Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Market News In 2 Minutes @ 31th March 2015

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. REITS : Ascendas Estate Investment Trust (A17U) - Has completed the acquisition of The Kendall at 50 Science Park Road for a purchase consideration of $112 million from Singapore Science Park, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the sponsor of A-REIT, Ascendas Group. The acquisition will enhance A-REIT’s portfolio with another high quality science park property that will support the exclusive community of researchers, engineers and support staff in the Singapore Science Park. The acquisition is the 27th property that A-REIT has acquired from its sponsor since its IPO in 2002 and is expected to generate net property income yield of approximately 6.8 percent of the post-acquisition costs in the first year.  (source : Shares Investment)

2. Dragon Group International (MT1) - Announced an allotment of approximately 28 million new shares, increasing the total number of issued shares to approximately 348 million ordinary shares. The new shares are expected to be listed and quoted on 1 April 2015, where trading will commence from 9 a.m on the same day.  (source : Shares Investment)
 
3. IPC Corp (I12) - Announced that it is currently under negotiations with a party for the sale of the group’s remaining seven hotels in Japan. The proposed sale price is roughly $150 million subject to agreement between the parties. (source : Shares Investment)
 
4. Rotary Engineering (R07) - Has secured a main construction contract worth $25 million from an oil major for the construction of its lubricant plant in Jurong. Expected to be completed by April 2016, this is the third project Rotary has undertaken, spanning work across the plant’s production, storage and related facilities. The contract showcases Rotary’s continuous move up the value chain, enabling the company to maintain margins and set itself apart from the competitors. (source : Shares Investment)

Cheers!

Monday, March 30, 2015

Singapore Savings Bonds - More Details

As you have probably read last week that the Government and MAS (Monetary Authority of Singapore) are planning to introduce a new type of bonds catered to retail investors, it is called Singapore Savings Bonds.

Today, MAS released more details about Singapore Savings Bonds and thought it will be a good idea to summarize some of the key points I read so far. There are more details to be disclosed by MAS at a later date but for now, check out the details below :

What Is It? 
Singapore Savings Bond

Who Is It For? 
Individual Retail Investors

When Will It Be Launched? 
Second Half Of 2015

What Are The Key Features?
a. Principal guaranteed
b. Flexible Redemption on monthly basis (no penalty for early redemption)
c. Long term savings/investment (up to 10 years)
d. Step-up Interests (i.e. the interest rate increases over time) ; Paid every 6 months
(source : mas.gov.sg)
e. Monthly Issuance but non-tradable (i.e. cannot be bought or sold in secondary market)
f. Minimum Investment Amount : SGD 500 and subsequent multiples of SGD 500, up to a cap to be announced at a later date.

How Much Returns Can You Get? 
If you hold your Savings Bond for the full 10-year term, the average interest per year on your investment will match the return if you had invested in a 10-year SGS at the point of your investment. In the last 10 years, the 10-year SGS yield has been between 2% to 3% most of the time. (source : mas.gov.sg)

If you need more details about Singapore Savings Bonds, you can check out the fact sheet from MAS here

Personally, I think it will be a good alternative for parking our emergency fund (which we might need to withdraw unexpectedly) or just for building up the retirement fund in a risk-free way. 

What is your view about Singapore Savings  Bond?

Cheers!

Market News In 2 Minutes @ 30th March 2015

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. Chip Eng Seng (C29) - Sold a vacant development site in Melbourne for A$64.8 million ($69.3 million) plus goods-and-services tax (GST) as at 27 March 2015. The 2,927 square meter site near the edge of the Melbourne central business district was bought in 2013 for A$32 million plus GST and it included a planning permit obtained in 2014 and marketing material for a 72-storey, 1,305 apartment mixed-use high-rise development. (source : Shares Investment)

2. Loyz Energy (594) - Reported two memorandum of understanding (MOUs) with India’s Sun Petrochemicals as a strategic move to manage its concession portfolio. The first MOU allows Loyz to jointly bid for potential upstream exploration and production (E&P) projects and enjoy a carried participating interest, showing more potential to add producing assets to its portfolio. The second MOU allows its 51.8 percent-owned Interlink Petroleum (IPL) to assign Indian assets to Sun Oil & Natural Gas (SONG), receiving 7.5 percent of the monthly net profits and 50 percent of the recovery cost once certain criteria are satisfied. (source : Shares Investment)

3. Sino Construction (F3V) - Entered into share subscription agreements with four subscribers, who have agreed to subscribe a total of 262 million new ordinary shares at $0.0248 per share. The new shares will produce an estimated net proceeds of approximately $6.5 million, representing a rough 6.4 percent of the existing issued share capital of the company. The proceeds will be used to enhance the company’s current financial position, allowing the company to further fund the construction of modular power plants in South Korea. (source : Shares Investment)

Cheers!

Saturday, March 28, 2015

Free eBook : Lee Kuan Yew - The Man And His Ideas

While we are still in the mourning week of the passing of modern Singapore's founding father. Mr Lee Kuan Yew, it is heartwarming to see constant streams of social media sharing on how hundreds of thousands of citizens and foreigners alike are queueing up for n hours just to pay their last tribute to the giant.  

Personally, I choose to pay my tribute at the temporary station at Seng Kang Community Centre and honored to meet the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Teo Chee Hean while he is shaking hands with practically everyone in the line. Different location, same RESPECT! 

With the extensive mainstream media coverage of the achievements of Mr Lee and what he has done for us throughout his 31 years of political life, it is natural that we would want to know more about him and where he was coming from when he made certain controversial decisions/policies. 

As a public service to commemorate the life and work of Mr Lee, The Straits Times has packed an excerpts of Lee Kuan Yew: The Man And His Ideas (first launched in Oct 1997) together with some recent photos and multi-media (featuring Mr Lee in action) into a beautifully memorable eBook. 

The FREE eBook can be downloaded from the App Stores and Google Play. Here is how to do it:

1. Go to Apple App store on your iPad or Google Play Store on your Android tablet or smartphone 
2. Type “The Straits Times Star” to search for The Straits Times Star E-books app 
3. Download it onto your iPad or Android device 
4. Go to "browsing" 
5. You will find Lee Kuan Yew: The Man And His Ideas inside

I just downloaded the eBook into my iPad and started reading it. Here is one of the many inspiring quotes from Mr Lee that I would like to share :
"I would say that I'm very determined when I set out to do something. If I decided that something is worth doing, I'll put my heard and soul into it. I'll give everything I've got to make it succeed!"
Rest In Peace, Mr Lee Kuan Yew.

Friday, March 27, 2015

Market News In 2 Minutes @ 27th March 2015

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) - Announced that COSCO (Zhoushan) Shipyard, a subsidiary of the company’s 51 percent subsidiary COSCO Shipyard Group, has clinched a contract with Maersk Line to build seven container vessels of twenty-foot equivalent capacity. Scheduled for delivery between April 2017 and November 2017, Maersk Line can order two more container vessels within eight months. With a confidential contract price, the contract is not expected to have any material impact on the net tangible assets and earnings per share for the company for the year ending 31 December 2015. (source : Shares Investment)
 
2. Gallant Venture (5IG) - Intends to issue $175 million worth of seven percent fixed rate notes due in 2018, issued as a part of its US$500 million Euro Medium Term Note Programme that was established on 15 November 2013. The issue date is expected to be on 6 April 2015, where net proceeds from the notes will be used for the refinancing of existing syndicated term loans. (source : Shares Investment)

3. Sino Construction (F3V) - Has requested for a trading halt on 27 March 2015 before markets opened, attributable to the lapse in its Guildford Coal transaction, the resignation of the previous executive director and non-executive chairman. In addition, the company recorded a $7 million loss for the fourth quarter ended 31 December 2014 compared to earnings of $2.2 million in the corresponding period last year. However, SINO hit $1.1 million in revenue, compared to none in the same quarter last year. For the full year, revenue came in at $2.3 million compared to none a year ago, while losses shrank 90.5 percent to $2.7 million as losses from discontinued operations shrank 95.4 percent. (source : Shares Investment)

Cheers!

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Market News In 2 Minutes @ 26th March 2015

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 Corporation (BN4) - Has crossed the 90 percent threshold required to delist its real estate subsidiary, Keppel Land. As at 5 p.m. on Singapore Exchange, Keppel Corp has agreed to acquire 90.9 percent of the total number of issued Keppel Land shares. Keppel Land’s shares will be suspended on 26 March 2015, but Keppel Corp still needs to acquire at least 95.5 percent of Keppel Land to complete the acquisition through the compulsory buying of remaining shares in which it does not own.  (source : Shares Investment)

2. Swiber Holdings (AK3) - Has clinched a series of contracts totaling US$405.6 million, strengthening its order book to US$1.8 billion. The new contracts include its latest US$333 million deal for engineering, procurement, installation and construction (EPIC) services in India, a US$710 million offshore field development project in West Africa last December and a few other smaller contracts in the Asia-Pacific region. With ten years of experience in the India market and seven years with the same client, Swiber intends to mitigate market pressures by maximising the usage of its vessels and equipment. The new contract in India is expected to contribute to the group’s earnings in 2Q15. (source : Shares Investment)

Cheers!

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

One Important Quality To Have In Investing

This will be a very short post. 

Regardless of your investment approach e.g. through tikam tikam, hearsay, Fundamental Analysis or Technical Analysis, there is only one thing is guarantee : you will never be right 100% of time. Even if you are right 100% of time so far, there is no guarantee that you can repeat it in the future. 

In short, there are times you need to admit "defeat" and cut losses. Just bite the bullet and move on. 

Of course, the best possible scenario is to ensure that your winning counters is bigger than your losing counters (in terms of fund size and not the absolute number of counters). Personally, I think there is ONE important quality that we, retail investors, should posses to ensure that we can achieve the best possible scenario in the long run. 

What is it?

Can you guess guess? 

To me, it is non-other than TENACITY ! Keep learning, keep fine-tuning and keep going... We won't fail until we keep trying...   

What about you? What is your one most important quality we should possessed?

Cheers!
forex trading course singapore

Market News In 2 Minutes @ 25th March 2015

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. DMX Technologies Group (5CH) - Has suspended its stocks trading after an investigation by legal counsel revealed irregular accounting practices at two of the IT solutions provider’s subsidiaries in 2008 and 2009. Previously announced on 9 February 2015, chief executive Jismyl Teo and chief financial officer Skip Tang were arrested on 3 February 2015 by the Hong Kong police’s Commercial Crime Bureau then released on bail. The trading of stocks have stopped since 20 March 2015. (source : Shares Investment)

2. SIIC Environment Holdings (5GB) - Has entered into a sale and purchase agreement to acquire the entire stake in Global Envirotech Investment (in turn holds a 92.2 percent stake in Fudan Water Engineering and Technology Co) in a deal valued at Rmb1.5 billion, which includes Rmb479.2 million for the payment of outstanding debt. The consideration will be paid via Rmb151.7 million in cash and the issuance of 1.6 billion new shares in SIIC (representing 16.3 percent of existing shares) at $0.132 per share, a 12.2 percent discount to the volume-weighted average price on 24 March. The acquisition is a strategic addition to the group’s existing business, expanding its geographical coverage. (source : Shares Investment)
 
3. United Overseas Bank (U11) - Is looking to take subsidiary, Far Eastern Bank, private by offering $3.51 per share for the remaining 21.1 percent stake, which could cost up to $74.2 million. The deal is conditional on UOB receiving valid acceptances of at least 90 percent of the offer shares at the close of the offer. The offer will provide minority shareholders the opportunity to realise their investment by unlocking the value of their unlisted and illiquid shares, where privatising the company provides UOB with greater control and management flexibility to integrate the company’s operations in hopes for increased efficiencies. (source : Shares Investment)

4. WE Holdings (5RJ) - Has refuted an article in The Edge, announcing that there are no concrete plans at the moment to engage in the sale of Jubilee’s entire business to any party and no concrete information was provided by Mr. Terence Tea, executive chairman and managing director of the group with regards to any suggested sale. The Group will make necessary announcements if any exploration of merger and acquisition opportunities and strategic alliances succeeds. (source : Shares Investment)

Cheers!

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Potential Brands That Will Set You Back In Your Saving/Investment Plan

luxury brands
Savings is one of the key elements in personal finance or investing in general. Luxury Brands are the enemy of savings. It has adverse impact to your saving or investing plan, unless of course money is just a numbers to you. 

Today, I chanced upon an interesting pyramid/hierarchy of luxury brands that worth sharing and pondering. Many of the brands are aliens to me, which is a good sign but if you are serious about your savings or investment plan, do be aware of these brands as once you've got hooked, they might seriously set you back in your plan.

Of course, the brands listed below are just a small samples, but I am sure you get the points :

To be frank, I don't even come across the two top brands listed above (under the "Ultra High End" category) before and personally not a brand-conscious person, so, I think I am immunized. ;-)

What about you?

Cheers!
forex trading course singapore

Market News In 2 Minutes @ 24th March 2015

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. Blackgold Natural Resources - Has proposed the disposal of its 100 percent interest in NH Enterprise (41H), Nam Hong Properties, Nam Huat Tiling & Panelling Co and Nam Tat handing, to Ace Stone (Xiamen) Co for an aggregate purchase consideration of $5000. The disposal in is line with the capital reduction exercise that the firm in undertaking. (source : Shares Investment)

2. Roxy-Pacific Holdings (E8Z) - Has entered into a 40:60 joint venture (JV) with Australia-based superannuation fund, Hostplus, for the acquisition of a 4.4-hectare land parcel in North Fremantle, Perth, Australia for A$59 million ($63 million). The deal is part of the group’s diversification strategy and the JV partners intend to rezone the industrial site for residential and commercial uses. (source : Shares Investment)

3. Singapore Windsor Holdings (Y45) - Has entered into a sale and purchase agreement for the disposal of its entire stake in its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Windsor Holding Investment and Windsor Metal Manufacture Co, for HKD 55 million ($9.8 million). The disposal comes on the back drop of a competitive environment in the circuit board business, which the two units operate in, with margins under pressure from rising labour costs in China. (source : Shares Investment)

Cheers!

Monday, March 23, 2015

Market News In 2 Minutes @ 23rd March 2015

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. Noble Group (N21) - Has refuted allegations of the latest report from Iceberg, claiming inaccuracy and a lack of reliability. Noble announced that they will begin legal proceedings against Arnaud Vagner, a resident in Hong Kong, Enlighten Ace, a Seychelles company and any other associates, at the Hong Kong High Court for conspiracy to injure Noble Group. The management will remain focused on running the company. (source : Shares Investment)

2. REITS : Cambridge Industrial Trust (J91U) - Has acquired the remaining 40 percent interest in Cambridge SPV1 LLP from Oxley Projects for a purchase consideration of approximately $11 million. Having 60 percent stake previously, CIT now wholly owns 3 Tuas South Avenue 4, following the completion of acquisition on 20 March 2015, fully funded by existing debt facilities. (source : Shares Investment)

3. Loyz Energy (594) - Has placed out $14 million worth of shares to raise funds, in hopes to improve the company’s financial position and bolster its general corporate requirements. It turned in a net profit of US$541,000 for 1Q15, compared to a loss of $1.63 million in 1Q14. (source : Shares Investment)

Cheers!

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Weekend Sharing - Getting Bald For A Good Cause : Third Times In A Row! [Hair For Hope 2015]

Hair For Hope 2015
Last Wednesday, I received an email from Hair For Hope organizer about the up-coming Hair For Hope 2015 event. I am very excited that this charitable event is to be continued as I heard last year that the organizer is considering discontinuing the event from this year onward.

Just registered as an individual shavee awhile ago and am looking forward to become Botak Ng for the third year. Click here and here for my previous coverage and botak look ;-) 

Besides doing WELL (in our work, business or for that matter our stocks investment), it is equally important to do GOOD (for the less fortunate friends around us) as well.  

Hair For Hope is Children's Cancer Foundation's signature fundraising event running for the 13th consecutive year. If you are free on 25th or 26th July 2015, feel free to challenge yourself with this bold and bald statement and come join me for this meaningful event (venue is at Vivo City shopping mall). If you can't make it but still want to support this meaningful cause, you can donate online here

THANK YOU in advanced!

Cheers!


Saturday, March 21, 2015

The Cost And Value Of Financial Literacy

Financial Literacy
Ever since started this personal finance blog and getting more involved more in the local retail investors community (online and offline) for almost a year now, I must say that it is more vibrant than I originally thought.

Even though many of us (me included) are part-time retail investors and learning the trade along the way through trial and error, but I can sense that the community are spreading good vibes which ultimately will benefit the wider audience in boosting the local financial literacy (especially on personal finance). 

There are so many good and informative blogs and local websites to follow... to learn... 

Talking about financial literacy, nowadays, if you flipped through the newspapers, you will definitely chance upon a few advertisements on financial/investment seminars/courses, ranging from properties investment to stock picking techniques to forex trading (to name just a few), some provide FREE preview (and usually you can still obtain some really really high level knowledge from there, hence, still beneficial for newbies), some charging thousands for the few-days course. Of course, the other cheaper alternative is to self-study through books, online research etc.. 

So why are there people prepared to fork out hundreds or even thousands to gain such knowledge? 

Following is my personal take :

1. TIME - With Google, we can obtain practically any information online, many of them are free. However, the issue is time, you need to spend a lot of time to search and research. Besides, we are facing with the challenge of information (and a good chunk of them are garbage) overload . Hence, it make sense to invest some money to "buy" some time. 

2. TRIED AND TESTED STRATEGY/TOOL - Many people (especially those newbies) are looking for the one Holy Grail that can lead them to Rome in the fastest and surest way possible. Of course, it is still a myth as to whether such success can repeat itself for different people at different circumstances/setting (even though the gurus made it themselves). Having said that, many are coming from the mindset of "no harm trying" or "no pain [investment] no gain".

To be fair to most of the gurus out there, I am sure they are up there for a reason/purpose. Besides making money (in exchange for the time/effort that they put in), they believe that their knowledge/skills/tools/strategy can help the general public to gain back multi-fold of their investment i.e. teaching them how to fish (instead of giving them the fish). No doubt, some of the students/followers can really make it just by following the steps being taught. Having said that, there is no guarantee as ultimately it is still dependent on the action taken by the students. 

All in all, it is hard to weigh the cost (money and time you spent) vs the value (knowledge and returns you gained) for financial literacy as it is very subjective. For those student who can make it subsequently, it is well worth it, while for the rest, it might be a waste of time/money. Ultimately, The choice is YOURS to make! 

Personally, I am more of self-study type and spending hefty amount on such courses/seminars never cross my mind. What about you?  

Cheers!
forex trading course singapore


Friday, March 20, 2015

Market News In 2 Minutes @ 20th March 2015

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. Noble Group (N21) - Has been thrust into the radar screens of Asian companies with its 30 percent share-slump, its market value shrinking by US$1.8 billion since February where reports by Iceberg resulted in share prices dropping drastically. Despite a focused effort to stay independent, various accounting issues and falling prices are flushing out buyers. (source : Shares Investment)

2. Roxy-Pacific Holdings (E8Z) - Has acquired 40 percent stake in properties in Brisbane with a total land area of about 2,571 square metres for $35.6 million, prompting Voyage Research to raise its valuation for the stock from $0.73 to $0.74. The raise is attributed to the increase to the net development gain from the newly announced project of $12 million and increase in exposure to the stock. (source : Shares Investment)

Cheers!

Thursday, March 19, 2015

The Singapore Permanent Portfolio By Alvin Chow [Book Review]

Yesterday evening, I was very excited to see the big brown envelope inside my letter box as I am expecting an hot from oven book from a friend. YES! It is finally here, the autographed book that I am waiting for - The Singapore Permanent Portfolio from Alvin Chow (BigFatPurse). 

After the chop-chop dinner, without wasting much time, I went right in flipping through the pages, to my own surprise, I managed to complete the whole book today ;-) Ok lar, it's not because I have super sonic reading speed (on the reverse, I am a slow reader), it is because the book is quite thin (less than 100 pages) and very easy to read/absorb. 

So, what is this book all about? That's exact reason I am writing this post... 

Keep reading...

Book Title :  The Singapore Permanent Portfolio - Grow Your Wealth Through Good and Bad Times With Low Risk and Less Effort.

Author :  Alvin Chow, founder of BigFatPurse

ISBN : 978-981-09-3594-8 (Paperback) ; 978-981-09-3595-5 (eBook)

Retail Price : SGD19.90 (You can enjoy 15% discount by order online by giving the coupon code of "bigfatpurse", click the link here to order online and get it deliver to your home, only Singapore address).

Contents Of The Book:
Chapter 1 - The Reality Of Investing
Chapter 2 - The Permanent Portfolio Concept
Chapter 3 - The Permanent Portfolio Performance
Chapter 4 - Implementing The Singapore Permanent Portfolio
Chapter 5 - Maintaining The Singapore Permanent Portfolio
Chapter 6 - Frequently Asked Questions
Chapter 7 - Conclusions

What Can We Learn From The Book?
The Singapore Permanent Portfolio is recommended for beginner and/or intermediate investors who are looking for simple strategy to create a full-proof portfolio. It covers the components like stocks, bonds, gold and cash. After reading the book, you will understand the composite of the permanent portfolio and how/when to re-balance the portfolio and enjoy the capital gains, along the way.

This strategy is suitable for those investors who want to "invest and forget" and re-balance the portfolio only once a year (or every few years). Personally think that this strategy might not be suitable for every investors (as it really depend on your risk appetite as well as keenness in reading the annual reports or doing your own analysis on individual stocks). Having said that, it is no harm learning new strategy which might come in handy at the later phase of your active life i.e. nearing the retirement. 

What I Like About The Book?
Being a local (Singapore) production, it contains many examples with local context which most of us can relate to. Also, I like Alvin's writing style which is very layman and easy to understand. 

Even though the coverage is not in-depth, but I can still pick up some salient points from the book, from the relationship between the 4 components of permanent portfolio to knowing how to read the SGS Bond Names.

Room For Improvement For The Book?
To cover the potential pitfalls (DO and DON'T) when the investors are trying to re-balance the portfolio. Even though the FAQ section has provided some pointers but personally think that it warrants a section/chapter by itself.    

Overall, it is a good book to read. If you are looking for a simple book about a simple strategy to create a simple yet full-proof permanent portfolio (all by yourself), this book is for you. 

Cheers!   

Market News In 2 Minutes @ 19th March 2015

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. CNA Group (5GC) - Proposed the acquisition of a 10 percent equity stake in Jilin Gold Group Co where the amount for the acquisition will be disclosed when a value is determined. The operations of the target company include a gold mine, jewellery retailing and franchising, hotels and events management as well as a media advertising agency across China.  (source : Shares Investment)

2. Noel Gifts International (543) - Has been awarded a contract that is worth up to $7.9 million by the Monetary Authority of Singapore for the packaging, marketing and sale of numismatic currency sets. The contract is expected to contribute materially to the company’s financial performance for the financial year ending 30 June 2016. (source : Shares Investment)
 
3. ST Engineering (S63) - Inked a 90:10 joint venture (JV) agreement with Tenryu Holdings Co, for the production of seating solutions in aircraft. Under the agreement, the JV company, ST Aerospace Aircraft Seats will be set up, while the planned investment outlay amounts to $29.8 million. (source : Shares Investment)

Cheers!

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Market News In 2 Minutes @ 18th March 2015


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. PSL Holdings (L6T) - Proposed the acquisition of a 49 percent stake in PT Momentum Indonesia Investama for US$11.5 million. The acquisition will allow the group to venture into a new business segment in marine logistics services. Additionally, the vendors of the company shares have guaranteed an earnings of US$12.2 million for the next 24 months upon the date of completion. The company intends to finance the acquisition via both cash and bank borrowings. (source : Shares Investment)

2. Tat Hong Holdings (T03) - Has disposed a property located at 18 Sungei Kadut Avenue for $7 million. The property is erected on a 3,606 square metres land plot, comprising a four-storey main block and a storage/production area. The disposal is part of the company’s plan to optimise its operations as they are intended to be consolidated into Tuas in Singapore, as well as shifting the less time sensitive operations to Johor, Malaysia. (source : Shares Investment)

3. ValueMax Group (T6I) - Proposed the acquisition of a string of shop units at 261 Waterloo Street from Tye Soon (T08) for a total of $11 million. The properties come with a remaining lease tenure of 83 years and yield a total floor area of 708 square metres. The acquisition will enable the group to consolidate its administrative functions into one location, and also enable it to run its gold trading and moneylending businesses at a more central location. The group intends to fund the acquisition by both internal resources and bank borrowings.  (source : Shares Investment)

Cheers!

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

UMS Holdings - The Dividend Income Gem?

UMS Holdings
For the past few days, I've been doing some researching over the internet for the small/medium cap counters which are consistently paying high dividend yield (healthily) for the past 5 years or more and the businesses are consistently in good shape too. 

There are quite a number of counters fit my bills (criteria) but one particular counter that caught my eye is UMS Holdings (588.SI)

Company Background :
UMS Holdings Limited is a one-stop strategic integration partner providing equipment manufacturing and engineering services to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) of semiconductors and related products.

Headquartered in Singapore, the Group has production facilities in Singapore, Malaysia as well as California and Texas, USA.

Dividend Per Share (Cents) for the past 5 years :
2014       : 6.5 cents (Plus 1 for 4 BONUS shares)
2013       : 5 cents
2012       : 6 cents
2011       : 6 cents
2010       : 3 cents

For 2015, 3 cents has been declared and will be paid in May 2015 (currently trading at CD and will be in XD on 5th May 2015)

The share is currently trading at $0.525, for simplistic reason, we can derive the following Dividend Yield if we were to calculate base on this common share price (I know this is the lazy and incorrect way):

Dividend Yield (%) for the past 5 years :
2014       : 12.38 %
2013       : 9.52%
2012       : 11.43%
2011       : 11.43%
2010       : 5.71% 

UMS Holdings is a cash rich company with near zero debt and tons of cash in the bank, following are some promising key financial ratios :
UMS Holdings Key Financial Ratios
Click here to see their completelatest Financials!   

To top it off, following is another piece of good news for the semiconductors sector (dated 2nd March 2015) :

Global Semiconductor Industry Posts Highest-Ever January Sales 

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) announced that worldwide sales of semiconductors reached $28.5 billion for the month of January 2015, the industry’s highest-ever January total and an increase of 8.7 percent from January 2014 when sales were $26.3 billion. Global sales from January 2015 were 2 percent lower than the December 2014 total of $29.1 billion, reflecting normal seasonal trends. Regionally, sales in the Americas increased by 16.4 percent compared to last January to lead all regional markets. 

“After a record-setting 2014, the global semiconductor industry is off to a promising start to 2015, posting its highest-ever January sales led by impressive growth in the Americas market,” said John Neuffer, president and CEO, Semiconductor Industry Association. “Global sales have increased on a year-to-year basis for 21 consecutive months and remain strong across most regions and product categories.” 

UMS Holdings is currently trading at 18% premium ($0.525 / $0.4446), I have keep it in my watch list and intend to bring it onboard to my Dividend Income Portfolio before end of the month. Watch this space!

Are you vested in UMS Holdings? What is your view about this counter?  

Cheers!

Wanna WIN a trip to Japan? Click ME to find out more!

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Fu Yu Corporation - My CNAV Analysis

This CNAV Analysis was triggered from a post by B of A Path To Forever Financial Freedom (click here to read more of his original post) and subsequent request via Facebook comments. Hence, this CNAV analysis is more to accede to a request and not because I am interested in the counter ;-)

Having said that, I do enjoy doing such analysis as it will help me sharpen my saw (in stock analysis) as well as let me expose more to the counters that I've never heard of in the first place. Like this particular one that I am about to share.   

Without further ado, here we go...

Stock In Evaluation : Fu Yu Corporation [F13.SI]

The Key Quantitative Indicators of CNAV Strategy (basing on 2014 Annual Report figures, source : Yahoo Finance):

Net Asset Value (NAV) = $0.2576
Conservative Net Asset Value (CNAV2) = $0.1388
Current Price = $0.11
Discount For CNAV2 = 21%

Conclusion : Since it is a POSITIVE "Discount for CNAV2", it means that the stock is traded at a discount (from CNAV perspective). 

The P.O.F Scores of CNAV Strategy:
Profitability Score = 1 (With the PE ratio of 8.1)

Operational Efficiency = 1 (positive cash flows for the past 3 years)

Financial Efficiency = 1 (Debt To Equity Ratio of 35%)

Conclusion : A perfect P.O.F Scoring.

Additional Notes : Fu Yu Corporation has not been paying dividend for the past few years and hence if you are looking for Dividend Income stock, this is not one for you ;-)
Final Conclusion : From CNAV Strategy perspective, this is definitely one of the stock fitting the bills. 

Cheers!

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Weekend Sharing - Understand Economics In The Fun Way

Economics is never my cup of tea, or coffee or milo. But ever since I started my stock investing journey not long ago, the more I read about the market and economic news, the more I get interested into the topic. 

Recently, I chanced upon an hilarious but true to its core article at Tickld trying to explain the economics from a stand point of a bar owner, Mary, she is from Dublin. Oh, by the way. Tickld is a platform to share articles/images meant for laughter and kill the boredom, so don't take the story too seriously ;-)

Having said that, I find the story is very fun to read and make me understand the economics better, in a nutshell. I am sure economics is much complex than this but it is a good start to get a hang of it. 

Enjoy the sharing below (source : Tickld) : 


If you are very strong in economics, you might not be agreeable with this simplistic view of the writer, just read it for fun then... ;-)

HAPPY WEEKEND!

Cheers!

Click HERE for more details!

Friday, March 13, 2015

Market News In 2 Minutes @ 13th March 2015

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. Nordic Group (MR7) - Entered into a non-binding memorandum of understanding to fully acquire Austin Energy (Asia) for $26 million. Austin Energy is principally engaged in the provision of construction services including thermal insulation, fire proofing in the petrochemical, pharmaceutical and offshore industries. The group views that the acquisition will be synergistic to its existing businesses as well as an avenue to broaden its service offering. The acquisition will be financed through internally generated funds and bank borrowings. (source : Shares Investment)

2. Raffles Education Corporation (NR7) - Via its subsidiaries, agreed to acquire the remaining 41.8 percent of share capital in Educomp-Raffles Higher Education for INR986.4 million (approximately $21.6 million). The target company was set up through a joint venture between Raffles Education and Educomp Solutions to launch campuses and learning centres in India. The company intends to fund the acquisition via a combination of bank borrowings and internal resources. (source : Shares Investment)

3. Technics Oil & Gas (5CQ) - Agreed to a sale and leaseback scheme with Soilbuild Business Space REIT (SV3U) for its property at 72 Loyang Way for $97 million. Under the scheme, the company will continue to operate at the property, where it will be leased for a period of 15 years at $7.9 million for the first year, subjected to a rental escalation of 2.3 percent per year after the third. The company will channel proceeds from the disposal into its general corporate funding requirements, working capital and capital expenditure. (source : Shares Investment)
 
Cheers!

Investing Also Need To "Have Courage ; Be Kind"

Yesterday, went to watch the newly released fairy-tale movie adaptation, Cinderalla with my wife, I am quite happy with what I've seen and I must that it is one of the best live action fairy tale movie adaptation that I've seen in the recent years.

It is a big budget blockbuster feel good movie, besides sticking true to the storyline, I am especially impressed with the level of detail in the props, costumes, castles and even the animals. Of course, many of them might be just special effect but you still can feel the magnificent level of greatness in the small details.
 
The other area that caught my eye that inspired me to write this post here (bearing in mind this is not a movie blog) is about the message of the movie. It is a piece of wisdom shared by the dying mother of Ella (Cinderella's real name) : Have Courage, Be Kind!
 
It is a powerful wisdom that applicable to life in general, but today i am going to share why this wisdom is also very critical when comes to stock investing.
 
Here are my take :
 
We need to "Have Courage" to...
  • Withstand the volatility of the market (especially to hang on when the market crashed) ;
  • Sell at a loss ;
  • Go against the tide (from the point of view of contrarian investing) ;
We need to "Be Kind" to...
  • Share/impart our knowledge/know how that can benefit more people ;
  • be charitable..I can sense that regular donation are common practice among some of the kind retail investors/bloggers here ;
  • be good with each other so as to create a warm and healthy personal finance community (online or offline) ; [Note : So, if you happen to see me outside, along the road or mall, remember to say HI to me ya ;-)] 
Even though you are not into fairy tale, or for that matter, magic from fairy god mother, you should still HAVE COURAGE and BE KIND !   

If you are interested to see more about the movie, click on the image below for their latest trailer :
Click to watch the trailer of this up coming fairy tale blockbuster
Cheers!

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Market News In 2 Minutes @ 12th March 2015

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. CNA Group (5GC) - Signed a memorandum of understanding with LiuLinxian Senzetengfei Aluminium Industry Co (LSAI) for a 5 percent shareholding to participate in the business of a bauxite processing plant and mine with estimated reserves of $600 million in Shanxi, China. The amount of investment in LSAI will be announced after due diligence is conducted. (source : Shares Investment)


2. Global Logistic Properties (MC0) - Has signed four new lease agreements totalling 63,000 square metres in China. These new tenants ranged across different industries, including e-commerce, packaged foods and pharmaceutical where three of them are multi-location tenants of GLP in China. (source : Shares Investment)
 
3. Oxley Holdings (5UX) - Agreed to purchase a property located at 1603 and 1604 Akasaka 2-chome, Minato-ku in Tokyo, Japan for JPY655 million. The property consists of an 11-storey residential condominium with total gross floor area of 651.1 square metres which is erected on a freehold land parcel measuring 165.3 square metres. The acquisition will be funded by internal resources and bank borrowings. (source : Shares Investment) 
 
4. Pacific Radiance (T8V) - Via its subsidiary, Crest Offshore Marine, acquired an additional 1.3 million shares in the share capital of Radiance ZJ, a joint venture with Jiangsu Zhenjiang Shipyard (Group) Co, for US$1.3 million. Post acquisition, Crest will own 63 percent of equity interest in the target company. (source : Shares Investment) 
 
Cheers!

My Stock Investment Acumen : From 0 to 0.5


About 1 year ago when I first decided to get involve in the stock investment and blog about it, I must say that I have close to ZERO knowledge about stock investment, don't even mention about ETF or REITS, BONDS etc.. It could be due to my risk-averse nature (or play safe mentality) or maybe most of my friends/colleagues are not so investing-savvy, so we seldom talk/chat about stocks investment at all.
 
Looking back now, for the past 360 days or so, after attending a couple of investing related seminars/courses, reading through a couple of investment related books (both eBooks and physical books) as well as many personal finance blogs and online sites, I must congratulate myself that my stock investment acumen has increased slightly, in my own assessment, by 0.5 (i.e. from ZERO to ZERO POINT FIVE).
 
Why 0.5?
 
The reason being that personally I am not very sensitive to numbers and kind of having phobia towards those financial jargon we well as remembering those ratios/calculations (the PER, ROE, ROA. Dividend Yields and the mother of all key indicator, Intrinsic Value), hence it is a steep learning curve and I am just scraping the surface.
 
The other reason is due to one of my weaknesses: I am slow in learning and fast in forgetting (it could be due to my age ;-)). So, catching up with the market news/development and translate it into some useful knowledge for decision making is something that I need to improve on. 
 
So, I think 0.5 is just about right.
 
It's a life-long journey to me and I intend to keep learning, I guess with such low baseline, the only way is UP in polishing my stock investing acumen (hopefully) ;-)
 
Cheers!

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Market News In 2 Minutes @ 11th March 2015

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. Nam Cheong (N4E) - Has won contracts for two vessels – a 200-men accommodation work vessel and a 12,000 brake horsepower anchor handling towing supply vessel – worth US$58 million. The new contracts raises the firm’s order book to approximately RM1.7 billion and are expected to contribute positively to its FY15 and FY16 results. (source : Shares Investment)

2. WE Holdings (5RJ) - Has entered into a non-binding memorandum of understanding to acquire the entire stake in Singapore Hua Kai Engineering Co, a firm primarily engaged in the trading of sand, dredging and the supply of processed sand, for $25 million. The group believes the proposed acquisition will provide it with a ready entry into the land reclamation business, which it anticipates will have an increased demand. The consideration will be paid in $8 million cash and $2 million worth of the firm’s shares, with the remaining $15 million paid over a three-year period subjected Hua Kai attaining certain net profit targets. (source : Shares Investment)

Cheers!

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Maybank Kim Eng's Monthly Investment Plan and Its SG Counters

Maybank Kim Eng Monthly Investment Plan
Two days ago, I blogged about a comparison of the Regular Stock Investment Plans available in Singapore, for those who wanted to take advantage of the Dollar-Cost-Averaging Investment, you may want to check out my earlier post HERE

 have also briefly touched on the new kid on the block aka Maybank Kim Eng's Monthly Investment Plan (MIP) and their current promotion (till End August 2015, with zero $ commission). 

I am particularly interested with their offer and have since proceeded to create a trading account online (partly also inspired by LP of Bully The Bear to create as a back-up account, just in case). Once my trading account is done, I intend to start my MIP with them from the month of April or May 2015. 

Out of the 225 counters from 5 markets, I am especially interested with their 45 Singapore counters (at least for the start). Following are what I've gotten from my filtering: 

Page 1 - Alphabetical order by Counter Name
Page 2 - Alphabetical order by Counter Name
Summary
As you can see, there are only 3 categories of the counters i.e. REITS, Blue Chips or ETFs. With such strong and diversified counters, there is no issue in counter selection especially for those who aim for Dividend/Income Investment. 

If you noticed, I have highlighted item #23. This is because Lippo Malls is in my REITS watch list for quite sometime, if there isn't any subsequent surprise development, I will choose it as the maiden counter for my MIP ;-) 

In order not to face with too many odd lots situation at a later date, I am looking at either one or two counters for my MIP only. 

Cheers! 

Market News In 2 Minutes @ 10th March 2015

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. Triyards Holdings (RC5) - Has secured contracts for two ice-class multi-purpose support vessels (MPSV) and a turret fabrication job worth over US$100 million. Year-to-date, the firm has added almost US$180 million in new orders and the new MPSV contracts will extend its earnings visibility beyond FY16. (source : Shares Investment)

2. Yongnam Holdings (Y02) - Its subsidiary, Yongnam Engineering & Construction has formed a 51:49 joint venture (JV) with Jian Huang Construction Co, and the JV has inked a $159 million contract for the JTC Food Hub @ Senoko. The project, which is expected to commence this month, involves the building and development of a new seven-storey ramp-up development in the Senoko Food Zone and is slated for completion in 1H17. (source : Shares Investment)

Cheers!

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