The recently concluded IMF/World Bank meetings have given the hotel industry many reasons to smile. According to the Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, both occupancy rates and room rates rose significantly over the past two months compared to June. However, over the longer term, Jones Lang LaSalle says some 20,000 hotel rooms are needed to support the government's vision of doubling tourist arrivals to 17...

Advance estimates showed that Singapore's real gross domestic product (GDP) rose by 7.1 per cent in the third quarter compared to the same period in 2005, says the Ministry of Trade and Industry.On a quarter-on-quarter seasonally adjusted annualised basis, real GDP grew by 6.0 per cent, compared with a 3.4 per cent expansion in the preceding quarter. The advance estimates, based largely on data from July...

One of the most common pieces of financial advice is to make and stick to a budget. But what does that mean exactly? It’s easy to know if you can or cannot afford that purchase at the grocery store simply by looking in your wallet. But how do you know if you can handle big-ticket items like a car or a plasma TV? Knowing how to budget can mean the difference between early retirement and working until...

Rentals for retail properties in Singapore are poised to increase by between 5 and 9 percent this year. A report by property consultant Knight Frank says supply of new retail space in the prime shopping areas remains scarce despite the opening of mega malls such as VivoCity at the HarbourFront area. For the third quarter, Knight Frank says shop space rental in the Marina Centre area moved up 2.5 percent...

Fund manager Henderson Global Investors is upbeat about the global property and real estate investment trust industry.It says while REITs were introduced into most Asian countries only recently, demand has led to the industry growing by some 2.5 times in 2005 over the previous year. REITs are fast becoming an important asset class for investors. This is the view of Henderson Global, which has some US$116...

Not only is it taking longer to sell homes in the current real estate market, but it's also taking more time to negotiate most purchase contracts. Factor this into your game plan as you forge ahead in the new home-sale market. Some people have an adverse reaction to negotiation. They would rather state their price upfront, along with a message to the other party to either take it or leave it. Last year,...

Thailand's booming property market is cooling off this year, with analysts expecting sales to remain flat due to rising interest rates and a general slowdown in the economy. Despite strong demand for downtown condos in Bangkok and resort properties, the overall market in Thailand slumped by 4.5 percent in the seven months to July, according to Kasikorn Research Center. Several analysts said last...

Situated on the longest coastal stretch of Sentosa Cove, The Coast is the only condominium in this premier residential enclave to feature views of both the panoramic vista of the South China Sea and the enchanting waterways of Sentosa Cove for all units. It will provide an unparalleled setting for your abode. In fact, you'll probably just feel as if the high seas belong to you. The Coast comprises 249...

Singapore's housing market, dead for five years, is suddenly gripped by frenzy.   Developers are falling over each other to buy older condominiums en bloc from their individual owners only to tear them down and build anew.   So far this year, such collective purchases have amounted to $6 billion, three times the figure for all of last year. The builders reckon that when the new apartments are ready...

The Marina Bay Financial Centre (MBFC) will be a vibrant "live-work-play" focal point for the new downtown when it is completed in 2010, akin to the Rockefeller Centre in New York and Canary Wharf in London, said its development consortium at the unveiling ceremony yesterday.  BFC Development — a joint venture by Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-Shing's Cheung Kong Holdings, Hong Kong Land and Keppel Land —...