REITs with overseas assets has become increasingly popular and have proliferated on the SGX in recent years. These REITs span across all sub-sectors from classes from office, retail, industrial to even data centres. As an investor, what are the things to look out for before investing in REITs with overseas assets vs those that focus on Singapore only? We won’t mention REITs that have a mix of Singapore and overseas assets, such as Suntec REIT, because they are more difficult to analyze compared to those solely with foreign or Singapore assets. This difficulty arises because the local/foreign asset mix has a differing impact on performance, risk and returns. First up, let’s see which REITs have solely foreign assets and which only have Singapore assets. Singapore Foreign Office Ca

In late March this year, Mapletree Greater China Commercial Trust (SGX: RW0U) announced its proposed acquisition of six properties in Japan. This would mark the REIT’s maiden entry into Japan after it announced an expansion of its investment mandate on January 2018 to include the country. In this article, I will dissect how this acquisition might affect Mapletree Greater China Commercial Trust’s unitholders. A peek into the REIT As a quick introduction, Mapletree Greater China Commercial Trust is a REIT that currently has a portfolio of three properties. These properties are: Festival Walk, a retail mall in Hong Kong; Gateway Plaza, an office building in Beijing; and Sandhill Plaza, a business park development in Shanghai. If the proposed acquisition of the properties in Japan does

During DBS’ recent investor conference for S-REITs, DBS notes that there is increasing interest to re-enter S-REITs at lower prices. While the market expects yields to be inching higher, the upside surprise stems from an expected rebound in rental growth rates, making it a strong case for S-REIT investments. DBS: REIT Managers Looking For Growth Opportunities REIT managers have been turning more positive as the macro-economic data points indicate that the economy is getting better in time to come. Declining supply risk across various sub-sectors (office, hotels and industrial) has also alleviated fears and set the stage for gradual rebound in organic growth for S-REITs. In addition, REIT managers are also ambitiously looking for opportunities to grow inorganically. A number of REIT manag

Amber Park, Royalville en bloc sales pushing up prices in vicinity RESALE prices of existing condos and private apartments in District 15, which includes the Katong and Amber Road areas, as well as District 10 have risen significantly following news of the Amber Park and Royalville collective sales last year. Edmund Tie & Co’s caveats analysis of URA Realis data also showed that in some instances, prices of larger units in the resale market have seen a bigger price hike compared with smaller units. Analysts say resale prices of existing homes are being driven up by strong demand for replacement homes by cash-flush individuals and families who have sold their homes through collective sales in the nearby areas, among other factors. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push(

MARKET OVERVIEW- The overnight sell off in the US tech sector could hit sentiment in SG tech-related manufacturers, spurring heavy downward pressure on profit-taking activities.- Technically, the STI sees support at 3,400 and topside resistance at 3,485.SECTOR WATCH*Aviation- Passenger traffic at Changi Airport for Feb rose 5.6% (Jan: +0.9%) to 4.93m, boosted by more travelling trips over the Chinese New Year holiday.- Aircraft movements were 6% higher at 29,700 landings and take-offs, while cargo throughput inched up 1.4% to 148,930 tonnes.- Strengthening traffic growth would be positive for aviation services providers SATS (Buy, TP $5.70) and SIA Engineering (Hold, TP $3.50).POSITIVE NEWS*Sembcorp Marine- Secured a contract from TechnipFMC for EPC of the hull and living quarters for a ne

Mapletree Commercial Trust (MCT) was listed on the SGX on 27 April 2011. It invests in a portfolio of retail and office properties in Singapore worth S$6.35 billion as of 31 January 2018. It’s most well-known property is VivoCity, the largest shopping mall in Singapore. In this article, I’ll discuss the contributions of each property to MCT from its IPO to now, the potential risks to MCT and an update on the REIT’s plans in the immediate future. Here are 12 things you need to know about Mapletree Commercial Trust before you invest. Initial portfolio Mapletree Commercial Trust listed with an initial portfolio of three properties measuring worth S$2.8 billion. They include: 1. VivoCity is MCT’s trophy asset and remains the largest shopping mall in Singapore. The mall serves as the so

Mapletree Greater China Commercial Trust (SGX: RW0U) is a REIT that owns properties in China and Hong Kong. At the moment, it has three properties in its portfolio: Festival Walk, Gateway Plaza, and Sandhill Plaza. There are two things about the REIT that investors may want to know about right now: Its latest financial performance and valuation. Financial performance The table below shows important items from Mapletree Greater China Commercial Trust’s income statement for the third quarter of its financial year ending 31 March 2018 (FY17/18). The reporting period is from 1 October 2017 to 31 December 2017: Source: Mapletree Greater China Commercial Trust FY17/18 third quarter earnings press release We can see that the REIT had a good quarter, as there was growth in gross revenu

Between 2005 and 2013, Mapletree Logistics Trust (MLT), Mapletree Industrial Trust (MIT), Mapletree Commercial Trust (MCT) and Mapletree Greater China Commercial Trust (MGCCT) listed on SGX. Combined market cap of these REITs grew 2.6x to present. The four Mapletree REITS have averaged 14.5% distribution-inclusive returns from IPO date to present & currently maintain an average 6.0% distribution yield. MIT has been the strongest performer of the four REITs, with 18.2% average annualised total returns. The four Mapletree REITs complete their FY18 with the March quarter. All four REITs have reported YoY growth in net property income (NPI) for 9M18. Mapletree Investments was established in December 2000 to hold non-port properties transferred from PSA Corporation to Temasek Holdings

Temasek, which began its operations in 1974, is one of the Singapore government’s investment arms. It has been actively investing in both Singapore and foreign shores since its beginning. As of 31 March 2017, Temasek’s net portfolio value was S$275 billion, with 29% of its investments in Singapore, and the rest in regions such as China, Rest of Asia, and North America. Since inception, Temasek’s annualised total shareholder return (in Singapore dollar terms) is a commendable 15%. According to a recent report by bourse operator Singapore Exchange Limited (SGX: S68), Keppel Corporation Limited (SGX: BN4) is one of Temasek’s significant Singapore-listed investments and is also one of its best performing stocks over a 20-year period; in that time frame, Keppel Corp’s annualised tota

In late January, Mapletree Greater China Commercial Trust  (SGX: RW0U) released its third quarter earnings report for the financial year ending 31 March 2018 (FY17/18). As a quick introduction, Mapletree Greater China Commercial Trust has properties in China and Hong Kong. At the moment, the real estate investment trust (REIT) has three properties in its portfolio: Festival Walk, Gateway Plaza, and Sandhill Plaza. The Manager of Mapletree Greater China Commercial Trust had given a presentation on the trust’s latest results. In the presentation deck, I saw three slides on the REIT’s business that I think investors should pay attention to. The first slide shows a summary of Mapletree Greater China Commercial Trust’s income statement for the reporting quarter: Source: Mapletree Gr

In late January, Mapletree Greater China Commercial Trust (SGX: RW0U) released its third quarter earnings report for the financial year ending 31 March 2018 (FY17/18). As a quick introduction, Mapletree Greater China Commercial Trust has properties in China and Hong Kong. At the moment, the real estate investment trust (REIT) has three properties in its portfolio: Festival Walk, Gateway Plaza, and Sandhill Plaza. Here are nine things investors should know about the REIT’s latest results: 1. Gross revenue for the reporting quarter grew 0.7% to S$88.5 million while net property income was flat at S$71.4 million. 2. The REIT’s distribution per unit (DPU) was up by 5.1% year-on-year to 1.868 cents. 3. Based on MGCCT’s annualized DPU of 7.443 cents (calculated using its year-to-date DPU

For the year to date until 22nd Jan, REITs have returned on average 2.6%. On an annualized basis, returns would be close to 50%. However, that large number is but of course due to the short term positive return. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});  Returns will likely be volatile over the next few months as the Fed signals their intention to return to a normalized interest rate level – impacting interest rate sensitive REITs. Those with higher gearing such as IREIT Global, Mapletree Greater China Commercial Trust, Soilbuild REIT and Viva Industrial Trust may be at risk due to higher interest burdens. The returns for the various sectors are as follows: Office: 2.8% Retail: 1.8% Industrial: 2.5% Hospitality: 4.2% Healthcare: 0.9% Data centre (only Keppel DC REI

The Straits Times Index (SGX: ^STI) started 2017 at 2,881 points and ended the year 18.1% higher at 3,403. Yet, this healthy return does not imply that all types of stocks in the local market did well. Fortunately for investors who like real estate investment trusts, 2017 was a year in which REITs had a respectable performance; in the 12 months ended 8 January 2018, REITs in Singapore’s market had produced a return of around 18%. But this being said, not every REIT had generated double-digit returns in the past year. This article is the first in a short series which will look at the best and worst performing REITs in 2017. It will focus on three REITs that produced a good return in the year. The first one on the list is Mapletree Greater China Commercial Trust (SGX: RW0U), a REIT tha

The Straits Times Index (SGX: ^STI) started 2017 at 2,881 points and ended the year 18.1% higher at 3,403. Yet, this healthy return does not imply that all types of stocks in the local market did well. In this article, I want to share some information about how different sectors (as defined by the Global Industry Classification Standard, or GICS) had performed over the past year, based on data published by stock exchange operator Singapore Exchange. Here they are: 1. In the 12 months ended 8 January 2018,  the two best performing sectors in our local stock market were Materials and Information Technology. The former was up by 110%, whilst the latter was up by 103%. 2. For the same period in the first point, the two worst performing sectors were Energy and Telecommunication Services.

Mapletree Greater China Commercial Trust (MGCCT) announced on the 26-April-2017, an available distribution per unit (DPU) of 1.959 Singapore cents for 4Q FY16/17, up 1.9 per cent year on year.A total combined DPU (Q3 & Q4) of 3.731 cents will be distributed on the half-yearly basis. With the payout expected on 29-May.My REIT portfolio consists of 35,000 shares in MGCCT, which will translate to a healthy dividend of SGD $1305.85. I look forward to receiving dividends from this counter!More analysis to follow.

Its the earnings season once again and many of us REIT uniholders are excited at the performance of our holdings during this challenging year of 2016. With the recent volatility in the global stock markets caused by BREXIT, REIT play has come back into focus. Several central banks around the world have declared their intent on providing stimulus to their tepid economies and the widely expected fed rate hike for December is likely to be postponed. This is good news to those that are vested in REITs (Like myself).Perhaps now is the time to take a look at some of the best performing and highest yielding REITs listed on the SGX.The REITs with the Highest Dividends, as of July 2016, are as follows: REIT Period Mkt DPU cts Yield NAV Gearing Sabana REIT Q1 – Mar16 $0.54 1.33 1

Net Worth Update AssetsJUN-2016POSB$2,594.85SCB$1000.00UOB$500.02OCBC$212,719.78UOB (Current Account)$3,000.00Stock Holdings$51,061.91Physical cash$240.00Total Assets$271,116.56 LiabilitiesCredit Card 1 (UOB)$0.00Credit Card 2 (OCBC)$4,825.84Credit Card 3 (SCB)$0.00Supplementary Card 1$0.00Total Liabilities$4,825.84Received Dividends for the quarter Mar-Jun16.Mapletree Greater China Commercial Trust - $1319.85Yangzijiang - $405.00Increased spending for the month of June, mainly due to spending on pre-natal lessons, preparations for confinement nanny and baby stuff.No changes to my stock portfolio as market continues on the uptrend.Yours,Dream Chaser

Mapletree Greater China Commercial Trust ("MGCCT") has just released their full year results for the FY15/16.The main take away from the results is that there has been a record 10.8% DPU growth, resulting in the full Distribution per Unit (“DPU”) of 7.248 cents for FY15/16. This gives an approximate yield of 7.6% (Based on the closing price of $0.955 - on 31-MAR).FY15/16 gross revenue grew 19.7% to S$336.6 million compared to FY14/15, while net property income (“NPI”) rose 21.0% to S$277.5 million compared to FY14/15. The year-on-year growth in revenue and NPI was mainly due to strong rental uplifts from both Festival Walk and Gateway Plaza, additional income contribution from Sandhill Plaza.So here are the take-aways:1. Steady growth in NPI and D

S-REITsEver since i have started my investing journey, i have always been fascinated by the yield accretive returns of the Singapore Real Estate Investment Trusts (S-REITs). Despite the global market turmoils, ailing commodities and oil markets, the S-REITs continue to churn out decent and stable income streams. It is without a doubt that i would recommend to hold a good REIT (with a healthy debt ratio) in everyone's investment portfolio. Without considering other equities (with potentially higher risks), I decided to do a quick comparisons of yields from a variety of possible investment and fixed income products with respect to my own REIT holdings (MGCT REIT ).Credits: Thomson Reuters S-REITs Median Yield* MGCT 7.65% Yield (As at APR)As you can see from the screenshot, S-REITs

The first month of my blog that tracks the growth of my stock portfolio has passed and this is the first monthly update. Two newcomers to my portfolio in last few days of October; Mapletree Greater China Commercial Trust & Hong Leong Finance Limited.I have also traded OCBC and with the profit gained, part of it is used to bring down the cost of this stock in my portfolio. I track the amount of money used in my short term trading and long term stock holding separately.So, here is my latest stock portfolio as of 31st October 2014:StockLots% of PortfolioOCBC Bank125.80%Starhub111.00%Mapletree GCC Trust410.06%ST Engineering19.76%Cambridge Industrial Trust59.59%Singtel19.57%Sheng Siong58.78%SATS18.36%Hong Leong Finance17.09%Total invested capital is S$36,810.Based on the closing price