Singapore property stocks are on the up thanks to the recent easing of buying restrictions.
The Singapore government sparked renewed interest in its property market after it relaxed buying curbs back in March once the sluggish market had begun to pick up momentum once again.
It is now predicted that the county’s property market will have the best annual performance in five years, and that the upward curve will continue on.
Property stocks, including City Developments and UOL Group, are already reporting gains, with developers and property trusts making up half of the ten best-performing stocks on the Straits Times Index.
“Prices are moving upwards again, albeit in a more gradual direction, [and] market interest is more positive in terms of transactions,” commented Andrew Gillan, head of equities for Asia, excluding Japan, at Janus Henderson Group. “That’s going to bode relatively well for earnings,” he added, in reference to those developers that purchased land for reasonable costs during the downturn.
However there are still some concerns regarding the recovery of the Singapore property market, as recent figures released by the Singapore government reported that sales decreased by 34% in May. The drop was blamed on fewer new projects being marketed.
Another concern is, that if sales begin to pick up at a rate of knots once again, then further buying curbs maybe introduced once again.
“If volume really start to pick up quite strongly, then we will see more measures from the Monetary Authority of Singapore,” warned Mixo Das, Nomura’s Southeast Asian equity strategist, referring to the city-state’s central bank.
“That’s something I can’t rule out, it’s certainly a possibility.”
