Local investor sentiment weighed down by escalating living costs

Singapore lags behind its regional peers.

Singapore’s investor sentiment was dampened by the republic’s escalating living costs. According to Blackrock’s Global Investor Pulse Survey, 57% of Singaporeans feel positive about their financial future, a figure that is considerably lower than the Asian average of 64%.

The high cost of living is the biggest drag on Singaporean investors’ sentiment. 72% of Singaporeans say that the high cost of living is a concern to their financial future, and 50% say that rising prices are. 59% of Singaporeans are concerned about the impact that healthcare costs will have on their financial future.

Reflecting general concerns about the high cost of living, affluent Singaporeans are more likely to feel positive about their financial future, with 68% of wealthy residents feeling upbeat about their prospects against 57% for Singaporeans as a whole.

The state of the Singapore economy is also a prevalent concern for Singaporean investors, with almost half claiming that it is a consideration when thinking of their financial future.

Perceptions of domestic economic performance are mixed, with almost half expecting it to stay the same and the rest split near evenly between expecting it to improve and expecting it to get worse.