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Higher costs of transport, housing and food also pushed inflation to rise 1.6% over December 2010.

While prime office rents in Asia Pacific are forecast to increase by 6.2% in 2011, property investment sales in Singapore are expected to remain buoyant in 2011.

Rising violence in Libya is throwing the market focus on oil, said OCBC.

After the recent upward revision by the MAS in its inflation forecast to 3.0-4.0%, all eyes will be on the inflation reading due today.

The 20.9% growth for NODX is an encouraging sign for output growth.

Inflation expectation could be a concern when workers demand for higher wages to cope with the rising inflation.

But, the SGS bond is currently yielding only around 3.33 percent.

Rental growth in Singapore accelerated to 12.2% in the fourth quarter while rents in Beijing and Shanghai also continued to appreciate.

Integrated Resorts contributed largely to last year's tourism boom that brought S$7.9 billion in valued-added in the first nine months of 2010.

Singapore needs to gear up for more productivity-driven growth, argues E&Y.

Up to $400,000 of business spending on each qualifying activity qualifies for a maximum tax deduction of $1,600,000 or $272,000 of tax savings per activity.

The spectre of inflation – possibly reaching 4% this year – and an economy bouncing along very nicely meant that there was no need to pump prime anything.

To achieve 30% increase in productivity, companies need to devise competitive and cost effective health care, financial security, work/life balance, and other benefit programs.

47% of Singaporeans are uncertain about their financial capability to retire.

The proposed increase in foreign worker levies shows how the government wants to do away with the reliance on foreign workers and push productivity growth.

One of measures the government will provide for SMEs is the 20% corporate income tax rebate.