Singapore – The Burning Platform

Guest Post by Simon Black

In 1965, the tiny, fledgling country of Singapore seemed like it was on the verge disaster.

It had only just split off from Malaysia due to severe racial tensions between them, and just two years had passed since independence from the United Kingdom.

Singapore started its nationhood with no natural resources, no army, and almost no infrastructure.

Unemployment was high. Invasion from Indonesia was a constant threat. GDP per capita was just $410, less than 1/10^th the US per capita GDP at the time.

Continue reading “Here’s at least one country that hasn’t completely lost its mind”

Guest Post by Harry Dent

The global real estate bubble is bursting.

After imposing a hefty 26% tax on foreign buyers, and a 12% to 16% surcharge for buyers who flipped their house between one and two years, Singapore real estate has declined 21.5%.

Vancouver has taken similar measures, and – surprise, surprise – its real estate is down 24% in just five months!

That’s what I mean when I say that when bubbles burst, they do so dramatically and rapidly.

But this is likely just the beginning…

I put Singapore into razor-sharp focus in February of last year when I noted it had some of the most expensive real estate in the world. It has the highest standard of living of any country in Asia – even higher than in the U.S.!

The problem is that the country is 100% urban and has limited land – making it incredibly susceptible to the kind of bubble that’s formed there.

And boy, has one ever.

Continue reading “The Global Real Estate Bubble Is OFFICIALLY Bursting”