Investment verdict of NetLink NBN Trust

It was supposed to be an opportunity for NetLink NBN Trust to make a statement about its investment merits to Singapore investors. But unfortunately, NetLink NBN Trust messed it up by delivering a subpar revenue performance for FP2018 that was much lower than original forecast.

And investors did not take the above too kindly. Upon the release of the financial results, unit price of NetLink NBN Trust tumbled from $0.81 in May to $0.74 in July. The price correction led to dividend yield at an attractive level of 5.65%.

Against the current backdrop, is NetLink NBN Trust a value trap or dividend yield play? In this article, I will examine the competitive advantages and handicaps of NetLink NBN Trust.

Missed opportunity

Time really flies. It had been one year when NetLink NBN Trust debut in Singapore Exchange and I do think that it is timely for an update on this business trust. Dubbed as the biggest IPO since 2011, many investors have great expectation of NetLink NBN Trust. And rightly so. After all, it is the sole provider of residential fibre network in Singapore. Given such status, it is rightful to assume that NetLink NBN Trust enjoys an unassailable monopoly in the fibre network sector locally.

Read more

Noble Group to fall into abyss?

Since my last coverage on Noble Group in December 2017, things have taken a turn for the worse. In fact, the on-going drama is so bad that its good. Why is there any good out of this corporate tragedy if you may ask? In my opinion, there are plenty of hard lessons that investors can gain from the downfall of Noble Group.

From a former multi-billion blue chip darling as recent as 2015, Noble Group has shrunk to a mere $188 million listed company. Novice investors who are new to the game should avoid this counter if they are not unaware of the series of events that had unfolded on this counter. Indeed, there had been so many twists and turns to the Noble Group drama that one wonders if the latest alliance between Goldilocks and Noble Group is just another false dawn in the making.

Due to the volatility of Noble Group share price, existing shareholders should exercise caution on whether to dollar average their holdings or cut losses.  This article is only for information and not meant to induce or serve as a form of financial advice.

Noble Group

Holding shareholders to ransom?

In my last coverage, I highlighted the credit crunch that Noble Group was facing.

Read more

Mapletree Logistics Trust knocked the wind out of Cache Logistics Trust

Amid the sea of red in the Singapore stock market, Mapletree Logistics Trust shares bucked the trend and stood out like a shining beacon. The bullish form of Mapletree Logistics Trust shares could be attributed to its recent $778 million acquisitions of five ramp-up logistics warehouses from CWT Pte Ltd.

The move by Mapletree Logistics Trust raised a lot of eyebrows because it was made against the backdrop of warehouses supply glut and falling rental prices in Singapore. According to 4Q2017 data released by JTC, the number of available warehouses increased quarterly by 2% to 10.4 million sqm while vacancy rate decreased slightly by 1.6%. Correspondingly, rental prices remained weak in 4Q2017, decreasing by 1.0%.

On the other hand, the mega deal also saw Mapletree Logistics Trust one-upped on local rival Cache Logistics Trust, a ramp-up logistics warehouse specialist. The latter’s competitive strength lies in ramp-up warehouses, which are limited in supply in Singapore because specialised planning and design specifications are required for such properties. The entry of Mapletree in this niche is an unwanted competition for Cache.

Mapletree Logistics Trust

Opportunistic acquisitions by Mapletree Logistics?

Investors of Cache Logistics Trust must have seen red with the acquisition. This is because all the five warehouses were previously under Cache’s Right of First Refusal granted by CWT.

Read more

Big boys targeting SingTel stock!

After suffering from heavy shelling for the past few weeks, SingTel stock recovered from multi-year low of $3.02 to climb to $3.24 on 10 July 2018. The latest technical rebound of SingTel stock must have left investors wondering if this blue chip has indeed bottomed out. Before rejoicing, it is important to note that the big boys, namely the institutional funds had been targeting SingTel stock for the past two months.

According to Singapore Exchange (SGX) Institutional Fund Flow Monthly report, the month of May saw institutional investors net sold an epic $1.10 billion worth of Singapore stocks.

I could be wrong but I do not recall the outflow of such magnitude from Singapore stock market in recent years, apart from the Great Financial Crisis in 2008. The net selling by institutional players continued through June, with institutional net selling $257 million worth of Singapore stocks.

A more chilling revelation in the reports is that SingTel had been targeted by the big boys as SingTel stock had consistently topped the net seller lists since December 2017. In this article, I am going to show you how the big boys play the game and why you must avoid collision path with the big boys because there can only be one outcome.

Read more

UOB stock to pulverise with new property cooling measures?

Could it be the straw that broke the camel’s back? Despite the challenging operating conditions and the toxic loans from the ailing oil and gas industry, UOB stock had an enthralling fairy-tale run, surging from $17.20 in 2016 to $30 in 2018. It certainly seemed that nothing can stop the explosive form of UOB stock price, until the recent short-selling activities and property measures halted the majestic run.

Meltdown of UOB stock

6 July 2018 would be remembered as Black Friday for local bank and property stocks as Singapore government sent the market into a devastating tailspin with the announcement of additional property cooling measures. There was chaos in the stock market as bank and property stocks suffered from carnage. Among the three bank stocks, UOB stock fared the worst, plunging by as much as 3%. DBS stock retreated by 2.6% while OCBC shares fell by 2.2%.

UOB stock

On the basis of the underlying business structure, UOB stock looks set for a terrifying ride with the property cooling measures. Unlike DBS and OCBC, UOB stock is considered a major proxy for property play.

This is because in his heydays, UOB Chairman Emeritus Wee Cho Yaw had meticulously built a massive billion dollars property-cum-banking empire, through UOB, UOL, UIC and Haw Par Corporation.

Read more

Very scary truth of the new Loan-to-Value (LTV) limits

By now, most Singaporeans would be aware of the new property cooling measures implemented by government. While most attention is focused on the eye-popping Additional Buyer Stamp Duty (ABSD) of 12%, the more sinister aspect of the cooling measures for existing private property home owners should be the Loan-to-Value (LTV) limits. In the worst case scenario, existing home owners may be forced to do margin top ups if their property value plunged in the next few months.

Read on to find out why LTV can be so important to your home loan and why you should pay attention to this cute little rule because if property prices dropped in the coming months, you would likely to suffer refinancing nightmares. And I am not joking.

Many Singaporeans assume that property prices would keep rising. But this may not necessary be true. A lot of factors come into play but ultimately, supply and demand still play a major role. In this respect, the outlook for home prices is quite gloomy. And existing home owners may need to pay attention to the LTV ratios. Just picture the following.

LTV

Supply glut

According to URA, as at the end of 1st Quarter 2018, there was a total supply of 40,330 uncompleted private residential units (excluding ECs) in the pipeline with planning approvals compared with the 36,029 units in the previous quarter.

Read more

12% ABSD to rock the market?

It seems that the government had thrown yet another hand grenade to the private property market by announcing further housing cooling measures (ABSD) on 5 July 2018, after the closure of the stock market.

On hindsight, the government may be forced to implement new ABSD rates because developers had refused to lower the prices for private properties even after the Qualifying Certificate and Developer ABSD were implemented several years ago. As entities, developers are also subject to the ABSD rate of twenty-five percent, an increase from the previous fifteen percent. Developers may apply for remission of this 25% ABSD, subject to conditions (including completing and selling all units within the prescribed periods of 3 years or 5 years for non-licensed and licensed developers respectively).

Though I am not planning to buy a second property nor am I vested in any SGX stocks, the latest round of cooling measures certainly came as shocking to me. This is because the new cooling measures also targeted existing private property owners through the revised LTV ratios. Whether the new measures that included an increase of ABSD rates and lower LTV ratios would be effective or is well-intended is beside the point. The issue is the timing.

Read more

DBS share price suffered from explosive meltdown

After leading DBS to achieve a record net profit of $1.52 billion for first-quarter 2018, CEO Piyush Gupta must be at a loss for words on the recent meltdown of DBS share price. From 30 April to 4 July, DBS share price plummeted from a record $31 to $26.38, a massive decline of 14.4%.

The sudden loss of form for DBS share price must have scared the living daylights out of shareholders. After all, DBS share price had been cruising along fine with its robust set of financial results. Nonetheless, the current performance of DBS share price is not reflective of underlying business fundamentals because as far as I understand, there are no business concerns for DBS at all. The culprit for the fall of DBS share price should be the work of the short-sellers.

Should shareholders run for their lives or keep faith with CEO Piyush Gupta?

DBS share price

Dance with the wolves

The current meltdown is one of the biggest declines in my recent memory of DBS share price. The last time that a correction of such magnitude was back in 2009, the dark days of the Great Financial Crisis and 2016, the peak of the oil slump affecting the banks.

Read more

OCBC share price to go berserk again?

Within two months, OCBC share price fell off the cliff, dropping from almost $14 to $11.50. Such correction is healthy as OCBC share price had been on a spellbinding berserk run since 2017. Thus, investors should not be alarmed by the recent decline in OCBC share price. But at the back of investors’ mind must be whether OCBC share price will return to form with the impending Great Eastern Malaysia divestment. Does the current OCBC share price represent value for money or is it another value trap?

In relation to a query from a reader, many investors may be interested to know the fair value of OCBC share price. To be honest, answering this question is never easy for OCBC shares because the bank holds numerous non-core bank assets that are yet to be, or may even not be, divested in the near future.

Furthermore, even if a counter is trading at its fair value, it may not represent a golden opportunity for investors to buy on the dip. For retail investors, they must be wary of the movement of the short-sellers. You certainly don’t want to be caught off-guarded by the flipping of the whales. In recent months, OCBC share price had been hurt by short-selling activities.

Read more

SingTel stock price collapsed amid short-selling attacks

Class is permanent, form is temporary. On 28 June 2018, SingTel stock price collapsed to 9-year low, falling to as low as $3.08. Amid attacks by short-sellers, SingTel stock price retreated to below the psychological level of $3.10. At the rate of decline, SingTel stock price seems destined to free fall to below the $3 mark.

The devastating decline in SingTel stock price would have caused massive paper losses for many wealth builders. Investors would know the theory of “be fearful when the market is full of greed and be greedy when the market is full of fear”. Now that the opportunity arises to invest in a blue chip, would you go for it?

The long-term fundamentals of this evergreen blue chip remain intact. Henceforth, the current bearish trend may provide a good opportunity for investors to accumulate at attractive price. But having said that, it is important to be wary of the movement of the big boys because you don’t want to incur losses when these whales flipped.

Perfect storm

It certainly seems that the bears are out in full force and hell-bent on sending SingTel stock price to the bottom, wiping off $8 billion worth of market capitalization from SingTel stock price.

Read more

Singapore Savings Bond versus OCBC 360

Singapore Savings Bond is a new type of government bond that was launched by the Monetary Authority of Singapore in 2015. The bond is considered to be a safe and flexible product that allows Singaporeans to meet their savings and investment needs.

However, demand for Singapore Savings Bonds had been lacklustre in the initial years, presumably because products like OCBC 360, had been giving it a run for its money (literally). Nonetheless, recent developments had caused Singapore Savings Bond to be very attractive. And that led to a change in my view of this bond.

In my previous article on Astrea IV bonds, I shared that I am not ready for fixed income at this stage of my life yet. My stance has not changed. Basically, my family is looking at a safe financial product to store our emergency fund. Thus, we are looking at Singapore Savings Bond from the perspective of wealth protection, rather than wealth building.

In this article, I will share my insights on how Singapore Savings Bond can play a part in strengthening your wealth portfolio through passive income and how it fair in comparison to the popular OCBC 360 account.

Locked-in Interest rates

The first criteria for my family is safety when it comes to managing our emergency fund.

Read more

SingTel and StarHub stock prices sank on MyRepublic’s debut

21 June 2018 would be remembered as a day of reckoning for local telco players as MyRepublic set the mobile market on fire by offering one of the most innovative and competitive data plans in recent years – Smart 35. On the day of the launch, SingTel and StarHub stock prices got bombed-out. Whether the corrections are knee-jerk reactions remain to be seen but MyRepublic certainly debuted in style.

It would be sweet revenge for MyRepublic which had lost out to TPG Telecom in the bidding for the fourth telco license back in 2016. Despite losing the spectrum bid war, MyRepublic vowed to make a comeback back then. And it certainly did. With a bang.

Without having to make heavy investments on the network infrastructure, Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) like MyRepublic is seriously giving incumbent telco players a new dimension of challenge. The biggest winner out of this telco war is of course the consumers. But should investors be punching the wall as SingTel and StarHub stock prices suffered melt-down?

StarHub stock

MyRepublic turn on the style

Smart 35 comes with 7GB data, 1000 minutes free talktime and 1000 SMS. There is no contract needed and customers may change plan later at no extra cost.

Read more

StarHub share price plunged to 13 year low

On 21 June 2018, StarHub share price plunged to a 13 year low. Trading at $1.64, this popular stock is a shadow of its former self. Even during the dark days of the Great Financial Crisis in 2009, StarHub share price had never dipped to such abysmal level.

Certainly, nobody could have predicted Starhub share price would suffer from such a devastating run. When it comes to technology disruptions, it is always a wild card. In the good old days, StarHub can bank on SMS, IDD and Pay TV for growth. But the advent of technology has significantly eroded margins from these former cash cows for telco players.

StarHub’s recent payment row with American entertainment giant, Discovery Channel, also casts a dark shadow over Pay TV business outlook amid stiff competition from video streaming players like NetFlix.

For those who bought StarHub shares at $4.20 in 2015, they would be staring at massive paper losses, even if you factored in the dividends issued during that period. Incoming new CEO, Peter Kaliaropoulos certainly have his work cut out for him when he takes over in July 2018.

But before writing this stock off, it should be highlighted that the current StarHub share price has caused the dividend yield to be at an attractive 9.47%.

Read more

Does Hyflux deserve a comeback like OSIM?

Can Hyflux stage an incredible comeback like OSIM? Or rather, does Hyflux even deserve to be rescued? The embattled water treatment specialist has obtained a court protection to restructure its outstanding debts. It has also stopped payment of distribution on its $500 million 6.00% Perpetual Capital Securities which was due on 28 May 2018. The swift turn of events caught shareholders by surprise and marked a treacherous chapter for Hyflux.

Under current circumstances, investors who pumped in their hard-earned monies on the shares and perpetual bonds have every right to be angry with the management of Hyflux. How on earth did the former A-list company end up in such a sorry state is beyond me.

Whether Hyflux can emerge stronger and leaner from this embarrassing fiasco remains to be seen but the corporate drama is so bad that its good, at least from my perspective. When this counter reopens in six month time, investors should ask themselves whether they should run for their lives or risk throwing good money after bad.

Hyflux

I wish I did not have to write this but those who are vested in Hyflux shares or bonds should hope for the best but expect the worst. Check out the other articles written on the Hyflux saga:

Sembcorp Industries should invest in Hyflux Ltd

The holy water of Hyflux Perpetual Securities

Lack of focus

For a start, it certainly seems like Hyflux CEO bites off more than she could chew when she takes on so many board memberships through the years.

Read more

SingTel share price plunged to six year low

After leading SingTel to achieve an impressive record net profit of $5.45 billion for FY2018, CEO Chua Sock Koong must be stumped for words when SingTel share price plunged to a six year low on 18 June 2018. At $3.17 a piece, SingTel share price is technically entering into a bear mode territory. In the context of the current SingTel share price, is this counter a value buy or could it be a falling knife?

Many investors had pointed that the entry of fourth telco player could have played a part in the sharp decline of SingTel share price in recent months. But then again, the earnings from Singapore mobile market is significantly much lesser than that from its Australia Optus and Indonesia Telkomsel. In this regard, the current headwind should be due to its poor performance from its regional associates rather than the heightened competition in Singapore market.

Falling SingTel share price

At current dividend yield of 5.5%, SingTel share price is indeed alluring if you compared it to the coupon rates of the recent Astrea IV bonds and Singapore Savings Bonds. Barring unforeseen circumstances, the Group expects to maintain its ordinary dividends of 17.5 cents per share for the next two financial years.

Read more

Buy private property to protect wealth

The mission of SG Wealth Builder is to build and protect wealth. Real estate, especially private property, offers one of the most viable routes to reaching financial freedom for many wealth builders. In this article, I will discuss the outlook of both public and private property in Singapore.

Hard truth about HDB flat

In 2017, Minister of National Development Lawrence Wong rocked the real estate market by clarifying that not all older HDB flats would be eligible for the selective en bloc redevelopment (SERs) scheme. Of more chilling is that all HDB flats must be returned to the government at the end of the 99-year lease. The stunning revelations raise the question on whether Singaporeans should buy private property to protect their wealth.

To put things into perspective, Singaporeans should wise up to the fact that the mandate of HDB is to build affordable homes for Singaporeans. It is not the role of HDB to build homes for Singaporean investors to build wealth. Thus, there is a need to adjust our mentality and refrain from thinking that HDB flats is a form of investment asset.

The Terrace

The Terrace Executive Condominium

You can definitely rent out your HDB for asset monetization purposes in order to supplement your retirement income.

Read more

Fairytale of Mapletree Commercial Trust

With a market capitalization of $4.53 billion, Mapletree Commercial Trust (MCT) is the largest REIT sponsored by Mapletree Investments Pte Ltd. Temasek Holdings has a majority stake of 34.71% in this REIT while other big boys like AIA Group and NTUC Enterprise own stakes amounting to 4.92% and 2.42% respectively.

With such stellar group of major shareholders, Mapletree Commercial Trust is certainly an attractive real estate investment trust. But could it be an investment trap or potential multi-bagger?

Since this REIT debut in SGX Mainboard in 2011, it has consistently outperformed STI. The total returns (including capital appreciation and distributions paid out) is 138.5%. For the longest time, I am torn between investing in Mapletree Logistics Trust or Mapletree Commercial Trust. In this article, I will attempt to make an investment analysis of Mapletree Commercial Trust.

Business Profile

Looking at the portfolio, it is not difficult to understand why this REIT is so popular among Singaporeans. MCT has five properties in Singapore namely, Vivocity, PSA Building, Mapletree Anson, Bank of America Merrill Lynch HarbourFront and Mapletree Business City I. All these assets are either premium office or properties that are strategically located in the CBD area. VivoCity is also Singapore’s largest mall located in the HarbourFront Precinct.

Read more

5 reasons on why I decided not to invest in Astrea IV bonds

It seems like yesterday when more than 10,000 retail investors in Singapore lost more than $500 million during the Lehman Brothers Minibond saga. That was in 2008. Fast forward to 2016, many accredited investors lost at least $250,000 after investing in Swiber junk bonds. And then in May 2018, Hyflux stunned the market by halting the trading of its $500 million perpetual bonds and the payment for the coupon payments. Given the spate of bond tragedies suffered by investors in recent years, one must be wondering if “this time it is different” for Astrea IV bonds.

For sure, it would not be fair to compare Astrea IV bonds to Minibonds, Swiber Bonds and Hyflux perpetual bonds. Even though they are all basically debt instruments issued by companies to raise capital, Astrea IV bonds are indirectly issued by Temasek Holdings (the Sponsor, Astrea Pte Ltd, is wholly-owned by Temasek Holdings). With such a strong issuer, the possibility of default is extremely improbable, to be frank.

Astrea

Furthermore, the CEO of Temasek Holdings is Madam Ho Ching, the wife of Singapore Prime Minister. For Temasek Holdings to offer such unprecedented innovative product to retail investors, there are surely safeguards designed to ensure that it will not fail.

Read more

SembCorp Marine to ride out the storm?

It had been a harrowing ride for SembCorp Marine as the world number 2 oil rig builder faces crisis after crisis in the aftermath of the global oil slump. The past few years had seen Sembcorp making an explosive impairment amounting to $609 million in FY2015, engaged in a bitter legal battle against Marco Polo Marine and embroiled in the intriguing possible link to Sete Brasil corruption scandal.

However, in early 2018, United States President Donald Trump had proposed an aggressive plan to transform the country into a superpower energy nation. Against the backdrop of improving oil price, can SembCorp Marine ride out this vicious storm?

The four key capabilities of SembCorp Marine are Rigs & Floaters, Repairs & Upgrades, Offshore Platforms and Specialized Shipbuilding. The businesses of SembCorp Marine are all in direct competition against fellow peer, Keppel Corporation.

But unlike Keppel, SembCorp Marine is a pure offshore and marine company and therefore don’t have the buffer from other business segments to withstand the impact from the downturn in the oil and gas sector. In this regard, the financial destiny of SembCorp Marine is perceived to be more impacted by the oil slump than Keppel Corp. To find out more about my analysis of the parent company, SembCorp Industries, do sign up as member to access the protected article.

Read more

But my boss told me I am safe from retrenchment!!

In Singapore’s context, there are only three category of jobs that are immune from retrenchments. Successful entrepreneurs, civil servants and full-time homemakers do not have to fear the dreaded retrenchment. If you have chosen to climb the corporate ladder, this is the golden rule you must always remember. The second rule is never to forget the first rule.

With disruptions brought forth by technologies and the emergence of new business models, it is definitely not “business as usual” for many companies. Changes in the industry will only gather pace and this means that businesses would have to evolve as well. In most circumstances, companies often choose the easy way out by laying off staff whose skills and competencies are considered obsolete. Through retrenchment, substantial costs can be saved and management is therefore able to provide answers to shareholders.

According to data released by Ministry of Manpower, the total number of retrenchments reached a peak of 19,170 in 2016 and subsequently tapered down to 14,720 in 2017. The job market is expected to improve significantly in 2018 as Singapore economy had shown signs of growing since the second half of 2017. Nonetheless, employees should remain vigilant of the headwinds in the market.

Read more

Understanding Singapore REITs

For most retail investors, real estate investment trusts (REITs) offers the best alternative to owning a real estate without the need of forking obscene amount of cash or the hassle of dealing with difficult tenants. But of course, like all investments, there are always pitfalls to watch out for when investing in REITs. In this article, I will share my insights on investing in REITs.

Over the years, the landscape for REITs had evolved significantly, with the change in the regulatory gearing limit, asset enhancement initiatives by the bigger REITs and the emergence of perpetual bonds (Mapletree Logistics Trust was the first REIT to use perpetual bonds in 2012). Against this backdrop, for sure there are REITs that outperformed the rest while there are those which may not worth your time and money.

Over in Sabana REIT, a group of irate investors called for the manager to be removed in 2017 over its poor performance and falling unit price. Although the revolt was unsuccessful, it has resulted in the change of the leadership. What are rules governing the removal of REITs manager and what are the rights that REIT investors can leverage to protect their investments?

Industry trends

Under Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), REITs are collective investment schemes that invest primarily in real estates and real-estate related assets.

Read more

How to Explain an Employment Gap on Your Resume

Applying to jobs after a period of unemployment can be intimidating. The application pool is already so competitive across the board, you’re worried this might be a red flag for potential employers. You can let out a sigh of relief because a gap in employment doesn’t have to be catastrophic to your application.

Taking time off from one time to another is normal. Maybe you were caring for a child or relative or you went back to school. Maybe you simply decided to travel and see the world or focus on a side project. No matter why you left the traditional world of employment, you don’t have to write off your hiring chances. Keep reading for a guide to explaining an employment gap on your resume!

resume

Image via Unsplash

First, decide if you need to mention the gap on your resume.

Depending on the gap in employment, you might not need to mention it on your resume at all. If the gap in your employment was in the past and you’ve been employed since it doesn’t need to be on your resume. Remember, you don’t have to include your entire professional history on your resume. It’s commonplace to include only the most recent and relevant information.

Read more

New chapter for Pan-United Corp

It is a momentous year for Pan-United Corp as the group finally competed its de-merge of its port business which it started in 1997. Under Xinghua Port Holdings Ltd (“Xinghua”), the business was successfully listed on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong on 12 February 2018.

The past year had been a revelation for Pan-United as the construction company restructured its businesses, implemented capital reduction, proposed distribution of 1-for-1 Xinghua shares to existing shareholders and completed a rights issue in 2017. In light of these major changes, what are the investment merits of Pan-United?

Business profile

Founded in 1958, Pan-United is essentially a home-grown enterprise that is family-controlled and family-managed. However, understanding Pan-United is not an easy feat because of its diversified business portfolio. It’s core competency is in the supply of concrete and cement business, with more than 40% and 34% market share in concrete and cement respectively. Pan-United is also one of the top two ready mixed concrete suppliers in Asia (ex-China), with an increasing footprint in Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.

Besides the concrete and cement business, Pan-United operates a trading and port business in China, which it de-merged recently. Previously, it also had business activities in shipping line but it exited the business due to the downturn in the industry.

Read more

SembCorp Industries should invest in Hyflux Ltd

On 22 May 2018, Hyflux rocked the market by announcing that it is seeking High Court’s protection to reorganise their liabilities and businesses. Meanwhile, Hyflux also requested for a voluntary trading suspension of its shares and securities listed on SGX. But the biggest bombshell had to be the non-payment of the distribution on its $500 million 6.00% Perpetual Capital Securities, which will be due on 28 May 2018.

Previously, I have written an article on Hyflux perpetual securities and highlighted its risks. Readers can subscribe as members to access that article for reference. The perpetual securities were selling like hotcakes back in 2016 because investors were lured by the seductively high yield against the backdrop of low bank interest rates. The latest announcement would have left investors in a no-man land as they cannot sell their shares nor the perpetual securities for the next six months.

Given the non-payment of the coupon payment in 28 May 2018, holders of the bond would likely to face some form of impairments on their investments. It is also likely that when the counter reopens in six month time, there might be heavy short-selling or possibility of shareholders dumping their shares, causing the share price to crash.

Read more

Nightmare over for Cache Logistics Trust?

Like many of its peers in the industrial REITs, the past few years had been an absolute nightmare for Cache Logistics Trust which saw the logistics trust facing declining occupancy rates, negative rental reversions and market oversupply issues.

Apart from the challenging operating environment, Cache Logistics Trust was also involved in an intriguing legal battle with Schenker Singapore in relation to an investment property at 51 Alps Avenue. And then there was the huge uncertainties arising from the acquisition of its sponsor, CWT Limited, by debt-laden Chinese conglomerate HNA Group.

But recent data revealed that the industrial REITs may have bottomed out. An amicable resolution had been reached in relation to the legal battle in 2017. The acquisition of CWT Limited had also been completed. So is Cache Logistics Trust currently a value trap or a hidden gem? In this article, the investment merits of Cache Logistics Trust are reviewed.

Cache Logistics Trust

Company profile

Being a small-cap REIT, Cache Logistics Trust stood out among the S-REITs [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.]

Sign up as member and receive a bonus investment report on Singapore stocks!

Read more

Why I would not invest in Ascendas REIT

Being Singapore’s first and largest listed business space and industrial real estate investment trust, Ascendas REIT has certainly come a long way. From eight properties valued at around $600 million in 2002, the Manager has grown the REIT to a market leader with total assets of about $10.4 billion, comprising 100 properties in Singapore and 31 properties in Australia. With such stellar track record, Ascendas REIT is definitely worth taking a look.

But the abrupt resignation of former CEO Chia Nam Toon in November 2017 had raised eyebrows among investors. After all, Mr Chia had joined Ascendas REIT for less than two years and resigned “for personal reasons”. Although the management had stressed that it would be “business as usual”, we all know the CEO plays an important role and to downplay the significance of the event would be ridiculous. Nevertheless, a new CEO – Mr William Tay Wee Leong – was appointed in February 2018.

Ascendas REIT

But the reason why I would not invest in this REIT supremo is not because of the change in leadership, but because of my concern on its financial health. For FY2017/18, the cash and cash equivalent was a negative $23 million. The REIT needed a bank overdraft amounting to approximately $48.0 million as at 31 March 2018, thus allowing the cash and cash equivalents to be reflected as “$25 million” in the balance sheet.

Read more

Sheng Siong share price surged on surprise $100 million investment

At a time when Dairy Farm is selling its 7-Eleven stores in Singapore, arch rival Sheng Siong’s stunning financial performance attracted $100 million from Mondrian Investment Partners Limited which acquired 99,000,000 ordinary shares of Sheng Siong from the company founders. With a Price/Book Value of 5.3 and P/E of 21.7, is Sheng Siong share price inflated? Apparently, Mondrian doesn’t think so.

Mondrian Investment Partners, founded in 1990, is an independent global investment manager with offices in London and Philadelphia and a value-oriented, defensive investment approach. Given its investment mandate, Mondrian must have felt that Sheng Siong share price was undervalued, thus the explanation for the purchase.

Listed in the SGX mainboard only on 17 August 2011, Sheng Siong share price was trading at merely $0.33. Fast forward seven years later, the share price had shaken off its penny stock status to surge past the $1.00 milestone since 2016. The capital appreciation of Sheng Siong share price have created much wealth for long-time investors indeed.

2018 may prove to be another great year for Sheng Siong as the home-grown supermarket operator achieved increased revenue of 5.1% year-on-year to $228.3 million in 1Q2018, mainly contributed by new stores and comparable same store sales.

Read more

Will SingTel share price be rocked by commercial disputes?

It is an explosive time-bomb waiting to be ignited. Being the largest telecommunication player in Singapore, SingTel enjoys an incredible massive investment moat with 685 million mobile customers spanning across 22 countries. This is an amazing feat which not many telco in the region can replicate.

But its overseas adventure came at a price as the Singaporean telco engages in various commercial disputes with foreign government authorities. Collectively, the commercial disputes involved liabilities amounting to a whopping $4 billion.

I have been a big fan of SingTel and had written a number of investment articles on this great company for several years. But the lurking commercial disputes had deterred me from investing in SingTel. Make no mistake, the amount involved is monstrously huge. So I had preferred to err on the side of caution although that would mean loss opportunities on the dividends and capital appreciation of SingTel share price.

Singtel share price

Financial performance

Notwithstanding the above issue, SingTel share price continues to power ahead in the face of the multi-billion lawsuits and challenging operating environment. Operating revenue for the third quarter of FY2018 increased 4% to $4.60 billion while EBITDA rose 6% to S$1.29 billion. Net profit was down 9% to $890 million while [This is a premium article.

Read more

Should you take up rights offering from REITs?

Managers of Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) often have various reasons to raise funds from the capital market. The purposes could be for the purchase of assets, acquisition of another company or simply to pare down debts. To raise capital, the management may choose to issue rights offering, bonds, private placements or even borrow from the banks. In this article, I will share my perspective on rights offering from REITs.

Rights offering

Before proceeding further, it is important to understand the difference between a rights and options. The former is an offer to existing shareholders or unitholders of a REIT to purchase additional shares or units at discounted prices and the shareholders or unitholders may not take up the offer.

On the other hand, you do not need to be an existing shareholder or unitholder in order to buy options, which give you the right but not the obligation to purchase the underlying shares or units at a pre-set price. Nevertheless, if you choose not to exercise the option, you would have forfeited the fee relating to the option cost.

Basically, a rights issue is a form of equity financing for listed companies or REITs. It gives existing shareholders or unitholders the rights to purchase additional shares or units in proportion to their existing holdings, within a given timeframe.

Read more

DBS shares versus OCBC shares

It is the clash of the banking titans as Singapore no.1 and 2 banks slugged it out to achieve stellar first quarter 2018 results. On the basis of the latest financial results, DBS edged past OCBC to smash in a record $1.52 billion. Shareholders must be very pleased with DBS CEO Piyush Gupta’s performance because share price stormed to $30 upon the release of the results.

Notwithstanding the good performances, there are lurking risks from technology disruptions which had impacted SingPost, M1 and ComfortDelgro. To tackle this challenge, DBS CEO is leading the bank on an aggressive digital transformation. After all, Piyush Gupta once famously declared that “people need banking, not banks”. But then again, OCBC has not been resting on its laurels and had been making a series of significant acquisitions in the wealth management realms that may prove to be game-changers in the coming years.

It remains to be seen as who will be the ultimate winner but I firmly believe strategies made by DBS’ Gupta and OCBC’s Samuel Tsien would define the course of the banks’ destinies with the next five years.

DBS

DBS share price to reach $50 for 50th anniversary?

Since the $30 mark, the share price of DBS has corrected slightly, presumably because some investors had cashed in on the profits.

Read more