Thursday, July 31, 2014

Market News In 2 Minutes @ 31st July 2014

Market News in 2 minutes
As stock investors (even though a small one), it is important to keep abreast with the latest financial and market news. Since I am in it, I thought it might be worthwhile to share it out with my readers too.

Hence, I started this "Market News In 2 Minutes" series.
Following are the "Market News In 2 Minutes" for today :
1. TEE International (M1Z) - Its 49 percent-owned Global Environment Technology Co (GET), has inked a deal with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to operate and maintain Bangkok’s first underground waste water treatment plant in Bang Sue. Under the contract, GET will provide a total outsourcing solution to support the operations of the plant, which is capable of treating a maximum of 300 million litres of municipal waste per day. (source : Shares Investment)

2. DBS Group Holdings (D05) - The Southeast Asia’s biggest bank, vaulted to the top among takeover advisers in the region for the first time in its history after winning more business from Temasek Holdings Pte, its main shareholder. For more details of the report, click here. (source : The Edge)

3. Sapphire Corporation (NF1) - Its shareholders have approved the sale of its entire steel-making business for $70 million. For more details of the report, click here(source : The Edge)

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When Times In Need, Your Personal Assets Can Be Your Capital

Starting your own business could be the aspiration of many, especially the younger generation nowadays. No doubt, it is a very fulfilling undertaking (if successful) and could also cause many sleepless nights, especially when facing with cash-flow challenges.

To ensure sustainability of a business (big or small), one of the minimum requirements is to ensure that there is a sufficient and regular flow of blood stream (a.k.a capital) for the business operation or expansion. This is even more critical for small businesses when the options of obtaining additional capitals/funds are usually limited.

Fret not! Besides the usual option of getting a loan from banks or financial institutions, thanks to the advent of Internet, you can now turn your personal valuable assets (e.g. jewelry or diamonds, luxury watches, luxury handbag, fine wine, cars etc.) into capitals quicker than you think it is possible. One such establishment that I would like to share here is Borro (from New York City). 

The key feature of Borro’s loan service is “No credit checks”, which I believed will be the most salient feature for many small business owners. Also, with its simple and fast appraisal process, they offer a viable solution for irregular/seasonal businesses with cash flow challenges. 

Borro also provides a unique “Sales Advance Loan” service for those customers whom decided to sell their assets. In short, Borro will give you the funds in advance while managing the sales on your behalf. Also, leveraging on its relationship with the auction houses, customers can expect to maximize their sales returns. 

Not only that, Borro has a wide network of partners that serve all 50 states in the USA. Hence, it brings the service closer to you. That explains why their services have been used by many. 

Last but not least, just like to end this post by sharing a video on how appraisals are being done at Borro:


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Wednesday, July 30, 2014

I Don't Think Money/Wealth Accumulation Will Be In Anyone's Bucket List

The Bucket List
In case you don't know, I am a self-proclaim movie buff and I watched all genre of movies. One of the inspiring movie that still lingering in my head is The Bucket List (in 2007, by Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman). Maybe it is because of my age, I think it is about time for me to get serious about coming up with my own Bucket List.
Just to make sure that we are all on the same page, Bucket List is a list of things/actions you want to achieve/do before you kick the bucket (touch wood), so, it should be something bigger, grander like visit the Pyramid in Egypt, car racing etc..(as per the movie).
Come and think about it, would items related to money (e.g. want to have $x in stocks or bank accounts before I kick the bucket etc...) be in anyone's bucket list? Personally, I DON'T THINK so (at least it would not be in my bucket list). Of course, it doesn't means that money is of any less importance and I could be wrong. What do you think?
My bucket list is..... wait! I need more time, let me think think first ;-)
Cheers!   
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Market News In 2 Minutes @ 30th July 2014

Market News in 2 minutes
As stock investors (even though a small one), it is important to keep abreast with the latest financial and market news. Since I am in it, I thought it might be worthwhile to share it out with my readers too.

Hence, I started this "Market News In 2 Minutes" series.
 
Following are the "Market News In 2 Minutes" for today :
 
1. Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (O39) - Has acquired a total of 97.52% of the issued share capital of Wing Hang Bank, closing the US$4.95 billion ($6.15 billion) bid for the Hong Kong lender. (source : The Edge)

2. ISDN Holdings (I07) - Via its subsidiaries, ISDN Investments and Aenergy Holdings, inked an investment agreement where an individual investor will subscribe for ordinary shares representing 20 percent of shareholding interest in Aenergy. The proceeds of US$6.4 million generated through the agreement will allow Aenergy to develop its portfolio of hydropower project investments in Indonesia. (source : Shares Investment)

3. See Hup Seng (566) - Proposed to invest US$8 million for a 25 percent stake in the enlarged capital of Aenergy Holdings, a subsidiary of ISDN Holdings. The proposed investment which will be satisfied in cash, will allow See Hup Seng to gain a strategic exposure into Indonesia’s growing renewable energy sector, particularly hydropower. (source : Shares Investment)

Cheers!

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

I Have Finally Sold My Maiden Stock (Straco Corp)

In the early July, I've written a post about considering selling my maiden stock (Straco Corp) at $0.77 but failed (you can read my earlier post here). Today, I've decided to attempt to release it again at $0.79 and it went through within 5 minutes.;-)
 
I bought the stock about 4 months ago at $0.58 and happy to release it with slightly more than 30% profit (which has exceeded my profit target). Of course, since I am a very small investor, my earning could be smaller than some of the peers' transaction fee/commission but it still enough to put a smile on my face! ;-)
 
Just to borrow a phrase used by one of my friend, in Chinese "You Juan Jiu Hao" (got earn, good enough liao).
 
Cheers!
 
P/S: Straco will release its second quarter result on 12th August 2014 (Tue), all the best to the company and existing share holders. I WILL BE BACK at a right price, at the right time later, hopefully ;-)

Market News In 2 Minutes @ 29th July 2014

Market News in 2 minutes
As stock investors (even though a small one), it is important to keep abreast with the latest financial and market news. Since I am in it, I thought it might be worthwhile to share it out with my readers too.

Hence, I started this "Market News In 2 Minutes" series.
 
Following are the "Market News In 2 Minutes" for today :
 
1. Keppel Land (K17) - Has made its maiden investment in the United States (US) with a prime residential development in New York City. Keppel Land’s total investment in the project is about US$70 million ($87 million). For more details, click here. (source : The Edge)

2. Samudra Energy, which owns gas and oil interests in Indonesia, is seeking to raise $248 million to $276.3 million in an initial public offering in Singapore, according to a term sheet seen by Reuters. For more details, click here(source : The Edge)

3.  Advanced Holdings (5IA) -  Has received letter of awards totalling approximately $9 million to provide process equipment and analyser systems in the region. The projects are scheduled to be completed by first half of 2015 and will lift the company’s order book to approximately $80 million. (source : Shares Investment)

4. Soilbuild Construction Group (S7P) - Has secured a contract by Housing & Development Board for the worth approximately, $168.4 million in Yishun. The project, expected to commence in August 2014 brings the group’s latest order book to $676.9 million. (source : Shares Investment)

Cheers!

Monday, July 28, 2014

Investing Lesson From Charitable Event - Hair For Hope

Yesterday, went for the Hair For Hope (HFH) event at VivoCity and successfully made a BALD statement for the kids (those who are suffering from cancers). In case you don't know, HFH is an annual event (on its twelve year now) organised by Children's Cancer Foundation as part of their donation drive. 

As this is my second year participating in this event, I can see quite a big difference (good or bad) between last year's event and this year's. Here are some of the noticeable ones :

1. Better logistic arrangement. Last year, both registration and the actual event (of shaving) where conducted at the same location and hence the crowd and queue went quite messy. This year, registration and actual event are done at separate floor and hence improve the process. Just like in investing, we need to review and fine-tune our approach and strategy accordingly.

2. Timing is important - when I was in the queue, I over-heard the DJ mentioned that the previous day (Saturday) has about thousand plus shavees (which is considered rather low bearing in mind that their target is 6,500 shavees for the event). I believed it has something to do with the timing, this year, the event was slated during the long weekend holiday period and hence many people might have other plans (like travelling and home visiting for the Malays). Just like in investing, timing is IMPORTANT too!

Having lunch with friend after went BALD!
Oh, by the way, if you are interested to find out more about HFH or make any online donation, click here.

Cheers!

Friday, July 25, 2014

Facebook's Share Price Hits The Roof With Wall Street Beating Q2 Results

Facebook
Yesterday night, before calling it a day, I got a shock when checking my POEMs app that one of the stock that I have micro-holding, Facebook, shoot up 7+% to USD76.74, which is the 52-weeks high. This morning, I noticed that it ends the day with USD74.98 (up 5.17%).
 
I guess you folks might know that it is due to its Wall Street beating Q2 results (which was released on Wednesday), following are some quick summary of the Q2 results of Facebook :
 
1. Revenue raised about 60% to USD2.91 Billions (as compared to the same quarter last year)
Facebook - Q2 Revenues
 
2. Net Income raised about 137% to USD791 millions (as compared to the same quarter last year)
Facebook - Q2 Income
 
Most of the revenue are from their ads, especially through the mobile channel. It looks like 2014 will be another bumper year for Facebook.
 
As Facebook is my maiden US Stock which I bought it out of the love towards the platform (I am an Facebook addict ;-)), I am still very happy even my paper profits is negligible.
 
Cheers! 

Market News In 2 Minutes @ 25th July 2014

Market News in 2 minutes
TGIF and a long weekend is around the corner! Wish you all have a great weekend and Hari Raya Holiday ahead of you! 

As stock investors (even though a small one), it is important to keep abreast with the latest financial and market news. Since I am in it, I thought it might be worthwhile to share it out with my readers too.

Hence, I started this "Market News In 2 Minutes" series.
 
Following are the "Market News In 2 Minutes" for today :
 
1. Accordia Golf Trust (AG Trust), the first business trust with investments in golf course assets in Japan to list on the SGX, has priced its offering at 97 cents per unit. With initial portfolio of 89 golf courses and related assets, it is scheduled to commence trading on Aug 1. The trust intends to distribute its entire distributable income to unitholders for the current FY2015 ending March 31, 2015. At the offer price of 97 cents per unit, the annual distribution yield will be 9.1%. (source : The Ege)
 
2. CNA Group (5GC) - The master system integrator, has signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Buathip Lao Co. to jointly deliver a national Integrated Fuel Management System (IFMS) in Laos. For more details, click here(source : The Ege)
 
Cheers!

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Thursday, July 24, 2014

Interview With Jun Hao Of The Asia Report Blog

Interview Series
This is my 17th interview of the "Interview With Fellow Investors" blog series and I am really happy to be able to continue learning and writing about the peer investors here. I hope to reach out to more peer investors and accumulate as many interviews as possible. 

My next interviewee is Jun Hao, I think he is in his mid 20s now (if my math did not fail me), the amazing thing is that he just started investing about 4 years ago but already overseeing over $3.95 millions in assets. Phew!

Without further ado, let's keep reading to get to know Jun Hao better.. 

Q1 : Can you give us a brief introduction about yourself?
I am the co-founder and managing partner of private family office, overseeing slightly under S$4 million in assets. I publicly tracked my US portfolio on my first blog, Quantitative Value , which was started back in late 2010. Over the past 2.75 years, the US portfolio compounded at a annual rate of 27.23%. That’s a cumulative return of 93.93%.

I just started up The Asia Report in early July. The main goal is to share the investing wisdom of the investing greats from around the world with people, and to apply it in a local setting. As the saying goes, the more things change, the more the same. 

The only way for investors to make well informed decisions is through continued education, and I hope to bridge that gap by introducing them to some of the most successful and prolific investors of our time.

Q2 : Are you a full-time or part-time investor at the moment?
Full time investor.

Q3 : When (at what age) did you start investing in shares and who has influenced you the most?
I started investing at 20, and I would say that Warren Buffett and Benjamin Graham had the most influence on me.

My first experience with investing was from reading Snowball, Warren’s Buffett biography. That gave me a really solid foundation to work from, and I knew from Buffett’s experiences that value investing works. I found myself adopting many of their frameworks, and that prevented me from making big mistakes over the course of my journey.

Q4 : Do you view yourself as long-term (holding shares in years), short-term investor (holding shares in days/months) or mixture?
Definitely long term. However, I am flexible. If a share revalues to our estimated intrinsic value, I won’t hesitate to sell.

Q5 : What is your basis of selecting the shares to invest (e.g. basing on fundamental analysis, technical analysis or other methods/sources [share a little bit more details if it is the latter])?
Fundamental analysis. I normally screen for companies first based on the normal “value” metrics like low P/E, low P/B etc. 

That normally give quite a number of companies to work with. I normally than proceed to look into the specifics of the company, identifying ones that feel comfortable with.

That’s only part of the process. I spend a lot of time reading industry books, keeping up with various news sources like the WSJ & Bloomberg Businessweek. It’s a continual learning process. That helps me expand my circle of competence.

Q6 : What is your targeted and achieved annual rate of returns (%) so far? 
My targeted rate of returns :15%
My achieved rate of returns : 16% onwards

Q7 : What is your most recommended online investing resource (site or blog) to share with our readers? 
Nextinsight is great for news on listed companies in Singapore. If you’re looking for some of the best curated wisdom on value investing, valueinvestingworld.com is great resource.

I am also working on The Asia Report, which hopes to bring the teachings of the investing greats around the world, applied in our local markets.

Q8 : Besides shares, what other investment are you involved in (e.g. Real Estates, Bonds or REITs etc)?
Running my own business is my other focus. I am not involved in other investments like real estate, bonds or REITs at the moment.

Q9 : What is your current Shares Investment portfolio size (in range, no need specific)? 
My personal account is in the mid 6 figures range. They are distributed among Singapore and Hong Kong at this point of time.

Q10 : If the readers what to get in touch with you, how to get hold of you? (Sharing of your website/blog/social media profile etc..)
Check out The Asia Report. There’s a contact me box there, along with links to my LinkedIn page.

By the way, if you are a retail investor and would like to be featured in my "Interview With The Fellow Investors" blog series, please feel free to email me at investopenly@gmail.com

Also, for the complete list of my interviewees and their posts, check it out here.

Cheers!

Market News In 2 Minutes @ 24th July 2014

Market News in 2 minutes
As stock investors (even though a small one), it is important to keep abreast with the latest financial and market news. Since I am in it, I thought it might be worthwhile to share it out with my readers too.

Hence, I started this "Market News In 2 Minutes" series.
 
Following are the "Market News In 2 Minutes" for today :
 
1. Tiger Airways Holdings (J7X) -  The low- cost carrier partly owned by Singapore Airlines, said it seeks to boost overseas revenue by forging alliances with other airlines. For more details of the report, click here. (source : The Edge)

2. Cordlife Group (P8A) - Has partnered China Cord Blood Corporation, the leading provider of cord blood collection and stem-cell storage services on the Mainland and joined forces in assisting patients in China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, the Philippines and Malaysia to identify suitable cord blood matching units for stem cell therapy. (source : The Edge)

3. Ezion Holdings (5ME) - Has sold its entire shareholding in Ezion Offshore Logistics Hub and Teras Australia to AusGroup for a consideration of $55 million with $14 million paid in cash and the rest paid with new fully paid up ordinary shares of AusGroup representing a 17.8 percent stake in AusGroup. The sale will allow Ezion to continue its focus on investment in service rigs to meet the strong demand for such service rigs. (source : Shares investment)

4. Sino Construction (F3V) - Has acquired a 52 percent stake in JEMS Exploration for a consideration of US$20 million. JEMS Exploration is a company that is in the business of the exploration, mining and production of coal in Queensland, Australia. (source : Shares investment)

Cheers!

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Interview With Jack Phang Of Jack Phang Investment Blog

After about 3 weeks gap, finally managed to get a new interviewee for my "Interview With Fellow Investors" blog series. Yipee! His name is Jack Phang and his blog bears the same name too. I am a frequent reader of Jack's blog and find that his posts are very insightful and relevant. Hence, decided to send him an invite last week and he agreed to it immediately, as the saying goes, the rest is history.
 
Now, let's get to know Jack better...    

Q1 : Can you give us a brief introduction about yourself?
I am currently a mobile remisier with Maybank Kim Eng Securities and a blogger which you can reach me at www.jackphanginvestment.com to interact or open a stock trading account with me. I am a believer in stock market and property market. Stock generates capital gain income and property generates passive income for you.

Q2 : Are you a full-time or part-time investor at the moment?
I am a full time financial professional with CFA Charterholdership. My main focus is on shares investment in Singapore and Malaysia market. I am also investing in properties for passive income purpose.  

Q3 : When (at what age) did you start investing in shares and who has influenced you the most?
I started my first shares investment when I was at age 16. My mother is the one who allowed me to buy and sell the shares under her name (although I believe it was illegal, haha). It was totally a failure as the counter was delisted soon after the 1997 financial crisis. After that, I started my second purchase during my college life when I was around 20 years old. I learnt a lot from the online forum – Chinese.cari.com.my where I could discuss shares with the investment gurus there.
 
KLSE.8K was the one who influenced me a lot. He inspired me to pursue my dream of becoming a full time investor in shares market. The 72 rules knowledge that he shared with me is really useful. I pursue my career as financial professional later on by taking the Charted Financial Analyst course. Warren Buffet, Benjamin Graham and Phillip Fisher are investment gurus who influenced me to treat myself as a long term business owner and not a stock trader just aim for short term capital gain. 

Q4 : Do you view yourself as long-term (holding shares in years), short-term investor (holding shares in days/months) or mixture?
I would say that I am a believer of long term investment as I think that it is wise to put your excess cash in shares market for long term (e.g. more than 10 years etc) as it is one of the best tools to beat long term inflation rate. But I do have a regular review on my portfolio for portfolio rebalancing purpose.
 
I am an active investor as opposed to passive investing method which is holding stocks for years. I am willing to hold for a counter for more than 10 years (some of the counters in my portfolio are more than 10 years holding period) if the company's financial performance is within my expectation. Nonetheless, I would say my investment style is dynamic (e.g. I would adjust my portfolio asset allocation based on market condition & company performance etc).

Q5 : What is your basis of selecting the shares to invest (e.g. basing on fundamental analysis, technical analysis or other methods/sources [share a little bit more details if it is the latter])?
Most of the time, I will start my stock screening via fundamental analysis – PE ratio, ROE, Dividend Yield, Debt level etc. After that I will slowly zoom in to the specific counter if it has fulfilled my stock searching criteria. I will consider long term average ROE as one of my most important searching criteria.
 
As I am a full time investor now, most of my time spends in reading annual reports to find out the business model and the company’s direction. I will check if the company could achieve what it promised to deliver in the annual report. It is also one of the ways I check on the integrity of the top management of the company. Free cash flow is also one of the criteria for me although it is not so important as compared to ROE. This is a good indicator for those investors who wish to have stable dividend income.

Asset allocation plays a crucial role in order to be successful in shares investment. I would leave a certain percentage of cash in my portfolio just in case I still have some spare money to buy cheap counters when market collapses (I am always prepared for the worst to come, haha). Nonetheless, I think 25%-75% cash: 75%-25% equity is the most balanced ratio I would think of.


Q6 : What is your targeted and achieved annual rate of returns (%) so far?  
My targeted rate of returns : 26 %
My achieved rate of returns : 16% onwards


Q7 : What is your most recommended online investing resource (site or blog) to share with our readers? 
I do a lot of homework via online websites – www.sgx.com (the main source to get public listed companies information), www.sharesinv.com & www.sharesinvestor.com (you gotta pay small amount of money if you wish to have comprehensive data), Next Insight (online share portal), Share Junction (online forum), Value Buddies (more on value investing method). I also surf through business websites such as Business Times & The Edge Singapore for business updates. You may also like to pay a visit to my website – www.jackphanginvestment.com to follow my articles there.  

Q8 : Besides shares, what other investment are you involved in (e.g. Real Estates, Bonds or REITs etc)?
Besides shares, I am also involved in real estate investment and REITs. I believe that real estate is one of the most reliable sources for passive income and moderate capital growth to hedge against my unstable income from commission and capital gain income of shares investment. I use CFD to invest in REITs as I think it is good to use leveraging method to invest in REITs, as long as proper risk management is put in place.

Q9 :  What is your Portfolio Distribution like”?
My current shares investment portfolio is 36% Oil & Gas sector, 28% Construction / Property Development sector, 26% Retail sector and 10% cash. 

Q10 : If the readers what to get in touch with you, how to get hold of you? (Sharing of your website/blog/social media profile etc..)
You are welcomed to contact me via www.jackphanginvestment.com.
 
By the way, if you are a retail investor and would like to be featured in my "Interview With The Fellow Investors" blog series, please feel free to email me at investopenly@gmail.com

Also, for the complete list of my interviewees and their posts, check it out here.

Cheers!

Jason Marine - My CNAV Analysis

Jason Marine
At my age, the power of memory is always not at my side, no amount of ginkgo intake can help to boost my memory. So, I need to work around it with the hard way i.e. keep using or practicing it as often as possible so that the chance of forgetting it is lesser.  
 
If you follow by earlier post, you will know that I've attended the Value Investing Mastery Course (by BigFatPurse) and learnt the calculation of CNAV (Conservative Net Asset Value). To ensure that I don't forget how to derive the value so quickly (even though we were provided with the ready to use template), I intend to use this blog to share my practices openly. Hence, just read it with a pinch of salt and not to treat this as a BUY/SELL signal ;-)
 
Stock In Evaluation : Jason Marine (5PF) 

The Key Quantitative Indicators of CNAV Strategy:

Net Asset Value (NAV)                             = $0.258
Conservative Net Asset Value (CNAV2)  = $0.111
Current Price                                              = $0.240
Discount For CNAV2                                = -120%

Conclusion : Since it is a negative "Discount for CNAV2", it means that the stock is traded at premium. However, it is at a discount of 5% when compared with the less conservative indicator, NAV. 
 
The P.O.F Scores of CNAV Strategy: 
 
Profitability Score         = 1 (With the PE ratio of 8.2)

Operational Efficiency = 1 (with three consecutive years of positive operating cash flow)

Financial Efficiency     = 1 (Debt To Equity Ratio of 76%)

Conclusion : A Perfect P.O.F Scoring

Final Conclusion : This stock is warrant to be in my watch-list.

Other Relevant News :
1. The company was the winner of SME Employer of the Year Award at the HRM Awards in May 2014. Click here for more details.

2. Share buyback in June 2014 (250,000 shares at SGD0.24) click here for more details. 

3. The Executive Chairman (Mr Foo Chew Tuck) owned more than 76% of the shares of the company (a good sign to me).

4. With the better performance in 2013, the company is giving out a special dividend of SGD0.008 to be paid in August 2014 (together with the previous declared dividend of SGD0.002, the total dividend is SGD0.01, which is slightly more than 4% yield)

Are you vested in Jason Marine? What is your take on this stock?

Cheers!

Market News In 2 Minutes @ 23rd July 2014

Market News in 2 minutes
As stock investors (even though a small one), it is important to keep abreast with the latest financial and market news. Since I am in it, I thought it might be worthwhile to share it out with my readers too.

Hence, I started this "Market News In 2 Minutes" series.
 
Following are the "Market News In 2 Minutes" for today :
 
1. Cosco Corporation (F83) - Said that its shipyards have won US$300 million ($372 million) worth of contracts for the building of one accommodation barge and seven bulk carriers. The contracts are not expected to have a material impact on the net tangible assets and earnings per share of the company for the year ending December 31, 2014. (source : The Edge)

2. 800 Super Holdings (5TG) - Its subsidiary, 800 Super Waste Management has been awarded a $204.9 million contract by the National Environmental Agency to provide integrated public cleaning services for the South-West region of Singapore. The contract is for a period of seven years with an option for an extension for another one year. (source : Shares Investment)

3. Technics Oil & Gas (5CQ) - Has inked a new leasing contract worth $17.3 million, involving a five years leasing and maintenance contract for five units of gas compressor equipment as well as a one year plant maintenance contract in Indonesia. (source : Shares Investment)

Cheers!

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Wow! I didn't Expect These When Creating This Blog!

After slightly more than 4 months, 213 posts (including this one) and 250 comments later, I am doing a mini recap of what I would be missing if not because of this blog. When I kick-off this blog 4 months ago, my main intention is to share my mini stock investing journey as a late comer.
 
Ok, ok, there is another side-objective of creating possible "passive" income stream through online advertisement placements ;-) (the latter is too negligible to talk about at the moment though).
 
Besides the financial knowledge that I've gained from reading the liked-minded bloggers' blogs and interacting through commenting on each other's posts, following are some pleasant surprises that are beyond my imagination when I started the blog:
 
1. Get to know and meet three peer investors-bloggers whom are in the field much longer and  successful than me, much to learn from them in the future. They are Christopher Ng (from Growing Your Tree Of Prosperity Blog), Desmond (from Passive Income Builder Blog) and a little boy (from Little Boy Investment blog) 
 
2. Invited to attend the Value Investing Mastery Course by Alvin of Big Fat Purse. (see my review of the course here, if you have not already done so ;-))
 
3. Get to know a little bit more of the investing journey from at least 15 peer investors/bloggers through my Interview Series   
 
Life is full of surprises and let us be more open-minded in accepting/dealing with them as possibility is ENDLESS.
 
What pleasant surprises have you gained from your blog (besides money and knowledge)?
 
Cheers!

Market News In 2 Minutes @ 22nd July 2014

Market News in 2 minutes
As stock investors (even though a small one), it is important to keep abreast with the latest financial and market news. Since I am in it, I thought it might be worthwhile to share it out with my readers too.

Hence, I started this "Market News In 2 Minutes" series.
 
Following are the "Market News In 2 Minutes" for today :
 
1. Land Transport Authority (LTA) said it will impose $1.6 million in fines on train operator SMRT (S53) for four train service disruptions that happened between October last year and May this year. It will also fine SBS Transit (S61), which runs the North East Line (NEL), $50,000 for a disruption in March this year. (source : The Edge)

2. IPO Watch : Tritech Group, the homegrown firm focused on high-tech-oriented engineering products and services said wholly-owned subsidiary, Terratech Group, has launched its initial public offering (IPO) in Sinagpore and has registered its offer document with the SGX acting as agent on behalf of the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

Terratech will issue some 108.7 million shares, comprising 43.5 million new shares and 65.2 million vendor shares, at 23 cents each. The placement will close close at 12 noon on July 25. Listing and trading of Terratech’s shares will start at 9 a.m. on July 30. (source : The Edge)

3. Golden Agri-Resources (E5H) - Has established a 50:50 joint venture with CEPSA Química to jointly develop, formulate, produce, distribute and sell fatty alcohols at a global level. The joint venture company, Sinarmas Cepsa will be headquartered in Singapore and is expected to benefit from both companies’ expertise, knowledge and capabilities throughout the fatty alcohols supply chain. (source : Shares Investment)

4. Jubilee Industries Holdings (5OS) - Proposed the acquisition of WE Components, a subsidiary of WE Holdings, for a purchase consideration of US$8.4 million. (source : Shares Investment)

Cheers!

Monday, July 21, 2014

How Do You Invest Safely?

Invest safely
Yesterday, read an interesting article in Sunday Times entitled "The $1 million question : How To Invest Safely?" (by Goh Eng Yeow). Of course, who doesn't want to get a slice of higher returns vehicle (in the stock market) and yet can play it safely?
 
In the article, it made reference to Mr Warren Buffett's recent advice to the peer investors : put 10 per cent in short-term government bonds and 90 per cent in a very low-cost S&P 500 index fund.  I re-interpreted that to be :
 
1. Invest for the long term (in years)
2. Diversify (stocks with bonds)
3. Invest regularly e.g. through dollar-cost-averaging investing in ETFs
 
Of course, the old adage "The Higher The Returns ; The Higher The Risks" still stay true most of the time and no one can guarantee 100% "safety" as far as Stocks Investment is concerned. Throughout your investing journey, which principle(s) are you adopting to ensure your "safety"?
 
Cheers!

Market News In 2 Minutes @ 21st July 2014

Market News in 2 minutes
As stock investors (even though a small one), it is important to keep abreast with the latest financial and market news. Since I am in it, I thought it might be worthwhile to share it out with my readers too.

Hence, I started this "Market News In 2 Minutes" series.
 
Following are the "Market News In 2 Minutes" for today :
 
1. Kingsmen Creatives (5MZ) - A leading communication design and production group, announced today that its wholly owned subsidiary, Kingsmen Exhibits Pte Ltd, has been awarded the contract for KidZania Singapore valued at $25.2 million. (source : The Edge)

2. Sembcorp Marine (S51) - Its wholly-owned subsidiary Sembawang Shipyard has secured a Floating Storage Production Offloading (FPSO) conversion contract worth about $600 million from Saipem SA, France for the conversion of Two FPSOs for the Kaombo Project in Offshore Angola. (source : The Edge)

3. China Gaoxian Fibre Fabric Holdings (I4U) - Its subsidiary, Fujian New Huawei Fibre Dyeing Co. has incorporated Huzhou Huaxiang Properties Co. in China with a registered capital of Rmb10 million and will principally be engaged in real estate development and property management. The company’s other unit, Huaxiang (China) Premium Fibre Co. has agreed to acquire the entire stake in Changle Bole Trading Co. and Changle Guangda Trading Co. for Rmb3 million each, equivalent to their net book values. (source : Shares Investment)

Cheers!

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Bubblews - This Site Might Change The Social Media Scene And Slowly Build Your War Chest

Have you heard of Bubblews? It is a revenue-sharing Social Media site whereby it pays for the user to post short articles (or bubbles as they called it).

Recently, the site underwent a major revamp and have a major relaunch in US. Coined to be the first Social Media platform that pay for you to write and interact with other bubblers there.

How does it works? 

Basically, the system work something like Twitter whereby you can follow other users and you will get notified when your followers written a new post or interact with your posts (e.g. like or comment on your post). 

Why do you get paid?

As I mentioned earlier, it is a revenue-sharing platform, which means the site is earning through the ads placement on the site and they shared it with the users who write and interact. It is kind of a win-win situation. In fact, other giant like Facebook or Twitter also earning through ads but they keep it 100% to themselves. 

How would you get paid?

For every view, like or comment you get to your post, you will get 1 US cent each. I think this is the most generous revenue-sharing ratio that I've ever seen. In fact, it might be better from Google Adsense's earnings from some of your site/blog. The payment is through Paypal and you can redeem it when you reach the 50 dollars threshold.   

Key to success?

Writing is your passion as you like to write original everyday stuff. Post as much as you possibly can (there is a maximum 10 posts per 24 hours limit) and interact (like and comment) with peers.

How would it help your investing journey?

To slowly build up your war chest. This is not as passive income stream as it seems (as you need to contribute i.e. write and interact with others) but I think this is one of the easiest way to create a new online income stream.

Not convinced? Check out the following interview by Bloomberg TV, with the Bubblews' founders and listen from the horse's mouth :



To find out more of this potentially game changer in the Social Media scene, click Bubblews.

Cheers!

P/S : In case you are trying out the site, feel free to get connect with me me under &investopenly ;-)

Friday, July 18, 2014

Chef (movie) Thought Me A Great Lesson About Investing

Chef the movie
Finally, managed to watch the long pending movie, Chef. (One down from my Movie Watch-List). Thanks to the "Popular Demand", Golden Village brought back the movie to normal screening time slots. It is a very heart-warming and inspiring movie. If you are a foodie, all the more you must watch it before it lasts!
 
Directed and acted by Jon Favreau with Sofia Vergara, Scarlett Johansson, Dustin Hoffman and Robert Downey Jr. (cameo). It is definitely one of my best and most inspiring movie of the year. The plot is simple and down to earth, I can cover it within a sentence : A famous chef (Jon Favreau) losts his job and found his true happiness through food truck and along the way reconciled with his ex-wife and only son. Doesn't sounds like an exciting story right? Wait till you watch the movie, you will notice the heart and soul that they have put in.
 
Oh, wait! Why such post appear in a personal finance blog like this one? Two reasons :
 
1. I am a movie buff ;-)
 
2. Keep reading....
 
My key take away from the movie is : your energy/motivation came from your passion. In the movie, Carl Casper (the chef) is very serious about his food (there is one scene whereby he is giving a lecture to his son when the latter intended to serve an over-cooked Cuban sandwich to some guys that they are giving out free. To him, he only care about serving the perfect Cuban sandwich).
 
So, to be successful in investing, we must be passionate about it too. The passion to learn more about anything and everything related to investing, the passion to continue even after failure(s) or mistake(s). So, if you are into the game with "three minutes heat" (三分钟热度), the odds is against you to be a successful retail investor.   
 
The movie is still screening in the big screen, if you are a foodie, do consider giving it a shot, trust me, you will not be regretted.
 
Cheers!   

Market News In 2 Minutes @ 18th July 2014

Market News in 2 minutes
As stock investors (even though a small one), it is important to keep abreast with the latest financial and market news. Since I am in it, I thought it might be worthwhile to share it out with my readers too.

Hence, I started this "Market News In 2 Minutes" series.
 
Following are the "Market News In 2 Minutes" for today :
 
1. Wing Tai Holdings (W05) -  Said it will not try to delist as a way out from rules requiring the company to dispose of all units in its high-end residential projects within two years of completion, its chairman said. (source : The Edge)

2. Global Logistic Properties (MC0) - Has announced that two leading third-party logistics providers have leased 248,000 sq ft of space in China. (source : The Edge)

3. Singapore Post (S08) - Says it has received a letter from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) dated 15 July 2014 giving its approval for Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group to become a substantial shareholder of the company (for $312.5 million). The deal also includes a strategic business cooperation with Alibaba Investment to create an international e-commerce logistics platform. (source : The Edge)
 4. Centurion Corporation (OU8) - Has announced the acquisition of four student accommodation assets in Manchester and Liverpool for GBP77 million ($164.5 million). (source : Shares Investment)

5. ISDN Holdings (I07) - Has teamed up with Indonesia-based PT Jodo Alam Titra (PT Jodo) to create a portfolio of mini hydropower projects with combined capacity of 100 megawatt in Indonesia. (source : Shares Investment)

6. KSH Holdings (ER0) - Its unit, Kim Seng Heng Engineering Construction has inked a $147.8 million contract for the design, construction, completion and maintenance of a proposed integrated community building at Bedok North Street 1, with projected completion in 2017. The latest contract lifts the company’s construction order book to over $500 million. (source : Shares Investment) 

Cheers!

Thursday, July 17, 2014

This Will Be My Shortest Post!

If you noticed, I like to write post in short and sweet manner, but I want to break my own record at this moment by writing my shortest post thus far - the theme "I"!
 
When comes to investment, I think about "I", "I" as in....
 
Information (Information is key in investing)
 
Individual  (Investing is about individual style and not one size fit all)
 
I (investing is all about our own decision and hence the I).
 
That's it from me! What "I" can you relate too in your investment journey?
 
Cheers!
 

Market News In 2 Minutes @ 17th July 2014

Market News in 2 minutes
As stock investors (even though a small one), it is important to keep abreast with the latest financial and market news. Since I am in it, I thought it might be worthwhile to share it out with my readers too.

Hence, I started this "Market News In 2 Minutes" series.
 
Following are the "Market News In 2 Minutes" for today :
 
1. TEE International (M1Z) - Its total outstanding order book increased to almost $400 million with the addition of new contracts awarded in Singapore. For the complete report, click here. (source : The Edge)

2. ISDN Holdings (I07) - Its wholly owned subsidiary, Aenergy Holdings, is partnering Indonesia-based PT Jodo Alam Titra (PT Jodo), to create a portfolio of mini hydropower projects in Indonesia with combined capacity of 100 megawatt (MW). For the complete report, click here. (source : The Edge)

3. Midas Holdings (5EN) - Its subsidiary, Jilin Midas Aluminum Industries Co. (Jilin Midas) has inked two new metro contracts worth Rmb52.2 million from CNR Changchun Railway Vehicles Co.  With the two new contracts, total value of contracts the company has secured year-to-date is now valued at over Rmb589 million. (source : Shares Investment)

4. Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Holdings (BS6) - Has disposed its entire 50 percent stake Wujiang Jinke Yangzi Real Estate Development Co. and its entire interest in Jiangsu Leyuan Innovation International Trading Co. at par value of Rmb200 million and Rmb10 million respectively. Meanwhile, the group has subscribed for a 100 percent interest in Taixing Tongzhou Warehousing Co., whose core business is related to the provision of storage handling services for the shipyards of the group and has a paid-up capital of Rmb0.5 million. (source : Shares Investment)
 
Cheers!

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

King Wan - My CNAV Analysis From Its 2014 Annual Report

King Wan Corporation
Before I proceed, just like to share the following two points :
 
1. I am vested with King Wan since June 2014 (I bought it as $0.335), click here to check out why I've invested in this stock.
 
2. I've just attended the Value Investing Mastery Course (from Big Fat Purse) last weekend and wanted to put what I've learned (CNAV, Conservative Net Asset Value) into practice (even though retrospectively on this particular stock). Click here to see my earlier post on my open review of the course.
 
Yesterday, I've received the 2014 Annual Report from King Wan Corporation and decided to do a 15 minutes "homework" in calculating the CNAV to facilitate me in making future decision (e.g. selling or accumulating) on King Wan (554.SI).
 
As per my earlier post, I intended to hold King Wan on long term basis (in years) and hence would not making any short term decision with my findings of CNAV Analysis. Hence, this is just to share my "homework" openly ;-)

The Key Quantitative Indicators of CNAV Strategy:

Net Asset Value (NAV)                             = $0.25
Conservative Net Asset Value (CNAV2)  = $0.07
Current Price                                              = $0.35
Discount For CNAV2                                = -398%

Conclusion : Since it is a negative "Discount for CNAV2", it means that the stock is traded at premium. In fact, it is already traded at a premium (40% higher) even compared with the less conservative indicator, NAV. So, if basing on the CNAV strategy, this stock would only be in my watch-list (i.e. not a "buy" signal).
 
The P.O.F Scores of CNAV Strategy: 
 
Profitability Score         = 0 (With the PE ratio of 18.1, slightly over than the average of 15)

Operational Efficiency = 1 (with three consecutive years of positive operating cashflow)

Financial Efficiency     = 1 (Debt To Equity Ratio of 56%)

Conclusion : Even with the score of 2 (out of 3) but since the PE Ratio is only slightly over the average, I will still consider it a good set of POF indicators.
 
In short, if I were to apply the CNAV strategy on this stock, I would not buy it NOW but will keep it in my watch-list until it has a positive discount for CNAV2.  

Having said that, since I have already vested in it, I will keep to my original intention of long term holding for the following two reasons:

1. Dividend Yield (The company is proposing 1.5 cents of Dividend to be paid in August 2014)

2. Potential Future Growths (from the latest announcement on 15th Jul 2014, King Wan Corporation has clinched 5 new Mechanical & Electrical Projects worth a total $25.5 millions).

So, that is it! My first brief CNAV analysis (retrospectively)!

Cheers!

Market News In 2 Minutes @ 16th July 2014

Market News in 2 minutes
As stock investors (even though a small one), it is important to keep abreast with the latest financial and market news. Since I am in it, I thought it might be worthwhile to share it out with my readers too.

Hence, I started this "Market News In 2 Minutes" series.
 
Following are the "Market News In 2 Minutes" for today :
 
1. Singapore Airlines (C6U) - Said system-wide passenger carriage (measured in revenue passenger kilometers) in June decreased 1.4% against a 1.3% capacity reduction (measured in available seat kilometres). This resulted in a constant passenger load factor (PLF) of 81.5%. The number of passengers carried increased by 0.9% year-on-year to 1.6 million. For more details, click here. (source : The Edge)

2. Vard Holdings (MS7) - One of the global shipbuilders of specialised vessels, announced that it has secured a contract for the design and construction of one Platform Supply Vessel (PSV) for E.R. Offshore. (source : The Edge)

3. SP AusNet (X04) - And the other parties to the Kilmore East Bushfire Class Action today agreed to a near A$500 million payout for the survivors of the 2009 bushfires in Australia's Victoria state. (source : The Edge)

4. Viking Offshore & Marine (557) - Said today that it has secured a 50-month bareboat charter for a land rig system worth US$32 million ($39.8 million). (source : The Edge)

5. CCM Group (5QZ) - Is seeking shareholders’ approval at an upcoming Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) to raise new capital via a rights issue, change its name and diversify into information technology (IT). For the complete report, click here(source : The Edge)

6. King Wan Corporation (554) - Announced it has secured five new mechanical and electrical (M&E) projects in Singapore during the period from May 2014 to July 2014, worth a total of $25.5 million. (source : The Edge)

7. CSE Global (544) - Its wholly-owned Australian subsidiary, CSE-Comsource Pty has secured an initial three year term contract for the provision of telecommunications and CCTV equipment support services. On the other hand, CSE’s US-based unit, CSE W-Industries, Inc. has clinched an order for a chemical injection system in Mexico. The total value of these two projects is approximately $27 million. (source : Shares Investment)

8. Ezion Holdings (5ME) - Has sealed a US$122.6 million contract to provide a service rig over a 7 year period to an east European based national oil major in the North Sea by 2Q15. The company also announced that it has received a letter of intent for a US$156 million contract to provide a service rig for a 5 year period including extensions to a Southeast Asian based national oil company. (source : Shares Investment)

9. Sembcorp Industries (U96) - Has increased its stake in Thermal Powertech Corporation India (TPCI) from 49 percent to 65 percent. The incremental 16 percent stake amounted to an additional investment of INR4 billion made by the company and will make TPCI a subsidiary of the company. (source : Shares Investment)
 
Cheers!

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Market News In 2 Minutes @ 15th July 2014

Market News in 2 minutes
As stock investors (even though a small one), it is important to keep abreast with the latest financial and market news. Since I am in it, I thought it might be worthwhile to share it out with my readers too.

Hence, I started this "Market News In 2 Minutes" series.
 
Following are the "Market News In 2 Minutes" for today :
 
1. ST Engineering (S63) - Its aerospace arm,  ST Aerospace, has won new contracts worth $520 million in the second quarter of 2014. (source : The Edge)
 
2. Otto Marine (G4F) - Has bagged charter contracts collectively worth about US$404 million in the first half of 2014, the firm said on Monday. (source : The Edge)

3. Noble Group (N21) - Asia’s largest commodity trader by sales, formed an energy venture with private-equity firm EIG Global Energy Partners LLC to invest in assets worldwide. (source : The Edge)

4. Design Studio Group (D11) - Its wholly-owned subsidiary, DDS Singapore has secured a $75 million contract from OUE. The contract, expected to be completed by 4Q15 and increases the company’s order book by 32 per cent to $312.5 million. (source : Shares Investment)
 
5. Halycon Agri Corporation (5VJ) - Its unit, Halycon Rubber Company has inked a deal to acquire Anson Company for $450 million. Anson owns nine crumb rubber factories in Indonesia with a total annual licensed export capacity of 408,000 tonnes. (source : Shares Investment)
 
6. Jubilee Industries Holdings (5OS) - An associate of WE Holdings, announce the acquisition of a 26 percent stake in Malaysia’s largest electronics manufacturing services player, EG Industries, for $8.4 million. The company has also signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with WE to acquire its entire electronic components unit, WE Components. (source : Shares Investment)
 
Cheers!

Monday, July 14, 2014

We All Should Invest The NANTA Way!

Yesterday, went for the last musical show of Nanta (Cookin') at Resort World Sentosa (Singpore). In case you don't know, Nanta is the number 1 non-verbal musical performance from South Korea and after watching the show, I can understand why. This is one of the musical that I clapped my hands so hard that it hurts!  
 
So, why is Nanta related to investing? Let me explain...
 
Nanta is not a plain vanilla musical, it incorporated a whole lot of many different elements into the non-stop one-hour-thirty minutes show. Let me try to recount some of the more prominent ones :
 
a. When the show starts, it cleverly "telling" the plot of the musical through panel screens and get audience's participation (like clapping hands, cheering etc..) without a single words.
 
b. The acrobatic cooking moves involving the real vegetables, meats and kitchen utensils, gas and fire etc.. expect a very messy theatre and lots of chopping...
 
c. The acrobatics non-cooking moves involving flying plates, bandltantz (彩带舞) and drumming.
 
d. Magic show (even though a small part of it only) 
 
e. Skit involving dustbin, brooms and knives etc... 
 
Still catch no ball on its connection with Investing right? ;-) The key word here is VARIETY or DIVERSIFICATION (in investing term). I truly believed that one of the key reason for Nanta to be so successful is due to this keyword.
 
I know, I know, it is kind of common sense (i.e. to diversify in investing) but no harm reminding myself openly again right? ;-)
 
Cheers!

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