Stocks

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

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

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

It seems that Q&M Dental has hit the jackpot with Acumen Diagnostics. Q&M Dental recorded a record revenue and profit for FY2021 as gross profit for the COVID-19 medical laboratories rocketed nearly 20-fold from last year to hit $22.3 million.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

To be honest, it is hard to imagine Non-Executive Chairman Loke Wai San pulling another rabbit out of the hat.

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

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

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

The presence of the big boys can be a double-edged sword.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Then again, no winter lasts forever. For DBS share price, this is no exception. Investors were relieved that MAS’ regulatory action requires DBS to set aside additional capital amounting to $930 million.

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

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

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

Looking back, the explosive bull run of OCBC share price from 2015 to 2018 was largely due to the nine US Federal Reserve interest rate hikes.

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

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

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

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

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

For investors who had exited at $10 and made a killing from iFAST shares, they must be laughing all the way to the bank. For those who had entered when iFAST share price was trading nearly $10, should they run for their lives or be the last man standing?

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

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

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

Admittedly, the recent phishing scams had rocked market sentiments to a certain extent.

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

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

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

Although the Adani Wilmar India IPO is expected to unlock value for investors and provides positive sentiments for Wilmar share price, it is of significantly smaller scale as compared to the Yihai Kerry Arawana Holdings Co.,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In my research, I found out that AEM had applied for the patent used in its AMPS (patent number: 20210325452).

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

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

From a long-term perspective, the recent Citigroup acquisition is an interesting deal that could possibly shape the dynamics between the Singapore banking trio. Notably, this deal marked the first overseas acquisition under the helm of CEO Wee Ee Cheong.

Lifetime Membership Boom! OCBC share price turns on the style to hit a five-month high! The bullish form of OCBC share price comes at a time when the bank is about to release its full year financial result for FY2021. The red-hot form of OCBC share price also coincides with the recovery of Singapore’ economy, which grew 7.2% in 2021. Talk about being at the right time and right place!

Based on the past five years’ trend, OCBC share price would always start to rise in February and then peak in May. Following that OCBC share price would fall and then start to rise again and then peak in August. The cycle would keep on repeating based on data of past few years. The reason could be due to investors selling the shares after ex-dividend. Therefore, January could be the perfect window for investors to enter this counter.

Take for example, OCBC share price surged from $12.20 in February 2018 to hit a high of $13.65 in May 2018. Subsequently, the counter nose-dived to a low of $11.25 in July 2018 before recovering to $11.80 in August 2018. Thereafter, the stock plunged to $10.40 in October 2018. The pattern would continue in the subsequent years.

Lifetime Membership On 3 November 2021, the shareholders of ESR Cayman gave the green light for the US$5.2 billion acquisition of the ARA Asset Management. ESR Cayman is listed in Hong Kong Stock Exchange and is the sponsor of SGX-listed ESR-REIT. On the other hand, LOGOS is the sponsor of ARA Logos Logistics Trust and is majority-owned by ARA Asset Management. The acquisition of ARA Asset Management by ESR Cayman effectively paves the way for the ESR-REIT merger with ARA Logos Logistics Trust.

Although the writing is on the wall that the ESR-REIT merger is going to take place sooner or later, it is not a done deal yet. ESR-REIT unitholders are to cast the vote on 27 January 2022. For the resolution to be passed, more than 50% of the total number of votes is required. ARA Logos Logistics Trust unitholders will meet on the same day to vote but more than 75% of the votes is required for the resolution to be passed.

A Lifetime Member has requested for my insight on the ESR-REIT merger. As such, I will share my insights on this interesting development within the industrial S-REIT sector. Although I have no skin in the game, I am vested in Mapletree Logistics Trust which is a close competitor of ESR-REIT and ARA Logos Logistics Trust.

Lifetime Membership What a cocktail of headwinds for Mapletree Logistics Trust (MLT). Following the $700 million equity fund raising announced on 23 November 2021, MLT share price plunged from $2.00 to the current low of $1.78. To rub salt into injury, the proposed merger between Mapletree Commercial Trust (MCT) and Mapletree North Asia Commercial Trust (MNACT) compounds further misery on MLT share price as market rumours spread like wildfire that the MLT and MINT could be the next merger on the cards.

To put things into perspective, rumours of a merger between MLT and MINT have been brewing for a number of years. To address the market rumours, the management clarified on 10 January 2022 that there was no plan to merge MLT and MINT as both entities have different investment mandates and operate in different asset classes. Despite that clarification, the recent merger between MCT and MNACT rattled MLT share price.

MLT invests primarily in logistics and warehouses assets whereas MINT’s assets comprise of mainly industrial real estates in Singapore and data centres. Both S-REITs share the same sponsor and both are Straits Times Index (STI) components.

MLT has a slightly bigger market capitalization ($8.5 billion) as compared to MINT ($7 billion).

Lifetime Membership In my last article on Wilmar share price (SGX: F34) in September 2021, I wrote that this counter could face huge turmoil in the short-term. Indeed, Wilmar share price continued to disappoint for the rest of 2021. The counter ended the year on $4.140, a far cry from the high of $5.57 seen in February 2021. Will Wilmar share price return to form in 2022?

The dismal form of Wilmar share price is indeed puzzling as the Group has been racking in explosive profits in FY2021. Thus, investors must be wondering what on earth could have caused the rupture of Wilmar share price. In this article, I will share with readers the compelling reason for the downtrend of Wilmar share price, which is linked to the business fundamentals. In the latter part of the article, I will also share my analysis on why Wilmar share price may hit $5.70 in February 2022.

In 2020, I invested in Wilmar and exited at a profit of $2,700 in early 2021. My lowest entry for Wilmar share price was $4.84 and I exited at $5.20. While I did not exit at the highest point of $5.60, I have no regrets selling my Wilmar stocks.

Sign up for only $19.99! My first article of the year will be on OCBC share price (SGX: O39). 2022 is considered by many investors to be a pivotal year as Singapore’s economy continues its path of recovery from the devastating pandemic. Many of us harbour fervent hopes that 2022 will herald the light at end of tunnel for this never-ending crisis. Inevitably, investors’ attention will focus on bank stocks like DBS, OCBC and UOB as they are the bellwether of the economy.

All eyes should be on the full-year financial result, which is expected to be released in the third week of February 2022. Will the result set OCBC share price on fire? Based on 9MFY2021 result, the net profit reached $3.885 billion while the net profit amounted to $1.224 billion in 3QFY2021. Looking at the trend of the past three quarters’ result, there is a strong possibility that 4QFY2021 may hit at least $1.2 billion of profit. If so, then full-year net profit for OCBC could smash a record $5 billion!

The previous record net profit for OCBC was in FY2019 ($4.87 billion). Unfortunately, that result was released in February 2020, which was right smack in the initial onset of the pandemic.

Lifetime Membership In my last article on Singtel share price, I wrote that this counter has bottomed out. Yet, following that article, Singtel share price plunged 8.5%, falling from $2.58 to a low of $2.36 on 30 November. Apparently, Omicron variant has emerged out of nowhere to cause the train-wreck of Singtel share price.

Singtel’s sprawling telco businesses are prone to the impact of the pandemic as a significant portion of the Group’s revenue is derived from roaming revenue from tourists. Hence, a protracted pandemic crisis could possibly shake confidence in Singtel share price. Nevertheless, as we entered December, Singtel share price stabilized to $2.40 level as the market digested emerging data on Omicron variant, which is deemed to be highly contagious but less likely to cause severe illnesses among patients.

For the past two years, I reckon many Singtel investors did not have a good sleep as COVID-19 has caused plenty of uncertainties for Singtel share price. But that’s not all. On 17 December, another bombshell awaited investors. The Group announced that its subsidiary, Singapore Telecom Australia Investments Pty Ltd (“STAI”), has received an unfavorable judgment from the Federal Court of Australia over the acquisition financing of Singtel Optus Pty Limited in 2001.

Lifetime Membership What a roller-coaster ride for investors! This year’s November was one of the most terrifying months in recent years for DBS Bank as it endured market’s reaction to a subpar 9MFY2021 financial result and suffered one of the worst service disruptions in the past decade. Adding the emergence of Omicron variant, we have the perfect storm for DBS share price. But as we approach 2022, DBS share price is poised for an explosive bull run that could see the counter smashing the pivotal $50 mark.

Year-to-date, DBS share price surged 28%. In fact, the majestic run of DBS share price saw the counter hitting a record high of $32.60 on 8 November. However, the wheels came off the wagon after the bank reported a disappointing 9MFY2021 financial result that saw net income interest falling 9% year-on-year. The following Monday (8 November), DBS share price turned bearish.

Suffice to say, the much-publicised outage of DBS online services further dented investors’ confidence on DBS share price. And then Omicron variant arrived to cause DBS share price to plunge to a low of $30 on 30 November. Looking at the data extracted from SGX, it is evident that the massive correction of DBS share price was largely due to short-selling activities.

Lifetime Membership And then, there are left with four of them. With the delisting of Jardine Strategic from SGX in April 2021, the four affiliated members of the Jardine Matheson group remains in Straits Times Index (STI) – HongKong Land, Dairy Farm, Jardine Matheson Holdings and Jardine C&C. These four “Hong Kong Heavenly Kings” had dominated STI for years and are all part of the Jardine Matheson Group. Recently, a Lifetime Member has requested me to do a research on Jardine C&C share price, which I will gladly do so in this article.

Previously, I had written an article on HongKong Land. For many Singaporeans, Cycle and Carriage needs no introduction. The company is the authorized dealer for automotive brands like Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Kia and etc. Their business includes automotive distribution, retail and aftermarket services, spanning across Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar. Cycle and Carriage is one of the Direct Motor businesses under Jardine C&C portfolio. However, in analysing Jardine C&C share price, it is important to note the other key businesses of the Group. Take note that Direct Motor contributed to just 30% of Jardine C&C’s underlying profits in 2020.

Although Jardine C&C is listed in SGX and has presence in Singapore through its automotive business, analysing Jardine C&C share price is not so straightforward.

Lifetime Membership Being the largest vehicle inspection and testing provider in Singapore, Vicom needs no introduction. In 2019, Vicom share price had been in a splendid form, surging from $6 in January 2019 to cap a high of $7.70 at end of 2019. In June 2020, the completion of the 1-to-4 stock split saw the counter trading at about $8.50 (in terms of pre-stock split level) at end of 2020.

In 2021, Vicom share price continued its fine form till May 2021. Since then, the counter fell to the current $2.05 bandwidth (which is about $8.20 in terms of pre-stock split level). The sudden loss of form of Vicom share price caught some investors by surprise. Is this the end of the road for Vicom share price? A long-time SG Wealth Builder Lifetime Member is concerned about the loss of form for Vicom share price and requested my insight.

Vicom’s vehicle inspection and testing services are essential services. Thus, this business segment should be immune to the impact of the pandemic. Amid the pandemic, the Group even increased its market share in the vehicle testing business from 74% in 2019 to 75.2% in 2020. In view of this, investors must be wondering what could be the underlying causes for the mystery slump of Vicom share price in 2021.

Lifetime Membership Will it be 3^rd time lucky for OCBC Bank? The venerable bank tried to privatise Great Eastern Holdings (GEH) unsuccessfully in 2004 and 2006. In the 2006 attempt, OCBC Bank managed to raised its stake in Great Eastern to 87.1%. Since then, OCBC Bank has steadily increased its stake to 87.91% as at 31 March 2021. If a privatisation does materialise, what would be the impact on OCBC share price (SGX: O39)?

Under SGX Rule 723 of the Listing Manual, listed companies must ensure that at least 10% of their issued shares must be held by the public. As OCBC currently holds about 12% of Great Eastern, the bank would just need to acquire only 2% more of Great Eastern shares in order to trigger the mandatory delisting requirement. The impetus for the acquisition should be the ailing OCBC share price.

Year-to-date, OCBC share price has increased by a mere 12.9%. In contrast, DBS share price has surged by a whopping 26.7% year-to-date. Notably, the explosive surge in DBS share price came after its acquisition of 13% stake in Shenzhen Rural Commercial Bank in April 2021 and India’s Lakshmi Vilas Bank in November 2020. The acquisitions signalled the growth initiatives of DBS and helped to diversify revenue sources.

Lifetime Membership What a roller coaster ride for SIA investors! From a high of $5.55 on 15 October, SIA share price languished to $5.00 following the torpedo from Omicron variant. Due to the countless twists and turns of the pandemic saga, analyzing the outlook of SIA share price is always a tricky business. Prior to the arrival of Omicron, SIA share price was in bullish form due to the launch of a slew of Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTLs) with countries in US and Europe. And then Omicron emerged out of nowhere to wretch the form of SIA share price. Should investors run for their lives?

When news of Omicron broke, SIA share price took a hit as the market initially did not have a sense of how deadly or contagious this variant is. The fear then was that Omicron could lead to another wave of crippling lockdowns and borders’ restrictions among countries. The knee jerk reactions could be forgiven due to the lack of data. But recent release by health authorities suggested that this variant may not be as deadly as the Delta variant. In addition to that, Pfizer has claimed that three shots of its vaccines could neutralize Omicron variant based on laboratory tests.

Lifetime Membership As the saying goes, a rising tide lifts many boats. The much-anticipated interest rate hikes in 2022 are expected to set fire on local bank stocks, including UOB share price. Despite the buoyant outlook, UOB share price has not reached the record level of $30 last seen in May 2018. This is unlike its peer, DBS share price, which has raced past the $30 mark in July 2021. If UOB share price had matched the form of DBS share price, UOB would have become Singapore’s second largest bank (in terms of market capitalization).

The last time that I covered UOB share price was on 15 May 2020. That was one of the darkest chapters for UOB share price as the global stock markets were reeling from the onset of the pandemic. In Singapore, there were plenty of uncertainties due to the implementation of Circuit Breaker measures. Subsequently, UOB share price staged a U-shaped recovery as the unprecedented three Budget stimulus packages worked their magic.

The announcement of COVID-19 vaccine in late 2020 had sparked off a rally for UOB share price. Investors were given hope that the vaccine will spell the end of the terrible pandemic. As we entered 2021, we have not seen the light at end of tunnel due to the emergence of variants, the latest being Omicron.

Lifetime Membership Will AEM share price become the next fairytale of SGX? Following the release of the 3^rd quarter business update, AEM share price (SGX: AWX) has been in rocket form in recent weeks. The bullish form of AEM share price sent the counter to a record high of $5.22 on 30 November. Based on the current run of AEM share price, there is a good chance that the stock could knock iFAST off the perch to become the best performing SGX stock of the year.

Despite the positive business outlook, AEM share price has been rocked by the recent market turmoil caused by the Omicron variant. Amid the market chaos, AEM filed an SGX disclosure that Temasek Holdings purchased 443,700 shares from the market on 25 November. Although the shares were bought before the Omicron variant news, it provided much stabilizing support for AEM share price.

My vision for AEM share price is that it would become a $10 stock in SGX Mainboard. Having a conviction is important in stock investing as it can provide a calming effect when the share price movements are not in your favor. Obviously, the current AEM share price is still some way off my target level but my conviction is not based on blind faith.

Lifetime Membership Troubles come in troops for DBS Group Holdings share price. Looking back, the counter smashed a record high of $32.60 on 5 November following a splendid bull run. It certainly seemed that the sky was the limit for DBS Group Holdings share price. But unexpectedly, the wheels came off the wagon for DBS Group Holdings after the bank reported a subpar 9MFY2021 financial result that saw net income interest falling 9% year-on-year. The following Monday (8 November), DBS Group Holdings share price turned bearish.

Shortly after the release of the latest financial result, the bank suffered one of its worst service disruptions in the past decade, prompting Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to mull taking regulatory actions against the bank in the coming days. The outage led to temporary crisis of confidence on DBS Group Holdings share price.

Just when investors thought that the worst was over for DBS Group Holdings share price, another nightmare unfolded. On 26 November, investors woke up to stunning revelation of a new COVID-19 variant that may be more contagious than the Delta variant. What spooked investors is that the variant could render current vaccines ineffective given its significant mutations. Due to the uncertainties, Straits Times Index (STI) suffered a carnage, and DBS Group Holdings share price was not spared from the market sell-offs.