Sing dollar at 2 ½-year high; Asian currencies see strong 2018 start

Bengaluru

GROWTH seen in the services sector has fanned market expectations the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) could tighten policy in 2018.

"The details looked a bit better, such as the upward revisions to Q3," said Vishnu Varathan, head of economics and strategy for Mizuho Bank in Singapore. "There is a sense of a little bit of a broadening recovery and I think markets... are growing more confident of an April rather than October MAS move," Mr Varathan said, referring to the two regular windows when MAS releases its monetary policy statements.