BreadTalk share price lost steam

What a revelation. Investors must have that “uh-oh” feeling as BreadTalk share price plunged by 39% since reaching a record high in July 2018. It has been nearly 2 years since I last covered BreadTalk share price. Back then, I predicted that BreadTalk share price would be bullish with the purported property divestments.

Indeed, since that article, BreadTalk had enjoyed a splendid bullish spell in 2018. But as the saying goes, what goes up must come down. This is the case for BreadTalk share price, which spiralled out of control from the peak of July 2018.

BreadTalk share price

Following the stock split of 1-into-2 shares in May 2018, BreadTalk share price went into some sort of concussion and subsequently lost its bullish momentum. What could have led to the devastating meltdown of BreadTalk share price and what is the outlook for this homegrown counter?

BreadTalk share price thrashed

Every dog has its day. BreadTalk share price used to be one of the top dogs in SGX, hitting a pre-split of $2.50 on 3 July 2018. But the dynamics for this counter had changed swiftly. In the blink of an eye, BreadTalk had transformed into a dead stock, with average 3-month trading volume of merely 6.2 million.

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Wilmar share price in lung bursting form

Since my last coverage in 2018, Wilmar share price went on a stupendous lung bursting form, surging from $3.20 in May 2018 to reach a multi-year high of $4.00 in recent days. The catalyst for the bullish Wilmar share price performance should be the approval of its subsidiary’s IPO application in China.

On 12th July 2019, Wilmar share price climbed from $3.76 to $4.06 on 26 July 2019 upon the announcement of China Securities Regulatory Commission (“CSRC”)’s acceptance of Yihai Kerry Arawana Holdings Co., Ltd’ (YKA)s application for its proposed listing on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. YKA is a 99.99%-owned subsidiary of Wilmar.

Wilmar share price

While the recent form of Wilmar share price had been quite bullish, this counter has not reached the mighty level of $7.00 seen in the giddy days of 2010 when palm oil prices were at the peak. In recent years, Wilmar share price had been hurt by the collapse of the palm oil prices. Will the China IPO ignite another phase of explosive growth for Wilmar?

Wilmar share price in enigma

As a growth stock, Wilmar share price performance is intricately tied to its revenue growth. If investors look back, revenue had risen steadily from USD38.8 billion in FY2015 to USD44.5 billion in FY2018.

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Suntec REIT in royal mess up!

What a royal mess up! It has been a long time since my last coverage on Suntec REIT and it appears to me that this counter had plunged into some sort of crisis. Revenue from its office segment declined for five consecutive quarters on year-on-year basis since end 2017. That dismal showing saw former CEO Chan Kok Leong throwing in the towel in October 2018.

How did the former CEO of Suntec REIT mess up is beyond my understanding. From the data, it was shown that since 2016, the committed occupancy for Suntec REIT’ Singapore office rose from 98% to 99.5%. This was an impressive performance against the average overall Central Business District Grade A occupancy of 92%. But in every quarter of FY2018, revenue from office declined on year-on-year basis. This can only mean one thing – that the office rentals had been renewed at lower rates, resulting in revenue destruction for Suntec REIT in FY2018.

Suntec REIT

Amid the current bull run across the sector-wide S-REIT, the ailing performance of Suntec REIT stands out like a sore thumb. The laggard performance of this venerable S-REIT is actually legitimate due to its lacklustre operational performance. Despite the struggle, DPU remained resilient, dropping only 0.2% to 9.988 cents for FY2018.

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Monetary Mindset: How to Think Like the Wealthy to Find Financial Freedom

financial freedom

Sure, the very wealthy are different than the rest of us — and in more ways than just the lavish lifestyles you see on television and tabloids. The rich also have a different mindset when it comes to handling and managing their finances.

You likely think the wealthy guard their wealth-building secrets closely. And to some degree, that’s true. But there are many ways you can emulate their fiscal practices to find your own way to financial freedom.

Work with Professionals

It’s a myth that financial advisers are only accessible by the wealthy. In fact, people with moderate incomes benefit more from expert advice than those who are already financially secure. For example, Singapore firms such as Asiaciti Trust serve private clients who want to make their money work for them, retire early and secure a solid financial future.

Working with the right financial advisor allows you to invest, save, and grow the money you have. Choose a firm that has years of dedicated service and proven results.

Embrace a Wealthy Mindset

To be sure, Singapore has many rich and famous people—and movies like “Crazy Rich Asians” can make it seem like a typical worker can never attain personal wealth. But that mindset can serve as a roadblock between a go-nowhere career and true growth.

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Gold price in fiery rally

Since the start of 2019, gold price went on a rampage to reach an euphoric high of USD1440 per ounce on 19 July 2019. This was a remarkable high of 11% increase since the beginning of the year. Of course this was still way off the peak of USD1900 per ounce seen in 2011, but current form of gold price reflected the resilience of the yellow metal.

What actually fuelled the surge in gold price? Many analysts could not really pinpoint the real cause but two factors could have caused gold price to become bullish in recent months.

Drivers for gold price rally

Firstly, the global trade war and the risk of a no-deal Brexit had increased the level of uncertainties in the financial market. Although most people would agree that the current situation does not reflect a recession, the global growth outlook remains pretty challenging.

Long seen as a safe haven, gold is often regarded as the asset to hold in times of uncertainties. In fact, gold price went on a rampage bull form in the period of The Great Financial Crisis to reach a peak of USD1,900 per ounce in 2011. The euphoria in gold was driven by the chaos in the financial markets and this fuelled the charge in the gold price.

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SPH share price in disaster

What a disaster for SPH share price! In my previous article in May, I wrote that SPH share price would likely to face major headwinds in the coming months. True enough, SPH share price suffered a catastrophic meltdown, falling from $2.48 on 12 July to $2.28 on 17 July. This represented a drop of 8% of SPH share price within 5 days.

Obviously, the correction of SPH share price was attributed to its dismal 3QFY2019 results. While its struggle in the media business is well-known to most Singaporeans, what caught most investors should be the startling extent of the business decline.

SPH share price

Operating revenue dropped 1.6% to $246 million for 3QFY2019 while net profits collapsed 44.1% to $26.2 million. The latest results marked the fourth consecutive quarterly decline. No wonder SPH share price rolled off the cliff. On the basis of the strings of poor results, it takes an ardent fan to be bullish with SPH share price.

Question among investors must be whether CEO Ng Yat Chung is the right man to lead SPH out of this ring of fire. Given that Ng Yat Chung only took over the helm in 2017, it is too premature to judge him. Usually I would give a new CEO three years to prove his mettle.

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StarHub share price in last tango

StarHub share price has suffered an explosive loss of form in recent years, causing much heart pains for long-time investors. But the local telco is not going down without a good fight. In December last year, StarHub rolled out three contract-free SIM only plans (I would have signed up for the $50 SIM plan if not for the fact that I am still bound by contract to M1). Recently, redOne became the latest MVNO to lease network from StarHub, which currently boosts a total of three MVNOs.

StarHub share price to face $282 million baptism of fire

StarHub share price trashed to 14-year low

Despite the above positive moves, the outlook for StarHub share price is grossly dim. Once the brightest star among the SGX counters, StarHub share price had lost its shine considerably. To rub salt into injury, StarHub was even booted out of the prestigious Straits Times Index (STI) in 2018. Fellow comrade, SIAEC, suffered similar fate back in 2017 and its share price went into tailspin.

StarHub share price

As the telco war continues to unfold, I fear the worst for StarHub share price. Can StarHub CEO Peter Kaliaropoulos really lead the telco to the Promised Land or is it the last tango for StarHub share price?

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DBS bank share price fighting dragons and tigers

It has been a gut wrenching ride for investors as DBS bank share price went into a tailspin following the release of Q1FY2019 financial results on 29 April 2019. During the media briefing, CEO Piyush Gupta revealed that mortgage growth for FY2018 was under $2 billion, vis-à-vis growth of $4 billion in the year before FY2018.

The chilling revelation knocked the wind out of DBS bank share price. On 27 April 2019, DBS bank share price had hit a high of $28.40 but investors were spooked by the bank’s dismay housing loan performance. The data confirmed investors’ worst fear – that DBS’ loan portfolio will be hit by the 2018 property cooling measures.

DBS bank share price

Since that fateful day, DBS bank share price plummeted from $28.40 to a low of $24 on 3 June 2019. The mayhem prompted management to take action to arrest the plunging DBS bank share price. From 14 May 2019 to 3 June 2019, DBS purchased back 3 million DBS shares. The shares buybacks provided much critical support for DBS bank share price.

Can DBS bank share price continue to fight gravity? As the bellwether of the economy, many investors often scrutinize DBS bank share price because it is sensitive to the health of the market.

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Temasek Holdings lost its pants in Lippo Malls Indonesia Retail Trust?

Investing in Lippo Malls Indonesia Retail Trust is no fun. Since IPO, this counter has never reached the giddy height of IPO price. For those who bought at IPO and hold the units till now, the massive decline in unit price would have wiped out the returns from the total DPUs collected. In fact, the total DPUs issued so far was $0.398 but the decline was $0.56.

Nightmare of Lippo Malls Indonesia Retail Trust

Lippo Malls Indonesia Retail Trust in dark chapter

Given the massive decline in unit price of Lippo Malls Indonesia Retail Trust, long-term investors would have lost their pants investing in this counter. Not to mention the opportunity cost if they had cut losses earlier. Then again, retail investors should take heart that even big boys like Temasek Holdings also make mistakes in their investment thesis.

Lippo Malls Indonesia Retail rust

The DPU of Lippo Malls Indonesia Retail Trust had fallen so much since IPO. And for good reason too. The number of issued units had surged from 1.065 billion to  staggering 2.89 billion. To rub salt into injury, the unit price has also fallen to an abysmal level since IPO. The question now is: given the state of play, is it safe to enter this counter now?

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Sembcorp Marine share price ripped apart by corruption probe

On 3 July 2019, Sembcorp Marine share price collapsed 9% after revelation that its subsidiary in Brazil, Estaleiro Jurong Aracruz Ltda (“EJA”), had been stormed by the Brazilian authorities. The raid was in relation to a corruption probe, nicknamed “Operation Car Wash”.

Sembcorp Marine share price see red

Sembcorp Marine to ride out the storm

After the news broke, I fear the worst for Sembcorp Marine share price.

Sembcorp Marine share price

The corruption crackdown came at a time when Sembcorp Marine is still struggling to handle the industry slump. The timing is definitely bad because it is nearly light at end of tunnel for Sembcorp Marine share price as oil price had recovered to a reasonable USD70 per barrel level in recent months. The latest bombshell is an unexpected setback for the oil rig builder. No wonder investors are riled by the latest news.

Should investors brave the storm with Sembcorp Marine or run for their lives? Make no mistake, it had been a long winter for Sembcorp Marine share price. Five years to be exact. For those who refuse to cut loss in this counter, they must brace themselves for yet another roller-coaster ride.

Sembcorp Marine share price walloped

Obviously, the big boys took the opportunity to whack Sembcorp Marine share price.

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Hyflux to sink or swim with SembCorp Industries?

So PUB had taken over Tuaspring Desalination Plant in May 2019. Since then, affected investors never had a good sleep. But that does not really mark the end of Hyflux saga. While the spotlight had been on the Tuaspring Desalination Plant, it is important to note that Hyflux is more than just Tuaspring alone.

Hyflux saga stinks to the high heaven

The embattled home-grown water treatment company also has Tianjin Dagang in China, TuasOne Waste-to-Energy in Singapore and Qurayyat IWP in the Middle East. In this regard, there is still value left in Hyflux. But the burning question now is: should Temasek Holdings, via SembCorp Industries, rescue Hyflux from the ring of fire?

Hyflux

In my view, many signs point to SembCorp Industries becoming the ultimate white knight for Hyflux. Firstly, PUB’s role as regulator is to oversight water operators and develop policies. The function of PUB is not to operate water plants like Tuaspring. Secondly, why should Singapore taxpayers fund the staff salaries and maintenance of Tuaspring? Henceforth, it is only a matter of time that Tuaspring be transferred to a local operator.

In Singapore, SembCorp Industries remains the leading homegrown player in the utility sector, with business segments in power and water treatment.

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Singtel share price in dark chapter

What a ride! Singtel share price had been on a fiery form since the start of the year. From a low of $2.86 in January 2019, Singtel share price rose from the dead to hit the current $3.50. Given the current bullish form of Singtel share price, investors must be tempted to enter this counter. But before getting carried away, investors must be wary of walking into a trap.

Make no mistake, there are very few companies in South East Asia that boost 690 million mobile customers like SingTel. On this basis alone, SingTel is considered a force to be reckoned with in the region. The truth is that Singtel is a good company to invest for the long-term but it does not mean that investors should buy the stock indiscriminately without strategy. You need to be careful with your monies and determine the right entry level for Singtel share price.

Singtel share price

Singtel share price in turmoil

Singtel share in for terrifying ride

Lately, management had gone on a charm offensive by announcing massive pay cut for the CEO and dangling the possibilities of unlocking the value from its loss-making ventures – cybersecurity and digital life businesses. The market went into overdrive, thinking that another windfall like the NetLink NBN Trust in 2018 is on the card.

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AIA Triple Critical Cover Insurance

According to the Singapore Cancer Registry Annual Report 2015, about 35 Singaporeans are diagnosed with cancer every day. This is a frightening statistic which gives me countless sleepless nights. As a sole breadwinner, it is important that I am covered adequately so that my family will not be financial affected if I am struck with anything untoward. In my last update on my insurance coverage in 2018, I revealed that I had purchased an endowment plan from NTUC Income. But I have forgotten to update that I had also purchased AIA Triple Critical Cover.

In this article, I will share my motivations for buying AIA Triple Critical Cover. I will also share the merits and limitations of AIA Triple Critical Cover. Note that this article is not sponsored by AIA nor am I giving any financial advice. I am just sharing my personal experiences. Readers should engage financial consultants if in doubt because everyone’s financial situation and needs are different.

AIA Triple Critical Cover

What attracted me to buy AIA Triple Critical Cover insurance was because of its unique selling point of ‘Power Reset’ feature, which restores the critical illness coverage amount back to 100% even for early stage critical illnesses. However, there are a major drawback for this policy that I will like to share so as to provide a more balanced review.

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