RBA Unlikely to Cut Interest Rates in 2026 as Inflation Pressures Persist, Says Westpac 
BOJ Poised for Historic Rate Hike as Japan Signals Shift Toward Monetary Normalization 
Precious Metals Rally as Silver and Platinum Outperform on Rate Cut Bets 
U.S. Stock Futures Slip After CPI-Fueled Rally as Markets Weigh Economic Uncertainty 
Japan Exports to U.S. Rebound in November as Tariff Impact Eases, Boosting BOJ Rate Hike Expectations 
Asian Fund Managers Turn More Optimistic on Growth but Curb Equity Return Expectations: BofA Survey 
U.S. Dollar Steadies Near October Lows as Rate Cut Expectations Keep Markets on Edge 
FxWirePro: Daily Commodity Tracker - 21st March, 2022 
Austan Goolsbee Signals Potential for More Fed Rate Cuts as Inflation Shows Improvement 
Singapore credit growth continued to pick up in January driven by business loans rather than consumer loans. It registered at 2.9 percent y/y, up from 1.1 percent in the previous month and the trough of -2.7 percent in June 2016.
Most importantly, the uptick was driven. Business-related loan growth reported the first positive reading of 2.8 percent after being stuck in the negative territory for the past sixteen months, while consumer loan growth remained steady at 3.1 percent, reported DBS Bank in its research note.
The turnaround in business loan growth reflects the improvement in business confidence amid a relatively more sanguine economic outlook. In this regard, barring any sudden spike up in interest rates, we expect business loan growth to continue to strengthen along with the steadily improving business climate in the coming months, they added.
The DBS Bank in its research note mentioned that the existing macro-prudential measures remain in place and household leverages are still high. These two factors will likely continue to weigh down on consumer loan growth, which may not be a bad thing given the sluggish labour market at present.
