Daily Debrief: What Happened Today

Singapore tourism receipts drop 6.8% in 2015 to S$22b

Singapore's tourism receipts fell 6.8 per cent year-on-year in 2015 to S$22 billion, even as international visitor arrivals crept up 0.9 per cent to 15.2 million.

MAS says banks can improve underwriting practices

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said there was room for banks to strengthen underwriting practices in their corporate lending business after it conducted an inspection of several lenders.

Singapore bank lending flat in January

Bank lending in Singapore was flat in January from the previous month, reflecting weak growth in business and consumer lending, preliminary data from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) showed on Monday.

Slight lift in business confidence in Singapore from a quarter ago: study

Business confidence in Singapore for the second quarter of this year rose slightly into the expansionary zone after hitting a historical low in the first quarter of 2016, data from the Singapore Commercial Credit Bureau showed on Monday.

OCBC looking to issue covered bonds

Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC) is planning a covered bond programme, it told The Business Times on Monday.

Average DC rates for industrial use cut 3% and commercial use 2%

The government is trimming development charge (DC) rates - payable for enhancing the use of some sites or to build bigger projects on them - for commercial, non-landed residential, hotel/hospital and industrial uses.

S&P cuts credit rating on Noble Group

Standard & Poor's (S&P) Ratings Services has lowered its long-term corporate credit rating on Noble Group to "BB-" from "BB+", on the company's volatile earnings, and its higher-than-expected trading position. The outlook is negative.

Corporate Earnings

The STI Today

Singapore shares close mixed; STI enjoys late window-dressing push

The Straits Times Index struggled for most of Monday to stay in the black in the face of selling pressure in China and Hong Kong, dipping briefly into the red in the late afternoon before a late, month-end window-dressing push took it to a gain of 17.13 points at 2,666.51.