VICOM Limited (SGX: V01) is Singapore’s leading test and inspection services centre. The group was incorporated in 1981 and listed on the Singapore stock exchange in 1995, and has, over the years, greatly expanded its range of services to include testing and inspection in fields such as mechanical, biochemical and non-destructive testing. VICOM is a subsidiary of ComfortDelgro Corporation Limited (SGX: C52), the world’s second-largest transport company. VICOM’s business mainly centres on conducting vehicle inspections as mandated by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and has a dominant market share in Singapore of more than 75%. The other major player in vehicle inspection is STA Inspection, which is a member of Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd (SGX: S63) and has f

Frasers Centrepoint Trust (SGX: J69U), or FCT, is a real estate investment trust (REIT) with a portfolio comprising of the following suburban retail properties in Singapore: Causeway Point, Northpoint City North Wing (including Yishun 10 Retail Podium), Anchorpoint, YewTee Point, Bedok Point, Changi City Point, and Waterway Point (one-third interest). It also holds a 31.15% stake in Hektar Real Estate Investment Trust (KLSE: 5121), a retail-focused REIT in Malaysia. There are two things to know about the REIT right now: its latest financial performance and valuation. Financial performance Here is a table showing important items from FCT’s financial performance for the third quarter of financial year ending 30 September 2019 (FY19). Source: FCT Result Presentation Overall, we c

Globally, real estate investment trusts (REITs) have performed well this year. The low-interest-rate environment and uncertainty surrounding geopolitical events have seen investors flock to the safe havens of REITs. It is, therefore, no surprise to see that two of the three best-performing constituents of the FTSE ST Mid Cap Index over the first eight months of 2019 were REITs. The two REITs were also rewarded with inclusion into key indices that will increase their profile to investors. Mapletree Commercial Trust (SGX: N2IU) will replace Hutchison Port Hldg Trust (SGX: NS8U) in the Straits Times Index (SGX: ^STI), while Frasers Centrepoint Trust (SGX: J69U) will become part of the FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Global Real Estate Index Series.  Here are some things to note about the Mapletree Com

Since I bought Frasers Logistics and Industrial Trust (SGX: BUOU) last year at an average price of S$1.05, its units have climbed around 15%. Despite the run-up in price, I still believe it remains an attractive investment. With that in mind, here are three reasons why I intend to hold on to this industrial-focused real estate investment trust (REIT) for now. Favourable leases Frasers Logistics and Industrial Trust, which is backed by property giant Frasers Property Ltd (SGX: TQ5), boasts a solid portfolio of properties with favourable leases. As of 30 June 2019, it had 59 Australian properties and 22 European properties.  The properties in Australia have a weighted average lease expiry of six years and negotiated annual rental increment of 3.1%. 92% of its European properties a

Amidst the widespread sell-offs in global equities including the Singapore blue chips, S-REITs showed resilience. High yields, along with a retreating interest rate outlook, gave investors a compelling reason to remain invested. As the trade war between the US and China escalates up a notch, central banks around the world (from the US to EU and China) have been shifting to more accommodative policies to sustain the shaky economic environment.  Relative to other major bourses, S-REITs are amongst the highest yield, making them even more attractive. Given this backdrop, here are three S-REITs to go long on in spite of the weak outlook.  Ascendas REIT Within the industrial space, the market seemed to have consolidated and both demand and supply are now more supportive. While still susceptib

While most investors invest in REITs to obtain a steady stream of dividend income, the fact is that REITs also grow over time, either through organic means (through asset enhancement initiatives or renovations) or through mergers and acquisitions. Acquisitions are a favoured method because it will instantly provide a boost to both asset size (and value) and usually also comes with an increase in distribution per unit (DPU). Investors need to be discerning though – not all acquisitions are beneficial for the REIT. Some assets may be sub-par, and even for quality assets, REITs may also end up over-paying for them, resulting in value destruction for existing unitholders. Investors should carefully size up the facts and figures relating to each acquisition to assess if it boosts the ove

As one of the most popular investments in Singapore, we keep a close eye on the performance of S-REITs. After the corporate earnings announcements each quarter, we compile a comprehensive summary on our REITs Report Card column. How Singapore REITs Share Prices Have Fared In 2019, So Far Before we look at how individual REIT prices have moved, let’s look at the broad S-REIT indices in Singapore. There are two main indices – the iEdge S-REIT Index and the iEdge S-REIT 20 Index. The iEdge S-REIT Index comprises all the REITs listed in Singapore, while the iEdge S-REIT 20 Index, as its name suggests, only comprise the 20 largest and more tradeable REITs on the iEdge S-REIT Index. Read Also: Complete Guide To Investing In Singapore REITs The chart below depicts the iEdge S-REIT Index fluc

The Trade War is escalating.You can feel that coming as investors as you read the news that both Trump and Xi had continuously been playing a game of cat and mouse and it appears there's no way both could get a mutual agreement that might compromise one another.Last night was a bloodbath as Dow was down more than 600+ points while Nasdaq had fallen by 3%.It's pretty drastic in my opinion, but we are getting the hang of it with Trump.Up 2% on one night, down 3% the next day, and then up another 2%, and then down another 3%.Monday is going to be interesting especially for our STI index which is still at 3,110, and are still up by about 4-5% (inclusive of dividend) year to date.Not cool at all given we want a bigger drop like the ones we've seen most recently in 2016, at the very least.The ye

Frasers Centrepoint Trust (SGX: J69U) and CapitaLand Mall Trust (SGX: C38U) are both real estate investment trusts (REITs) that own a portfolio of shopping malls in Singapore. Over the last five years, CapitaLand Mall Trust has seen its share price rise 31.5%, while Frasers Centrepoint Trust’s shares have clocked a gain of 37.2%. Both companies have given long-term investors plenty to smile about when we consider that each of them have paid out consistent dividends throughout the years. Coupled with the fact that the SPDR Straits Times Index ETF, a low-cost exchange-traded fund that tracks Singapore’s stock market barometer, the Straits Times Index, delivered a cumulative gain of just 15.4% over the same period. But which retail mall makes the better investment over the next f

Investors choose to invest in real estate investment trusts (REITs) mainly for income, as REITs are investment vehicles that own income-generating properties. These properties provide steady, consistent and recurring rental income for the REIT, and regulations stipulate that 90% of a REIT’s earnings have to be paid out as distributions to unitholders. While the stability of a REIT’s distribution is a key attraction for investors, an added bonus will be REITs that are able to deliver consistent increases in their distribution per unit (DPU) over the long-term. Such REITs engage in a variety of methods to grow both their asset bases and their DPU. Such methods include organic growth initiatives such as asset enhancement initiatives and positive rental reversions, as well as acqu

Frasers Centrepoint Trust (SGX: J69U) announced a small dip in its distribution, but investors should look forward to a better long-term performance with its recent acquisitions.

S-REITs have been putting in a strong performance since the start of 2019. This continues to grow as a benign interest rate environment and a deteriorating macro backdrop shifts investors into S-REITs. According to MBKE, investors eyeing returns from both yields and growth should continue to find value in S-REITs. Among the S-REITs, here are five S-REITs that MBKE recommends for investors who are looking for yield and growth. Investors Takeaway: 5 S-REITs That Investors Should Own For Yield And Growth By MBKE Ascendas REIT A-REIT is the largest and most liquid REIT among the S-REITs. MBKE likes A-REIT for its scale and views A-REIT as the best proxy for a recovering industrial sector, thanks to its concentrated business-park and high-spec portfolio. Moving forward, A-REIT is planning to

On 16th May 2019, Frasers Centrepoint Trust made an announcement on acquisition of a 33.33% interest in Waterway Point and equity fund rising (private placement and preferential offering) of no less than approximately S$421.7 million to be used in the acquisition.  The private placement price was S$2.382/unit and preferential offering which retail investors get to involve was S$2.35/unit.Like what was mentioned in Journey To Retirement Part 16 -- Frasers Centrepoint Trust, one of the potential upside for the stock is acquisition of Waterway Point and three years after that the objective has been met.When I first invested in 2016 at a price of $1.80 (the lowest price level since 2016, which months later strategically became $1.6314), the reason for me willing to invest rather than wait

If you're searching for income investment ideas, you should learn more about Frasers Centrepoint Trust (SGX: J69U) now.

The implementation of additional tariffs on Chinese imports sent markets reeling. Although trade talks are ongoing and there may still be possibilities for a deal, economists and analysts are anticipating that ramifications are beginning to bite. Amidst the uncertainties and a global economic slowdown, the STI shines as one of the most attractive markets in ASEAN to invest in, given its low price-to-earnings and high dividend yield. According to MBKE, against this backdrop, there are still some interesting names that investors can find within the small/mid-cap space. Here are five small/mid-cap stocks that MBKE thinks you should be adding into your portfolio to prepare for 2H19. Investors Takeaway: 5 Small/Mid-Cap Stocks To Add to Your Portfolio By MBKE CDL Hospitality Trusts CDL Hospit

In part three of this 4-part series, we turn our attention to REITs that investors should own in 2H19 despite their mediocre results in the latest earnings performance. Investors Takeaway: 3 REITs To Own In 2H19 Despite A Mediocre 1Q19 Performance Frasers Centrepoint Trust Frasers Centrepoint Trust recorded its highest quarterly DPU in 2Q19, thanks to higher revenue, lower utilities expenses and lower property tax. Rental reversion continued its positive momentum into 2Q19 with Causeway Point putting in a strong rental reversion of 6.2 percent. Besides rental reversion improvements, shopper traffic also rose by 2.4 percent in 2Q19. Every suburban mall in Frasers Centrepoint Trust’s portfolio except Bedok Mall saw higher shopper traffic, helping the Trust to register a result that was l

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) are a favourite investment for Singapore investors. This is primarily due to its property-heavy investments and relatively high distribution yields. REITs Share Price Performance In 1st Half 2019 The first aspect of figuring out how REITs have done in the first half of 2019 is to look at how its share price has moved in the year-to-date (ytd) 2019. The chart below shows the price movements of the SGX S-REIT 20 Index, comprising the top 20 REITs listed in Singapore. As we can see, its share price has increased 10.3% since the start of the year, to 1337.3. However, looking at the past quarter, prices does look like it has taken a slight dip. Source: ShareInvestor In general, REITs have had a strong performance, in terms of just price appreciation, in th

With more than 40 real estate investment trusts (REITs) and property trusts, the Singapore Exchange (SGX) is a haven for those who are looking to invest in real estates. This makes sense as many Singapore investors have a penchant for investing in properties, both locally and overseas. REITs are a great way to get started on investing in properties. Unlike the purchase of physical properties, a REIT investor only needs to make an outlay of a few thousand dollars, as opposed to hundreds of thousands of dollars. In addition, investors will enjoy greater diversification as each REIT they invest in already own multiple properties. Also, investors do not have to worry about the hassle of managing the properties since the REITs manager will already be managing the assets for them. Read Also: In

Here are another two reasons why I believe Frasers Centrepoint Trust (SGX: J69U) can continue to raise its dividend.

Frasers Centrepoint Trust (SGX: J69U) is one of the most well-known retail REITs in Singapore. But the key question is: can it continue raising its dividend?