Latest news with #LowDeWei
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Singapore voters are largely content but undecided as poll nears
By: Audrey Wan and Low De Wei (Bloomberg) — The average Singaporean voter is content and prioritises bread-and-butter issues ahead of geopolitics in their voting considerations, according to a BlackBox Research survey. Over 80% of about 1500 respondents are satisfied with the city-state's trajectory, a sign of confidence in the government with a national vote to be held by November. Optimism among younger citizens aged 21-29 was 'particularly pronounced,' based on the survey conducted March 28 to April 8. Still, about three in 10 of the Singaporeans polled are undecided on who they will vote for, according to the results released on Friday. The under 30s and the lower-income households showed more voter uncertainty. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong had a stable approval rating of 75%, Opposition leader Pritam Singh's popularity rose 7 points to 71% from the previous quarter despite his conviction in February for lying to a parliament committee. 'This election won't necessarily come down to personalities or geopolitics – there are a lot of votes to be won on the ground,' BlackBox CEO David Black said. 'Election campaigning will revolve around the day to day issues, so the parties and their candidates will need to be at the ready or suffer for it.' While cost of living, jobs and housing affordability are top of mind for Singaporeans, international developments including the impact of tariffs and US-China ties also have an influence on voter sentiment, according to the survey. The BlackBox poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5%. A YouGov survey released on Tuesday found that the ruling People's Action Party could secure at least 40% of votes while Singh's Workers' Party would garner 12% of the votes. More stories like this are available on ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
Bloomberg
05-03-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Why Singapore's World Famous Public Housing System is Under Stress
Also today: Republican Mayor braces for tariffs, and the effects of the trade war on NYC's climate goals. By Save Singapore's vast public housing system has been renowned for delivering one of the world's highest homeownership rates. But the tiny nation is seeing growing discontent, as construction lags demand and resale values on public homes soar. What's more, the system prioritizes families and married couples, causing young Singaporeans to fast-track their relationships to access subsidized housing. Read more from Low De Wei today on CityLab: Singapore's World Famous Public Housing System Is Strained by an Overheated Market. And watch the video: What's Love Got to Do With Singapore's Public Housing? — Magdalena del Valle
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Singapore home sales off to best start since 2021 before Budget
By Low De Wei (Bloomberg) – Singapore home sales had their best January in four years, as market watchers look out for potential cooling measures in the country's upcoming budget. Developers sold 1,083 private units in the first month of the year, according to data released Monday by the Urban Redevelopment Authority. That's more than triple the 304 reported in the same month last year, and the best start to a year since 2021. A revival in home sales in recent months has driven speculation about the potential for fresh market curbs, with housing affordability a key voter concern ahead of elections due this year. One possible avenue for tightening would be in the budget to be announced Tuesday. The January increase was dominated by the launch of a new project, the Orie, in the city's north that sold about 88% of its 777 units available. That continued a streak of suburban projects which drove sales to their highest level in more than a decade last year. The trend may persist with more major launches planned this month, including one boasting 1,193 units in the east. The rebound has prompted analysts at Barclays, Citigroup and Morgan Stanley to flag the risk of new curbs. The city-state has introduced multiple steps to cool prices in recent years, including a stamp duty hike on most foreigner buyers to 60% in 2023. National Development Minister Desmond Lee told developers this month that the private property market has 'shown signs of stabilising' due to an injection of supply. He also said in an earlier interview that the government is 'not averse' to implementing more cooling measures if needed. Analysts at Malayan Banking interpreted the remarks to mean that more housing curbs aren't likely during the budget, with the government preferring to see the effect of supply measures first. More stories like this are available on ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
