SINGAPORE, Oct 14, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Singapore eased monetary policy for
the first time in over three years Monday as the US-China trade war bites,
while the export-reliant economy narrowly avoided recession in the third
quarter.
The financial hub’s central bank joins others around the world, from
Europe to the US, in loosening policy as fears mount of a global economic
slowdown.
The city-state has traditionally been the first among Asia’s export-driven
economies to be affected during a downturn, making it a closely watched
barometer of global demand for goods and services for the rest of the region.
And it has been hard hit in recent months, with growth rates and exports
plummeting, dragged down by a weak manufacturing sector.
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said it will “reduce slightly”
the slope of the band at which its currency is allowed to move, effectively
allowing for a weaker dollar, as had been expected.
Instead of using interest rates, Singapore manages monetary policy by
letting the local dollar rise or fall against a currency basket of its main
trading partners.
“In the last six months, the drag on GDP (gross domestic product) growth
exerted by the manufacturing sector has intensified, reflecting the ongoing
downturn in the global electronics cycle as well as the pullback in
investment spending, caused in part by the uncertainty in US-China
relations,” MAS said.
Preliminary GDP data released at the same time showed Singapore’s economy
narrowly avoided tipping into a technical recession.
It expanded 0.6 percent in the three months to September on a quarterly
basis, bouncing back from a shock 2.7 percent second-quarter contraction. The
economy grew 0.1 percent on a yearly basis.
The decline was led by the manufacturing sector, a pillar of the trade-
dependent economy. The sector shrank by 3.5 percent, extending a 3.3 percent
contraction the previous quarter.
Singapore’s exports have been hammered by dampened demand as the United
States and China slapped tit-for-tat tariffs on each other worth billions of
dollars in two-way trade, affecting export demand worldwide.
The city-state last slipped into recession in the aftermath of the global
financial crisis in 2008.