The US dollar has weakened, but the Singdollar has only gained strength AURORATOTO GROUP

SINGAPORE: Last month, private banking and wealth management group Julius Baer noted the strength of the Singapore dollar, saying that it is being seen as a safe-haven currency in the region and is only expected to grow stronger in the near future.

In contrast, the US dollar has weakened considerably this year, seeing one of its steepest declines in decades. Reports say it has slumped by nearly 11% in the first half of the year.

Economists from Julius Baer say that in the next three months, they expect the current rate of USD$1 to S$1.28 to hold steady, and within six months to grow to USD$1 to S$1.25. Moreover, some have even said that parity with the US dollar is possible.

Read related: Singaporeans on possibility of S$ parity with US$

Jen-Ai Chua, Equity Research Asia at Julius Baer, was quoted in the Singapore Business Review (SBR) earlier this week as saying, “While there is arguably still some way to go before the Singapore dollar can claim to be a global haven the same way the Swiss franc is – due to its relatively short trading history and some say, the managed nature of the currency which limits market speculation, large scale positioning, and by implication, liquidity and depth – it is nevertheless recognised as one of the world’s major currencies”.

Like the Swiss franc, the Singdollar has consistently posted positive 10-, 20- and 30-year spot returns against the greenback, SBR added. In fact, they are the only two major currencies to hold this distinction.

Moreover, the Singdollar has been the best-performing currency against the US dollar in Asia for the past twenty years.

An op-ed piece in Family Wealth Report this week took a look at the Singdollar’s soft power. Also citing the Julius Baer report, it said that the Singapore dollar has become the world’s most overvalued major currency.

“Singapore has a safe-haven status — a fact that might once have struck policymakers as astonishing when the jurisdiction became an independent state in the mid-sixties. Its management of the currency has been exemplary.

As Julius Baer says, although the Singapore dollar is fiat currency, all of Singapore’s currency in circulation – estimated at S$67.5 billion – is fully backed by gold, silver, and other foreign assets held by the MAS, as required under the Currency Act. Further, the jurisdiction is the only Asian nation with triple-A ratings from all three major credit-grading companies,” Family Wealth Report Group Editor Tom Burroughes wrote.

“What the Singapore tale shows us is that it takes years of painstaking effort and financial discipline to achieve monetary credibility, just as it does for a private bank in building a trustworthy reputation. There appears to be no immediate sign that the Singapore dollar is going to lose its shine,” he added. /TISG

Read also: CNBC report says Singdollar may reach safe-haven status, like Swiss franc, yen, and US dollar