SG Wealth Builder

Sign up for only $19.99! On 29 May 2020, Mapletree Logistics Trust shares were trading at a record high of $2.05. The bullish form of MLT share price is certainly impressive given the unprecedented challenges faced by the S-REIT sector. Then again, the surge of MLT share price has not been linear nor exponential. At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, MLT share price was mercilessly sold down, causing it nose-dived from $2.00 on 5 March 2020 to $1.20 on 23 March 2020.

Mapletree Logistics Trust in amazing form

Crazy Rich Mapletree Logistics Trust

Scary growth project of Mapletree Logistics Trust

Investors who kept faith with this counter must be smiling to themselves now as MLT share price subsequently regained form after the release of the full-year financial report for FY2019/20. It was revealed that revenue increased 8% year-on-year to reach $490 million while net property income increased 12.6% to $438.5 million.

The positive result gave MLT share price the legitimate reason to continue flying amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Indeed, MLT share price is one of the few exceptions to buck the trend of most S-REITs, which are mostly reeling from the devastating effects of COVID-19 pandemic.

Make no mistake, S-REIT is a sector that is previously known to be defensive among investors.

Sign up for only $19.99! 4 August 2020 will be destiny day for Singtel share price because it will be ex-dividend day for shareholders to be entitled to the final dividend of $0.0545. All eyes are on that day as shareholders brace themselves for a frightening roller-coaster ride of Singtel share price. But this time round, the correction for Singtel share price will likely to be much severe due to changes made to the SGX Securities Borrowing and Lending (SBL) programme.

Singtel share price in devastating bloodbath

Singtel share price to swim or sink with coronavirus?

Singtel share price in double trouble

Singtel share price faces disaster

With effect from 2 December 2019, SGX replaced the fixed rates for SBL programme. The borrowing rates for index stocks had been dramatically reduced from 6% per annum to a low of 0.5% per annum! The rationale for the adjustment was to make borrowing rates attractive for institutional investors. In my opinion, this is an ominous change for Singtel share price because this counter is a favourite among short-sellers.

The reason for the volatility of Singtel share price in recent years could be attributed to its considerably large pool of lending shares, which stood at 25,643,036 as at 15 June 2020.

Sign up for only $19.99! What a sensational return for Raffles Medical share price. The share price of the private healthcare provider was hit badly during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. Like many SGX stocks, Raffles Medical share price exploded to a low of $0.73 on 23 March 2020. Subsequently, the epic USD2 trillion massive fiscal stimulus by US government and the four Singapore Budgets helped to shore up market confidence. These events led to the revival of Raffles Medical share price.

Despite being in the healthcare sector, Raffles Medical share price did not surge during the COVID-19 pandemic like what shares of Riverstone and Top Glove did. Instead, Raffles Medical share price fell like the rest of its peers (Parkway Life REIT and First REIT). The reason for the decline of share price of hospital operators is because the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in countries being locked down, thereby affecting patient loads.

Parkway Life REIT walloped Raffled Medical share price

Raffles Medical share price in state of emergency

Can Raffles Medical share price ever rock again?

Raffles Medical share price was particularly affected by the COVID-19 because it owns two hospitals in China, the original epi-centre of the outbreak.

Sign up for only $19.99! What a gut-wrenching ride. SIAEC share price staged an impressive come-back as it surged from a low of $1.50 on 23 March 2020 to the current $2.20. The uptick in SIAEC share price represented a whopping 46% increase. Is it the right time for parent company, Singapore Airlines (SIA), to launch a privatization of SIAEC?

SIAEC plunged into hell

SIAEC share price and ST Engineering in bizarre tales

SIAEC share price in bloodbath with Temasek Holdings

The major catalyst for SIAEC share price is the potential privatization by SIA. Rumour of privatization had been ongoing for several years as SIA CEO Goh Choon Phong aggressively consolidated SIA’s portfolio assets in a bid to rationalize cost and create synergy among the Group entities. The consolidation effort saw SIA Cargo and SilkAir being integrated into SIA while Scoot and Tigerair merged. SIAEC could be the next integration initiative following the massive rights issue of SIA.

SIA currently holds 77.4% of SIAEC shares. When the SIAEC share price plunged to $1.50 on 23 March 2020, the Price/Book Value was at a very attractive level of 1.05. At that point of time, it would make sense for SIA to privatize the MRO company.

Sign up for only $19.99! Is it the end of the road for SATS share price? The aviation ground handling service provider is severely hit as the COVID-19 pandemic causes the entire air travel to come to a grinding halt. As a result, SATS share price plunged to a 5-year low.

SATS share price

SATS flying high in 2016

My last coverage on this counter was in 2017. That was when SATS share price was flying high and was trading at the $5.00 bandwidth. In those days, it certainly seemed that the sky was the limit for SATS share price. Nobody could have predicted that all it takes is a pandemic to cause SATS share price to fall down to earth.

While everyone knows that the entire aviation industry is hit by the black swan event, what caught me by surprise is the resilience of SATS share price. At $3.17, SATS share price is at a 5-year low. Contrast this with share price of Singapore Airlines, which spiralled out of control to reach a record low. In this regard, is SATS share price at the right place and right time for investors to enter?

In all honesty, it is too premature to claim that aviation industry will recover in the coming months.

Sign up for only $19.99! Singtel share price recently saw red as the telco announced a set of dismal full-year financial results and slashed its dividend pay-out. But it is definitely not the end of the road for Singtel as it primes itself for the next big thing in technology – the rollout of 5G. Should Singtel join forces with the new “King of Technology” in SGX – AEM holdings? How would this even affect AEM share price?

AEM share price to sink or swim with Huawei ban?

AEM share price to hit $50 on NASDAQ listing?

AEM share price in explosive bull run!

While Singtel share price has been singing the blues lately, AEM share price stormed to high heavens amid the circuit breaker period. Trading at $3.10, AEM share price has risen 100% above the level seen on 23 March 2020. Investors must have regretted for missing the train or selling too early.

Indeed, the rise of AEM is one of the rare fairy-tales in SGX. AEM share price used to trade at penny stock level. However, the epic success of its test equipment for Intel in 2016 – High Density Modular Test (HDMT) semiconductor test handler platform – changed AEM’s destiny forever.

Sign up for only $19.99! In my previous article “Singtel share price in nuclear meltdown”, I predicted that Singtel share price will collapse upon the announcement of a dividend cut. Indeed, Singtel share price plummeted upon the release of full-year financial result for FY2020 which saw full-year dividend being reduced to 12.25 cents. This is the lowest dividend since FY2005.

Singtel share price to swim or sink with coronavirus?

Singtel share price in double trouble

Singtel share price faces disaster

Many analysts may argue that it is the poor financial performance that wrecked Singtel share price. To this end, I do not disagree. Group revenue declined 5% while net profit crashed 65% year-on-year. However, most of the shareholders of Singtel are long-term investors and I honestly doubt that they are spooked by the financial result. It should be the massive cut in dividend that scared the living daylight out of investors.

Year-to-date, Singtel share price had tanked 27%. In fact, Singtel share price has crossed my previous target entry price of $2.60. At this moment, it is too early to tell if it is going to be light at end of tunnel for Singtel share price anytime soon. Nevertheless, at current trading momentum, this counter could test the low of $2.28 seen on 23 March 2020.

Sign up for only $19.99! It seems that StarHub share price had lost its way. The fierce telco war has walloped this counter left, right and centre. Since my last coverage on this counter, StarHub share price bottomed out to reach a low of $1.30 in October 2019. Subsequently, the stock went on a fine run to hit a high of $1.55 on 27 February 2020. However, the COVID-19 pandemic came along and sent Starhub share price plunging into the abyss yet again.

StarHub share price crashed into wall

StarHub share price in last tango?

StarHub share price to face $282 million baptism of fire

Indeed, investing in StarHub is no fun. This counter used to be the brightest star among the SGX stocks with its strong dividend track record and rising share price. As a matter of fact, StarHub share price was still trading at the $4.00 bandwidth in 2015. No one could have predicted that the entry of TPG Telecom in 2016 could change the destiny of StarHub so much.

In my point of view, StarHub share price is slightly undervalued at the moment. Assuming the full-year net profit is $160 million, the EPS should be $0.09. With a PE ratio of 16, the fair value of StarHub is estimated to be $1.44.

Sign up for only $19.99! The recent explosive bull run of AEM share price had led to a flurry of target price upgrades by various analysts. The surging form of AEM share price was attributed to the stellar first quarter business results that saw the company hitting a record revenue of $146.8 million and net profit of $36.1 million.

Indeed, the rate of ascend of AEM share price is so breath-taking that investors must be pinching themselves to check it is for real. Is this form even sustainable against the backdrop of COVID-19 pandemic and rising tension between US and China? Will the unfolding trade war between US and China throws a spanner in the works for AEM share price?

To be sure, the recent US rule to ban Huawei Technologies’ access to non-US chipmakers will have some impact on AEM share price. But make no mistake, this is actually the second phase of the trade war concerning export control on Huawei.

AEM share price to hit $50 on NASDAQ listing?

AEM share price in explosive bull run!

In May 2019, US banned US chipmakers from selling equipment to Huawei. Intel was one of the companies hit by that move. Huawei, being the world’s largest telecommunication equipment company, reportedly spent a whopping USD11 billion on Intel, Qualcomm and Micron Technology.

Sign up for only $19.99! Our national carrier is in trouble. The devastating COVID-19 pandemic had decapacitated its fleets, resulting in SIA recording a full-year net loss of $212 million. This is the first ever full-year financial loss in the course of the carrier’s 48 years of operating history. Against this backdrop, all hell break loose for SIA share price. The announcement of the financial result also coincided with the recent mega rights exercise. These factors combined to cause SIA share price to roil to no end.

SIA share price in darkest chapter

SIA share price faces brutal meltdown

SIA share price to rock or melt with Special Share?

SIA share price crashed into wall

SIA share price nearing 20-year low

SIA share price in crisis mode

In my humble opinion, the trouble for SIA share price is not in the rights issue itself but rather the pricing of the rights. At $3.00, the rights represented a massive discount of 53.8% to the last traded SIA share price of $6.50 on 25 March 2020. Evidently, the rationale for such massive discount is to make the rights issue as appealing as possible to retail investors. But in doing so, many retail investors must be riled as many of them might have entered this counter at around $9 to $10.

Sign up for only $19.99! Will AEM become another legendary fairy-tale in SGX? Amid the bearish market outlook caused by the devastating COVID-19 outbreak, AEM share price defied gravity to smash a record high of $3.37 on 11 May 2020. To illustrate how powerful the rally is: AEM share price stormed from $1.37 on 19 March 2020 to a crazy high of $3.37. This means that AEM share price soared nearly 250% within the span of two months!

In life, what goes up must surely comes down. After reaching the giddy height of $3.37, AEM share price subsequently pulled back to reach the $3.10 price level. Such correction is healthy and should not be seen as beginning of the end for AEM share price. What ignited the surging bull run was largely due to the solid first quarter business results that saw the company hitting a record revenue of $146.8 million and net profit of $36.1 million. Will AEM share price continue its magical run in the face of the market downturn?

AEM share price in explosive bull run!

The stunning rise of Micro-Mechanics

Venture Corporation share price went ballistic!

Creative Technology in sanity intervals

Beyond the stellar financial results, a potential major catalyst may propel AEM share price to the next stage.

Sign up for only $19.99! Sometimes, reality defies logic. By right, bank stocks should have crashed with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the unfolding oil crisis. But DBS, OCBC and UOB share price had been quite resilient amid the unprecedented economic challenges. Bank counters had not collapsed like what they did during the Global Financial Crisis in 2008. Perhaps the massive stimulus packages by US Federal Reserves had helped to restore market confidence. Where will UOB share price go from here?

In terms of first quarter financial results, UOB lost out to DBS but managed to beat OCBC comprehensively. Net earnings amounted to $855 million, a decline of 19% as compared to Q1FY2019. Overall, UOB’s decline was much better than DBS (-29%) and OCBC (-43%). Despite so, the outlook for UOB share price looks pretty grim as the bank navigates through the storm.

UOB share price exploded with Hin Leong

UOB share price hammered by coronavirus

UOB share price in royal rumble with DBS and OCBC

UOB share price fought back after bizarre plunge

Total income for UOB remained stable at $2.41 billion even though interest rates had plummeted to abysmal levels. Non-performing loan ratio also remained stable at 1.6%.

Sign up for only $19.99! Will OCBC share price sink or swim? On 8 May 2020, OCBC announced a set of poor Q1 FY2020 business update that saw the number 2 bank in Singapore recording the worst financial performance among the three local banks. While COVID-19 pandemic had been cited by OCBC CEO as the culprit for the subpar performance, investors must be wondering how on earth did OCBC manage to fare so badly against the other two banks.

OCBC share price in explosive free fall

OCBC share price in devastating bloodbath

OCBC share price to increase three-fold in decade?

OCBC share price led to my first investment in decade

On a year-on-year basis, net profit plunged 43% to reach an abysmal $698 million. This is the lowest as compared to DBS ($1.17 billion) and UOB ($855 million). OCBC’s decline was also the biggest among the three local banks. Against this backdrop, OCBC share price should be sluggish for the foreseeable future.

Upon examining the business update, I noted two factors that led to the steep decline in net profit. First, contributions from Great Eastern Holdings collapsed 94% to reach a low of $18 million, vis-à-vis the $290 million profit contribution seen in Q1FY2019.

Sign up for only $19.99! Is the sky the limit for AEM share price? Amid the COVID-19 outbreak, the technology sector is going through an up-cycle due to surging demand for electronic products as many people are forced to work from home. AEM share price is one of the beneficiaries of the sector rally and is currently enjoying a superb bull run.

Through the years, I had covered a number of SGX-listed technology companies in this blog. So far, I had been hesitant to cover AEM share price because of my lack of understanding of the semiconductor industry. This industry is notorious for having an extremely short lifespan and trying to analyse companies operating in this segment on a long-term basis is always challenging. In this article, I will share my views on whether the red-hot form of AEM share price is sustainable.

The stunning rise of Micro-Mechanics

Venture Corporation share price went ballistic!

Creative Technology in sanity intervals

As a matter of fact, AEM share price is now trading at record high of $2.60. This counter used to trade at the $6.00 bandwidth. Following the bonus issue of three-for-one shares exercise in March 2018, AEM share price fell off the cliff.

Sign up for only $19.99! Is this the beginning of the end for Singapore banks? The circuit-breaker implemented by Singapore government had caused the economy to come to a grinding halt. On 30 April 2020, DBS Bank announced business update for 1^st quarter (SGX had scrapped mandatory quarterly reporting). Being the leading light of SGX, the financial performance of DBS Bank is often scrutinized. This is especially so in current climate as investors are looking for clues on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the banking sector.

DBS Group Holdings share price in bloodbath with Hin Leong

DBS Group Holdings share in explosive meltdown

DBS Group share price in dark chapter with virus

DBS Group Holdings share price ambushed by coronavirus?

Initial assessment of the financial performance of DBS Bank is that the results are not as grim as many investors had feared. Total income grew 13% from a year ago to a new high of $4.03 billion but net profit had collapsed 29% to $1.17 billion. The lower profit was due to increased allowances of $0.7 billion to cater for risks due to the pandemic.

Of course, it is still early days to claim that DBS Bank is out of the woods but the financial performance was resilient in light of the unprecedented damage to the economy.

Sign up for only $19.99! In March 2020, DBS announced a staggering pay check of $12.1 million to CEO Piyush Gupta for leading the bank to the Promised Land – DBS’ total income had more than doubled, net profit has tripled, and market capitalisation had nearly doubled in FY2019. However, almost half of his annual salary was in the form of the company’s share plan. Thus, the upheaval of DBS Group Holdings share price in recent months must have left a bitter taste in CEO Piyush Gupta’s mouth.

DBS Group Holdings share in explosive meltdown

DBS Group share price in dark chapter with virus

DBS Group Holdings share price ambushed by coronavirus?

Previously, the supreme form of DBS Group Holdings share price was largely due its strong financial results, which was fuelled by its aggressive loan growth strategy. With $362 billion gross loans, DBS is the largest lender in Singapore. In comparison, UOB holds $269 billion while OCBC holds $264 billion of loans.

For sure, CEO Piyush likes to put his money where his mouth is. In 2016, he bought $2.8 million of DBS shares at the peak of the oil crisis. At that point of time, he was confident that DBS Group Holdings share price was undervalued.

Sign up for only $19.99! Troubles certainly come in troops for UOB share price. Amid the devastating fallout from COVID-19, UOB share price slipped following news that DBS, OCBC and UOB were faced with $870 million loan exposure to embattled home-grown oil trader, Hin Leong.

UOB share price hammered by coronavirus

UOB share price in royal rumble with DBS and OCBC

UOB share price fought back after bizarre plunge

The fall of Hin Leong cannot be underestimated as it is one of the largest marine fuel suppliers in Singapore. It also came at a time when global crude oil was trading at negative prices due to oversupply issue and price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia. Oil crisis is certainly not a new risk for local banks. In the 2014’s oil crisis, UOB share price got hammered as well, falling from $24 in May 2015 to the abysmal low of $17 in February 2016. But this time round, things may not be so straightforward for UOB share price.

To be honest, I have never seen such great chaos in my life. The pandemic crisis had effectively brought global economy to a complete standstill. And now with this oil crisis unfolding, the road to economic recovery will surely be long and arduous.

Sign up for only $19.99! COVID-19 has ravaged the entire global financial markets and upended numerous industries. To tackle the massive fallouts, US Federal Reserve pull out all stops to contain the explosive impacts of this unprecedented black swan event in modern days.  Arising from this interest rates has plummeted to abysmal levels yet again, leading to “cash is trash”. Against such backdrop, the interest rate of SGX Securities Borrowing and Lending (SBL) program could be lucrative.

How does SGX Securities Borrowing and Lending (SBL) work? In Singapore, investors can either lend their existing shares to brokerage firms or SGX. By lending out shares, they can earn interest fees. Conversely, investors can also borrow shares to do short-selling. In the course of doing so, you need to pay borrowing fees.

In this article, I will provide my insights on the pros and cons of lending shares to SGX Securities Borrowing and Lending (SBL) program. Something that needs to be highlighted is that this article will touch on only the lending program of SBL. As I am not into short-selling activities, the borrowing facility of the SBL is not covered in this article.

Disclaimer for this article: SGX did not pay me to write this article nor am I promoting SGX Securities Borrowing and Lending program.

Sign up for only $19.99! It is a battle that SIA cannot afford to lose. Currently, SIA share price is fighting for its life as COVID-19 completely razed air travel to the ground. With numerous airlines expected to file for bankruptcies in the coming months, many analysts claim that the aviation sector may never recover to the pre-crisis level. This is indeed the darkest chapter for SIA share price.

SIA share price faces brutal meltdown

SIA share price to rock or melt with Special Share?

SIA share price crashed into wall

SIA share price nearing 20-year low

SIA share price in crisis mode

For sure, the coming announcement of the full-year financial result and the mega rights issue will be a massive baptism of fire for SIA share price. Indeed, the next two weeks will be critical as the national carrier navigates through this crazy storm. In view of this, expect plenty of volatility for SIA share price.

The current crisis completely dwarfed previous crises such as the Asian Financial Crisis of 1998, the dotcom bust in 2000, 9/11 terrorist attacks of 2001, the SARS of 2003 and Great Financial Crisis of 2008. In each of those crises, SIA share price had always managed to bounce back in impressive form.

Sign up for only $19.99! What a roller coaster ride for investors! COVID-19 pandemic crisis had ignited one of the biggest equity sell-offs in modern history as investors fled for their lives. The Straits Times Index (STI) plunged by a terrifying 17% to reach the abysmal level of 2,208, a level last seen in June 2009. Being one of the leading lights of STI, OCBC share price was not spared from the carnage.

OCBC share price in devastating bloodbath

OCBC share price to increase three-fold in decade?

OCBC share price led to my first investment in decade

But what made this crisis so extra-ordinary is that it coincided with the oil slump. It is reported that OCBC, DBS and UOB collectively faced with loan exposure of $600 million to embattled oil trader, Hin Leong Trading. As a result, OCBC share price took a beating in recent days. As the double whammy crises unfold, expect plenty of volatility for OCBC share price.

Since 23 March 2020, OCBC share price had recovered from a low of $7.80 to reach the current $8.80 level. The recovery was due to improved market sentiments following the massive US’ two trillion dollar stimulus package. Nevertheless, I am hesitant to claim that OCBC share price has reached a bottom.

Note: This article has been edited to incorporate clarifications from KIT.

Sign up for only $19.99! Will Singapore’s largest infrastructure business trust, Keppel Infrastructure Trust (KIT share price), be the last man standing? Amid the violent upheaval in the stock market, it seems that KIT share price will fight to the very end.

On 10 March 2020, I wrote that KIT share price would be stung by the collapse of the oil price. Indeed, the following day, KIT share price collapsed from $0.51 to reach a crazy low of $0.36 on 19 March 2020. The meltdown prompted the management to conduct shares buyback to halt the collapse of KIT share price. By 3 April 2020, 4.75 million of KIT shares had been repurchased.

KIT share price safe haven from virus?

KIT share price to suffer same fate as Hyflux?

Previously, I have pointed out that KIT share price has a strong correlation with oil price because it owns one power-plant, Keppel Merlimau Cogen (KMC) Plant, which has been making huge losses since the start of the oil slump in 2014. For full-year 2019, losses before tax for KMC amounted to $40 million, an increase from $33.6 million in last year.

KIT management has clarified that oil price fluctuations has no bearing on the performance of the Keppel Merlimau Cogen (KMC) plant.

The unfolding COVID-19 has claimed the first S-Reit casualty in Eagle Hospitality Trust. Which will be the next one? In view of the plunging Lippo Malls share price over the course of last month, investors must be living in fear. Looking back, Lippo Malls share price was actually cruising along finely in 2019 with the strengthening of Indonesian rupiah until COVID-19 came along to mess things up.

Year-to-date, Lippo Malls share price plummeted by a whopping 52%, making it one of the worst SGX stocks to own. Apart from COVID-19, what could be the other dark forces behind the meltdown of Lippo Malls share price? In my view, besides macro factors, it is also important to pay attention to the business fundamentals because that will shape Lippo Malls share price even in the midst of market chaos.

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

Lippo Malls Indonesia Retail Trust in dark chapter

Nightmare of Lippo Malls Retail Trust

With effect from 1 April 2020, all of LMIR Trust’s portfolio of 23 retail malls and seven retail spaces will be temporarily closed except for essential services. The period of closure will be for a minimum of two weeks till 14 April 2020.

It seems that hell has a special place for SIAEC share price. The coronavirus outbreak imploded out of nowhere to cause the entire aviation industry to come to a grinding halt, leading global airlines to ground their fleets. The latest government order to close down workplaces (except for essential services) in Singapore will further roil SIAEC share price to no end.

SIAEC share price and ST Engineering in bizarre tale

SIAEC share price in bloodbath with Temasek Holdings

Year-to-date, SIAEC share price plunged by a staggering 44%. This made SIAEC share price one of the biggest falling stars among the SGX shares. Against this backdrop, investors must be having plenty of sleepless nights and wonder if SIAEC share price will recover from this nightmarish run. The coming full-year financial result will be a litmus test for SIAEC share price as the MRO stalwart navigates through this dark chapter of aviation.

The grounding of aircraft among global airlines will hurt SIAEC’s MRO business and dented SIAEC share price. From a technical point of view, when an aircraft is grounded, a large portion of the maintenance works which are based on interval of flight hours or flight cycles need not be carried out.

Crisis? What crisis? SGX share price laughed off talks of impending recession as it turned bullish amid the ongoing virus outbreak. Traditionally, SGX share price is not a safe haven against crises but volatility in the stock market is good for stock market operators like SGX because of the increased in revenue from clearing fees.

In fact, if you purchased 1000 shares of SGX shares in November 2000 and held it till now, the returns would be an incredible 588% based on current SGX share price of $9.22. I don’t know which stock that had generated so much returns for investors and is not affected by the current coronavirus.

Even more bizarrely, SGX share price actually benefitted from the ongoing crisis as market turnover for equities and exchange-traded funds jumped 44% and 245% respectively in February. The market volatility also saw increased interest in daily leverage certificates and structured warrants. The number of monthly active participants climbed 55% year-on-year, while the outstanding value of leveraged products held surged three-fold.

SGX share price in sparkling form after reporting highest profit in 11 years

Bonds to the rescue for SGX share price

Indeed, coronavirus had destroyed thousands of lives and upended various industries.

Is the worst over for SIA share price? In all honesty, I don’t know. At this point of writing, the number of people infected by COVID-19 stood at 784,000 and number of deaths amounted to 38,000. The epic USD2 trillion stimulus package by US government had provided some boost to the stock market. But whether this is a sustainable run or just a bull trap remains to be seen. In this regard, is this a false dawn for SIA share price?

SIA share price to rock or melt with Special Share?

SIA share price crashed into wall

SIA share price nearing 20-year low

SIA share price in crisis mode

Indeed, the devastating COVID-19 has brought the entire aviation industry to its knee and roiled SIA share price to no end. With border controls tightening around the whole world, the national carrier is forced to cut its flight capacity by a staggering 96%. In the early days, I predicted a V-shape recovery for SIA share price using 2003 SARS as point of reference. But it seems that I had grossly underestimated the impact of COVID-19.

With so many aircraft grounded, the airline could be facing cash flow issue in the coming months.

The unfolding coronavirus is a complete disaster out of nowhere. Not only has the virus rocked the global markets, it has also brought the entire aviation, hospitality and tourism sectors to a complete standstill. Being a player in the US hospitality sector, Eagle Hospitality Trust is not spared from the carnage. But what made the crisis at Eagle Hospitality Trust so extraordinary is that within a year of listing in SGX mainboard, this REIT had been dogged by various negative publicity.

Eagle Hospitality Trust to blow up in pieces?

Eagle Hospitality Trust to swim or sink with Temasek Holdings?

In November 2019, The Edge Singapore revealed toxic inspection reports and a letter from the City of Long Beach to Urban Commons, sponsor of Eagle Hospitality Trust. In that letter, it was alleged that Urban Commons failed to meet obligations under The Queen Mary ground lease to make certain repairs required under the lease agreement.

Since that episode, the unit price of Eagle Hospitality Trust spiralled out of control, falling from USD0.70 to USD0.50. Amid the outbreak of the coronavirus, the unit price got bombed out to reach the abysmal level of USD0.14. But this is not all.

The once-in-a-century pandemic crisis has sparked a meltdown in SIA share price. Over the decades, SIA share price had endured the threats from Asia Financial Crisis (1997), 9/11 terrorist attacks (2001), SARS (2003) and the Great Financial Crisis of 2008). But the current COVID-19 crisis is unprecedented and provide a formidable challenge for the national carrier.

SIA share price crashed into wall

SIA share price nearing 20-year low

SIA share price in crisis mode

It seems that SIA share price is forced into a corner as various countries imposed travel restrictions and lockdowns to curb the spread of the virus. On 22 March 2020, Singapore government barred all short-term visitors from entering or transiting through Singapore. The latest measure will be the final nail in the coffin for SIA share price.

The slew of border control restrictions had led to SIA cutting flight capacity. At this point of writing, SIA Group had slashed 96% of its capacity till end April and grounded 138 of its parent and SilkAir aircraft. The latest development is pushing SIA share price to the edge of the cliff.

Given the grim outlook for SIA share price, will Singapore government intervene? Being the pride of our nation, Singapore Airlines is definitely a strategic asset that we cannot afford to lose.

Is this the beginning of the end for SIA share price? Amid the global coronavirus outbreak, SIA share price plummeted to new lows not seen even during the SARS period in 2003. During the SARS period, SIA had also cut flight capacity and put staff on no-pay leave. Even so, SIA share price did not drop below $8.00. Given that the number of Covid-19 infections have yet to peak, how low will SIA share price go?

In a reminder of how dreadful the situation is, Singapore budget airline, Jetstar Asia had grounded its entire fleet while Singapore Airlines cuts capacity by half. At Price/Book Value of just 0.65, SIA share price is currently trading way below its book value. But before you go bargain hunting, beware of catching a falling knife.

SIA share price nearing 20-year low

SIA share price in crisis mode

Amazingly, during the SARS of 2003, SIA still managed to clock in a decent amount of profits. But this time round, I expect SIA to book its first ever annual loss due to the rapid shut down of every major market by governments in a bid to stop the infection spread. Thus, expect a massive bout of meltdown in SIA share price, possibly to $2.00 in the coming days.