On the shoulders of India's booming IT sector

AS different property sub-sectors in Singapore grapple with supply and operational challenges, this may reignite interest in property trusts holding foreign assets, Sanjeev Dasgupta, CEO of the trustee-manager of Ascendas India Trust (a-iTrust) believes.

In a recent interview with The Business Times, he acknowledged that Reits (real estate investment trusts) with predominantly Singapore exposure have delivered very strong returns over the last five years: "Maybe (Singapore-focused Reits) are getting into a little bit of a soft touch now, (but) the yields have been good and the share price appreciation has been significant," he says.

"Obviously foreign markets have their own dynamics and sometimes investors may not be as well-informed about the economic conditions in those markets, so to that extent, I would say they prefer Reits with pure Singapore assets. Having said that, I think if the markets in Singapore are slowing down, investors who are looking for growth will have to look at other markets as well."