Risk and predictability of Singapore's private residential market

Abstract

This study explores the short-run predictability of, and the risks facing investors in, Singapore's private housing market. We explicitly model a periodically collapsing rational speculative bubble within the present-value framework, and propose an unconventional approach as a first-step to screen for structural break(s). We found that a rational speculative bubble is an important predictor of the short-run price growth, especially in volatile times. Furthermore, rent is the only fundamental having a non-negligible impact. The study suggests that the major risk facing market participants comes from unpredictable local policy shifts, and/or a potentially predictable systemic risk.