The Business Times, 1 January 2015

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Microfilm: NL33339
Total Pages: 33
1 36 The Business Times
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  • Title Section
    Lock icon Masthead
    14 1 THE BUSINESS TIMES www. usinesstimes.com.sg THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2015 S$1.00| S$1.00| MCI (P) 051/08/2014
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  • Article
    Lock icon Singapore bank loans up a tad
    36 1 FINANCE BANK lending showed some signs of life in November compared to a month before, rising 0.6 per cent after two straight months of no growth, MAS data shows. 2
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  • Article
    Lock icon China factory activity drops
    31 1 MANUFACTURING ACTIVITY in China’s factory sector shrank for the first time in seven months in December, highlighting the urgency behind a series of surprise easing moves.| 8
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  • Article
    Lock icon SGX banks on retail investors
    35 1 INVESTMENT SINGAPORE Exchange is looking to individual investors to boost South-east Asia’s biggest stock market after trading volume this year tumbled the most since the 2008 global financial crisis. 9
    35 words
  • Article
    Lock icon New office towers secure tenants
    34 1 PROPERTY MORE names of tenants signed up at CapitaGreen and South Beach Tower, the two newest office towers in town, have been emerging from leasing agents this week. 13
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  • Article, Illustration
    Lock icon Economy grew 2.8% in 2014: PM Lee
    731 1  -  But productivity fell 0.5 per cent in first nine months; country needs ‘productivity-driven growth’ By Chuang Peck Ming peckming@sph.com.sg Singapore INGAPORE’S economy performed “moderately well” in 2014 to grow 2.8 per cent, but the showing was dimmed by a “disappointing” minus 0.5 per
    FILE PHOTO  -  731 words
  • Article, Illustration
    Lock icon Singapore oil & gas sector may rebound later in 2015
    1637 1  - Singapore oil gas sector may rebound later in 2015 Stock market value rises 6.5% to S$957 billion in 2014, mainly due to takeover activity By Cai Haoxiang haoxiang@sph.com.sg @HaoxiangCaiBT Singapore JUST as the oil crash surprise defined 2014, it could set the stage for 2015, with analysts eyeing the beaten-down
    PHOTO: BLOOMBERG  -  1,637 words
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  • TOP STORIES
    • Article, Illustration
      Lock icon Business lending hits single-digit growth in Nov
      458 2  -  Loans growth continues to slow compared to a year ago; lending in November rises 0.6% By Jamie Lee leejamie@sph.com.sg @JamieLeeBT Singapore BANK lending showed some signs of life in November compared to a month before, rising 0.6 per cent after two straight months
      PHOTO: JAMIE KOH/THE STRAITS TIMES  -  458 words
    • MARKETS
      • Article
        Lock icon STOCKS
        50 2 HSTI 3,365.15 (-0.96) GSTI FUTURES 3,376.00 (+10.00) HSIMSCI 380.70 (-0.28) GSIMSCI FUTURES 381.60 (+1.60) Wednesday Change -5.58 KL COMP 1,761.25 -5.58 NIKKEI 225 Closed HANG SENG 23,605.04 +103.94 SET Closed JAKARTA Closed MANILA Closed KOSPI Closed SHENZHEN B 1,028.81 +14.28 Tuesday’s close Change DOW 17,983.07 -55.16 NASDAQ 4,777.44 -29.47
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      • Article
        Lock icon PRIME RATES
        29 2 SINGAPORE 5.35 MALAYSIA 6.85 HONG KONG 5.00 INDONESIA 14.756 TAIWAN 5.036 JAPAN 1.475 KOREA 9.33 BRITAIN 0.50 US 3.25 CANADA 3.00 SWITZERLAND 0.50 INDIA 14.75 Source: Bloomberg
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      • Article
        Lock icon FOREX
        49 2 US$ S$ US$ (S$ per US$) 1.321 (US$/S$ per 1.557 2.057 EURO (US$/S$/€ 1.216 1.607 Foreign currency per US$ S$ YEN 119.70 90.60 RM 3.495 2.645 HK$ 7.757 5.870 BAHT 32.90 24.89 RUPIAH 12,435 9,411 RENMINBI 6.202 4.694 INDIAN RUPEE 63.32 47.92 A$ 1.220 0.924 NZ$ 1.276 0.965
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    • Article, Illustration
      Lock icon Body with life jacket on raises questions
      907 5 Rescuers believe they have found the plane wreckage on ocean floor near where debris and bodies were recovered airasia flight qz8501 Reuters Jakarta A BODY recovered on Wednesday from the crashed AirAsia plane was wearing a life jacket, an official with Indonesia’s search
      Reuters; PHOTO: REUTERS  -  907 words
    • Article
      Lock icon Jones the Grocer in S’pore unfazed by Aussie woes
      292 5  -  By Jamie Lee leejamie@sph.com.sg @JamieLeeBT Singapore THE Singapore operations of food chain Jones the Grocer (JTG), which has gone bust in its home market Australia, have not been hit by the restructuring Down Under, a senior executive of its majority shareholder,
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    • Article, Illustration
      Lock icon Text of PM Lee’s New Year message
      1407 6 / 7 He says the economy performed moderately well in 2014, highlights government’s major initiatives 2014 has been an eventful year. We have seen rising nationalism lead to tensions in our part of the world, and even to conflict in Ukraine and the Crimea. The
      FILE PHOTOS; FILE PHOTO  -  1,407 words
    • Article, Illustration
      Lock icon China slowdown deepens with dip in factory activity in Dec
      533 8 This will fuel debate on whether Beijing ought to do more to shore up the economy Reuters Shanghai ACTIVITY in China’s factory sector shrank for the first time in seven months in December, a private survey showed on Wednesday, highlighting
      Reuters; PHOTO: AFP  -  533 words
    • Article
      Lock icon Bond market did unexpectedly well for 2014
      943 8 Bloomberg New York IN the best year for the global bond market in more than a decade, investors were rewarded more for being cautious than for taking big risks. Fixed income assets of all types generated an average total return of 7.6 per
      Bloomberg  -  943 words
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      Lock icon Page 2 Advertisements Column 1
      40 2 CONTENTS NEWS Top Stories 2-8 Companies Markets 9-12 Real Estate 13-16 Househunt 16 Banking Finance 17 Focus: STI 18-19 Energy Commodities 20-21 Technology 22-23 Consumer 24 Govt Economy 25-30 Transport 31-32 Opinion 34-35 Life Culture 36 Crosswords 36 Page 36
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      1539 3 NH CERAMICS LTD (Company registration: *****4544C) (Incorporated in Singapore on 2 July 1997) NOTICE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT an extraordinary general meeting of the shareholders of the Company will be held at 10.00 a.m. on 28 January 2015 at The Guild Hall, The National University
      1,539 words
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  • Page 5 Miscellaneous
    • Miscellaneous
      Lock icon Page 5 Miscellaneous Column 1
      32 5 i/v/V $2.2 MILLION Estimated Draw on Thu, 1 Jan 2015 at 6.30pm For details, visit www.singaporepools.com.sg p |_/\yA Always play with care. responsibly] Do not bet illegally. RGB Reg No: *****0202G m
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  • COMPANIES & MARKETS
    • Article
      Lock icon Singapore stocks made more affordable for individuals
      923 9 Smaller board lot size kicks in on Jan 19; more young people opening trading accounts Bloomberg Singapore SINGAPORE Exchange (SGX) is looking to individual investors to boost South-east Asia’s biggest stock market after trading volume this year tumbled the most since the 2008
      Bloomberg  -  923 words
    • Article
      Lock icon Ying Li joins China Everbright in Beijing project
      384 9  -  By Lynette Khoo lynkhoo@sph.com.sg @LynetteKhooBT Singapore SINGAPORE-listed Chinese developer Ying Li International Real Estate Limited has agreed to jointly invest and participate in a mixed-use development project in Beijing Tongzhou District with its second largest shareholder China Everbright Limited (CEL). This marks
      384 words
    • Article
      Lock icon Keppel wins another FLNG vessel conversion deal
      324 9  -  By Chan Yi Wen yiwenc@sph.com.sg @ChanYiWenBT Singapore KEPPEL Corporation’s Keppel Shipyard has secured its second floating liquefaction (FLNG) vessel conversion contract from Norway’s Golar LNG, worth about US$705 million. Under this agreement, the yard will once again convert a Moss Liquefied Natural Gas
      324 words
    • Article
      Lock icon STI STOCKS
      305 10 Stock name Close Change Day high/low 52w high 52w low PE Div yield Mcap Ascendas Reit 238 -4 242/237 250 206 6 6017.5 CapitaLand 331 +4 334/328 348 268 16.6 2.4 *****.6 CapitaMall Trust 204 +1 204/203 209 180 5 7075.3 CityDev 1027 -8 1037/1027 1118 860 13.9
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    • Article
      Lock icon SGX ETFs Most Active
      109 10 Fund Last sale +/-(‘000) Day high/low 52w high/low Buy/Sell Mcap UETF SSE50China 217 +2 87 217/216 217/140 216/217 67.8 DBXT MSRussia US$ US176 +4 69 176/175 302/140 175/176 STI ETF 340 69 340/340 343/298 339/341 IS MS India US$ US727 +3 65 729/727 790/541 728/734 90.9
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    • Article
      Lock icon SIBOR
      29 10 Dec 31 (S$) 1 mth 0.***** 2 mths 3 mths 0.***** 6 mths 0.***** 9 mths 12 mths 0.***** SWAP Offer rates (S$) 2 mths Source: Thomson Reuters
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    • Article
      Lock icon BT SHARE INFORMATION SERVICE
      794 10 For week beginning Dec 29 SUBSTANTIAL SHAREHOLDER/DIRECTOR TRANSACTIONS Substantial Buy No of Price ———SHAREHOLDING Trans Shareholder/ Sell Shares Per Before After Stock Date Director Conv '000 Shr ('000) ('000) A-Sonic Aerospace 29-Dec-14 Janet LC Tan Buy 163 0.07 *****9 50.88 *****2 50.90 City Developments 29-Dec-14 Aberdeen
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    • Article
      Lock icon SECURITIES TRADING SCOREBOARD
      186 10 MAIN CATL TOTAL Up Down Unch Up Down Unch Up Down Unch Multi Ind 4 4 5 0 0 0 4 4 5 Manufacturing 36 30 26 3 8 8 39 38 34 Commerce 19 9 15 5 5 4 24 14 19 Tpt/Stor/Comms 7 10 21
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    • Article
      Lock icon SECURITIES TRADING TURNOVER
      123 10 VOLUME (‘000) VALUE (‘000) MAIN CATL TOTAL MAIN CATL TOTAL Multi Ind 5,841 5,841 30,049 30,049 Manufacturing 125,510 20,225 145,735 52,388 1,418 53,806 Commerce 56,584 13,215 69,799 34,609 966 35,575 Tpt/Stor/Comms 42,542 229 42,771 63,002 87 63,089 Finance 9,532 877 10,409 102,537 210 102,748 Construction 17,087 4,088
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    • Article
      Lock icon OTHER SINGAPORE INDICES
      77 10 Dec 31 VALUE CLOSE BT OB/OS 348.00 +273.00 BT CADI -*****.00 +52.00 BT 10-day MA -*****.00 +34.00 FTSE ST Mid Cap 748.62 +2.61 FTSE ST Small Cap 492.31 +0.96 FTSE ST All Share 805.15 +0.37 FTSE ST China Top 186.62 +0.37 FTSE ST China 221.82 +0.69 FTSE
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    • Article
      Lock icon UNUSUAL ACTIVITY
      83 10 Dec 30 VOL CLOSE($) CHANGE China Hongcheng^ 171.0 0.011 +0.002 +22.22 Joyas Intl 49,044.0 0.027 +0.002 +8.00 ES 641.0 0.169 +0.041 +32.03 LifeBrandz 23,302.0 0.005 -0.001 -16.67 Lafe 337.0 0.033 -0.009 -21.43 Transit Concrete 10.0 0.460 -0.080 -14.82 Ouhua Energy^ 210.0 0.026 +0.006 +30.00 Novo^ 255.0 0.220 +0.020
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    • Article
      Lock icon COMMODITY FUTURES
      193 11 Dec-30 Price Net change change Last Trade Agricultural Dec-30 CBOT Soybeans (US cents/bu) 1037.75 -4.00 -0.38% 14/01/2015 CBOT Soybean Oil (US cents/lb) 32.89 0.10 0.30% 14/01/2015 CBOT Wheat (US cents/bu) 602.00 -13.50 -2.19% 13/03/2014 Dec-30 LIFFE Cocoa (£/tonne) 1986.00 4.00 0.20% 16/03/2015 LIFFE Coffee (US$/tonne) 1871.00 36.00 1.96%
      193 words
    • Article
      Lock icon PALM OIL
      57 11 Dec 31 KLCE PALM FUTURES (RM/MT) Delivery Opening Sett Av Vol Open Month Range Price Price High Low Done Position Jan 15 2305.0 2300.0 2305.0 2300.0 139 3511 Feb 15 2296.0 2296.0 2301.0 2289.0 740 ***** Mar 15 2276.0 2284.0 2288.0 2275.0 5247 ***** Apr 15 2264.0 2273.0
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    • Article
      Lock icon GOVERNMENT SECURITIES
      69 11 Dec 31 GOVERNMENT BONDS Period Issue Coupon Maturity Close Day's code rate Bid High Low 2-Year NY*****F 3.75 01-Sep-16 105.15 105.16 105.16 5-Year N*****0H 1.625 01-Oct-19 100.10 100.20 100.20 10-Year NY*****H 3.000 01-Sep-24 106.21 106.52 106.30 15-Year NY*****E 2.875 01-Jul-29 103.05 103.25 103.25 20-Year NZ*****V 3.375 01-Sep-33 108.55
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    • Article
      Lock icon INTERBANK CURRENCY RATES
      155 11 Dec 31 Against S$ Against US$ Currencies Bid Offer Bid Offer S$/US$ to one unit of foreign currency: Australian dollar 1.0824 1.0831 0.8192 0.8196 Canadian dollar 1.1388 1.1395 0.8623 0.8618 Euro 1.6066 1.6071 1.2159 1.2161 NZ dollar 1.0355 1.0361 0.7837 0.7840 Sterling pound 2.0565 2.0573 1.5564 1.5568
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    • Article
      Lock icon BONDS, WARRANTS, PREFERENCE SHARES
      201 11 Most active Dec 31 Prem Expiry Last Vol Conv Exer Disc Gear-Mths Company Sale +or-('000) Ratio Price ing Left Top Global Ltd W*****9 0.2 unch 3510 DBS MB eCW*****2 14.7 unch 1300 0.1 0 6 SingTel MB eCW*****4 7.4 0.6 1150 0.2 400 13 KepCorp MB
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    • Article
      Lock icon MORGAN STANLEY CAPITAL INT’L INDICES
      373 11 In local curr In S$ In US$ dy yr dy yr dy yr Dec 30 Index Change Change Change Change Change Change World Preliminary 1283.9 -0.6 8.4 -0.6 8.5 -0.5 3.7 EAFE Preliminary 985.4 -1.1 3.0 -1.0 -2.9 -0.9 -7.2 Europe Preliminary 1378.7 -1.2 1.8
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    • Article, Illustration
      Lock icon STOCK MARKETS
      2 11
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    • Article, Illustration
      Lock icon Surprise absence of late push; STI up 6.3% for 2014
      740 12  -  STOCKS R Sivanithy sivan@sph.com.sg @RSivanithyBT Senior Correspondent THE Straits Times Index (STI) ended Wednesday the last trading day of the year with a loss of 0.96 point at 3,365.15. Turnover for the New Yew eve shortened trading session was 588
      740 words
    • Business briefing
      • Article
        Lock icon Soilbuild bags S$128m HDB building contract
        105 12 SOILBUILD Construction Group has been awarded a S$128 million contract by the Housing Development Board (HDB) for the building works at a Sembawang neighbourhood. Under the contract, Soilbuild will construct six blocks of 16 to 17-storey residential buildings with mul-ti-storey car parks, commercial/community facilities,
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      • Article
        Lock icon Second Chance Q1 profit drops 56% to S$1.7m
        88 12 SECOND Chance Properties’ net profit for the three months ended Nov 30, 2014 –its fiscal first quarter for FY2015 plunged 55.8 per cent to S$1.7 million from a year ago. Revenues over the same period fell 4 per cent to S$8.84 million.
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    • Article
      Lock icon Swiber shares tumble on news of proposed rights issue
      452 12  -  By Malminderjit Singh msingh@sph.com.sg @MalminderjitBT Singapore THE share price of Swiber Holdings slid by as much as 10 per cent on Wednesday on news that the offshore and marine construction and support services provider has proposed a rights issue. The group
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  • REAL ESTATE
    • Article, Illustration
      Lock icon Schroder, Lloyd’s Asia, Twitter sign up at CapitaGreen
      913 13  -  Ace Insurance has also signed up for about two floors or 38,000 sq ft. South Beach Tower secures Lukoil By Kalpana Rashiwala kalpana@sph.com.sg @KalpanaBT Singapore MORE names of tenants signed up at CapitaGreen and South Beach Tower, the two newest office towers
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    • Article
      Lock icon China to better handle property in crime cases
      168 14 Xinhua Beijing CHINA’S leading group for overall reform on Tuesday convened its eighth meeting, which reviewed and approved measures for better handling of properties involved in crimes. The meeting, which was presided over by Chinese President Xi Jinping, said that the measures
      Xinhua  -  168 words
    • Article, Illustration
      Lock icon Farewell to ‘golden era’ of China’s property sector
      576 14 Market slowdown heralds end to Chinese’s obsession with home ownership Xinhua Beijing AFTER years of breath-taking expansion, China’s property sector is finally cooling down. However, buying a house is still an unaffordable option for Lyu Haoran, a post-1990 graduate in the western
      Xinhua; PHOTO: REUTERS  -  576 words
    • Article
      Lock icon Vineyards: rich Chinese’s new love
      284 14 Xinhua Beijing CHINA’S super rich have found a tempting new way of spending their vast wealth: vineyard ownership, according to a property consultancy survey. Knight Frank said in a report on Tuesday that 45 per cent of Chinese “ultra high net worth individuals” are interested
      Xinhua  -  284 words
    • Article, Illustration
      Lock icon US home prices rising at slower rate
      825 15 At the same time, more cities starting to show reacceleration, with prices set to rise faster in 2015 Bloomberg Washington HOME prices in 20 US cities rose at a slower pace in the year ended in October, putting the market on better footing
      Bloomberg; PHOTO: AFP  -  825 words
    • Article, Illustration
      Lock icon Chairman of Harilela group dies
      299 15 Straits Times Online Singapore HOTEL tycoon Hari Harilela of the Hong Kong-based Harilela Group died on Monday at the age of 92. For 67 years, he was the chairman of the group which owns and operates 19 hotels round the world, including the Holiday Inn
      Straits Times Online  -  299 words
    • Article
      Lock icon Househunt
      1026 16 PROPERTY TRANSACTIONS FOR SELECTED DISTRICTS WITH CONTRACT DATES BETWEEN NOV 19 AND NOV 25, 2014 PROJECT NAME/ STREET NAME PROP TYPE CONTRACT DATE TENURE BUILT -IN/LAND AREA*(SQ FT) PRICE (S$'000) PSF (S$) District 1 NON-LANDED Marina One Residences Apt 21/11/2014 99 1119 2553 2280 District 2 NON-LANDED Skysuites Anson
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      Lock icon Page 14 Advertisements Column 1
      41 14 SINDA STRIDES AHEAD A look at how far the Indian self-help group has come and its plans for this year REACHING OUT TO TAMIL YOUTHS GET YOUR COPY TOMORROW FROM ALL 7-ELEVEN OUTLETS TO ADVERTISE: CALL KALWANT (*****327) OR NISHAL (*****438)
      41 words
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  • BANKING & FINANCE
    • Article, Illustration
      Lock icon Morgan Stanley close to resolving bond probe
      581 17 Bank’s creation and sale of mortgage-backed bonds under investigation; settlement sum unclear Bloomberg New York MORGAN Stanley is in talks with the US to resolve an investigation into the bank’s creation and sale of mortgage-backed bonds, the latest in a string of Wall
      Bloomberg; PHOTO: BLOOMBERG  -  581 words
    • Article
      Lock icon Goldman tops UK banker pay with £3m awarded for 2013
      333 17 Reuters London GOLDMAN Sachs paid its top 121 London bankers about £3 million (S$6.2 million) on average last year, far exceeding payouts at other leading banks, data released on Tuesday showed. The US investment bank’s data showed that it paid
      Reuters  -  333 words
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      Lock icon Page 17 Advertisements Column 1
      61 17 The Premier Plotform for Gifts Sourcing VVSGPFair Singapore Gifts Premiums Fair 2015 29-31 JULY 2015 Marina Bay Sands Expo Convention Centre, Singapore www.SGPFair.com EXHIBIT PROFILE Sports Leisure Trophies Awards Etc. jm V V V o 1 Interested to exhibit? Tel: (65) 6848 5938 Email: SGPFair@bizlink.com.sg Organised By: BIZLINK Exhibition Services
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  • FOCUS: STI
    • Article, Illustration
      Lock icon Bank outperformance and Fed-speak ruled in 2014
      1253 18 / 19  -  TEXT R SIVANITHY Last year was a low-volume, low-volatilityyearforthe local stock market, marked most significantly by the departure of the bulk of retail investors who were still smarting from the penny stock crash of October 2013. However, thanks mainlyto strong outperformance bythethree banks,
      BT GRAPHICS: HYRIE RAHMAT PHOTOS: ARTHUR LEE, AFP, BLOOMBERG, MEDIACORP  -  1,253 words
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  • ENERGY & COMMODITIES
    • Article, Illustration
      Lock icon US clearing path for shale oil to be exported
      673 20 Some firms given the nod to sell lightly treated condensate abroad Reuters Washington THE Obama administration on Tuesday bowed to months of growing pressure over a 40-year-old ban on exports of most domestic crude, taking two steps expected to unleash a
      Reuters; PHOTO: REUTERS  -  673 words
    • Article
      Lock icon Oil price crash claims first US LNG project casualty
      678 20 Reuters Milan EXCELERATE Energy’s Texan liquefied natural gas terminal plan has become the first victim of an oil price slump threatening the economics of US LNG export projects. A halving in the oil price since June has upended assumptions by developers
      Reuters  -  678 words
    • Article, Illustration
      Lock icon Climate change for Statoil, pride of Norway
      1258 21 State-controlled oil company under increasing pressure from the Norwegian public and parliament NYT Oslo THIS has not been a particularly good year for Statoil, the huge state-controlled oil firm that has had a commanding presence in Norway’s economy and society for more than
      NYT; PHOTO: REUTERS  -  1,258 words
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  • TECHNOLOGY
    • Article, Illustration
      Lock icon Snapchat plans global view of new year joy
      762 22 App boasts 25.3m unique visitors in the US and is growing much faster than Facebook, Twitter and Instagram NYT New York THIS New Year sees the unveiling of a new 24-hour countdown. Snapchat the app with ephemeral messages that is popular with
      NYT; ST FILE PHOTO  -  762 words
    • Article
      Lock icon E-mail, Internet remain top US workplace tools: study
      592 22 AFP Washington AMERICANS see e-mail and the Internet as the most important tools for productivity at work, and still prefer landlines over cellphones for the office, a study showed on Tuesday. The Pew Research Center found that 61 per cent of those
      AFP  -  592 words
    • Article, Illustration
      Lock icon Getting one step closer to the chore-free home
      1534 23 Here are 10 notable robots that made their debut in the US in 2014 NYT New York AT the end of every year in recent memory, it seems, high-tech optimists have predicted the next year as the one when robots will finally
      NYT; PHOTOS: AFP, JOHN ACKERMAN  -  1,534 words
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  • GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY
    • Article
      Lock icon UK wage rises slow with job market slack
      386 24 Falling inflation will also limit pay increases, put off pressure to tighten interest rates Bloomberg London UK WAGE growth will be “very modest” in 2015 as an adequate supply of job seekers and slowing inflation prompt companies to limit salary increases, according
      Bloomberg  -  386 words
    • Article, Illustration
      Lock icon Web retailers reap rewards of pre-holiday planning
      836 24 WP San Francisco AMAZON.COM and other Web retailers sold more products than ever this holiday season, boosted by early promotions and investments in delivery systems that helped sidestep the widespread shipping snags of 2013. Online shopping is on pace to rise 16 per
      WP; PHOTO: REUTERS  -  836 words
    • Article, Illustration
      Lock icon Minimum wage in half of all US states to go up in the new year
      740 25 These rises were pushed through at state level; federal level rise is pending Bloomberg San Francisco THE minimum wage will rise in almost half of all US states on Thursday, with help coming for the
      Bloomberg; PHOTO: AFP  -  740 words
    • Article
      Lock icon Japan to trim new bond issuances to below 38t yen
      222 25 Reuters Tokyo JAPAN plans to issue less than 38 trillion yen (S$420 billion) in new bonds in the next fiscal year starting April, cutting fresh issuances by more than three trillion yen from the 41.3 trillion yen worth of debt
      Reuters  -  222 words
    • Article
      Lock icon US expresses concern over detained Cuba dissidents
      365 25 AFP Washington THE United States expressed concern on Wednesday over the plight of several dissidents detained by Cuba, just two weeks after Washington’s historic move to normalise relations with Havana. “We are deeply concerned about the latest reports of detentions and arrests by
      AFP  -  365 words
    • Article
      Lock icon Indonesia to cap, scrap fuel subsidies
      635 26 Jokowi govt’s biggest changes to decades-old system aimed at taking the economy forward Bloomberg Jakarta INDONESIA will cap the diesel subsidy and scrap aid for petrol beginning Thursday, the biggest changes to a decades-old system that has tied up budget funds and bloated energy
      Bloomberg  -  635 words
    • Article, Illustration
      Lock icon Inflation in S Korea falls to its lowest since 1999
      449 26 Reuters Seoul SOUTH Korea has reported its lowest inflation in more than 15 years, which could reinforce expectations of an interest rate cut early in 2015 though the central bank governor seems to see no hurry for one. December’s consumer
      Reuters; PHOTO: BLOOMBERG  -  449 words
    • Article
      Lock icon Consumer confidence up in Dec on job gains
      742 27 Conference Board index increases to 92.6 from a revised 91 in Nov that was stronger than first estimated LATEST US DATA WP Washington CONSUMER confidence rose in December as Americans embraced more employment opportunities and persistent declines in prices at the petrol
      WP  -  742 words
    • Article, Illustration
      Lock icon HK culls 15,000 chickens on H7N9 fears
      456 27 Deadly virus found on birds imported from nearby Chinese city of Huizhou AFP Reuters Hong Kong HONG Kong began culling thousands of chickens on Wednesday after the deadly H7N9 virus was discovered in poultry imported from China, days after the city raised alert
      AFP; Reuters; PHOTO: AFP  -  456 words
    • Article, Illustration
      Lock icon Relief and hesitation mark Lithuania’s entry into eurozone
      1250 28 For many Lithuanians, it represents an unsettling change after a significant degree of upheaval in the last century NYT Vilnius, Lithuania IF anyone still has good reasons for joining the euro, it is the people bundled against the cold of this snow-dusted
      NYT; PHOTO: AFP  -  1,250 words
    • Article, Illustration
      Lock icon BRICs’ diverging outlooks spur stock split
      1043 29 Chinese, Indian equity indices surge; Russian, Brazilian gauges decline WP Singapore THE BRIC grouping of Brazil, Russia, India and China has never looked so disunited to stock investors. While Chinese and Indian benchmark equity indexes surged an average 40 per cent in 2014, Russian
      WP; PHOTO: BLOOMBERG  -  1,043 words
    • Article
      Lock icon RBI rate cuts will extend gains in India bonds in 2015: poll
      533 29 Bloomberg Mumbai INDIA’S bonds, last year’s best performers among the biggest emerging markets, will extend gains in 2015 as the central bank embarks on the most aggressive policy easing in five years, a Bloomberg survey shows. The yield
      Bloomberg  -  533 words
    • Article
      Lock icon US, China to intensify talks on investment agreement
      329 30 Treaty will limit foreign investment in sectors Reuters Washington THE United States plans to step up negotiations with China for a treaty to free up investment flows, the Obama administration said on Tuesday in a report released ahead of a key juncture
      Reuters  -  329 words
    • Article
      Lock icon Greenspan sounds note of caution on US economy
      252 30 WP Washington JUST when you thought the US economy was roaring back to health, former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan is here to tell you otherwise. “The United States is doing better than anybody else, but we’re still not doing all that
      WP  -  252 words
    • Article, Illustration
      Lock icon Argentina’s debt crisis seen rumbling on until 2015 election
      725 30 Reuters Buenos Aires CRUNCH time for Argentina fixing its debt default will almost certainly not be January, as many investors had hoped, but a year later once the country’s next president takes office and tries to get the ailing economy moving
      Reuters; PHOTO: AFP  -  725 words
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      24 28 LIANHE ZAOBAO "Japanese concept stocks" which fared poorly last year unlikely to do better in 2015 To subscribe, call 6388-3838 or go to sphsubscription.com.sg
      24 words
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  • TRANSPORT
    • Article, Illustration
      Lock icon Greek ferry tragedy turns into murder mystery
      795 31 Stowaways among those rescued; ship’s Italian owner, captain may face manslaughter probe AFP Rome TEN passengers dead, a dozen unaccounted for and no one able to say with any certainty how many people were on board the Norman Atlantic when it burst into
      AFP; PHOTO: REUTERS  -  795 words
    • Article
      Lock icon New Delhi sets new rules for Uber, other taxi operators
      365 31 Reuters New Delhi TAXI firms including Uber, the online cab-hailing company banned in New Delhi, will have to install panic buttons if they are to operate in India’s capital under new rules framed after allegations that a driver for the
      Reuters  -  365 words
    • Article
      Lock icon India to end tax breaks for car-makers
      292 31 Reuters New Delhi INDIA will not extend tax breaks to carmakers beyond Dec 31, a senior government official told Reuters, as the government looks to shore up its finances before the end of the financial year. Weak tax receipts in a sluggish economy
      Reuters  -  292 words
    • Article
      Lock icon Dispute on carmakers’ forced quotas escalates
      653 32 Dealers complain to Beijing foreign marques forcing them to buy stock that they can’t sell Reuters Shanghai FOREIGN carmakers in China may find themselves struggling to dictate sales goals in the coming years, now that dealers have complained to the government that inflexible targets
      Reuters  -  653 words
    • Article, Illustration
      Lock icon China-made regional jet gets CAAC certification
      493 32 Xin hua Beijing CHINA’S first domestically produced regional jet was officially certified on Tuesday, marking a crucial step forward for the jet’s entry into the market. The ARJ21-700 won the certification after a series of examinations by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC)
      Xinhua; PHOTO: AFP  -  493 words
    • Article
      Lock icon China’s 2 trainmakers surge on merger plan
      410 32 Bloomberg Hong Kong CHINA’S two biggest trainmakers surged in Hong Kong trading after saying they plan to combine through a share swap, a move intended to boost exports of the country’s high-speed rail technology. CSR Corp will issue 1.1 new shares to China
      Bloomberg  -  410 words
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      401 33 THE BUSINESS TIMES Shipping times WALLENIUS WILHELMSEN LOGISTICS Tel: (65) 6379 5066 Fax: (65) 6379 5106 Email: 2wsinenq@2wglobal.com website: http://www.2wglobal.com AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND TO ASIA VESSEL VOY AKL BNE PKL MEL FRE SIN TAMERLANE FF501 19/12 23/12 25/12 28/12 04/01 11/01 TYSLA FF502 23/12 27/12 29/12 01/01 06/01 13/01 TALISMAN
      401 words
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      575 33 FOONG SUN SHIPPING (PTE) LTD INDONESIA SUMATRA PORTS VESSEL VOY ETA ETD DESTINATION BERJAYA II 01/15 08/01 10/01 BELITUNG/PKL BALAM SRI JAYA 8 02/15 06/01 08/01 JAMBI/PEKAN BARU FAJAR MAS 01/15 IN PORT 05/01 PALEMBANG/PANJANG SIANIRI 01/15 07/01 09/01 BELAWAN/MALAHAYATI INDONESIA JAVA SULAWESI PORTS VESSEL VOY ETA ETD DESTINATION FLORA
      575 words
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      22 33 ship maintenance services wanted Can they find your services here in the Shipping Times? TO ADVERTISE, CALL JOE WONG AT *****327, KIES
      22 words
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  • OPINION
    • Article, Illustration
      Lock icon Things you should watch out for
      1441 34 / 35  -  Oil prices fall; the rouble collapses; China liberalises aggressively; military flashpoints escalate all this could happen in 2015. Be prepared. By Bernard Lee By Bernard Lee ~The writer is founder and chief executive of HedgeSPA, an investment analytics provider mentioned by Forbes as an
      PHOTO: AFP  -  1,441 words
    • Article
      Lock icon Dodging the next big environmental crisis
      752 34 / 35  -  By Ron Mahabir ~The writer is the founder and managing director of Asia Cleantech Capital IT is hard to keep in perspective how fast we are moving, but almost every facet of our lives is changing at warp speed. And not necessarily for the
      752 words
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  • LIFE & CULTURE
    • Article, Illustration
      Lock icon There is no cure for a hangover
      449 36 But there are products ranging from tablets and drinks to intravenous infusions to relieve its symptoms Reuters New York REVELLERS who rang in the New Year with parties and celebrations, and those whose heads are still ringing will spend their first waking hours
      Reuters; FILE PHOTO  -  449 words
    • Article
      Lock icon Beijing’s contemporary art scene gaining in popularity
      503 36 NYT Beijing ON a recent Sunday afternoon in the sunken terrace of Beijing’s sleek Opposite House Hotel, an art event was in full swing. The wine was chilling, the dumplings were steaming and a few dozen locals and foreigners were looking on with
      NYT  -  503 words
  • Page 36 Miscellaneous
    • Miscellaneous
      Lock icon Page 36 Miscellaneous Column 1
      347 36 CRYPTIC CROSSWORD Across 1 The deal now being negotiated is shabby (4-2-4) 6 One put in grave, as already mentioned (4) 9 Seductive type to come in, wanting one caught, trapped (7) 10 Goes round a hill to the west with group returning (7) 12 Pastor Michael could be up
      347 words