Singapore stocks tipped to beat Asian peers

Rebound: Signage for the SGX Centre, which houses the Singapore Exchange Ltd headquarters, stands in Singapore. Analysts forecast the Straits Times Index to climb about 16% over the next 12 months. — Bloomberg

SINGAPORE: Stocks in Singapore appear to be the best-placed in Asia Pacific to benefit from a potential cyclical recovery and success in finding a cure for the coronavirus, analysts say.

Cheap valuations, strong links to the global economy and better control over the virus outbreak are all seen working to the advantage of shares in the city-state, where cyclicals such as financials and real estate command a more than 80% weighting in the benchmark index.