Recent Developments
4. Singapore’s economy continues to perform well in 2014–15 but activity has been
impacted by reduced reliance on foreign workers, the slow global recovery, and the turning of
credit and housing cycles. The moderation in growth from 4.4 percent in 2013 to 2.9 percent in
2014 partially reflects the transition to the lower trend growth rate dictated by reduced contribution
from labor supply. Cyclical factors reflecting a slow and uncertain global recovery and the turning of
credit and housing cycles have also played a role. In 2014, consumption growth slowed down
considerably and gross fixed investment contributed negatively to growth, held back by the
uncertain economic outlook and its impact on investor confidence (Figure 1). Growth in the first
quarter of 2015 was robust at 3.2 percent (q/q) in annualized seasonally-adjusted terms, following a
strong fourth quarter in 2014, with both consumption and investment showing signs of modest
pick-up. Private sector credit growth slowed to 4.6 percent in April 2015 (y/y), the slowest pace in
five years. House prices have continued to decline modestly and are below their peaks by 9 percent
and 6 percent in the public resale and private market segments as of the first quarter of 2015,
respectively. The pace of house price decline has been slower over the past 7 quarters, suggesting
that policy actions such as the introduction of the total debt service ratio (TDSR) framework in mid-
2013 have helped engineer the soft landing targeted by policy makers.