Lifetime Membership On 2 August 2021, Keppel Corp stunned Singapore investment community with the announcement of the $2.2 billion strategic acquisition of Singapore Press Holdings ex-Media. Whilst the media segment had been carved out, the destiny of the remaining assets of SPH remained a mystery until the fateful announcement. Will the latest turn of event throw a spanner in the works for the recovery of Keppel Corp share price?

Keppel Corp share price turned on the style following report of a net profit amounting to $300 million for half year ended 30 June 2021. Notwithstanding the strong results, what truly turbocharged Keppel Corp share price was the surprising bonanza cash dividend of 12.0 cents, which is significantly higher than 2020’s interim dividend of 3.0 cents and also higher than the interim dividend of 8.0 cents declared in 2019.

With the proposed acquisition of SPH ex-Media, it is evident that Keppel Corp management is very determined to execute one of its much-touted Vision 2030 – recycling of assets to generate cash. The biggest components of Vision 2030 are to become asset-lite and pivot in renewable energy sector. To do so, Keppel Corp needs a mega asset monetization programme. The monetization initiative is well-underway but the assets from SPH is going to provide more platform for recycling.

Lifetime Membership Many investors thought it is light at the end of tunnel for China stock market. But as it turned out, the light was actually from an on-coming train instead. The recent crackdown by Chinese authorities on education and technology companies had wiped off about US$1 trillion off Chinese shares in the past week. The speed and magnitude of the China stock market correction had caught most investors flat footed. Is it really the end of the road for China stock market?

Back in November 2020, the Chinese authorities had torpedoed Alibaba’s Ant Group IPO. Since then, Alibaba’s share price had never really recovered from that devastating blow, falling from the high of US$307 to the present US$189. So for those who think that the current correction in China stock market represented a good opportunity for bargain hunting, it is better to think twice. The fate of Alibaba share price means that investing in China stock market is going to be very, very challenging.

China stock market sees red

Following the Ant IPO saga, the important messaging from China is [This is a premium article. The rest of the content is blocked and can be accessible by SG Wealth Builder Members only.

Lifetime Membership Since May 2021, ESR REIT share price staged a rebound following acquisition of a 10% stake in ESR Australia Logistics Partnership (“EALP”), which is 80% owned by Singapore sovereign wealth fund, GIC. For a long time, I have been following developments of industrial S-REITs that are majority-owned by Temasek Holdings, such as Ascendas REIT and Mapletree Industrial REIT. The recent bullish form of ESR REIT share price led to an SG Wealth Builder member requesting for a coverage on this counter.

Singapore has two sovereign wealth funds – Temasek Holdings and GIC. While Temasek Holdings has stolen the limelight through its various investments in finance, industrial, technology and commodity firms, GIC tends to form partnerships with private equity firms to invest in overseas real estate assets. The recent aggressive moves by GIC to acquire industrial assets with ESR could have a major bearing on ESR REIT share price in the years to come.

Before touching on the outlook of ESR REIT share price, let’s cover some background on this industrial S-REIT. The sponsor of this S-REIT is ESR, which was formed in 2016 through the merger of Japan’s Redwood Group and Chinese e-Shang, co-founded by private equity firm Warburg Pincus in 2011.

Lifetime Membership What an impressive run for Mapletree Logistics Trust share price! From $1.78 in March 2021, Mapletree Logistics Trust share price turned on the style to reach $2.10 lately. This represented an increase of 18% within four months. The breath-taking form of Mapletree Logistics Trust share price certainly caught many investors by surprise as this S-REIT is behaving more like a growth stock instead of a dividend stock.

Admittedly, I did not manage to catch Mapletree Logistics Trust share price when it bottomed in March. Instead, I bought 40,000 shares at an average price of $1.965. Given the recent bullish run of Mapletree Logistics Trust share price, I decided to cash out this counter at $2.12 per share. Excluding the distributions, I had made a tiny profit of $6,200. The profit represented 15.5% within the span of three months.

The decision to exit this counter is mainly because Mapletree Logistics Trust share price had hit my exit target price. I am not exactly a buy-and-hold type of investor. Usually, I set entry and exit prices for my investments. Fundamentally, there is nothing wrong with Mapletree Logistics Trust as the business outlook remains strong and the management is growing the S-REIT well.

LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP Sembcorp Marine share price became the talk of the town. And for all the wrong reasons. The $1.5 billion rights issue had led to a devastating meltdown in Sembcorp Marine share price, which plunged from $0.19 to the current low of $0.11. The correction amounted to about 42% across the span of nearly a month. Given the horrendous train-wreck of Sembcorp Marine share price, shareholders have every right to be angry with the management.

From a blue chip among the prestigious Straits Times Index (STI) in 2016 to a cheap penny stock in 2021, Sembcorp Marine share price has become one of the biggest falling stars in SGX. How this counter managed to land in such a dismay state is beyond my understanding. But I reckon what riled shareholders the most is that the previous rights issue of $2.1 billion took place just in September 2020. And now, within a span of less than a year, Sembcorp Marine has come back to ask for more money from shareholders.

Admittedly, I have a special interest in Sembcorp Marine share price because I made a successful contra in this counter in April 2021. Through the volatility of Sembcorp Marine share price, I have made a small profit of $900.

LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP  In the blink of an eye, it had been two months since the capitulation of AEM share. From $4.18 on 29 April to a low of $3.40 on 11 May, AEM share price plunged by a whopping 18.7%. The crash of AEM share price followed the release of Q1FY2021 financial result which saw revenue collapsed 45.4% year-on-year. Since that fateful collapse, AEM share price returned to form lately, hitting $4.18 on 15 July.

The return of AEM share price came at a time when the Group is about to announce the 1HFY2021 financial result. Investors must be holding their breath on the business performance of AEM. More importantly, investors wanted to know the progress of the “deep technical engagements with 10 out of the top 20 semiconductor companies, spanning mobility, memory, and high-performance computing”.

The securing of even one of the top 20 semiconductor companies would be a significant breakthrough for AEM share price. For years, AEM had relied on Intel for revenue source. To expand the customer base, the management had embarked on a slew of acquisitions in recent years. So far, seven technology companies were acquired since 2017 but sad to say, these acquisitions provided minimal impact to the revenue and profit.

LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP When will Singtel share price ever see daylight? In my previous article, I shared that Singtel share price would blow up in pieces following the release of full-year financial result for FY2020. Indeed, Singtel share price turned bearish for the past three months, falling from $2.60 in April to a low of $2.25 in early July. To halt the slump in Singtel share price, the management announced a new strategic direction to capture growth on 27 May.

To be fair to the management, the current state of Singtel share price should not be attributed to the new Chairman nor the new CEO. They have inherited a company that had seen growth under severe pressure due to intense competition in its regional associates’ businesses. The pandemic has brought even more headwinds and disruptions for Singtel. Against this backdrop, the strategic reset announced on 27 May is an attempt to revive the long-term outlook for Singtel share price.

In the strategic plan, Group CEO Yuen Kuan Moon outlined three new growth pivots – harnessing 5G, repositioning NCS for overseas ICT expansion and unlocking value of infrastructure assets. In my opinion, the strategic reset represents a major shift for Singtel’s growth strategy.

LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP It is a battle that Sembcorp Marine can ill-afford to lose. On 24 June, the announcement of the bombshell $1.5 billion rights issue led Sembcorp Marine share price to yet another dark chapter. Over the course of two weeks, Sembcorp Marine share price plunged by a staggering of nearly 35%. Given that the latest rights issue price is at an abysmal $0.08, it is reasonable to expect Sembcorp Marine to continue its disastrous run in the coming weeks.

The sentiments for Sembcorp Marine share price are so toxic that not even the news of the merger with Keppel Offshore Marine (KOM) can halt the stock slump. The news of the $230 million contract win from Brazilian shipyard, for modification work to be completed on the Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) P-71 oil and gas vessel, had temporarily provided some respite for the siege on Sembcorp Marine share price.

Nonetheless, the contract win is not going to move the needle for Sembcorp Marine as the oil-rig builder has revealed that the root cause for its current crisis is not the lack of revenue from new contract wins. Rather, COVID-19 has caused the deferral of deliveries and payments by existing customers.

LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP For the longest time, I have been contemplating to invest in an S-REIT with special focus in data centres. Hence, I have been monitoring Keppel DC REIT and Mapletree Industrial Trust (MIT). Both counters are majority-owned by Temasek Holdings and listed in the Straits Times Index (STI). Between the two players, I feel that the growth potential for MIT share price is higher due to recent strategic moves by the management.

In 2019, the Singapore government imposed a moratorium on new data centres. Being a land scarce country, there is a lack of land to accommodate the rapidly growing demands for data centres. In addition, data centres consume huge amount of energy and require energy-efficient cooling systems. For these reasons, data centre players like Keppel DC REIT and Mapletree Industrial Trust look to overseas for data centre acquisitions.

Between the two S-REITs, it seems to me that MIT’s management decided to go on shopping spree. In September 2020, MIT completed the acquisition of the remaining 60.0% interest in 14 data centres located in the United States for about $293 million. And in March 2021, MIT completed the acquisition of a data centre in Virginia, United States for about $283 million.

LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP Three cheers for Keppel share price! On 24 June, Keppel announced the signing of non-binding MOU with Sembcorp Marine with a view of combining Keppel Offshore & Marine (KOM) and Sembcorp Marine. Rumours of a merger between the two top dogs in the oil and gas sector had been swirling for years. Many investors had expected the deal to be the perfect catalyst for Keppel share price because of the economy of scale and operating synergies.

Indeed, market reactions had been positive for Keppel initially. Keppel share price surged from $5.10 on 24 June to a high of $5.60 on 28 June. Within a span of just four days, Keppel share price increased by 10%. In my previous article, I wrote that my target Keppel share price in 2021 was $5.50. Now that the counter has crossed this level, I do think that $7 could be the next attainable milestone for Keppel share price in 2021.

The $5.50 share price price level was previously based on the assumption that Keppel could make net profit $500 million for the full-year in 2021. Incidentally, the 24 June announcement revealed that Keppel will receive shares in the new listed company and a cash consideration of up to $500 million.

LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP What a mayhem for Sembcorp Marine share price! On 24 June, both Sembcorp Marine and Keppel Corp requested trading halts for their counters. The trading halts were in preparation for the release of the epic announcements in relation to the bombshell $1.5 billion rights issue and commencement of merger talks between Sembcorp Marine and Keppel Offshore & Marine (KOM).

For Sembcorp Marine share price, it is a case of lightning strikes twice. The previous rights issue of $2.1 billion took place just in September 2020. And now, within a span of less than a year, Sembcorp Marine has come back to ask for more money from shareholders. To rub salt into injury, the latest cash call amounted to a staggering $1.5 billion, representing 63% of the current market capitalization. Against this backdrop, Sembcorp Marine share price plunged by as much as 28% after trading halt was lifted.

For sure, the twin announcements raised more questions than answers for investors. A few SG Wealth Builders had written in to request for my insights. Understandably, confidence was shaken for Sembcorp Marine share price. The management shot itself in the foot by announcing the massive rights issue together with the merger talks with KOM.

LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP BREAKING NEWS: ON 24 JUNE, BOTH KEPPEL & SEMBCORP MARINE CALLED FOR TRADING HALT. GIVEN THE POTENTIAL VOLATILITY OF KEPPEL AND SEMBCORP MARINE SHARE PRICE, INVESTORS SHOULD TRADE WITH CAUTION.

Will Sembcorp Marine share price sink or swim in the coming months? In 2021, the rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations had led to gradual resumption of economic activities in various countries. While global economies had yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels, crude oil prices recently hit a 2-year high of US$73 per barrel. What is the implication of rising crude oil prices for local oil and gas stocks?

A long-time SG Wealth Builder member sought my insights on the recent recovery of crude oil prices and queried how this would affect SGX listed oil and gas stocks. The member did not specify any particular oil and gas stocks that he would like to cover, so I would share my views on Sembcorp Marine share price instead. This is because Keppel Corp and Sembcorp Marine are the top dogs in this sector. However, the former has announced its intention to exit the oil-rig building business to pivot in the renewable energy sector.

Source: Bullionstar

The second reason why I choose to analyze Sembcorp Marine share price is because I had a successful contra trade in this counter in April 2021.

LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP What a disaster for Wilmar share price. The wheel finally came off the wagon when Wilmar share price hit a 5-year high of $5.60 on 19 February 2021. Wilmar share price began to nose dive after crude palm oil (CPO) prices peaked at a record high of RM$4,400 per tonne in April 2021.

As of 17 June 2021, CPO price has plunged to a low of RM$3,377 per tonne. In view of this, there is further room for the correction of Wilmar share price. For sure, the train wreck of Wilmar share price caught many investors by surprise. Should investors run for their lives?

Wilmar is one of the largest oil palm plantation owners in Indonesia and Malaysia. As such, Wilmar share price is prone to the volatility of CPO prices. One of the driving factors for the surging CPO prices in 2021 is due to the huge demand for palm oil by India. In fact, palm oil exports from Malaysia to India rocketed 766% year-on-year from January to May 2021. However, due to the second COVID-19 wave in India, palm oil demand is expected to decline sharply in the coming months due to the lockdowns in the South Asia country.

LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP My last coverage on Sembcorp Industries share price was in February 2021. That was before the devastating second wave of COVID-19 infections took place in India. With a significant business exposure in India, what would be the impact levied on Sembcorp Industries share price? So far, the management had updated that its assets in Myanmar continued to be in operations despite the civil unrest. But there were no updates on the situation in India. On this note, investors have every reason to be concerned about Sembcorp’s India operations.

Sembcorp (SGX: U96) share price worth $4?

Sembcorp Industries share price gave me 37% return!

Given the situation in India, there are plenty of uncertainties for Sembcorp Industries share price. It doesn’t help that there are no business updates for the 1st quarter financial performance. The Group is not required to file quarterly results as SGX had ceased the quarterly financial reporting requirement. Without clarity on this significant downside risk, investors are left wondering how Sembcorp Industries will fare in the upcoming 1HFY2021 financial result.

Through Sembcorp Energy India Ltd (SEIL), Sembcorp Industries has $1.57 billion worth of ownership interest in India. SEIL has wind, solar and thermal power assets (P1 and P2).

LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP Diamond, diamond, in the sky. Who’s the shiniest of them all? The raging form of iFAST has set many SGX technology stocks on fire, and Sarine Tech share price is one of those riding on the current wave. For perspective, the counter has surged by 45% since the start of the year. While Sarine Tech share price is still some way off the record high of $3.20 seen in 2014, its current share performance is impressive given the current market condition.

A loyal supporter of SG Wealth Builder wrote in to seek my insights on the outlook of Sarine Tech share price, so I feel obliged to write a balanced view on this counter. As I have mentioned before, my investment philosophy is that there are no good or bad stocks. In the stock market, there are only good or bad strategies. It is possible that investors make money out of risky stocks. Conversely, many seasoned investors have lost their pants investing in purportedly “safe” stocks like Hyflux and Eagle Hospitality Trust.

Before I share my view on Sarine Tech share price, let’s do a brief company background. Firstly, Sarine does not sell diamonds. Instead, the Israel company provides smart solutions throughout the entire diamond value chain, spanning from upstream (miners) to rough diamond polishing (mid-stream) to grading and trading (downstream).

LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP Has DBS Group Holdings share price fulfilled its destiny? On 14 April, I wrote that DBS Group Holdings share price could smash past $30 following the release of the first quarter business update. Indeed, DBS Group Holdings share price did not fail to disappoint investors. Recently, the counter hit the record high of $30 on the back of a stellar financial result.

For perspective, the Group’s first-quarter 2021 net profit doubled from the previous quarter and increased 72% from a year ago to $2.01 billion. Thus, the buoyant form of DBS Group Holdings share price is not unexpected. To put the icing on the cake, it was the first time that DBS’ quarterly earnings crossed $2 billion. The solid financial result is amazing given that global economy is still in the doldrum amid the global pandemic crisis. Question now is: where would DBS Group Holdings share price go from here?

DBS share price (SGX: D05) bottomed out?

DBS Group Holdings riding the storm

DBS Group Holdings share price & Piyush Gupta

Since November 2020, DBS Group Holdings share price basically went on a rampage. The counter surged from $21 to the current $30. The roll-out of COVID-19 vaccination had ignited hopes of a global economic recovery in 2021.

LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP What a boisterous form for OCBC share price! In my previous article, I shared that OCBC share price could be on fire with the release of the first quarter financial result. Indeed, OCBC did not fail to deliver. Group net profit for 1QFY2021 of $1.50 billion was significantly higher than the $698 million a year ago.

But then again, Man proposes, God disposes. All local bank stocks, including OCBC share price, suffered a correction following news of the first COVID-19 case at Changi Airport. Since then, the growing number of infections linked to Changi Airport has turned it into the largest cluster in 2021. Against this backdrop, the narrative for OCBC share price turned sombre. From $12.60 on 10 May, OCBC share price tanked to $11.70 on 14 May. In this regard, volatility remains the name of the game for OCBC share price.

OCBC share price to surge with 70% profit jump?

OCBC share price in new dawn

It certainly seems that the proverbial “sell in May and go away” syndrome is in play even as COVID-19 continues to rage in various countries. But the blip for OCBC share price did not last long as the Group embarked on an aggressive shares buyback mission to rescue OCBC share price.

LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP Will SIA share price see daylight soon? Confidence in air travel has taken severe knocks following multiple waves of COVID-19 infections in various countries, not to mention the devastating second wave in India. Yet against this backdrop, USA and European countries are seeing drastic drops in COVID-19 infections and deaths due to aggressive vaccination programmes.

In March 2021, I wrote that SIA share price could be in for an explosive destiny following the release of full-year financial result FY20/21. Back then, I had predicted that the full-year losses to be around $3.5 billion but it turned out that the actual losses amounted to $4.2 billion. Prior to the result release, SIA share price suffered some correction, falling from $5.70 in April to the current $4.80.

SIA share price in explosive destiny

SIA share price smashed into rock

SIA share price in darkest chapter

SIA share price faces brutal meltdown

As expected, the correction for SIA share price is limited as most investors had anticipated the record losses prior to the release of the result. The question now is: how would the market react to the $6.2 billion mandatory convertible bonds (MCBs). For sure, the MCBs will strengthen the national carrier’s balance sheet.

LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP 27 May 2021 will be destiny day for Singtel share price as the full-year financial result will be unveiled. Yet on 14 May 2021, Singtel management shocked investors by revealing that the results for financial year ended 31 March 2021 are expected to include net exceptional losses of $1.21 billion. Should investors run for their lives before Singtel share price blew up in pieces?

In my opinion, credit must be given to the management for giving retail investors ample warning about the upcoming headwind. Hand on heart, I am impressed by the management’s transparency. With this upfront caveat, at least most investors will be mentally prepared for the 27 May result. However, at the back of most investors’ mind must be the scale of collateral damage on the final dividend.

Widely viewed as a dividend stock, Singtel is extremely popular among Singaporean investors as many retirees depend on this evergreen counter for passive income. For FY2020, underlying net profit declined 13% to $2.46 billion. As a result, the total dividends decreased to 12.25 cents from 17.5 cents in FY2019. With the bombshell revelation of net exceptional losses, I expect Singtel share price to come under severe pressure next week.

LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP After I published my investment portfolio in the previous article, an SG Wealth Builder requested me to do a deep dive into another stock in my portfolio – Mapletree Logistics Trust (SGX: M44U). As this counter is my largest investment in 2021 so far, I am more than happy to share an in-depth analysis on this S-REIT.

I have been covering Mapletree Logistics Trust (M44U) since 2018. The reasons for my conviction in this S-REIT are due to the rising unit price and the distributions in recent years. Since IPO, share price has surged from $0.63 to the current $1.90. On the other hand, annual distributions had increased from $0.0686 in FY12/13 to $0.08326 in FY20/21. Loyal investors of Mapletree Logistics Trust (M44U) must be laughing all the way to the bank!

For the uninitiated, Mapletree Logistics Trust (M44U)’s principal strategy is to invest in a diversified portfolio of income-producing logistics real estate as well as real estate-related assets in the fast-growing Asia-Pacific logistics sector. Sovereign wealth fund, Temasek Holdings, has about 33.1% stake in this S-REIT, holding 1.42 billion shares.

During COVID-19, Mapletree Logistics Trust (M44U) went on an aggressive acquisition spree to scale its business across the Asia-Pacific region.

LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP As a matter of policy, I do not usually share my stock investment portfolio in this blog. This is because I do not want to create the impression that I am showing off my wealth. However, at the request of an SG Wealth Builder member, I will provide at an update on my investment portfolio as at 12 May 2021. The recent devastating meltdown of AEM share price has dented the market value of my portfolio. So this update will be quite unflattering to say the least.

Given the current crisis of confidence for AEM share price, the thought of cutting losses did cross my mind to be honest. But my portfolio diversification and contra gains helped to mitigate the unrealized losses from AEM. Furthermore, AEM constituted just 11.5% of my portfolio. Henceforth, the damage from the fallout of AEM share price is largely contained. In view of this, I have decided to hold this stock for the time being and give the management the benefits of the doubt to prove themselves.

From $4.18 on 29 April to a low of $3.40 on 11 May, AEM share price plunged by a whopping 18.7%. The crash of AEM share price followed the release of Q1FY2021 financial result which saw revenue collapsed 45.4% year-on-year.

LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP My last coverage of Hour Glass share price was in June 2019. That was nearly two years ago. Recently, a new member of SG Wealth Builder requested for my insights on the potentials of Hour Glass share price and Cortina share price. In this regard, I thought it is timely to blog about these two counters.

Between the two home-grown luxury watch retailers, Hour Glass has a much bigger market capitalization ($662.7 million) as compared to Cortina ($374.2 million). But what is puzzling to me is that both counters enjoy incredible bull runs from 2020 until now. Given that luxury watch retailers’ business is highly sensitive to economic condition, the performances of Hour Glass share price and Cortina share price have exceeded expectations.

Mind you, the global economy is still struggling under the devastating impacts of COVID-19. In view of this, what could be the key catalysts that turbocharged Hour Glass share price and Cortina share price?

In my opinion, the biggest factor for the explosive runs of Hour Glass share and Cortina share price should be the restored stability of Hong Kong market, which is the world’s largest market for Swiss luxury watches. Back in 2019, Hong Kong was mired in never-ending civil riots, causing plenty of uncertainties among investors.

LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP Will AEM share price hit high heavens with a Nasdaq listing? Speculative rumors of a potential listing in Nasdaq had been ongoing for two years. The market rumors went into an overdrive in July 2020 when SGX and Nasdaq entered into an agreement to help companies access capital markets funding in both jurisdictions. While the company has never announced that a listing in Nasdaq is on the cards, my vision is that a listing in Nasdaq should be the endgame for AEM share price.

AEM share price rockets to the moon!

AEM share price to hit $6?

In my memory, the last time that a home-grown company that got listed in Nasdaq was Creative Technologies. In 2007, Creative exited Nasdaq after winning a $100 million patent dispute against Apple. In my opinion, AEM must have learned the painful lessons from the Creative saga and pivoted its business on developing innovative solutions for its customers. This means that in order for AEM to become the defacto “King of Technology”, the company must continuously develop patents to protect its intellectual properties.

Indeed, Non-executive Chairman Loke Wai San is the right man for the right job at the right time. Being trained in engineering, Loke Wai San was the man who led AEM share price out of dark Egypt when the former management of AEM was embroiled in corruption scandal in 2012.

LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP 2 November 2020 will be remembered by many investors as the darkest day for Singtel share price. That was the fateful day that Singtel share price crashed to decades low of $2.00. The dismal form of Singtel share price is perhaps a vote of no confidence in the company’s outlook. Nonetheless, Singtel share price fought back from the low to reach a high of $2.40. The turn of Singtel share price came after the digital bank license win in December 2020.

Singtel share price sinks or swims with digital banks

Singtel share price in state of emergency

Singtel share price crashed to 12-year low

Singtel share price braces for bloodbath

On looking back, Singtel share price peaked at a high of $4.40 in April 2015. Incidentally, SingPost share price also peaked at a high of $2.00 in that period. Subsequently, the implosion of the corporate governance over at SingPost had caused the share price of the mailing company to suffer a horrendous meltdown. Being a substantial shareholder of SingPost, Singtel had to dispatch its former Chairman, Simon Israel, to double hat as Chairman of SingPost. Consequently, Singtel share price never recapture the high of $4.40.

Obviously, it is irresponsible to attribute the downfall of Singtel share price to events unfolding at SingPost given that they are two separate entities operating in different sectors.

LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP When will Temasek Holdings drop the bombshell? Speculations of a merger between Keppel Offshore Marine (KOM) and Sembcorp Marine had been brewing for years. In fact, the merger appeared to be looming when Temasek Holdings made a partial offer for Keppel Corp in 2019. However, the withdrawal of the partial offer in 2020 threw a spanner in the works. Even so, most investors expect the merger to take place given the potential for synergy and cost savings. In this context, what will the impact for Sembcorp Marine share price if the merger does occur?

In a bizarre turn of event, Sembcorp Marine will become the global top oil-rig builder following Keppel Corp’s announcement to exit the business within two to three years. Whether this development will enable light at end of tunnel for Sembcorp marine share price is subjected to debate. Nonetheless, the move to pivot its business in the renewable energy industry is encouraging.

Sembcorp Marine share price & the Big Boys

Looking at the SGX Market Depth data (16 April), it seems that Sembcorp Marine share price enjoys good support from the big boys. As can be seen from the above data, there is 91 queue orders of 7,987,600 shares.

LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP Will the coming financial result set DBS Group share price on fire? While OCBC share price is on a roll following three consecutive of net profit growth, things had not been so rosy at DBS Group. In third quarter, the bank announced a stunning 22% decline in net profit for 4QFY2020 on a quarter-to-quarter basis. Against this backdrop, DBS Group share price could be at an intriguing cross-road.

Unlike OCBC and UOB, DBS Bank should be viewed as a pure-play growth stock. This is because its key businesses are entrenched mainly in banking and wealth management sectors. On the other hand, OCBC and UOB are known to have substantial stakes in non-financial sectors like property development (UOL), stock brokerage (UOB Kay Hian), insurance (Great Eastern), etc. In view of this, DBS Group share price movements are highly sensitive to macro-economic conditions and also its top-line growth.

Indeed, DBS Group share price explosive surge since November 2020 was largely due to the COVID-19 vaccination, which ignited hopes of global economic recovery in 2021. Arising from this, institutional funds started to rotate out of technology stocks and poured funds into bank stocks, pushing DBS Group share price to nearly the record high of $30 (pre-COVID level).

LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP OCBC share price is ready to rock again! In my previous article written on 5 February 2021, I wrote that OCBC share price could remain sluggish if the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS)’s measure on bank share buybacks is firmly set in place. Since that fateful article, the management retaliated by launching a series of shares buybacks. For sure, the slew of share buybacks by OCBC caught me by surprise. Nonetheless, the moves provided good support for the bullish run of OCBC share price.

Although the current bullish form of OCBC share price should be attributed mainly to the improving economic conditions, the resumption of the share buybacks will bode well for OCBC share price. In comparison to DBS and UOB, OCBC is considered the most aggressive when it comes to share buybacks in recent years. In fact, the series of share buybacks in March and April 2020 enabled OCBC share price to make a swift recovery from the low of $7.80.

Incidentally, the share buybacks also occurred at a time when Deputy President and Head of Global Wholesale Banking Helen Wong will take over as Group CEO from April 15. With a recovering OCBC share price, it seems that the new CEO will start her tenure on a positive note.

SIGN UP FOR $10 TO UNLOCK ALL ARTICLES! Amid the onset of pandemic, many S-REITs have been adversely impacted due to the lockdowns in global cities and travel restrictions. Among the badly hit sectors are those S-REITs with core businesses in shopping malls and hospitality. Mapletree Logistics Trust (M44U) is one of the few S-REITs that bucked the trend.

Since the onset of COVID-19, Mapletree Logistics Trust (M44U) went on a crazy acquisition spree. Within the span of a year, the portfolio increased from 145 to 163 properties comprising 52 properties in Singapore, 9 in Hong Kong SAR, 18 in Japan, 30 in China, 12 in Australia, 15 in Malaysia, 18 in South Korea, 7 in Vietnam and 2 in India. The total value of assets under management is approximately $10.6 billion.

MLT share price at record high

Mapletree Logistics Trust in amazing form

Crazy Rich Mapletree Logistics Trust

Scary growth project of Mapletree Logistics Trust

In FY20/21, Mapletree Logistics Trust(M44U) acquired 18 properties, as compared to nine in FY19/20. The aggressive acquisition spree indicates that the management is confident of a global economy recovery in 2021. Indeed, despite the recent resurgence of COVID-19 infections, Mapletree Logistics Trust portfolio remains resilient.

SIGN UP FOR $10 TO UNLOCK ALL ARTICLES! Every dog has its day. Recently, Hong Fok share price stole the limelight when the counter surged to a 14-year high following an article in The Straits Times claiming that Hong Fok share price could be undervalued. Yes, you are right, its 14-year high. At the point of writing, Hong Fok share price is trading at $1.05. The last time that Hong Fok share price was trading at $1.05 was in 2007.

The incredible surge of Hong Fok share price should be the work of the big boys. It is almost impossible for retail investors to push up the stock in such a manner. At least not in SGX. Question now is whether it is too late for retail investors to jump on the bandwagon.

Recently, one of the long-time members of this blog requested for a review on Hong Fok share price. I am more than happy to do a coverage on Hong Fok share price as this is one of the privileges of being a member of this blog. If you are keen to ask for coverage on certain investment products or stocks, do sign up for SG Wealth Builder membership!

SIGN UP FOR $10 TO UNLOCK ALL ARTICLES! What a comeback! The recent tech rout has caused AEM share price to plummet from $4.60 in February to a low of $3.70 in March. The bearish sentiments for the tech sector are due to investors rotating out of tech into cyclical stocks. Nevertheless, AEM share price stormed back in style on 23 March following news that Intel would reinvest US$20 billion to build two new chip factories in Arizona.

Being a long-time equipment testing supplier of Intel, AEM share price is intricately linked to developments at Intel. Investors would recall that in July 2020, AEM share price suffered meltdown following news of Intel’s announcement of delay in production of 7nm-based CPU for about 6 months.

The recent announcement by the new Intel CEO boosted AEM share price because the US giant is planning to become a manufacturing partner for other chip designers. Previously, Intel has always design and manufacture its own chips. The latest move would see Intel building chips for Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Qualcomm. There are even talks of Intel re-capturing Apple.

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AEM share price worth $10?