Stocks

Lifetime Membership On 5 July 2022, AEM obtained the grant of patent for the thermal control technology used in its System Level Test equipment. Will this patent change the fortune of the semiconductor test equipment manufacturer? Following the fallouts from the Russia-Ukraine conflict and soaring interest rates, AEM share price has been in sluggish form in 2022. Year-to-date, AEM share price slumped by about 17%.

One should not underestimate the potential impact of the new patent on AEM share price. Non-executive Chairman Loke Wai San was the man who led AEM out of dark Egypt when the former management was embroiled in a corruption scandal in 2012. Back then, AEM share price was on the brink of collapse and the company had been placed on the SGX Watch-List.

Despite the challenges, Loke Wai San saw the potential in the equipment business due to the partnership with leading US chipmaker, Intel. The decision proved to be pivotal as the partnership between AEM and Intel led to a patent for its test handling stacking technology. The patent was granted in March 2018. If investors look back, AEM share price used to trade at less than $0.10 in 2016. The patent turbocharged AEM share price to nearly $2.00 in March 2018.

Lifetime Membership Investors must have that “uh-oh” feeling. iFAST share price looks set for an explosive thrashing following the revelation of net loss of $2.69 million recorded in 2QFY2022. The net loss was a complete reversal from the $7 million net profit recorded in 2QFY2021. The management claimed that the bizarre net loss was attributable to the one-time estimated impairment allowance of $5.2 million from its exit of iFAST India Holdings Pte Ltd (“iFAST India Holdings”). Nonetheless, investors wasted no time punishing the counter as it sank from $4.00 on 22 July to a low of $3.72 on 25 July.

In my blog, I have cautioned before that whenever a listed company announced its financial result in the middle of the night or over the weekends, you can be sure like hell that the result is going to be awful. Indeed, this was what happened to iFAST when the Group released its 1HFY2022 financial result on 23 July 2022 (a Saturday morning). In the good old days, such a strategy could help to break the fall of iFAST share price. However, with the proliferation of financial blogs in Singapore, such trick may not work.

What goes up must come down.

Lifetime Membership On 19 July 2022, Sembcorp Industries issued a profit guidance that the “financial results for 1H2022 is expected to be materially higher than 1H2021”. In this regard, investors should expect plenty of fireworks for Sembcorp Industries share price on 5 August 2022. However, before Nirvana can be reached, investors must put on their seat belt as stock market may be roiled yet again by the upcoming US FOMC meeting which herald another interest rate hike.

Being an utility company and waste management company, Sembcorp Industries’ businesses are deemed defensive, serving as an hedging investment amid the inflationary environment. Against the backdrop of soaring commodity prices, the Group’s Conventional Energy business is expected to be given a strong tailwind due to the strong energy demand and higher margins.

For FY2021, Conventional Energy business was the largest profit contributor as the segment raked in $174 million of net income. If it’s not for the $212 million impairment of Chongqing Songzao power plant incurred, Sembcorp Industries would have posted a significantly larger profit for FY2021. Henceforth, all eyes will be on the performance of the Conventional Energy business this year.

In FY2021, Singapore and India markets contributed 62% and 19% of revenue respectively.

Lifetime Membership Is NetLink NBN Trust share price on magic potion? The soaring interest rates and raging inflation had walloped global stock markets, sending growth stocks into a devastating tailspin. Amid the chaos, NetLink NBN Trust share price remains rock solid. Why so?

My last article on NetLink NBN Trust share price was in 2019. An update on this counter is long overdue. In addition, an SG Wealth Builder member wrote in to enquire about the “weak” performance of the stock. As such, I will do some deep dive into the outlook of NetLink NBN Trust share price in 2022.

Needless to say, the operating environment has turned significantly dark vis-à-vis the time when NetLink NBN Trust got listed in 2017. The pandemic, Russia-Ukraine conflict, rising inflation and interest rate hikes had torpedoed numerous growth stocks. In fact, global stock markets have been on a knife edge due to these dark events. Interestingly, NetLink NBN Trust’s business appears relatively unaffected by these adverse events for the past two years.

At an average trading price of $0.96, NetLink NBN Trust is being traded at a level above the IPO price in 2017. Year-to-date, NetLink NBN Trust share price has dropped marginally by only about 3.5%.

Sign up for only $19.99! One man’s poison is another’s meat. The interest rate hikes by US Federal Reserve has rattled global stock markets. In June 2022, inflation in US rocketed to 9.1%, the highest in 40 years. Due to this, the market is fearing another interest rate hike of 75 basis points, potentially sparking a flight to safety among investors. While investors are fleeing from the stock market, demand for Singapore Savings Bond had reached record high.

Singapore Savings Bond (SSB) was launched by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) in 2015. The bond is designed to be a safe and flexible investment product that allows Singaporeans to meet their savings and investment needs. Though SSB is structured as a bond, the product has some features that make it more like a fixed deposit because of its liquidity. The distinctive feature of SSB is that the interest rate increases the longer you hold, with a 10-year maturity.

In the initial years, the demand for SSB had been lacklustre. When it was launched in October 2015, a total of $1.2 billion worth of SSB was offered but only $418 million was sold. The effective return per year for the initial batch was 2.63%, which was quite decent if you asked me.

Sign up for only $19.99! How high will it go? Since my last article on Hour Glass share price in May 2021, the counter went berserk. Back then, I had predicted that Hour Glass share price had the potential to reach $1.30. However, the counter went on a rampage and smashed a record high of $2.50 on 6 May 2022. Given the splendid form of Hour Glass share price, investors must be feeling surreal.

The supersonic form of Hour Glass share price is in stark contrast to the decline in the broad market. Despite the horrible operating environment, the management of Hour Glass managed to steer the company through the storm. For the past five years, revenue grew steadily from $698 million in FY2018 to a high of $1.03 billion in FY2022. During the corresponding period, net profit soared from $50 million to $155 million, a three-fold increase. Henceforth, the bullish form of Hour Glass share price is based on strong business fundamentals.

The raging form of Hour Glass share price has led to the market capitalization to cross the $1 billion mark. At the point of writing, the market capitalization was $1.66 billion. Within a year, Hour Glass has reached the billion-dollar league.

Sign up for only $19.99! Basically, the wheels came off the wagon. After charging to a record high of $37.20 on 14^th February 2022, DBS Group Holdings share price crashed to Earth, falling by a whopping 19% to reach $30.20 (at the point of writing). The bearish form of DBS Group Holdings share price certainly confounded investors as many are expecting the bank to benefit from the on-going interest rate hikes. What on earth is happening to the leading light of SGX?

Truth be told, DBS Bank turned in a subpar 1^st quarter performance despite the rising interest rates. Net profit dropped 10% year-on-year to reach $1.8 billion. Many investors were still bullish on DBS Group Holdings share price following the acquisition of Citibank Taiwan consumer bank in January 2022. So you can imagine investors’ disappointment when the 1^st quarter business update was announced.

The culprits for the poorer financial performances in 1QFY2022 were net fee income and other non-interest income. Apparently, the weaker market sentiment affected the bank’s wealth management and investment banking. The first quarter business update did not provide a detailed breakdown on the business performance. Nonetheless, I suspect the lockdowns in China (DBS has stakes in two banks in China) and the capitulation of cryptocurrencies may have led to collateral damage to the wealth management and investment banking arms of DBS, thereby causing DBS Group Holdings share price to lose steam.

Sign up for only $19.99! Amid the soaring commodity prices, the sluggish share prices of SGX-listed commodity firms had left many investors feeling exasperated. Their agony is understandable. After all, commodity businesses are highly cyclical in nature. If the company share price missed this current boat, you never know when will the next upturn come. In this regard, will Rex Intl share price swim or sink?

A member of SG Wealth Builder has enquired the bearish form of Rex Intl share price in 2022. Indeed, oil prices had been in a stupendous form since the start of the year, driven largely by the war in Ukraine. Rex Intl is an oil exploration and production company with a focus in Oman, Malaysia and Norway. So logically, the current oil boom should lift Rex Intl share price. Yet year-to-date, Rex Int share price tanked 17%. Sound ridiculous right?

What made the form of Rex Intl share price so unpalatable to investors was that [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 for only $19.99! According to the latest World Bank report, coal prices had reached an all-time high in March following the start of the war in Ukraine. The surge is due to the increased demand for coal as a substitute for natural gas in electricity generation. Against this backdrop, Geo Energy share price stunned many investors as the share price of the coal mining group crashed from a high of $0.58 in April 2022 to the current $0.38. The bizarre drop led to a query from a concerned SG Wealth Builder Member.

What made the meltdown of Geo Energy share price so extraordinary was that it came on the back of a stellar financial performance. In February 2022, the Group announced that net profit for FY2021 amounted to US$179.1 million, representing a complete turnaround from the net loss of US$11.5 million from operations in 2020. However, a deeper analysis revealed that the outlook for Geo Energy may not be so rosy in the near future. Apparently, the big boys are aware of this and are shorting the counter.

In my previous article, I have shared with readers how to use SGX short-selling data to determine if a particular SGX stock has been targeted by short-sellers.

Sign up for only $19.99! Is CEO Wong Kim Yin the Special One to bring Sembcorp Industries to the Holy Land? Since the explosive divorce with Sembcorp Marine, Sembcorp Industries share price had gone from strength to strength, surging from $1.18 in September 2020 to the recent $2.87. Within the span of nearly 2 years, Sembcorp Industries share price rocketed 140%. Given the splendid form of Sembcorp Industries share price, credit should be given to the Group CEO, Wong Kim Yin, who joined the Group only in July 2020.

In 2022, against the backdrop of a challenging operating environment, Sembcorp Industries share price confounded many investors by continuing its fine run. Year-to-date, Sembcorp Industries share price rocketed 42% (at the point of writing). Given that pandemic is not still not over yet and the world is still coming to terms with the fallout from the Ukraine-Russia war, the rampant run of Sembcorp Industries share price is indeed puzzling. What could be the driving forces for this counter?

In my assessment, the clue can be gleaned from the full-year annual report. The annoying thing about Sembcorp Industries is that the company stopped publishing quarterly financial result since 2020 after SGX waived off this requirement.

Sign up for only $19.99! Recently, a Lifetime Member of SG Wealth Builder enquired about the SGX short selling data. As such, I will share with readers on how to find this data in SGX website. Readers should find this data useful as it may provide important clues on the performances of a stock. From the SGX short selling data, investors may also know if short sellers are behind the volatility of a stock.

Disclaimer for this article: SGX did not pay me to write this article nor am I promoting short selling. In addition, the information contained in this article is based entirely on my research obtained from content provided in SGX website. I do not have experience on SGX short selling.

Generally speaking, short selling helps to prevent the market from becoming over-exuberance. This is especially so during bull market when share prices get ahead of the business growth. Therefore, short selling allows for efficient market pricing and enables investors to hedge their portfolio. Although short selling has it merits, such activity may be disruptive to the market if it spirals out of control. Hence, Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and SGX publish information on SGX short selling activities so that there is transparency.

Lifetime Membership The past few days had been absolutely chaotic as global stock markets tumbled over fear of recession and soaring inflation in US. Investors were bracing for US Federal Reserves to raise interest rate hikes aggressively to fight the raging inflation. Consequently, the Federal Reserves did raise interest rate – by a whopping 75 basis points, the biggest hike since 1994. Will OCBC share price rocket in the aftermath of the interest rate hike?

Conventional wisdom indicates that bank stocks should perform well in high inflationary environment as high interest rates generally lead to higher net interest incomes for the banks. This was my hypothesis when I invested in 6000 of OCBC shares in August 2021. Back then, I anticipated that US Federal Reserves would hike interest rates this year and that Singapore bank stocks would be the biggest beneficiary from the rate hikes. However, OCBC share price flatter to deceive. And I was humbled.

Till date, US Federal Reserves had raised interest rate by 150 basis points (75 basis points on 15 June, 50 basis points on 7 May and 25 basis points on 17 March). Yet, OCBC share price remained stagnant year-to-date (at the point of writing). The sluggish OCBC share price prompted me to sell when OCBC share price was trading at $12.40 in May 2022.

Lifetime Membership The power tailwind may turn out to be a deadly headwind. Many analysts, including myself, had believed that the ongoing US Federal Reserve interest rate hikes will turbocharge Singapore bank stocks like DBS Group Holdings share price to high heavens. Yet that fantasy has not materialized despite the fact that US Federal Reserves had raised interest rate by 75 basis points (50 basis points on 7 May and 25 basis points on 17 March). Year-to-date, DBS Group Holdings share price had tumbled 8% instead. What the hell has happened to the leading light of SGX?

A concerned SG Wealth Builder Lifetime member has written in to enquire about the bizarre performance of Singapore bank stocks against the backdrop of rising interest rates. To be fair, US bank stocks like Bank of America and JP Morgan have performed worse in comparison to their Singapore counterparts, falling by an average of 25% year-to-date.

The prevalent thinking is that the surging inflation, coupled with the rising interest rates, could tip global economy into a recession. It also doesn’t help that the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict worsens the global supply-chain disruption brought forth by the pandemic. All these uncertainties create fear in the market.

Lifetime Membership What a devastating plunge! From $13.06 on its first trading day (2 December 2021), Grab share price plunged by 80% to reach the abysmal level of $2.90. The terrifying nose-dive made Grab shares one of the worst IPO performers in recent memory, triggering plenty of soul-searching among investors.

Lately, one of my Lifetime Members wrote in to enquire about the disappointing performance of the “Super App” in Nasdaq. He also enquired if Grab should be listed in Southeast Asia instead of US. Indeed, much ink has been spilled on the volatility of Grab share price. I will attempt to cover the poor performance of Grab share price from another perspective.

When Grab debut in Nasdaq, data revealed that the short interest volume (29.4 million) had already exceeded the average daily share volume (26.7 million). To be frank, this is nothing out of ordinary. In the US market, short selling attacks are very prevalent. But what is intriguing is that the short interest for Grab surged consistently since IPO to reach more than 4-fold.

Based on the short interest data, it appears to me that the short-sellers have very bearish outlook for Grab share price. In fact, the volumes of short interest in the past six months are also not showing any signs of peaking.

Lifetime Membership When SPH shareholders approved the acquisition by Cuscaden Peak on 22 March 2022, the writing was on the wall that SPH REIT would be the next to be acquired. Indeed, the consortium subsequently announced the chain offer of SPH REIT at $0.9640 per unit on 29 April 2022. Should unitholders accept, reject or run for their lives?

Cuscaden Peak is a consortium that is made up of entities linked to Hotel Properties (40%), CapitaLand Group (30%) and Mapletree Investments (30%). Given that CapitaLand and Mapletree are majority-controlled by Temasek Holdings and are sponsors of S-REITs, what is the possibility of the assets of SPH REIT being injected into MPACT or CICT? In life, never say never. After all, the S-REIT sector is undergoing a wave of consolidation post-pandemic.

Before we talk about life after the chain offer, let’s take a look at the unfolding chain offer. It should be noted that after adjusting for the 1QFY2022 and 2QFY2022 distributions, the offer price is actually $0.9372 per unit. At the point of writing, SPH REIT unit price is being traded at $0.945. In this regard, some unitholders may feel that they were given a raw deal. One member of SG Wealth Builder even enquired if a delisting is on the cards.

Lifetime Membership Since the start of the year, stock market sentiments have been pretty much bearish. The US Federal interest rate hikes, combined with the Russia-Ukraine conflict, have created much uncertainties for the market. For this reason, it is not surprising that the unit price of Keppel DC REIT (SGX: AJBU) turned sluggish, falling by 17% year-to-date. Several members of SG Wealth Builder have written to express their concerns on the falling Keppel DC REIT unit price.

From $3.00 in January 2021 to the current $2.05, the correction in Keppel DC REIT unit price has lasted for more than a year. As the plunge started before the events unfolded in 2022, the drop is indeed puzzling. In this regard, unitholders have every reason to be concerned. Some of them are also wondering if it is worthwhile to continue holding the stock. Although I am not vested in this counter and could not advise members or readers on the course of actions for their investments, I would like to share my investment approach for S-REITs.

Currently, I am vested in another S-REIT, Mapletree Logistics Trust. I entered at $1.96 in last year. Like Keppel DC REIT, Mapletree Logistics Trust has been in a severe bout of correction mode since last year, falling by 11.7% year-to-date.

Being the top dog in the aviation industry, SIA (SGX: C6L) is one of the leading lights of SGX. As the world emerges from the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic, how will SIA share price (SGX: C6L) unravel in the coming months? To make money from stocks, it is crucial to buy low and sell high. In that perspective, I would like to share my insights on whether the current SIA share price is a good entry point.

My last article on SIA share price (SGX: C6L) was on 6 February 2022. In that article, I predicted SIA share price to be trading between the $6 to $7 bandwidths in 2022. So far, the counter is still some way off the levels that I have forecasted. However, it should be noted that the article was written before the implosion of the Russian-Ukraine war, the US interest rate hikes and the COVID-19 lockdowns in China. Given the dramatic change in the operating climate, let’s take a look whether my original thesis still stands.

Chart: BullionStar

Due to the countless twists and turns of the pandemic saga, analysing the outlook of SIA share price is always a tricky business. But one thing I think I got it right is the close correlation of SIA share price with the oil price movements.

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!

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.

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 update 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 led to plenty of 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 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%. With 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.

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.

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.

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.