MAS says property market not overheated, but it will watch rising prices closely

THE Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) remains "highly vigilant" to the risk of a sustained increase in housing prices relative to income trends, with a prolonged divergence seen as unsustainable, Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) managing director Ravi Menon has said.

In his opening remarks at the launch of the MAS' annual report, he noted that the property market has been "remarkably resilient" in the face of the pandemic. The residential property price index rose by 1.6 per cent in 2020, even as nominal gross domestic product (GDP) contracted 8.2 per cent.

As at the first quarter of 2021, the property price index was 5.6 per cent above its pre-pandemic levels, while nominal GDP was about 4 per cent below, he noted.