logo
BlackRock buys Singapore serviced apartment asset

BlackRock buys Singapore serviced apartment asset

Business Times21-05-2025

[SINGAPORE] A BlackRock-led consortium is buying the freehold Momentus Serviced Residences Novena at 12 Shan Road, for just over S$100 million, The Business Times understands.
The 15-storey block is being sold by a joint venture comprising Roxy-Pacific Holdings, Macly Capital and LWH Holdings. The development's 78 serviced apartments comprise studio, one and two-bedroom apartments. Facilities include a swimming pool, a fitness room and a rooftop garden.
The property is currently operated by SingHaiyi Group's hospitality arm, Momentus. However, this arrangement is expected to be terminated as part of the sale.
BlackRock is said to have a local partner, believed to be an entity linked to Matthew Ong of SLB Development, for the purchase of 12 Shan Road.
Formerly known as 12 On Shan, the building was completed in 2018 with a gross floor area of 68,048 sq ft.
The property is about 550 metres from Novena MRT Station. It is also near Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, and the Velocity@Novena Square and Square 2 malls.
A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU
Tuesday, 12 pm Property Insights
Get an exclusive analysis of real estate and property news in Singapore and beyond.
Sign Up
Sign Up
The Roxy-Pacific-led consortium acquired the serviced apartment building in 2022 from TA Corporation for S$86.5 million.
Earlier this month, a tie-up between BlackRock and YTL entered into a purchase of the 299-unit Citadines Raffles Place for S$280 million.
The serviced residence is within the CapitaSpring building, which is on a site in Market Street with a 99-year leasehold tenure that began on Feb 1, 1982; this leaves about 55 years and nine months on the lease.
The serviced apartments are on levels nine to 16 of the 51-storey building which also has a food centre, offices and pockets of retail space.
Citadines Raffles Place is being sold by a 45:45:10 joint venture involving CapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust, CapitaLand Development and Mitsubishi Estate, respectively.
CapitaLand Investments' lodging arm, The Ascott, continues to manage the property, comprising studios, one-bedders, two-bedders and lofts. The units range from about 215 square feet (sq ft) to 646 sq ft.
Last year, BlackRock teamed up with Weave Leaving for the S$148 million purchase of the 154-unit Citadines Mount Sophia; the asset had a balance leasehold estate of about 81 years at the time.
The property, which was sold by CapitaLand Ascott Trust, has since been refurbished and rebranded Weave Suites - Hillside, comprising 175 units.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Trump's tariffs, ‘big beautiful Bill' may do more for the Singapore market than the MAS review group
Trump's tariffs, ‘big beautiful Bill' may do more for the Singapore market than the MAS review group

Business Times

time10 hours ago

  • Business Times

Trump's tariffs, ‘big beautiful Bill' may do more for the Singapore market than the MAS review group

[SINGAPORE] When news broke early last Thursday (May 29) morning that a US federal court had struck down most of President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs, I was almost done selling a portfolio of US stocks that I had held since the global financial crisis. With a tinge of seller's remorse, I watched markets in Asia react positively and waited for what I assumed would be a strong rally in the S&P 500 when the US market opened. The rally never really came. The S&P 500 closed on Thursday at 5,912.17, just 0.4 per cent higher than the previous day's close of 5,888.55. On Friday, the benchmark US stock index closed less than 0.01 per cent lower at 5,911.69. One possible reason for the muted market reaction is that many investors were already expecting that Trump would somehow suspend the tariffs as soon as they begin causing significant damage to the US economy and corporate sector. Indeed, Trump has repeatedly postponed or pulled back tariffs he has announced since his inauguration, causing the market to quickly rebound after big sell-offs. Market watchers have recently begun referring to this as the 'Taco trade', where Taco means 'Trump always chickens out'. One could also argue that the ruling by the US court that most of Trump's tariffs are illegal, rather than being positive for the corporate sector and investors, actually creates more uncertainty for them. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Tuesday, 12 pm Property Insights Get an exclusive analysis of real estate and property news in Singapore and beyond. Sign Up Sign Up The Trump administration has said it will fight the ruling, and indicated that it may ultimately have to take the matter to the US Supreme Court. In the meantime, a federal appeals court has allowed Trump's tariffs to remain in place. This puts America's trading partners in a tricky situation. Should they quickly offer concessions to get the US to lower its 'reciprocal' tariffs? Or should they slow-walk the negotiations in the hope that the courts eventually force a full rollback of the tariffs? For companies, this uncertainty could complicate long-term decision making. Should companies exporting to the US market take immediate steps to cope with the tariffs, perhaps by downsizing or relocating their business operations? Should US companies turn to alternative, but less efficient, global supply chains? Or should they all just wait for their respective governments to sort everything out? The way I see it, protracted uncertainty surrounding Trump's tariffs may end up causing just as much harm to companies than the tariffs themselves, by paralysing spending and investing decisions. Taco trade crowded While I firmly believe in long-term investing, unloading most of the US stocks I owned over the past couple of weeks was a no-brainer. In the first place, the S&P 500 had rebounded strongly from its post-'Liberation Day' lows, thanks in large part to Trump pausing his tariffs only hours after they had gone into effect, plainly demonstrating that he did not have the stomach for the economic and financial market fallout that would have followed. The benchmark US stock index is now more than 4.2 per cent above its Apr 2 close, and only 3.8 per cent below its 52-week high of 6,147.43. There could well be more volatility ahead as Trump continues his tariff antics. In the past week alone, he has walked back his threat to slap a 50 per cent tariff on the European Union; proposed to double tariffs on steel and aluminium to 50 per cent; and grumbled that China is violating its trade truce with the US. Given the extent of S&P 500's recovery, however, the notion that Trump's tariffs will ultimately be watered down may not drive the benchmark index much higher. The Taco acronym might only just have gone viral, but the Taco trade is already looking very crowded. Another factor that could cap further gains in the S&P 500 is growing concern about the rising level of US government debt. Trump is pushing a tax and spending Bill through the US Congress that will add more than US$3 trillion to the federal government's debt levels over 10 years. This could exacerbate upward pressure on US Treasury bond yields, especially after Moody's cut its credit rating on the US last month, from 'Aaa' to 'Aa1'. Then, there is the risk of the Trump administration hitting global investors with higher taxes on their US assets – either to gain leverage in trade negotiations or to simply reduce its debt costs. Over the past week, some market watchers have been pointing out that Trump's 'big, beautiful Bill' includes a small, ugly clause that would allow the US government to raise tax rates on interest and dividends earned by investors from countries with 'discriminatory' tax policies. Penalising foreign investors in this manner makes about as much sense as threatening one's trading partners with punitive tariffs, of course. But it is consistent with the 'America first' philosophy of the Trump administration – with voters at home baying for tax cuts as well as wider social safety nets, surely it is time for foreign investors to take a haircut. A more vibrant Asia? Is there an alternative to the US market for nervous investors? This column has previously said that dysfunction in the US is encouraging the flow of global capital to Europe and Asia. My instinct is that sustained increased investor demand in these markets will gradually fuel a virtuous cycle of capital raising and stronger growth. This trend could dovetail nicely with the efforts of the equities market review group formed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). While there has been no let-up in the pace of Singapore-listed companies going private, the overall tone of the market has been turning increasingly positive. The Straits Times Index (STI) is up 2.8 per cent so far this year. Leading it higher are companies reporting solid financial numbers and taking steps to deliver shareholder value – including ST Engineering (up 67.8 per cent), Singtel (up 23.7 per cent), Sembcorp Industries (up 19.9 per cent), DFI Retail (up 19.5 per cent), and Hongkong Land (up 16.2 per cent). Even among counters that have lagged the STI this year, positive news has not gone unnoticed. Notably, Sats rose 3.7 per cent last week after reporting strong results for its financial year to March 2025. The STI climbed 0.3 per cent during the week. CapitaLand Ascendas Reit ended last week up 2.3 per cent, following a S$500 million placement that was 4.1 times subscribed, to fund the acquisition of a data centre in Tai Seng and a building in Science Park. As Trump's tariffs and the 'big, beautiful Bill' continue to frighten investors out of US financial assets, he might end up doing more for the Singapore market than the MAS review group.

New home prices in China rise on policy hope, private survey shows
New home prices in China rise on policy hope, private survey shows

Business Times

timea day ago

  • Business Times

New home prices in China rise on policy hope, private survey shows

[BEIJING] The average price of new homes across 100 cities in China climbed 0.30 per cent in May, suggesting supportive policies could be yielding some effect, according to a private survey released by property researcher China Index Academy on Sunday (Jun 1). The increase was almost double the last month's rate of increase at 0.14 per cent. New home prices have been under pressure even as Chinese policymakers plough in efforts since last year to stabilise the sector with supportive measures, including most recently lowering lending rates to spur real estate purchases. 'Overall, the current macro policy support for the property market has been increasing,' the real estate research institute said in a report posted on its WeChat account. New home prices in first- and second-tier cities were surveyed rising from a month ago, with Shanghai topping the list of 100 cities. On a year-on-year basis, the average prices for new homes rose faster at 2.56 per cent, versus 2.50 per cent in April. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Tuesday, 12 pm Property Insights Get an exclusive analysis of real estate and property news in Singapore and beyond. Sign Up Sign Up China's statistics bureau will release the official data for home prices on June 16. The market continued to see a persistently high volume of listings for second-hand residential units, keeping prices lower in that segment, it said. Prices of second-hand properties fell 0.71 per cent from a month ago, and 7.24 per cent year-on-year. That compared with April's declines of 0.69 per cent and 7.23 per cent, respectively. The property market, accounting for roughly a quarter of economic activity at its peak, is where some 70 per cent of China's household wealth is invested. Any signs of relief could help cushion China's economy from the stresses of a yet-unresolved trade war with the United States. REUTERS

Malaysia moves to clean up its street food scene with shiny new kiosks topped with solar panels
Malaysia moves to clean up its street food scene with shiny new kiosks topped with solar panels

Straits Times

timea day ago

  • Straits Times

Malaysia moves to clean up its street food scene with shiny new kiosks topped with solar panels

While the project has generally been given the thumbs up by the public, criticisms include low traffic and poor earnings at some locations. PHOTO: MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT MALAYSIA/FACEBOOK Malaysia moves to clean up its street food scene with shiny new kiosks topped with solar panels KUALA LUMPUR - Mr Syed Nurul Fakhri was selling nasi kandar under a flimsy canopy in Petaling Jaya city for five years, setting up his stall in the mornings and packing things up in the evenings to avoid his utensils from being stolen overnight. That routine changed a month ago when he received the keys to a new kiosk, solar-powered with LED lights and a lockable door, in the same area. 'I am very thankful for the kiosk,' the 45-year old told The Straits Times. 'I can lock up my things. They won't go missing.' The clean surroundings where similar kiosks have also been set up by the Malaysian government has helped sales of his nasi kandar, or rice served with curries and other dishes. The monthly rent of RM120 (S$36) is 'reasonable', he said, adding that it's early days yet. His takings were as much as RM500 a day previously. He is among thousands of Malaysian street hawkers who are giving these shiny new food kiosks a try, with the government sinking RM150 million into MyKiosk. The project was launched in 2023 to give small traders the opportunity to run their businesses legally, in a standardised, safe and hygienic environment, as well as relocating them to more strategic locations. After selling nasi kandar under a canopy for five years, Mr Syed Nurul Fakhri now runs his business at a brand-new MyKiosk in the same area. ST PHOTO: HAZLIN HASSAN The project's main promoter is the hard-charging Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming, who said the government is giving a leg up to small traders, many of whom operate in unregulated conditions. Street hawkers all over the country often set up makeshift stalls by the roadside, selling drinks, banana fritters and fried noodles, among other things. 'With MyKiosk, we are 'legalising' their businesses by offering free rental for the first six months and (thereafter) a maximum rental rate of RM10 per day,' Mr Nga said earlier in May . Vendor Mohd Azizan, who rents a kiosk in the same location in Selangor state as Mr Syed Nurul, said: 'Customers say the place looks clean and attractive. This is better and more comfortable for me too.' Since moving into his kiosk on May 14, daily sales for his rojak buah (Asian fruit salad) have jumped from RM100 to between RM180 and RM200. Still, not everyone has had such a positive start. Ms Jamilah (not her real name), used to sell nasi lemak near bustling Jalan Tun Razak in capital Kuala Lumpur for two years, setting up her stall under a shady tree. There was no rent to pay, so she enjoyed good earnings. But like other street vendors in Malaysia, operating without a licence could get her into trouble when the municipal authorities conducted their regular checks. 'I used to sell nasi lemak by the roadside. Sales were better, but I got chased away by the authorities. I applied for this (kiosk) because it's legal,' she said. Ms Jamilah moved to her RM300-a-month kiosk in the Klang Valley area in September 2024, more than 5km away from her former spot. Business is still 'quite slow', she says, with daily sales of around RM300 to RM400 a day compared to about RM500 prior to the move. While the MyKiosk project has generally been given the thumbs up by the public for cleaning up the street food scene, criticisms include low traffic and poor earnings at some locations, as well as shortcomings about water and electricity supply. Mr Nga, the Cabinet minister, had praised the solar panels atop each kiosk, saying these eliminated electricity bills, but some vendors have posted on social media and spoken to reporters about the solar power generated lasting for only about four hours in the evenings. Others pointed to the lack of water supply or even a sink for washing, and that some kiosks were in low-traffic areas, which resulted in poor sales. 'The location is not so good. I advertised on Facebook, but some people (still) couldn't find my kiosk,' said Ms Jamilah. She said the solar power generated at her kiosk usually lasts for four to five hours from 6pm, and there is no piped-in water or available supply nearby. 'I have to bring my own mineral water supply and a power bank for additional lights,' she added. The ceiling has also been leaking and there was what looked like mould growth in her kiosk, she said. 'I was told I had to fix it myself. I painted over the 'mould', but it came back. It isn't safe for the food,' she added. Another vendor in that same location closed shop after just a month due to poor sales, she noted. In Selangor's Pandan Jaya township, of the 10 kiosks available for rent, only one was rented out and that, too, was shut when ST visited on an afternoon on May 27. In Selangor's Pandan Jaya township, of the 10 kiosks available for rent, only one was rented out and that, too, was shut when ST visited on an afternoon on May 27. ST PHOTO: HAZLIN HASSAN Mr Mike Chong Yew Chuan of the Malaysian Chinese Association, a member of the multi-coalition government, told ST there were concerns over transparency, pricing discrepancies, procurement, and overall governance of the MyKiosk programme. He said that Mr Nga has said kiosks in the Perak cities of Taiping and Ipoh were built at RM13,000 each. But in Melaka state, the same kiosk model cost up to RM22,000. 'Even after accounting for transport and local logistics, such a price gap is indefensible,' he said. On May 22, the housing ministry submitted documents related to the MyKiosk initiative to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, insisting that no funds were misused. Mr Nga said that a RM25,000 kiosk was be the ceiling price per unit for the project, and that some kiosks had been constructed for as little as RM13,000 through open bidding by local councils. He said MyKiosk was managed by local municipal councils, with 795 contractors participating in the project, thereby ruling out allegations of cronyism. He said price differences also stemmed from major upgrades in the improved version of the kiosks, rolled out under MyKiosk 2.0. These include larger solar energy capacity, improved electrical systems such as LED lighting, hydraulic windows and better-designed modules. 'These are Malaysia's first green energy kiosks,' Mr Nga said, noting that the new solar panels could generate electricity for up to 12 hours compared to four in the previous version. According to his ministry, the MyKiosk 1.0 project achieved a 87.74 percent uptake, while MyKiosk 2.0 that was launched in December 2024 has a 65.44 per cent take-up rate. A row of MyKiosks in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, yet to be occupied. ST PHOTO: HAZLIN HASSAN Responding to criticisms that the kiosks were located in poor low-traffic areas in Johor, state housing and local government exco member Mohd Jafni Md Shukor said it would review the MyKiosk locations. 'I have told the 16 local councils statewide to brainstorm and relocate those kiosks to more strategic places. We should help to promote the locations and offer training courses to the traders in need so they can improve their food products,' he was quoted as saying on May 23 by The Star daily. In a separate venture to clean up street hawking, the government has also been boosting the food-truck scene by setting aside car parks and open areas for open-air dining in the evening, all over Malaysia. The Covid-19 pandemic led to a boom in the food truck industry as many jobless Malaysians scrambled to find ways to stay afloat. Hazlin Hassan is Malaysia correspondent at The Straits Times. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store