One in three Singaporean investors saddled with hefty debts: report

Investors are living beyond their means.

Around a third of Singaporean investors have personal debts apart from their mortgages, according to the latest Manulife Investment Sentiment Index (MISI).

Singaporeans are not alone, though, because the report showed that high levels of personal debt are prevalent across Asia

Singaporean investors' debt stand at 5.6x their monthly income, higher than 4.8x in Hong Kong but much lower than 14.3x in China.

The main causes of debt are daily living and discretionary expenses, suggesting people may be living beyond their means, the report said.

Although just a fraction compared to other causes, gambling was a factor too, particularly in Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan and China.

The MISI findings dovetail with other data showing credit-card debt to be on the rise in parts of Asia, most noticeably in Hong Kong, Singapore and China.

The proportion of investors saddled with debt is highest in Malaysia at 68% and lowest in Japan at 15%.