Singapore to release monetary policy statement, Q1 advance GDP on April 14

SINGAPORE'S central bank will be issuing its semi-annual monetary policy statement on April 14. The statement will be released at 8am, the Monetary Authority of Singapore said on its website.

Advance GDP estimates for the first quarter of 2015 will also be released by the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) the same day. The press release will be available on the websites of MTI, the Singapore Department of Statistics and the SG Press Centre.

Recent soft economic data here - including poorer-than-expected retail, export and manufacturing numbers - have led some economists to forecast further easing of monetary policy when the MAS holds its policy meeting on April 14. Others say MAS has already factored these risks in, and hence expect no change to be made to the policy band's mid-point, slope, or width.

Rather than setting interest rates, the MAS manages monetary policy by letting the Singapore dollar rise or fall against the currencies of its main trading partners within an undisclosed trading band.

It unexpectedly eased its policy in January to slow the appreciation of the Singapore dollar, saying that a plunge in commodity prices had significantly changed the inflation outlook.