Singapore office vacancies to rise as economy slows

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Singapore's export-oriented economy has been hit by the slowdown in China and beyond, which has also put pressure on key sectors such as marine oil and gas, commodity trading and banks. Last year, the economy grew at just 2 per cent, its slowest pace since 2009.

Analysts predict vacancy rates will continue to rise this year, with JLL estimating prime office rents to fall between 10 per cent and 20 per cent after dropping 15 per cent last year in a city that is ranked the eleventh most expensive in the world to rent top quality offices.

Broader cost-cutting at banks due to the slowdown in the global economy is likely to have an impact on vacancies as financial institutions are key tenants for prime commercial space in Singapore.

Barclays will cut about 1,000 jobs in investment banking worldwide and close its cash equities business in Asia, an internal memo seen by Reuters showed.

Societe Generale gave up two floors in an office tower after selling its private banking activities in Asia to DBS Group Holdings in end-2014, taking up a smaller space in an existing building instead.

http://www.reuters.com/article/singa...-idUSL3N1611OK


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