SG Wealth Builder

From hero to zero, Alibaba founder Jack Ma’s fall from grace has been nothing short of spectacular. In October 2020, Jack Ma, blasted Chinese financial regulators for stifling innovation at the Bund Summit in Shanghai. The criticism did not go down well with the Chinese authorities who subsequently launched a slew of regulatory crackdowns targeting Chinese tech stocks. Since then, Alibaba share price (HKEX: 9988) had endured a torrid run.

The collapse of Alibaba share price (HKEX: 9988) has caused plenty of heart pains for investors. Numerous investors had entered this counter when Alibaba share price (HKEX: 9988) was trading between HK$150 to HK$298. Given that Alibaba share price (HKEX: 9988) is currently trading at about HK$80 bandwidth, the rout had been pretty devastating for investors. The question now is whether recovery is in sight for Alibaba share price (HKEX: 9988).

Many investors had been buying on the dip – buying more shares as Alibaba share price (HKEX: 9988) continues to plunge. Although such strategy is not unsound, many investors are starting to panic as there is no sign of bottoming of share price. And what if the end-point for Alibaba share price (HKEX: 9988) is HK$1? That would be an absolute nightmare!

The prevailing negative sentiments on Chinese tech stocks are driven mainly by macroeconomic growth of China, geopolitical concerns and regulatory clampdowns. As such, business fundamentals are completely irrelevant for Chinese tech stocks like Alibaba share price (HKEX: 9988). From this perspective, recovery of Chinese tech stocks will depend largely on these factors.

Alibaba share price to surge ten-fold in value?

Alibaba share price in wonderland with Temasek Holdings

Dark side of Alibaba Group

In recent days, Alibaba share price (HKEX: 9988) has stabilized somewhat after reports of Chinese’s intentions to roll out policies to support the economy …

My last update on Mapletree Logistics Trust (MLT) unit price (SGX: M44U) was in January 2022. Since then, the counter went through some volatility, falling from $1.78 to a low of $1.69 in end of January 2022 and then surge to a high of $1.88 in early April before falling to the current $1.68. As a unitholder, the volatility of MLT unit price (SGX: M44U) is certainly unsettling, at least for me. What could be the reason for the trend of MLT unit price (SGX: M44U)?

For background, the principal activity of MLT is to invest in a diversified portfolio of logistics real estate in Asia Pacific with the aim of providing its unitholders with a stable distribution stream. As at 31 March 2022, the Group’s portfolio had grown to a portfolio of 183 properties, comprising 53 properties in Singapore, 9 in Hong Kong SAR, 42 in China, 19 in Japan, 19 in South Korea, 13 in Australia, 16 in Malaysia, 10 in Vietnam and 2 in India. The total value of assets under management is $13.1 billion.

The recent correction of MLT unit price (SGX: M44U) was partially attributed to the counter being ex-dividend on 9 May 2022. The S-REIT announced distribution per unit (DPU) of 2.268 cents for quarter ended 31 March 2022. This was an increase from the 2.161 cents distributed in 31 March 2021. For 12 months ended 31 March 2022, the full-year DPU was 8.787 cents.

The current MLT unit price is actually very attractive in terms of accumulation. Assuming the full-year DPU remains stagnant at 8.787 cents and assuming that you bought at the current $1.66, the annual dividend yield should be about 5.3%, which is much higher than bank saving rates. In this regard, the falling MLT unit price (SGX: M44U) provides …

On 5^th of May 2022, Dow Jones crashed 1063 points amid concerns of recession and surging global inflations. The following day, the Straits Times Index (STI) suffered a rout. In the sea of red, the bullish form of AEM share price stood out. At one point, AEM share price surged 2.5%, making it the top gainer in SGX. However, by the end of the trading day, the counter surrendered all the gains and fizzled out.

The volatile form of AEM share price came on the back on a solid first quarter financial updater for FY2022, which saw the semiconductor test equipment manufacturer posting its highest quarterly revenue and profit before tax in its history. Net profit rocketed more than three-fold to smash a high of $40.8 million while revenue hit $262 million.

Previously, I wrote that AEM may become a $1 billion revenue company. On the basis of the quarterly performance, that day will come sooner than I expect. In fact, I would have expected AEM share price to breeze past the $5.00 mark on 6^th May 2022. If not for the overall stock market carnage, the stellar first quarter performance would have turbocharged AEM share price to high heavens.

AEM share price in holy grail with Temasek

AEM share price in $1 billion dream

AEM share price in perfect storm

AEM share price to jump 100% with new patent?

The first quarter performance is critical as it sets the stage for subsequent quarterly performances. In my view, the result validated the assumption on the volume ramp up from Intel and provided a good basis for my hypothesis of a $100 million net profit in FY2022. If the Group could perform like this for the subsequent quarters, then full-year net profit may possibly hit $160 million. If …

Is Xiaomi share price (HKEX: 1810) at a good entry level now? My last coverage on Chinese tech stocks (Alibaba HKEX: 9988) was in February 2021. Back then, Chinese tech stocks were embroiled in a slew of regulatory headwinds following Jack Ma’s epic criticism against the regulators’ stifling innovation of the financial system. That action triggered an unprecedented storm that saw aggressive regulatory clamp downs on Chinese tech stocks.

Obviously, nobody in his right mind would have predicted the storm to last for two years. During this period, it is understandable that many investors are depressed after seeing their investments evaporated with the meltdown of Chinese tech stocks. Against this backdrop, many investors must be praying fervently for light at end of the tunnel. Recently, an SG Wealth Builder Lifetime Member requested for the coverage on one of the Chinese tech stocks: Xiaomi share price (HKEX: 1810), which I will duly oblige.

Admittedly, I have not invested in foreign stocks before, much less Chinese tech stocks. However, I have been watching the unfolding of the rout of Chinese tech stocks for the past two years. Like many Chinese tech stocks, Xiaomi share price (HKEX: 1810) had suffered huge carnage due to the crisis of confidence in Chinese tech stocks. However, recent announcement by the Chinese authorities to roll out policies to support the economy and stabilize consumption gave many investors some glimmers of hope that the slew of regulatory clamp downs may be coming to an end (finally)!

In investing, it is important to buy low and sell high. Xiaomi share price (HKEX: 1810) has plunged from an all-time high of HK$33.20 on 31 December 2020 to the current HK$11.70. This represents a staggering 45% correction from the all-time high. Although Xiaomi share price (HKEX: 1810) is at …

At the request of an SG Wealth Builder Lifetime Member, I am covering EngGro share price in this article. With a market capitalization of just $157.9 million, this is a very small cap stock in SGX. Admittedly, prior to the request from my member, I have not heard of this company before. I believe I am not alone as this counter falls under the radar of many analysts. However, a closer look on this company reveals some interesting findings.

EnGro’s history dates back to 1973 when it was formed as a tri-partite joint venture among SsangYong Cement Industrial Co. Ltd (South Korea), DBS Bank, and Afro-Asia Shipping Co. Listed on the SGX main board since 1983, the company was previously known as SsangYong Cement (Singapore) Pte Ltd. However, SsangYong Cement exited the business in 2005 and the company was renamed as EnGro Corporation Limited.

As of 15 March 2022, the largest shareholder of EnGro is Dr Chua Thian Poh, Executive Chairman of Ho Bee Land, which controls Afro-Asia International Enterprises Pte Limited. Dr Chua holds 38.68% stake in EnGro. Ho Bee Land is known for being the developer of Sentosa Cove.

To be specific, EnGro is provider of building materials, specializing in specialty cement and high-performance concrete supply. Within SGX, its competitor is Pan-United Corporation. However, unlike Pan-United Corporation, EnGro has [This is a premium article. The rest of the content is blocked and can be accessible by SG Wealth Builder Members only. To read the full content, please sign up as member.]

For members of SG Wealth Builder logging in from Apple or Mac devices, please access through this link. This allows for one-time log in only (instead of having to key in user-id and password twice).

This will be my first coverage of Singtel share price in 2022. My last coverage on this counter was on 31 December 2021. Since then, Singtel share price has surged from $2.30 to $2.65 at the point of writing. Year-to-date, Singtel share price has increased about 14%. Is this yet another false dawn or light at end of tunnel for the leading regional telco?

Whilst it may be too early for investors to pop the champagne, the operating climate has certainly improved significantly as compared to 2021. The lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in March had pushed Singtel share price to an almost 2-year high as the incoming volume of tourists should increase revenue for the Singapore Consumer business. Nonetheless, the positive effect should kick in from the new financial year onwards (Singtel’s financial year ends on March).

The coming weeks should see plenty of volatility for Singtel share price as the telco will release its full-year financial result. Based on the results of the past three quarters, the full-year result should be stellar, thereby providing a tailwind for Singtel share price. To put the icing on the cake, Singapore announced further relaxation of public health measures on 22 April 2022. Arising from this, number of tourists should spike in the coming months, providing another catalyst driver for Singtel share price.

Singtel’s sprawling telco businesses are prone to the impact of the pandemic as a significant portion of the Group’s revenue is derived from roaming revenue from tourists. Hence, the lifting of border restrictions should benefit Singtel’s Singapore Consumer business. Furthermore, its regional associate’s businesses will also benefit from cross border travel as Southeast Asia countries start to ease borders’ restrictions too. Thailand, in which Singtel has operations, has also announced easing of borders’ restrictions on 22 April 2022 too.

Singtel …

What a supersonic form! Investors must buckle their seat belts and brace for the wildest ride of their lives. AEM share price went on a rampage following a series of share purchases by its biggest shareholder – Temasek Holdings. Temasek’s entry in August 2021 saw the sovereign wealth fund taking an initial stake of 9.5% in AEM. Within six months, Temasek increased its stake to 12.08% following a slew of share purchases in 2022. What is the game plan that Temasek has in mind for AEM?

Whilst Temasek’s strategic investment in AEM may seem like a no-brainer, the narrative may not be so straightforward, at least for Temasek. To put things into perspective, Temasek used to have two major assets in the semiconductor industry – Chartered Semiconductor and Stats Chippac. Chartered Semiconductor used to be the world’s third largest chipmaker while Stats Chippac was the biggest Southeast Asia assembly and chip-testing company. Despite so, Temasek had disposed them during the previous downturn of the semiconductor industry.

Chartered Semiconductor was sold to Abu Dhabi in 2009 while Stats Chippac was sold to China’s JCET in 2015. Both companies were delisted from SGX following the buyouts. The rationale for Temasek to sell was understandable as both assets were struggling to turn around for years. Back then, stiff competition from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) had led to razor-thin margins for chips. To compound matters, the higher manufacturing costs also mean that it is difficult to sustain operations in Singapore.

Given the notorious boom and bust cycle of the semiconductor industry, what could have caused Temasek to turn its head and invest in AEM? Surely, the motivating factors must be compelling enough after the experiences of Chartered Semiconductor and Stats Chippac. In this article, I will share my thoughts on the plausible …

Should it be “Sell in May and Go Away” or “Sell in March and Go Away”? In recent years, crises seemed to occur in March, leading to severe stock market corrections. In March 2020, we had the explosive market routs caused by the pandemic. And then in March 2022, the Russian war in Ukraine sent global markets into a devastating tailspin. Being one of the major Straits Times Index (STI) components, OCBC share price saw plenty of volatility.

To be frank, the recent March correction for OCBC share price could have been even more severe if its not for the timely ease of pandemic measures announced on 25 March 2022. The relaxation of measures should bode well for local banks as the operating environment improves significantly in the coming month. Rightfully, as we enter endemic, Singapore economy should recover and grow. Being the bellwether of the economy, OCBC Bank is likely to see healthy growth, thereby stimulating OCBC share price. Nonetheless, things are often not so straightforward in life.

Inflation has thrown a spanner in the works for the recovery of global economy, which has barely emerged from the pandemic. And the Russia war has added even more fuel to the fire. So now the market concern is that the raging inflation rates could lead to US Federal Reserve raising interest rate by 50 basis points in the 4 May meeting. Question now is: how will this affect OCBC share price?

Under normal circumstances, rising interest rates should benefit banks as net interest income would increase correspondingly. Logically, OCBC share price should rise due to this tailwind. However, there are concerns that an aggressive interest rate hike could hurt the economy, causing non-performing loans to swell. In other words, there are fears that recession is on the way as …

After surging from $1.00 in 2020 to an incredible high of $10 in 2021, how will iFAST share price unravel in 2022? The spell-binding run of iFAST share price was certainly stuff of legend among SGX stocks. Given that the counter has recently stalled at $6.00 levels, is it a good time for investors to enter?

For background, iFAST is basically an online platform company offering investment products to retail investors. At the same time, financial institutions and banks can distribute their investment products through iFAST’s platform. The supersonic boom of iFAST share price was due to the award of Hong Kong ePension scheme in early 2021. iFAST partnered with Hong Kong’s PCCW (owned by Li Ka Shing’s son Richard Li) to develop the digital platform for Hong Kong’s HK$1 trillion Mandatory Provident Fund.

According to the latest disclosure by iFAST, the ePension division is expected to be the biggest driver for revenue and profits from 2023. This means that the project should be operationalized by end 2022. From now till end 2022 is less than a year. Against this backdrop, there should be tremendous catalyst for iFAST share price to take off within these two years.

For perspective, the management shared in the latest financial guidance that the net revenue target from the Hong Kong division should be more than HK$800 million in 2024 and HK$1.2 billion in 2025. In comparison, the revenue and profit for FY2021 amounted to just $216 million and $30 million respectively. For this reason, the Hong Kong ePension project could be a massive game-changer for iFAST share price.

One of the things I like about the Hong Kong ePension project is that it will add a recurring stream of service fees to the Group. iFAST business model predominantly involves growing their assets under administration …

Since my last coverage on Sembcorp Industries share price in June 2021, there was much volatility for this counter. The pandemic disaster in India had caused much uncertainties for Sembcorp Industries’ India thermal projects, causing Sembcorp Industries to be bearish from June to October 2021. The litmus test arrived when the Group announced on 2 August 2021 the impairment of $212 million for its 49%- owned joint venture Chongqing Songzao Sembcorp Electric Power Co.

That fateful announcement on 2 August 2021 caused Sembcorp Industries share price to tumble to a low of $1.80 in October 2021. Consequently, the management went on a rescue mission for Sembcorp Industries share price by embarking on a series of shares buybacks. As at 13 December 2021, the management repurchased 6,780,700 shares from the market. Based on the recent bullish run of Sembcorp Industries share price, it seems that the shares buybacks helped to revive the stock.

Since the fateful demerger of Sembcorp Industries with Sembcorp Marine, Sembcorp Industries share price had gone from strength to strength, surging from $1.18 in September 2020 to the recent $2.65. Within the span of just 1.5 year, Sembcorp Industries share price rocketed more than 100%. Given the robust Sembcorp Industries share price, credit should be given to the Group CEO, Wong Kim Yin, who joined the Group only in July 2020.

Although CEO Wong Kim Yin joined the Sembcorp Industries only in 2020, he had steered the Group through a challenging and tumultuous period brought forth by the pandemic crisis. This is no mean feat. Many critics would argue that Sembcorp Industries is backed by Temasek Holdings, so a corporate turnaround is a given. To this end, I would disagree. I have seen cases of listed entities backed by Temasek Holdings but failed to achieve turnarounds. Examples …

Talk about being at the right time and right place! On 25 March, Singapore Prime Minister announced the ease of public health measures for the pandemic, thereby improving business sentiments for aviation, hospitality and F&B. The relaxation of measures should bode well for local banks due to the loan exposures to these sectors which had been hit by the pandemic. As the operating environment improved significantly, OCBC share price should enjoy some tailwinds in the coming months.

At the moment, OCBC share price should be at a turning point as the counter has largely factored in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and pandemic impacts. The series of interest rate hikes should be the key catalyst driving the share price upward. Is this a good opportunity to enter? I would say so if you have done your risk assessment and diversified your portfolio. Being the oldest bank in Singapore, this blue chip is an evergreen STI component that will withstand the test of time.

Looking back, the past two months had been an absolutely gut-wrenching ride for investors as OCBC share price plunged into chaos. The day of Russia’s ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine coincided with the release of OCBC’s full-year financial result for FY2021. Consequently, investors were horrified to see OCBC share price plunging by as much as 6% on that fateful day.

Prior to the severe correction of OCBC share price in the middle of February, the counter had topped the list of institutional fund house net buys for six consecutive weeks as institutional fund houses had been pouring funds into OCBC shares. Subsequently, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia had rattled global stock market confidence on 24 February 2022. Global stock markets got routed and Straits Times Index fell 3.5% on that fateful day. The sell-offs by the big boys …

Amid the raging inflation and uncertainty inflicted by the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, market sentiments had been gloomy in the past three months. And rightly so. After all, many analysts had previously predicted that 2022 could be the year of global recovery from the devastating pandemic. But the Russia-Ukraine conflict had emerged out of nowhere to torpedo global stock markets. Of course, DBS share price was not spared from the fallout.

Despite the chaos in the market, DBS share price appreciated 6.8% year-to-date. Looking back, DBS share price had been on a rather bullish form in the start of the year. Investors had bought into this counter with anticipation of a stellar full-year FY2021 result. And the bank delivered. Then again Man proposes, God disposes. Unexpectedly, Dow Jones fell 500 points on 11 February 2022 following news of a potential Russian-Ukraine conflict. In the aftermath, DBS share price had a minor correction.

Investors’ worst nightmare came true as the Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine unfolded. As a result, DBS share price tumbled from a high of $37.20 on 14 February to a low of $31.20 on 8 March, representing a correction of 16% within the span of three weeks. Yet the announcement of the much-anticipated 0.25% interest rate hike by the US Federal Reserve on 16 March had rescued DBS share price from the gallows. Then on 22 March, the Federal Reserve warned that it is prepared to hike subsequent interest rates by more than 50 basis points to fight inflation. The turn of events must have been a whirlwind for investors!

The booster shot for DBS share price came from its FY2021 financial performance as the record earnings provided a key support for DBS share price. As a growth stock, most investors should place more premium on the top-line …

The last time that I covered Boustead share price was in November 2016. Back then, the company was still struggling from the fallout due to the oil slump. Recently, a member of SG Wealth Builder requested for a coverage of Boustead share price, which I would duly oblige to do so.

Ten years ago, this counter had been on my watchlist as Boustead share price rose from $0.80 in January 2012 to an incredible high of $1.90 in April 2014. Back then, investors must have felt so surreal. By the time of my last coverage in November 2016, the bubble has burst for Boustead share price as the stock collapsed to the $0.80 bandwidth. The collapse of Boustead share price was largely due to the ailing oil and gas industry from 2014 to 2019.

During the initial onset of the pandemic in 2020, Boustead share price came under further pressure as the counter plummeted to a low of $0.60 in April 2020. That was the period when crude oil prices were being traded at negative levels. Fast forward to 2022, as we approached endemic, Boustead share price has somewhat recovered to $0.90. Having said that, retail investors’ interest in Boustead share price has cooled considerably. In fact, the average 3-month trading volume amounted to just 1.4 million shares! This suggested an extremely poor liquidity for this stock.

To be fair to the management, the lack of retail investors’ interest in Boustead share price is not entirely due to the business fundamentals of the company. In my opinion, the issue faced by Boustead share price is prevailing among many SGX-listed companies. In the past decade, many Singapore investors had shifted interest to US and Chinese stocks due to the perceived higher returns. Hong Kong Stock Exchange has also emerged …

The year 2022 turns out to be a terrifying year for investors. Barely emerging from the protracted pandemic, the world economy looks set for another tumultuous ride as Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine continues to rock global community. Against this backdrop, AEM share price spirals out of control. Will AEM share price rise from the ashes like a phoenix to fulfil its destiny to be a $1 billion revenue company?

AEM share price rockets with Temasek Holdings!

Despite the gloomy operating climate, it is too early to write off AEM share price. On 7 March 2022, Temasek Holdings increased its stake in AEM to 10.29% following the acquisition of 1.41 million shares for about $3.95. The shares acquisition by Temasek Holdings is deemed by many to be a vote of confidence on the outlook for AEM share price.

AEM share price was then given further boost on 8 March when there was a transaction of 3 million shares for its USD counter. The AEM USD counter had been under pressure lately due to the perceived lack of turnover. On hindsight, the move by the management to launch the USD counter is prudent as we can extrapolate how well AEM may perform if it is dual-listed in NASDAQ.

The recent misadventure of Grab provides a sobering reminder that there are risks in NASDAQ listing. The shares of Grab plummeted to US$3.36 on 7 March 2022 after the company announced a fourth quarter loss of US$1.1 billion. Now, Grab is purportedly facing class action suits in US. Thus, it remains to be seen if AEM share price will suffer the same fate as Grab if the former is listed in NASDAQ.

Year-to-date, AEM share price fell by about 21%. The management tried to provide support for AEM share price by initiating …

LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP The last time that I had covered Q&M share price was in 2019. That was really the land before time! Recently, a Lifetime Member requested for an update on this counter. If you would like me to provide my insights on SGX stocks, please do sign up as member here!

The coverage of Q&M share price is timely as I realized that the company recently managed to turn around from years of stagnant revenue and profit. COVID-19 imploded out of nowhere in 2020 and the company rode on the wave to stage an impressive recovery. But what truly got me excited was Q&M’s stunning announcement in January 2022 to explore a proposed listing of Acumen Diagnostics on the NASDAQ stock exchange.

Acumen Diagnostics is a joint venture of Q&M Dental and it researches, manufactures, sells and distributes COVID-19 diagnostic test kits, as well as provides COVID19 testing services. Question now is: what is the kind of impact that a NASDAQ listing would bring for Q&M share price?

It seems that Q&M Dental has hit the jackpot with Acumen Diagnostics. Q&M Dental recorded a record revenue and profit for FY2021 as gross profit for the COVID-19 medical laboratories rocketed nearly 20-fold from last year to hit $22.3 million. Probably because of this, Q&M Dental raised its effective interest in Acumen Diagnostics to 67% from 51% in October 2021. The strategic move was sound as I think Acumen Diagnostics could be a game-changer for the private dental healthcare group.

Acumen Diagnostics offers COVID-19 testing by polymerase chain reaction (“PCR”) for patients that require PCR test results and for travellers. It will also launch a panel of new PCR tests for infectious diseases, sepsis and cancer. The possibility to diversify its product offerings means that the business model of Acumen …

LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP On 24 February, Russia sent global markets into a devastating turmoil following the full-scale invasion on Ukraine. Yet on that fateful day, Global Testing share price stunned Singapore stock market when it took off like a rocket, surging an eye-popping 130% within a week to hit a high of $1.42. The incredible surge of Global Testing share price confounded many investors. Due to this, a Lifetime Member has requested a coverage on this interesting counter.

For background, Global Testing provides testing services such as wafer sorting and final testing for mixed-signal and logic integrated circuits to the semiconductor industry. Its testing services include test program development and conversion. In addition, they also help their customers to convert single-site testing to multi-site testing to shorter their turn around time. Being listed in SGX, the company’s main testing facilities are based in Taiwan. Its customers include Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSMC) and United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC).

Although Global Testing has been listed in SGX Mainboard since 2005, the market capitalization is very small – at about $43 million. The market capitalization would have been even much lesser if not for the meteoric rise of Global Testing share price lately. The total number of outstanding shares stood at just 35 million and 45% of the stakes are held by Yageo Corp, Mr Chia Soon Loi (Non-Executive Chairman of Global Testing) and Mr Chen Tie-Min (Chairman of Yageo Corp).

Due to the fact that most of the shares are held by a few major shareholders, the counter suffered from an extremely poor liquidity. Average 3-month volume amounted to just 930,000 shares. Against this backdrop, a question is whether Global Testing share price will do an AEM Holdings, which rose from the ashes like a phoenix to become a leading technology stock …

LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP The on-going Ukraine crisis has sent global stock markets into a devastating tailspin. The war occurs at a very bad timing as global economy is in the midst of recovering from the protracted pandemic. In this context, how will Healthway Medical share price unravel in 2022? A concerned Lifetime member has written in to enquire the lack of vitality for this counter.

Due to the request from a Lifetime Member, I am writing this article to provide my insights on Healthway Medical share price. Apart from the request, I have been wanting to cover this counter for some time because of my recent annual body check-up at one of Healthway Medical clinics.

For background, Healthway Medical is a private outpatient medical service provider operating more than 100 clinics and medical centres in Singapore. Within Singapore, Raffles Medical is a competitor of Healthway Medical. The difference between the two is that the former is listed in SGX Mainboard while the latter is listed in Catalist.

On 25 February, the Group announced a set of stellar financial result yet Healthway Medical share price remained moribund. Why is this so? Average 3-month trading volume amounted to just 19.75 million while 5-year Beta was 0.58. These suggested a poor liquidity for this counter.

In my opinion, the lack of market interest in Healthway Medical share price could be attributed to several factors. Looking back, the counter has endured a lost decade. In 2013, Healthway Medical share price peaked at $0.12. In the aftermath of the penny stock crash in SGX, the shares collapsed to the current levels. Due to the lack of confidence among investors in penny stocks, many investors could be giving this stock the cold shoulder. In fact, Healthway Medical share price has been trading at $0.030 to $0.035 range …

LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP What a bombshell revelation. On 23 February 2022, OCBC share price got ripped apart after the bank released its FY2021 financial result. It was supposed to be the day that investors pop the champagne. Instead, investors were horrified to see OCBC share price plunging by as much as 6% on that fateful day.

To rub salt into injury, OCBC share price bucked the trend of DBS and UOB shares, which increased on 23 February. This was the first time that DBS and UOB share prices rose while OCBC share price got bombed out. For years, these three counters had always moved in tandem. Evidently, investors ran for their lives, sending OCBC share price straight to the gallows.

The subject of debate at here is: does the FY2021 result really justify the collapse of OCBC share price? Okay, the venerable bank missed the estimates of most analysts (including mine). But surely that doesn’t warrant the explosive meltdown of OCBC share price? We are talking about a financial institution that raked in higher net profit of $4.86 billion. If you claim that the bank suffered a financial loss over the year, I would have accepted the meltdown. But clearly, this is not the case.

In the stock market, sentiment plays an important role. The crisis of confidence in OCBC share price stemmed from several factors. Firstly, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia had rattled global stock market confidence on 24 February 2022. Global stock markets got routed and Straits Times Index fell 3.5% on that fateful day. OCBC share price was not spared from the carnage as the counter collapsed 4.5%.

In addition to the unfolding war, market reactions were adverse for OCBC share price following the release of FY2021 result, which saw net interest income dropping 2% year-on-year. …

LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP What a perfect storm for AEM share price. Investors must put on their seat belts and braced for a roller-coaster ride. Year-to-date, AEM share price tumbled 18.9% to reach the current $4.25. The collapse of AEM share price occurred right before the release of FY2021 financial result. Is this a sign of things to come for AEM share price?

Apparently, the cocktail of headwinds – the unfolding Ukraine-Russia conflict and looming interest rate hikes – had knocked the wind out of AEM’ sail. To rub salt into injury, the USD counter had received poor reception, effectively dashing hopes of a NASDAQ listing. The resulting outcome is a crisis of confidence for AEM share price.

For the past two weeks, data extracted from SGX portal showed that AEM had been on the top ten net sell institutional list. The week of 7 Feb 2022 saw the counter topping the list, with $22 million worth of shares being net sold by the big boys. It seems that big boys are fleeing the counter. This could explain the downward trend of AEM share price in recent weeks.

To be honest, it is hard to imagine Non-Executive Chairman Loke Wai San pulling another rabbit out of the hat. In August 2021, the management released a set of poor 1HFY2021 result at late night (10:48PM). Usually when a listed company announces its financial result at late night, it can only mean one thing – disappointing financial result. That night, many investors could not sleep well. Consequently, the next day, AEM shocked the market by announcing the entry of Temasek. This time round, let’s hope that the financial result will not be released late at night.

Apart from the FY2021 financial result, all eyes will be on the sales guidance, if any. On …

LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP What an explosive form! OCBC share price went on a rampage to hit a high of $13.50 (at the point of writing). On the basis of the current run, it appears to me that OCBC share price is on course to race past its previous record of $13.70 in April 2018.

To be sure, OCBC share price has not peaked. Both DBS and UOB share prices are now trading at all-time highs after announcing stellar financial results. OCBC Bank will release its FY2021 result on 23 February 2022. Barring unforeseen circumstances, I expect the result to be stellar like DBS and UOB. Thus, OCBC share price should continue its bull run in the next couple of weeks.

The supersonic form of OCBC share price should be the work of the big boys. According to data extracted from SGX, institutional fund houses had been pouring funds into OCBC shares for the past two months. In fact, OCBC topped the list of institutional fund house net buys for five consecutive weeks! This is something unprecedented. The strong buying in from the big boys sent OCBC share price to the moon.

The presence of the big boys can be a double-edged sword. Whilst they can push up OCBC share price in a short span of time, they can also send the counter straight to the gallows. After all, the institutional investors are all in it to make money. It is only a matter of time that they cash out and profit from the volatility of OCBC share price. Hence, investors must be vigilant and be cautious – the run-up of OCBC share price may not be sustainable.

Admittedly, the recent Ukraine-Russia conflict had threatened to derail the form of OCBC share price. Market hates uncertainties. That’s why volatility will remain …

LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP Man proposes, God disposes. This Valentine Day was supposed to be the day that DBS share price rocketed to high heavens. However, the looming Ukraine war gate-crashed to spoil the party for investors, causing Dow Jones to fall 500 points on 11 February 2022. In the aftermath, DBS share price had a minor correction. Question now is: will the full-year financial result set DBS share price on fire and brush aside the uncertainties of a potential Ukraine war?

Russia could be launching an attack on Ukraine, possibly on this Wednesday. The conflict would surely lead to massive uncertainties for the global stock market. DBS, being the leading light of SGX, would not be spared from the market carnage. Certainly, the unfolding event is bad timing for DBS share price as the bank delivered a set of stellar financial result. In this respect, investors should expect much volatility for DBS share price in the coming days.

It remains to be seen if the Ukraine-Russia conflict could really escalate to a war, so it is still premature to claim that it is the end of the road for DBS share price. At the point of writing, it seems that the record earnings for DBS has boosted investors’ confidence, thereby providing a key support for DBS share price.

Again, I must stress that the current bull run of DBS share price may not be sustainable in the context of a looming Ukraine war. Investors must be wary of the changing macro conditions and do risk management before investing in DBS shares. At the moment, investors must be savouring the outcome of the full-year financial result for FY2021.

As expected, DBS announced a record earnings. Net profit amounted to a record $6.8 billion. The net profit is more or less in line …

Chinese New Year Special Offer! DBS will release its full-year FY2021 financial result on 14 February 2022, before the market opens. When a listed company releases its financial result before market opens, it usually means one thing – the result should be good. In this regard, investors should expect plenty of fireworks for DBS share price.

DBS share price has been on a solid bull run for the past few weeks that not even the MAS’ regulatory action on its digital disruption in November 2021 could derail its bullish form. Year-to-date, DBS share had increased 13.6% to $37.25. With the stellar full-year financial result, it is not inconceivable that DBS share price would hit $50 in the coming weeks.

It has not been a bed of rose for investors as DBS share price had previously endured a torrid run in late 2021 following market’s reaction to a subpar 9MFY2021. Omicron had emerged out of nowhere to create much uncertainties for DBS share price. And with the occurrence of the online disruptions, we have the perfect storm for DBS share price.

Then again, no winter lasts forever. For DBS share price, this is no exception. Investors were relieved that MAS’ regulatory action requires DBS to set aside additional capital amounting to $930 million. The bank assures investors that it will have no impact on the dividend policy. To put the icing on the cake, the acquisition of Citibank Taiwan is expected to accelerate growth, adding at least $250 million of net profit per annum post-pandemic.

But the strongest catalyst for DBS share price should be the looming interest rate hikes by US Federal Reserve. On 27 January 2022, the US Federal Reserves indicated that the interest rate hikes will likely take place in March. The interest rate hikes will benefit …

Chinese New Year Special Offer! The incredible form of OCBC share price must have left investors in surreal. Many of them must be pinching themselves if the explosive form of OCBC share price is for real. After all, OCBC share price had been lagging behind DBS and UOB for a number of years.

On 8 February 2022, OCBC share price crossed the pivotal $13 mark to hit a high of $13.13. The last time that OCBC share price was trading at the $13 bandwidth was in May 2018. Back then, the implementation of the additional property cooling measures impacted the home loan market, causing local banks to suffer collateral damage. Not surprisingly, OCBC share price got bombed out during that period.

Since then, OCBC share price had not recaptured the sizzling form of 2018 until in recent days. Luckily, the new property cooling measures unleashed in December 2021 did not affect OCBC share price because the tightening of LTV limit is applicable to only HDB housing loans. The revised LTV limit does not apply to loans granted by financial institutions, for which the LTV limit remains at 75%.

Looking back, the explosive bull run of OCBC share price from 2015 to 2018 was largely due to the nine US Federal Reserve interest rate hikes. During that period, the US Federal Reserve raised the interest rate to a high of 2.5% in December 2018. Will history repeat itself for OCBC share price?

In the aftermath of the Great Financial Crisis of 2008, the US Federal Reserve had kept interest rates effectively zero until 2015. Similarly, the Fed has kept interest rates effectively zero since the start of the pandemic. Nonetheless, on 27 January 2022, the US Federal Reserves indicated that the interest rate hikes will likely take place in March. The …

Chinese New Year Special Offer! Will SIA share price (SGX: C6L) roar in the Year of the Tiger? In peace times, there are no dragons to slay. But this is not peace time we are talking now right now. As global economy emerges from the protracted pandemic crisis, what will the outlook be like for SIA share price in 2022?

SIA share price was actually cruising in 2021 until Delta and Omicron variants brought the counter to its knees in May and November respectively. In this respect, whether SIA share price will return to form in 2022 will depend a lot on the pandemic situation. On 4 February 2022, Singapore announced a whopping 13,208 COVID cases. The spike in cases may cause not just supply chain issue for Singapore, but also manpower disruptions for the national airline.

Just a caveat: it is still premature to claim that the latest infection wave would disrupt SIA’s operation and puncture the form of SIA share price in the process. Given that the 4 February report was released after market closed, it is an unknown how the stock market will react when it reopens on 7 February. Due to the countless twists and turns of the pandemic saga, analysing the outlook of SIA share price is always a tricky business.

SIA share price so bad its good!

SIA share price in explosive form

SIA share price (SGX: C6L) faces ambush from another cash call?

SIA share price rises from ashes

The latest development takes place at a very bad timing for SIA share price as the company is expected to post a strong operating result for third quarter business update. The result should be stellar as December operating results were solid. For that month, SIA carried 596,300 passengers (2020: 85,200) while SIA Cargo carried …

Chinese New Year Special Offer! The wheels finally came off the wagon for iFAST share price. From nearly $10 in October 2021, iFAST share price plunged 38.7% within three months to reach the current $6.10. Year-to-date, iFAST share price corrected 26%. The devastating meltdown of iFAST share price caught many investors by surprise, not least due to a confluence of factors. One of my Lifetime Members reached out to me and sought my insights.

My last article on this counter was a year ago – 25 January 2021. Back then, iFAST share price was trading at around $5.20 and I had warned that there was tell-tale sign of a massive bubble building up. My opinion was that retail investors should be cautious of being caught with their pants down when the tide turned against them. In 2021 alone, volatility of iFAST share price had attracted three SGX queries. Despite so, iFAST share price went on to confound investors to hit almost $10 in October 2021.

For investors who had exited at $10 and made a killing from iFAST shares, they must be laughing all the way to the bank. For those who had entered when iFAST share price was trading nearly $10, should they run for their lives or be the last man standing? This is a tricky question because it is certainly not the end of the road for iFAST share price. In this article, I will provide a balance analysis on the outlook of iFAST share price in the coming months.

Like many other growth stocks in SGX mainboard (Nanofilm and AEM Holdings), iFAST is not for the faint-hearted. News of the impending US Federal Reserves interest rate hikes had hammered these stocks left, right and centre. Year-to-date, Nanofilm share price dropped 25% while AEM’s declined 12.4%.…

Chinese New Year Special Offer! Crisis? What crisis?! OCBC share price rubbished all talks of crisis to stage a return of the King! Year-to-date, OCBC share price rocketed 9.5% (at the point of writing). On the basis of the current run, will OCBC hit a record high of $14 in the coming days? This will be a quick article to update readers on the outlook of OCBC share price in the next two months.

On 27 January 2022, the US Federal Reserves indicated that the interest rate hikes will likely to take place in March and confirmed its plan to end bond purchases in that month. As I have mentioned many times in this blog, the interest rate hikes will benefit Singapore banks because of the increase in net interest income. For this reason, the upcoming interest rate hike news sent OCBC share price to the moon.

The sizzling form of OCBC share price comes at a time when the bank is about to release its full year financial result for FY2021. The red-hot form of OCBC share price also coincided with the recovery of Singapore’ economy, which grew 7.2% in 2021. Talk about being at the right time and right place!

Admittedly, the recent phishing scams had rocked market sentiments to a certain extent. Arising from this, OCBC share price had been sluggish for the past two weeks. 470 victims had lost $8.5 million to the OCBC phishing scams. Nonetheless, it seems to me that the saga has come to an end as the bank offered to make goodwill payments to the victims.

OCBC share price to hit $19 by end 2022?

OCBC share price in supersonic boom!

OCBC share price to rocket with record earnings?

OCBC share price to rocket with Great Eastern Holdings exit?

Note that this …

Chinese New Year Special Offer! Volatility remains the name of the game for Wilmar share price. In my last article on this counter, my forecast was that Wilmar share price may hit a high of $5.70 in February 2022. I have also suggested that the violent swings of Wilmar share price mean that this counter is not for the faint-hearted. Indeed, the see-saw movements of Wilmar share price had led to an SG Wealth Builder Lifetime member seeking my insights.

Indeed, the performances of Wilmar share price remain one of the biggest enigmas of SGX mainboard. There are so many catalysts providing wind to the sail of Wilmar share price but the counter always flatter to deceive.

Take for example, the crude palm oil (CPO) price has hit the record high of RM5,497 per tonne on 24 January 2022. Being one of the largest oil palm plantation owners in the world, Wilmar should have benefitted from the raging CPO prices. Yet Wilmar share price did not rocket and has been blowing hot and cold lately. And then there is the upcoming India IPO of Adani Wilmar.

Although the Adani Wilmar India IPO is expected to unlock value for investors and provides positive sentiments for Wilmar share price, it is of significantly smaller scale as compared to the Yihai Kerry Arawana Holdings Co., Ltd, (“YKA”)’s IPO in October 2020. The YKA’s IPO resulted in a market capitalisation of RMB303.61 billion (approximately US$45.24 billion) as at 15 October 2020. On the other hand, Adani Wilmar is a 50-50 joint venture between Adani and Wilmar and the IPO is valued at about $646 million only.

Due to the massive size of the IPO, YKA has a huge bearing on Wilmar share price from October 2020 to early 2021. Despite being a subsidiary of …

Chinese New Year Special Offer! What a devastating meltdown. From a high of $6.30 in July 2021, Nanofilm share price (SGX: MZH) plunged more than 50% to reach the current low of $3.05. The capitulation of Nanofilm share price caught the attention of the investment community. Should Nanofilm investors run for their lives?

A Lifetime Member has written in to seek my views on this counter. Henceforth, I will share my insights on the two potential factors that could have knocked the wind out of Nanofilm share price.

At the rate of correction, Nanofilm share price may reach the IPO price of $2.59. This is especially so if the upcoming full-year failed to meet investors’ expectations. When Nanofilm got listed on 30 October 2020, there was much hype among Singapore investment community due to the dearth of billion-dollar technology firm listings in SGX in recent years.

Indeed, Nanofilm share price made a strong start with an opening price of $2.77 and an intra-day high of $3.02. With solid support from a stellar group of institutional investors like Temasek Holdings, AIA, Credit Suisse, investing in this company seems like a no-brainer. Admittedly, I was tempted to enter this counter but stopped short of doing so because of my personal policy of not investing in a company that just got listed within the first five years. The explosive meltdown of Nanofilm share price vindicated my investment principle.

Just like retail investors, institutional investors also want to make money from IPOs. However, the key difference between these two groups of investors is that retail investors make money at the point of selling whereas big boys often make money at the point of buying. For this reason, retail investors would often buy high and sell high while big boys would big low and …

Chinese New Year Special Offer! This will be my first article on AEM share price in 2022. All eyes should be on the upcoming FY2021 full-year financial result. Will it set AEM share price on fire like what it did in 2018?

From January to March 2018, AEM share price rocketed 100% to reach $1.87. The supersonic run of AEM share price was attributed to two factors – the award of patent for the technology used in its flagship product, High Density Modular Test (HDMT) equipment and also the ramp up of orders from its key customer, Intel.

The ramp up of orders from Intel led to an increase of 216% and 560% in revenue and profit for FY2017. The release of the full-year FY2017 financial result in early 2018 saw AEM share price roaring to high heavens. Will history repeat itself for AEM share price? Fast forward four years, the ramping of HDMT by Intel is over. However, AEM is launching is its next blockbuster product test equipment product – Asynchronous Massive Parallel (AMPS). This new capability allows high powered chip to be tested under thermal controlled environment without damaging the chip.

In my research, I found out that AEM had obtained the patent used in its AMPS (patent number: 20210325452). The patent was granted only on 21 October 2021. Prior to this, Temasek Holdings took up a substantial stake in AEM in August 2021. My hypothesis is that Temasek Holdings might have anticipated the grant of this patent to AEM and this could have prompted the sovereign wealth fund to invest in the company. Then on 25 November 2021, Temasek Holdings purchased another 443,700 shares from the market.

If you scan the landscape in Singapore, you would realize that there are very few listed home-grown technology …

Chinese New Year Special Offer! It appears to me that UOB share price is on fire after being given a booster shot! Lately, Singapore bank stocks were given a lift following news of the impending interest rate hikes by US Federal Reserves. However, UOB share price jumped to a whole new level following the announcement of the $5 billion acquisition of Citigroup’s Southeast Asia consumer business.

The Citigroup acquisition pushed UOB share price briefly passed the psychological $30 mark. This is a record level for UOB share price. Whether UOB share price can sustain this level remains to be seen in the coming days. Nonetheless, I doubt that UOB share price has peaked as the full-year financial result will be released only on 16 February. Given the lower allowances being made in FY2021, we should see full-year net profit registering a double-digit growth. In view of this, there should be plenty of headroom for UOB share price to rise in the next few weeks.

From a long-term perspective, the recent Citigroup acquisition is an interesting deal that could possibly shape the dynamics between the Singapore banking trio. Notably, this deal marked the first overseas acquisition under the helm of CEO Wee Ee Cheong. Wee Cho Yaw, handed the reins to Wee Ee Cheong in 2007. The last overseas acquisition under Wee Cho Yaw was for Indonesia bank, Buana, in 2005. Under the tenure of the senior Wee, UOB made a series of banks that included Bank of Asia, Chung Khiaw Bank, Far Eastern Bank. Radanasin Bank Thailand and Lee Wah Bank and OUB.

Despite the massive hype, the Citigroup deal is still less than the $10 billion that UOB paid for the acquisition of OUB. In June 2001, DBS launched a hostile takeover for OUB by tabling a …