News Highlights Friday 1st February 2008

The Business Times

Property-related loans still growing
Total property-related loans, which include housing loans and lending to building and construction businesses, was 3.2% higher in December than the previous month, reaching $110.7 billion....


The Business Times

First transitional office block ready in Sept
...Prudential, which has leased the building for 14 years, will be paying $6.50 per square foot a month. (Read also ST's Prudential in 14-year lease for Scotts Road site)


The Business Times

JTC ready-built facilities' take-up hits record
... The overall occupancy for ready-built facilities rose to 92.7% in 2007, from 87.8 per cent in 2006. (Read also ST's Surge in lease of industrial space, land)



The Straits Times

Plan for big F1 bash to help pull in 10.8m tourists
...Dubbed the Singapore GP Season, the party, which will span three weekends, will surround qualifying runs and the race itself....



The Business Times

Jobs grow, but will productivity suffer?
Unemployment rate falls to 1.6% a decade-low (Read also ST's New jobs created this year: Drop likely - but by how much?, and S'poreans and foreigners gain from job boom )



The Straits Times

Independent surveys confirm S'poreans living longer
Also no data to show rich outlive poor; studies aim to show need for annuities