates, with more than 1,000 units each, sit on 1 million sq ft of land next to the sea.

Both have got a collective sale initiative off the ground, with sale committees elected. With the support of pro-sale residents, voting powers are then used to control the rest of the estate, even though the votes represent only a minority of residents. Let me illustrate:

In Bayshore Park, the pro-sale group outvoted other residents on crucial issues and in selection of council members. Averaging 60 per cent of votes cast at the AGM, this roughly 20 per cent of residents (as only 30 per cent of owners were represented at the AGM) voted down a proposed increase in maintenance charges in line with current inflation, voted for a lower increase in the sinking fund, voted down crucial replacement of copper pipes in the common corridors and voted down any exploration of corridor upgrading. In addition, they voted for a reduction in council seats to nine, making sure four sale committee members were voted into the council, and ensured that four of the five previous council members retained had exhibited pro-sale inclinations. They made sure two previous council members who did not favour sale were not re-elected. I was one of the two.

At Mandarin Gardens, in a similar vein, the pro-sale camp mustered enough proxy forms to control 65 per cent of the votes in the AGM. They defeated a motion to reduce water ponding of walkways and lift lobbies to improve safety, and passed a resolution to reduce management council (MC) expenditure limits from $300,000 to $50,000 making it almost impossible for the MC to function. Consequently, the incumbent council refused to stand for re-election. Even more devastating, the pro-sale camp fielded no candidates for council. Hence, no council was elected.

The law was not broken at either AGM. However, many of us affected are sure the law was not designed to produce such outcomes.

Augustine Cheah

En Bloc Uproar At Bayshore Park, Mandarin Gardens

Source : The Straits Times, May 5, 2008

Sales committees rein in estate councils, irking owners who want to upkeep homes

THE market for en bloc sales may have gone dead quiet, but the issue is still raising a ruckus at two of Singapore's most iconic condominium developments in the East.

Sales committees pushing for the collective sales of Mandarin Gardens and Bayshore Park have been accused of trying to control the management councils running these estates and voting down proposals to upgrade estate facilities.

TALL ORDER: With $2 billion each needed to buy Mandarin Gardens (left) or Bayshore Park, analysts say their collective sales are unlikely in the current market. -- ST FILE PHOTOS





The committees, made up of residents who are pro-en bloc, have denied the charges.

Still, things came to a head last Sunday at both condos' respective annual general meetings (AGM), which lasted up to 10 hours each.

Sales committees are ad hoc committees formed by residents to explore the potential of an en bloc sale. They are different from the management council, which is appointed at the AGM by residents to run the estate and look into the upgrading of facilities.

Residents against en bloc sales at both condos claim that the sales committees had gone round collecting proxy votes from residents so as to control the outcome of the AGMs.

Mandarin Gardens' emotional AGM has left the 25-year-old estate with no management council at all. The existing council quit and refused to be re-elected because of some resolutions passed at the AGM. At the centre of the dispute was a controversial proposal by the sales committee, which was formed last year, to reduce the management council's current limit of $300,000 for expenses on urgent matters to $50,000. This was successful as the sales committee had enough proxy votes to form the majority. Council chairman Neoh Chin Chee said in a letter to residents last week that the resolutions passed made it 'untenable or difficult to carry on as a council member'. Proposals to upgrade the condo's rainshields and swimming pool tiles were also not approved.

The AGM was eventually adjourned when not enough candidates were nominated.

One resident Jeannette Aruldoss, 44, a lawyer, told The Straits Times that the $50,000 limit restricted the role of the council to run the estate. In emergencies, this fund may not be enough to address safety issues, she said.

But sales committee chairman Mr Tan Kok Khoon said some residents had felt the $300,000 limit was too high.

Over at the 21-year-old Bayshore Park estate, the sales committee proposed and pushed through a resolution to reduce the council members from 14 to nine.

Of the nine, four are also on the sales committee, so some residents are upset about the change.

Bayshore resident Mr S.K. Cheah, 40, a sales director, feels there could be a conflict of interest since sales committee members are likely to act in the interest of a sale, above that of the estate.

He noted that at the AGM, some resolutions for maintenance and upgrading were also voted down.

Another Bayshore Park resident, who declined to be named, commented that one common tactic used by many sales committees is to 'run the estate down' or keep maintenance to a minimum, so residents have little choice but to vote for a sale later.

But Bayshore's sales committee member Alan Chua told The Straits Times that they had no intention of doing that.

'We've lived here for many years and love this place, why would we do that?' he said.

On the en bloc sale potential, Savills Singapore director (marketing and business development) Ku Swee Yong noted that at least $2 billion each would be needed to buy each estate - a tall order even when the market is good. 'With the current market, the sale is impossible,' he said.

New Residential Buildings Must Now Meet Minimum Standards For Energy Efficiency

Source : Channel NewsAsia, 03 May 2008

New residential properties must now include basic environment-friendly features before the building plans are approved.

This is a requirement introduced on 15 April by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA).

Under the new guidelines, BCA has set a limit on the amount of heat that can enter a residential building through its facade. This limit is called the Residential Envelope Transmittance Value. Such a criterion already exists for commercial properties.

A house with floor-to-ceiling glass designs and little concrete all around. Such a look has become increasingly popular among private residential properties in Singapore.

Related Video :- http://tinyurl.com/6pr8ex

The full-height window design exudes an air of elegance and makes the rooms look larger. But such a design is not environmentally-friendly.

".....because during the day, a lot of heat will be trapped inside the unit and when you turn on the air-conditioning, it'll work harder than normal," said BCA's deputy director for technology development, Ang Kian Seng.

This is why the BCA hopes that designers will incorporate 'green' features at the planning stage.

Today, more than 30 residential properties in Singapore have floor-to-ceiling glass designs. The BCA says such architecture is not suitable for a tropical country like Singapore.

In fact, if architects use less glass in their designs, they could actually save more money in overall construction costs. Consumers would then stand to benefit.

BCA's Mr Ang said: "Typically in a residential unit, 60 percent of the electricity bills will have to be used for air-conditioning. So with this (heat limit) requirement, typically you're looking at 10-20 percent kind of savings for the home owner....With our buildings properly designed....that can go a long way to delay the construction of a power plant, for example......instead of wasting energy and the load goes up, you may need a plant earlier than before."

So a 'greener' home now is a practical step towards a healthier environment in future. - CNA/ir

HDB Rental Market Remains Strong

Source : The Straits Timies, May 4, 2008

Flats much sought after because of spillover demand from private homes market, but agents say rents are unlikely to rise much more

The rental market for Housing Board flats remains hot, with rents up in the first quarter as more home owners apply for permission to rent out whole flats.

Rents for some executive flats in Queenstown have gone as high as $2,900 a month, a price previously seen only with private apartments.












Property agents say that although prices are flattening out, rental demand for HDB flats remains strong, thanks partly to spillover demand from the private homes market, where rents surged dramatically last year.

More Western expatriates can be found renting HDB flats these days. However, demand for HDB flats still comes mainly from Malaysian, Chinese and Indian nationals working in Singapore, says Mr Eugene Lim, an assistant vice-president of ERA Realty Network.

'Although HDB rentals have gone up, HDB flats are still among the cheapest forms of rental housing for them,' he said.

'Demand will continue to rise mainly because of the continuous influx of foreign talent, especially with the upcoming casino and international events such as Formula One,' said Mr Steven Tan, the executive director of the residential division at OrangeTee.com.

Nevertheless, rentals are unlikely to surge from current levels. 'We are starting to see some resistance,' said Mr Tan.

In Toa Payoh, which is close to town, first-quarter median rents ranged from $1,400 for a three-room flat to $1,780 for a four-roomer and $2,150 for a five-roomer, going by HDB data.

How much an HDB flat can fetch in rent depends on its location. Rents for some executive flats in Queenstown have gone as high as $2,900 a month, a price previously seen only with private apartments. -- ST FILE PHOTO

A little farther up north, first-quarter median rents in Ang Mo Kio started at a lower $1,300 for a three-room flat and moved up to $1,880 for a five-roomer.

While Tampines might be some distance from town, median rents for flats in the regional commercial hub ranged from $1,480 for a three-room flat to $1,950 for a five-roomer.

How much a flat can fetch depends on its location. Those next to MRT stations tend to command more, agents say.

Five-room flats in Choa Chu Kang fetched a median monthly rent of $1,480; those in Bukit Merah, $2,000.

Executive flats, some of which used to fetch monthly rents similar to those for five-room flats, now go for more, starting from $1,530 and going as high as $2,900.

'HDB rentals are quite high now. I think this is the limit,' says property agent Germaine Ng. 'I already saw resistance two months ago. Fewer tenants are coming to the market.'

Even if rents remain at current levels, HDB flats would make attractive investments, albeit only for those who are eligible to rent them out. Flat owners can rent out their entire unit after occupying it for three years. This minimum occupation period goes up to five years if they bought the flat with a subsidy or housing grant.

For instance, a five-room flat in Ang Mo Kio might be worth just $400,000 but it could fetch a monthly rent of $1,800, which would give a yield of 5.4 per cent.

'This is a very good yield considering that rental yields for private homes usually fall below 4 per cent,' said Mr Lim.

This explains why more and more people want to rent out entire flats. In the first three months of this year, 3,581 flat owners - most of them with three- or four-room flats - were given approval to rent out their flats.

Last year, 12,808 sub-letting approvals, of which about a third were for three-room flats, were given. In 2006, 8,544 approvals were given.

HDB flat owners can apply online for sub-letting approvals. Those who want to rent out just the rooms do not need HDB approval to do so, but they must continue to live in the flat and comply with other sub-letting conditions.


QUICK TIPS

How you can improve your rentals

# The flat should be in move-in condition, with a fully fitted kitchen, washing machine and television set. Air-conditioning will be a plus.

# Keep the flat simply decorated. Do give it a fresh coat of paint if it needs one.

# Flats with interiors that resemble a condominium's can fetch more. A three-room flat near Tanjong Pagar MRT station was rented out at $2,600 a month after the owner spent $40,000 to renovate it.

'When you walk into the flat, it feels like a condo,' says agent Germaine Ng.

Source: Agents


What you need to know as a landlord

# While you can rent your flat to several people, there is a limit you must observe.

HDB allows a maximum of four occupiers in one- and two-room flats, six in three-room flats and eight in four-room or bigger flats.

# Make sure your sub-tenants do not further sub-let the flat, which is not allowed.

# If you rent your flats to foreigners, make sure they entered Singapore lawfully and are remaining here lawfully. Otherwise, you might be guilty of harbouring immigration offenders.

Source: HDB

Small Firms Bought Bulk Of En Bloc Sale Sites

Source : The Strait Times, May 05, 2008

Some may be forced to call off deals because of financing woes, says BNP report

A REPORT by a major bank has flagged potential financing concerns for small property developers that swooped in on the collective sale boom in the second half of last year.

BNP Paribas said that given the current turmoil in the financial market, some of these small operators might face financing problems as they move to finalise deals struck in the property market heyday last year.















In fact, some may be forced to cancel the deals and walk away, it warned.

The report by the French bank said that most of the collective sales done in the second half of last year were by small private developers, contractor- cum-developers and non-core developers.

They included Soilbuild, Hiap Hoe, Lian Beng, KSH Holdings, Koh Brothers, Popular Holdings, Aspial Corporation and Eastern Holdings.

'In the near future, we are concerned that some smaller players that have secured big and expensive en bloc sites may walk away from the deals as securing financing is not easy at this time, especially for non-core developers,' said the recent report.

Already, a small private firm, Bravo Building Construction, said to be backed by a one-time big property player, has bailed out of three collective sale deals.

In all three deals, it has had to give up its deposit, which ranged from 1 per cent to 10 per cent of the sale price.

The biggest of the three deals was the $516 million purchase of Tulip Garden, for which Bravo had to forfeit its $25.8 million deposit.

A property consultant, who declined to be named, said the smaller buyers last year were mostly listed firms and thus unlikely to renege on their deals.

'Some small privately owned firms are looking for joint-venture partners for their development sites or to divest the sites,' said Credo Real Estate's executive director, Mr Tan Hong Boon. 'But they will sell only if they can get a reasonable market price.'

Mr Nicholas Mak, the director of research and consultancy at Knight Frank, said: 'The last time developers defaulted on deals was when there was a prolonged downturn.

'But we have yet to enter a price decline situation. The jury is still out on whether the property market will suffer a downturn.'