Daily Debrief: What Happened Today (Mar 5)

Stories you might have missed

First Singapore-based gold ETF to list on SGX

[SINGAPORE] Singapore’s first home-grown physical gold exchange-traded fund (ETF), the LionGlobal Singapore Physical Gold ETF, will be making its listing debut on the Singapore Exchange (SGX) on Mar 26. 

UI Boustead Reit launches S$1.2 billion IPO at S$0.88 a share

[SINGAPORE] UI Boustead Real Estate Investment Trust (Reit) has launched its initial public offering (IPO) of about 677.2 million units at S$0.88 each, and is expected to start trading on the Singapore Exchange mainboard on Mar 12. 

Malaysia hold interest rate at 2.75%, flags geopolitical risk

[KUALA LUMPUR] Bank Negara Malaysia kept its benchmark overnight policy rate (OPR) steady at 2.75 per cent on Thursday (Mar 5), cautioning that global economic stability remains under pressure due to heightened geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

Hong Fok family scion Cheong Sim Lam buys retail property Holland Piazza for S$100 million

[SINGAPORE] Private investor Cheong Sim Lam, of the Cheong family who controls Hong Fok Corporation, has acquired Holland Piazza from Eng Tiong Realty for S$100 million.

Singapore retail sales fall 0.4% in January, dragged by later Chinese New Year timing

[SINGAPORE] Retail sales in Singapore swung to a 0.4 per cent year-on-year decline in January 2026, as the shift in Chinese New Year timing from January to February stripped out a major spending boost compared with a year earlier.

Unclear if US tariffs on Singapore will rise from 10% to 15%: Gan Siow Huang

[SINGAPORE] There remains considerable uncertainty in the global tariff environment, with a lack of clarity over whether the current 10 per cent Section 122 tariff will be raised to 15 per cent, said Minister of State for Trade and Industry Gan Siow Huang in Parliament on Thursday (Mar 5), noting the lack of an official directive.