Now that the party’s over

[SINGAPORE] A year ago, the world was bracing itself for the inauguration of US President Donald Trump. Ensuing tariff proclamations in April seemed to confirm doomsayers’ worries – yet in Singapore, at least, the impact has proved weaker than feared.

A year on, Singapore enters 2026 in better-than-expected economic condition. Full-year gross domestic product growth for 2025 is forecast at “around 4 per cent” – a far cry from the gloomiest forecast, made mid-April at the height of Trump tariff fears, of 0 to 2 per cent.

If this year’s booked-out festive parties are anything to go by, consumers are feeling upbeat enough to celebrate.