Daily Briefing: Why SGX-listed firms are moving North; Experts urge private home sellers to be realistic

And is the Singapore job market as bleak as it feels?

From Zuu Online via Yahoo!: The Singapore stock exchange’s rivalry with its Hong Kong counterpart has been intensifying in recent times. For one thing, the Hong Kong stock exchange is much larger. A recent report ranks HKEX at #6 in the world with the 1,866 companies listed on it having a total market cap of US$3.3 trillion. The SGX does not even make it to the top 20. The market cap of its 750+ listed companies is barely a fifth of that of the Hong Kong exchange. The greatest advantage that HKEX has over its rival is that it gives the companies listed on it access to mainland China.

From PropertyGuru via Yahoo!: With the Singapore Land Authority on Tuesday affirming the policy that no compensation will be given to owners of residential properties upon lease expiry, property experts called on private home buyers and sellers to be realistic with their expectations. This comes as thousands of apartment and condominium owners will soon find their properties become undesirable over the coming decade due to shorter leases of not more than 50 years. Notably, 13 condominiums and mixed-used developments in Singapore will have leases of not more than 50 years by 2027 – or the point when values of the property would generally plummet, said the experts.

From Zuu Online via Yahoo!: How is the job market performing? For many employees, the answer starts with the renumeration they are getting from their current jobs. In 2016, the average bonus received by Singapore employees was approximately 1.45 months, according to a survey by Jobstreet.com. This bonus, or annual wage supplement (AWS), is what is given to employees beyond their 12 month salaries. Technically, companies are not required to pay AWS unless it has been agreed upon in the employment contract. They also have the right to negotiate the AWS payable if the employee's performance is poor during the year.