Daily Briefing: Singapore sees little growth in investment this year; SEA governments ramp up spending

And here are three social activities that have the potential to get very expensive.

Singapore sees little growth in fixed-asset investments this year after commitments fell to the lowest level since at least 2007, the Economic Development Board said. Capital investment in facilities and equipment planned over the next five years stood at $9.4 billion ($6.7b) last year and should stabilize at around $8 billion to $10b in coming years, Beh Swan Gin, chairman of the EDB, told reporters in Singapore on Thursday. The EDB didn’t provide data for the period before 2007. Read more here.

Governments in Southeast Asia are ramping up spending just as central banks are putting away their policy-easing tools. From Thailand to Malaysia, states are boosting budgets for railways, roads and other infrastructure projects to help bolster growth in a region facing uncertain global markets and the threat of a pullback in trade under U.S. President Donald Trump. “Fiscal is going to be the main story this year,” said Selena Ling, an economist at Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. in Singapore. “All of these countries don’t really have much room for cutting rates further. Their currencies may weaken more if rates are lower.” Know more here.

Maintaining a social life can be expensive in Singapore. There is often little to no concern about costs when it comes to spending time with friends, and only in the rarest of occasions will somebody bother to ask the group if the cost of dining at whatever pricey restaurant they’ve chosen is fine with everyone. Here are three social situations that have the potential to get very expensive. If you’re invited to one of these activities, avoid like the plague unless invited by your boss. Click here to read more.