Singapore in its worst recession for years: the effects of the current economic crisis on the city-state's economy

Abstract

Due to the current economic downturn, Singapore has experienced one of its most severe recessions since independence. The financial crisis, which caused a fall in prices at most of the world's leading stock exchanges and a sharp decline in industrial production, has also had a negative impact on the city-state's export-dependent economy. The analysis outlines the economic downturn and the decline of Singapore's export economy since the beginning of the crisis in late 2008. Central to the analysis are questions regarding the social consequences of the current economic crisis and the amount of losses Singapore’s state-owned holding companies, Temasek and GIC, experienced when some of the world’s biggest investment banks, such as Merrill Lynch, went into bankruptcy.