Morning business news round-up for July 15, 2014

Sales of new private homes plummeted drastically last month, after home seekers swept up a record number of units in May. -- PHOTO: ST FILE 
Sales of new private homes plummeted drastically last month, after home seekers swept up a record number of units in May. -- PHOTO: ST FILE 

SINGAPORE - Catch up on the morning's top business headlines in Singapore with The Straits Times Money Desk's daily update.

1. New private home sales in Singapore down 67.2 per cent in June from May. Developers sold 482 units in June, down from 1,488 new homes in May, according to fresh data from the Urban Redevelopment Authority on Tuesday.

2. Retail sales decline 6 per cent in May over year ago on drop in car demand. Sales of motor vehicles plummeted 26.8 per cent in May over last year, data released on Tuesday by the Statistics Department showed.

3. Ezion scores two deals worth $333.2m to provide service rigs. The Singapore-listed company clinched a contract worth US$122.6 million to provide a service rig for seven years and a letter of intent for a contract worth about US$146 million.

4. Noble ties up with US energy firm to form company for energy assets. Noble will be Harbour Energy's preferred offtake and marketing partner, while US-headquartered EIG Global Energy Partners will manage the company and oversee its acquisition of assets.

5. CCM Group proposes rights issue, name change, new businesses. This comes after the group recently sold CCM Industrial, a wholly-owned subsidiary involved in construction activities in Singapore that had incurred major losses last year.

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