Straits Trading/ Suntec REIT

Straits Trading/ Suntec REIT: Straits Real Estate (SRE), a 90/10 co-investment company of Straits Trading (STC) and ARA Asset Management's CEO John Lim, has purchased 35.1m units in Suntec REIT from the open market at an average $1.72 apiece, bringing its stake to 1.4%. SRE, which was set up in Oct '13, has a mandate to invest in real estate (excluding hospitality) in SE Asia, Australia and China, and could also provide seed capital for new property funds to be managed by ARA. STC's vote of confidence in Suntec REIT may offer a boost to the latter’s share price, given STC's established reputation as a value investor.