In 2022, mortgage rates have surged beyond our expectations. What if borrowers can’t pay? On November 25, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) published the Financial Stability Review 2022. It stated that most households appear to be resilient to interest rate shocks. The proportion of non-performing mortgage loans is likely to remain low. On the contrary, the OCBC … [Read more...]
Now it’s payback time
Payback is a word with double meaning. It can imply something good or bad. Think karma in Buddhism and Hinduism. Karma suggests that every deed, good or bad, has its consequences. In other words, there is cause and effect for everything you do. When it’s payback time, you will see the result of your past action. For instance, you put your money in an investment. When it … [Read more...]
Cheap stuff under high inflation
These days we are told that the world is experiencing high inflation. Things are expensive. But do you know that there are many things that are incredibly cheap now? At any single point of time, there will be things that are cheap and worth buying. If you don’t see them, you are probably looking at the wrong direction. After all, most people are drawn to what is hot in the … [Read more...]
New cooling measures is a waiting game
On September 29 (Thursday) evening, the government announced new property cooling measures again. The new rules aimed to moderate demand and ensure prudent borrowing amid rising interest rates. They were also meant to address the public concern of rising home prices and to improve housing affordability. While industry stakeholders and homebuyers were caught by surprise, some … [Read more...]
Buying homes under inflation? What will happen next
In July, I wrote the blog post “Cash is king now”. Two months later, the trends covered in the post have advanced faster than anyone can predict. Everywhere we hear people saying, “Inflation makes everything expensive. I need more money!” Inflation stress far more contagious than Covid-19 As of this writing, Singapore has close to 2,500 daily new cases. However, the … [Read more...]