Catalan Parliament to pick Speaker

The Catalan Parliament will convene today to choose the parliamentary Speaker, its first session since last month, when pro-independence parties won an absolute majority in regional elections.

A new regional leader could next be elected as soon as Jan 31. The Spanish government has warned separatist lawmakers against backing fugitive former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont as a candidate.

COE tender results out today

The results of the open bidding exercise for certificates of entitlement (COEs) will be released today at 4pm, when the tender closes.

The total quota available for this tender is 4,431. In the last tender earlier this month, COE prices ended mixed, with a higher premium for cars up to 1,600cc and 130bhp, while the cost of a commercial vehicle COE fell to its lowest since last July.

Non-oil export figures for December

Data on Singapore's non-oil domestic exports for last month will be out today, with analysts expecting more of the same. The consensus among economists is for a sustained strong growth at 9 per cent, comparable to November's 9.1 per cent. However, UOB Global Economics and Markets Research sees room for disappointment due to weaker than expected electronics shipments.