Month: February 2020

Looking back, OCBC share price had risen more than two-fold since 2009. But a series of unfortunate events had combined to knock the wind out of OCBC share price. Will the coronavirus prolong the suffering of investors? In my frank opinion, whilst there are significant challenges in the short-term, the long-term outlook for OCBC is still good.

As a bank stock, I have always maintained that OCBC share price is volatile even in peace times. So it is important for investors to set an entry and exit price. Previously, I have shared that I entered this counter at $11.00. Obviously with the onset of the virus, OCBC share price had turned bearish. But I am not losing sleep because I am convinced that I am investing in a great piece of business at a reasonable market price.

On 21 February 2020, the management released a set of excellent results for full year 2019. Net profit rose to a record of $4.87 billion. Net interest income increased 7% to a new high of $6.33 billion while net interest margin (NIM) rose to 1.77%. Return on equity (“ROE”) of 11.4% for FY19 was marginally below 11.5% in FY18.

Virus? What virus? Sheng Siong share price shrugged off all talks of coronavirus impacts on its stock by staging one of the most powerful rally in years. It certain seems that the sky is the limit for Sheng Siong share price.  The initial onset of the coronavirus saw Singaporeans scrambling and hoarding food items at supermarkets. The mad scramble sent Sheng Siong share price soaring like crazy. As of 20 February 2020, Sheng Siong share price smashed a record high of $1.32.

Given the bullish form of Sheng Siong share price, investors must be smiling to themselves. Since IPO in 2011, Sheng Siong share price had stormed from $0.33 to the current $1.30 level. Investors should be laughing all the way to the bank because of the huge capital appreciation and the consistent dividend pay outs.

Sheng Siong share price on super bull run!

Rampant Sheng Siong share price on magical run

To be frank, the supreme form of Sheng Siong share price confounded me. Previously, I had some reservations about investing in this counter because it was listed only in 2011 – the post Great Financial Crisis era. Due to this, there is a lack of track record on how Sheng Siong share price will perform during crisis times.

Is this the beginning of the end for DBS Group share price? On 13 February 2020, DBS Group finally unveiled it’s much anticipated fourth quarter results. Being the largest bank in Singapore, investors look to the bank’s FY2019 performance to gauge the outlook for DBS Group share price in FY2020. Many investors are also concerned whether the coronavirus outbreak will cast a dark shadow on DBS Group share price.

As the saying goes, past performance is not an indicator for the future. This is especially so, given that the latest financial result covers the performance of DBS Group until 31 December 2019 (the first reported case of coronavirus in Singapore was 23 January 2020). So investors will not be able to assess the impact of the coronavirus on DBS Group share price based on the latest financial result.

Good financial result for FY2019

In spite of the above, DBS Group recorded yet another stellar financial performance – full year net profit rose 14% to a record $6.39 billion. To celebrate the achievement, DBS Group proposed a final dividend of $0.33 per share. The annualised dividend will be $1.32 per share, representing an increase of 10%. The good news gave investors something to cheer about and lifted up the mood for DBS Group share price, which increased from $25.25 to $25.50.

With the onset of the coronavirus, many analysts claim that Singtel share is a defensive play because Singaporeans are likely to stay indoors and use data for communications. To this end, I do not dispute. However, as the saga unfolds, my opinion is that this virus could cause more harm than good for Singtel share price. The latest financial result appears to vindicate my thesis.

The third quarter result is bad. Revenue tanked to $4.3 billion from last year’s $4.6 billion while net profit declined 24% to $627 million. Although the result is disappointing, investors must have heaved a sigh of relief after the horror second quarter in which Singtel recorded its first ever quarterly loss because of the Indian Supreme Court’s hefty fine on its associate (Airtel). Singtel share price had slumped to $3.18 at one point but managed to recover much grounds in recent weeks.

The reason for the recovery of Singtel share price could be attributed to tariff hike by Airtel effective 1 December 2019. That move signalled the end of bitter mobile telco price war in India. Following that announcement, Singtel share price surged to stunning high of $3.46 on 2 December 2019.

What a calamity out of nowhere! DBS Group Holdings share price looks set for another bout of volatility with the unfolding coronavirus saga. Investors could be forgiven for punching the wall as this counter had barely emerged from the persistent Hong Kong riots when the coronavirus took the world by storm. Will the upcoming financial result be a cup of hot milo in the winter for investors?

As the bellwether of the economy, the banking sector is very susceptible to economy condition. It is still too early to judge whether this coronavirus will pose a short or long-term challenge for Singapore economy. But one thing for sure is that DBS Group Holdings share price will come under pressure in the coming months because of its significant exposure to the Hong Kong market, which had been roiled by the civil unrests, recession and the coronavirus.

In recent years, Hong Kong had emerged to be an important market for Singapore banks, particularly DBS Group and OCBC. The start of the Hong Kong protests in July 2019 saw DBS Group Holdings share price correcting to $24 by end of August 2019. Since then, DBS Group holdings recovered to rise to $26 in January 2020.

Crisis? What crisis? Keppel DC REIT share price shrugged off all talks of impending economic meltdown in Singapore to smash a high of $2.33. Since my last coverage in October 2019, Keppel DC REIT had a great run, surging from $2.00 to the current $2.33. Will this counter be another fairy-tale among the SGX stocks?

Amid the sea of red, Keppel DC REIT share price stood out from the rest of the pack and continued to be mightily bullish. In fact, Keppel DC REIT share price increased from $2.11 on 3 January 2020 to the current $2.33. It appears that not even a black swan event like the Wuhan virus can bring down Keppel DC REIT share price.

The shining Keppel DC REIT share price came on the back of an aggressive expansion of its portfolio assets. In 2019, the additions of Keppel DC Singapore 4 and DC1 increased the REIT’s assets under management to about $2.6 billion, an increase from $2.0 billion as at end-2018. Then in December 2019, Keppel DC REIT announced the acquisition of Kelsterbach Data Centre, which will be the REIT’s second data centre in Germany.

To be frank, the bullish form of Keppel DC REIT share price confounded me.

Is it really the right place and right time for Elite Commercial REIT? At a time when the whole world is firmly gripped by fear because of the Wuhan coronavirus, Elite Commercial REIT braved the storm to seek a listing on SGX mainboard. Notably, this IPO came after a slew of S-REIT listings in 2019, which included ARA US Hospitality, Eagle Hospitality Trust and Prime US REIT. Those were primarily US assets but Elite Commercial REIT differentiates itself as the first UK-focused S-REIT.

It seems that the management is determined to make the IPO a success. The public offering constitutes only 5,734,300 units while there is international placement of 108,981,000 units. In addition, 77,827,900 units are allocated to cornerstone investors. Understandably, given the current climate, such tactical allotment is needed to ensure that a successful IPO subscription.

The distribution yield is a mouth-watering 7.1% but whether this sort of distribution yield is sustainable is one big question mark given that the forecast is based on merely 15 months of financial results. The private trust investors were “unwilling to provide representations and warranties” for the latest three financial years of Elite Commercial Trust and had sought exemption from SGX.