If you based your investment decisions solely on recent news headlines and stock market performance, Singapore does not look like a great place to invest.
The economy is not growing – economic growth was zero percent for the first three months of the year. Deflation is a concern, with prices falling for a record 17 months in a row. Real estate prices are falling. Global trade is slowing. China, Singapore’s largest import and export market, is a big source of uncertainty.
Singapore’s stock market has not been a world-beater for a long time either. Including dividends earned, the STI is down 4 percent so far in 2016. It’s fallen 20 percent over the past year, and it’s down 11 percent over the past five years. Over the past 25 years, the STI has only returned 2.4 percent per year on average, including dividends.
That pales next to the Shanghai ......