Daily Debrief: What Happened Today

Developers sell 1,024 private homes in May, down from April's 1,558 units

Singapore developers' housing sales in May 2017 dropped for the second consecutive month on a month-on-month basis - amid a dearth of new launches.

Singapore civil servants to get 0.5 month mid-year bonus

Civil servants in Singapore will get a mid-year bonus of 0.5 month, the Public Service Division (PSD) announced on Thursday afternoon. This is slightly higher than the 0.45 month they received in 2016.

Proceeds raised by Singapore bond offerings down 41.7% in Q2 '17

Primary bond offerings from Singapore-domiciled issuers raised US$4.5 billion in proceeds in the second quarter of 2017, down 41.7 per cent from a year ago.

Singapore ranks 7th in global innovation index

Singapore was ranked seventh among the world's most innovative countries and first in South-east Asia, according to the Global Innovation Index 2017.

Ascott secures first 3 properties under co-living brand lyf

Capitaland's serviced residence unit, The Ascott, said on Thursday it has secured contracts to manage its first three properties under lyf, its latest brand and co-living concept.

US Fed raises key rate to 1.0-1.25%, signals one more hike in 2017

The US Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate by a quarter point to 1.0-1.25 per cent on Wednesday and signaled another increase remains likely this year, despite the recent spate of weak economic data.

Jack Ma said to explore joining US$1.5b Grab fundraising

Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma may team up with SoftBank Group Corp's Masayoshi Son in a US$1.5 billion investment in ride-hailing startup Grab, according to people familiar with the matter.

Canadian AI firm raises US$102m in funding, to open SEA hub in Singapore

Artificial intelligence (AI) company Element AI said on Thursday that it has raised US$102 million in Series A funding, believed to be the largest amount for an AI company to-date.

Q&M sets up new unit to grow dental business in M'sia

Mainboard-listed Q & M Dental Group said on Thursday it has incorporated Q & M Dental Holdings (Malaysia), a new subsidiary in Singapore that will act as a holding company for the company's businesses in Malaysia.

The STI Today

Singapore stocks finish lower after oil weakness, Trump news

The local stock market shrugged off Wednesday's all-time high for the Dow Jones Industrial Average, opting instead to focus on a fall in the Dow futures and a 1.2 per cent loss for Hong Kong that came after a 3.5 per cent drop in oil prices and news that US President Donald Trump is under investigation for possible obstruction of justice.