#btopinion

#BTOPINION: Sias delves into the MCT-MNACT merger deal In this week's #MARKTOMARKET, BT writes how despite the great pains taken by the managers of MCT and MNACT to explain the merits of the merger, their response to Sia…

#BTOPINION: Digital exchanges should start eating what they cook It's actually very strange when digital asset players that claim to value their digitally-native communities don't raise equity from them in digital asset…

#BTOPINION: Mental Health for the Great Return to Office In a 2021 survey conducted by McKinsey, it was reported that the Covid-19 pandemic has exacted a severe toll on mental health globally. Even with the pandemic rece…

#BTOPINION: FairPrice should stop rebates and raise discount for all shoppers to 7% The lower-income groups will appreciate a higher rebate of 7 per cent, not necessarily on all things. In these difficult times, it is th…

#BTOPINION: Retail Reits get a boost from 2-step GST hike but still lack growth catalysts In the latest #HOCKLOCKSIEW, BT writes that the gradual but delayed GST hike bodes well for retail Reits, but Reits without suburb…

#BTOPINION: Investors should reward, not penalise telcos that shift from yield to growth In the latest #HOCKLOCKSIEW, BT writes that telcos should articulate coherent stories that tie their initiatives together in order…

#BTOPINION: Higher property taxes further dent investment case of Singapore private homes The draw of growing wealth through owning homes is being impacted by higher transaction and holding costs of such properties. For…

#BTOPINION: Some hope for malls but only fittest will thrive in tough climate In this week's #THELEVELGROUND, BT writes that though retail landlords have been facing tough times amidst the pandemic, the outlook for malls…

#BTOPINION: Banks, Reits among counters poised to benefit from Budget 2022 In this #HOCKLOCKSIEW, BT sees banks, transport and Reits poised to benefit but who are the potential losers from this year's Budget?

#BTOPINION: When you count users instead of dollars, the NFT world is tiny Plenty of promising new technologies start out looking like toys. Besides, OpenSea is already making millions in fees every week. Contrast that w…

#BTOpinion: Why further property tax hikes make sense In today's #Mark2Market, BT's Ben Paul notes that while the amount of added revenue the government will rake in from the property tax hike is "not... insignificant",…

#BTOpinion: What the rise in carbon tax means for companies The government's move to up carbon tax to S$25 per tonne in 2024, then to S$45 per tonne in 2026, with a view to arriving at between S$50 and S$80 per tonne in…

#BTOpinion: Singapore Airlines should disclose impact of sustainable fuel adoption With our national carrier pledging to start using a blend of jet fuel and sustainable aviation fuel from the third quarter of this year,…

#BTOpinion: The true cost of empty offices Before lockdowns, the 21 largest business districts in the world housed 4.5 million workers and around a fifth of the headquarters of Fortune Global 500 companies. When Covid-19…

#SGBudget2022: A politically-safe step in the right direction #BTOpinion: "What was missing from our expectation was a separate band for property owned by non-residents -- our beef being that non-residents wishing to par…

#BTOpinion: Budget 2022: A progressive move towards greater solidarity There was a lack of usual adages about exercising caution and fearing capital flight in Finance Minister Lawrence Wong's announcements of higher taxe…

#BTOpinion: How Budget 2022 can help the tourism and entertainment sectors In this piece, Deloitte's James Walton and Ong Siok Peng opine that government interventions may help a little to revive Singapore's straggling t…

#BTOPINION: Why iFast's sell-off might be short-lived In the latest #HOCKLOCKSIEW, BT writes that despite iFast's dip in March 2020, by September 2021, it had rallied 11 times in value from its March 2020 lows. Much like…

#BTOPINION: Four tax measures to look out for in Singapore Budget 2022 On Feb 18, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong will deliver his first Budget Statement for the nation. We discuss here 4 tax measures that will most likel…

#BTOPINION: Consider raising the income cap to allow more to buy HDB BTO flats In the latest #THELEVELGROUND column, BT discusses that buying a first home for a couple who bust the BTO income ceiling has gotten harder ov…

#BTOpinion: Quarz's campaign may help rather than hinder the proposed merger of MCT and MNACT In this week's #Mark2Market, BT's Ben Paul observes the surprising twist of MNACT activist fund manager Quarz complaining that…

#BTOPINION: Wealth tax — not a magic bullet for wealth inequality It needs to be finely calibrated to target the top echelons of wealth, and collections should ultimately be channelled towards redistributive measures. Fo…

#BTOpinion: SPH: A long-drawn takeover fight no one wants What's going on with the SPH Limited takeover now, and why is Keppel suing SPH Limited? Our night editor Dennis Chan breaks what's going on down, and also shares…

#BTOPINION: Strengthening Singapore's competitive edge with Budget 2022 Singapore's stronger than expected economic recovery ought to encourage authorities to double down on key policies that will strengthen Singapore's…

#BTOPINION: GST hike: Businesses should prepare for impact As it's said, knowing is half the battle. The other half is just as important and, as far as GST is concerned, there is no better time to take action than now. B…

#BTOPINION: Undervalued Reits: selling assets trumps mergers In the latest #HOCKLOCKSIEW, BT writes that Reits thinking of merging should take caution as the reaction of investors to the proposed merger of Mapletree Comm…

#BTOPINION: Lessons from history on technologies such as the metaverse In the latest #HOCKLOCKSIEW, BT writes on how an investor should adopt a longer-term view, while being discerning and diversified to reap the rewards…

#BTOPINION: Striking a balance between 'lying flat' and being greedy Imagine a Singapore where many young people forgo career ambition and opt out of competing to get ahead materially. Without greed, consumption falters.…

#BTOpinion: Cooling measures won't stop wealth creation through owning homes but do combat inequality In his latest for #TheLevelGround, BT's Leslie Yee notes that while the investment case for private homes is not broke…

#BTOpinion: Spooked by rate-hike fears, S-Reit sell-off could offer opportunity to dive in In the latest #HockLockSiew, BT's Jude Chan identifies that the Singapore-listed real estate investment trusts (S-Reits) sell-off…