There are 34 Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), five stapled trusts and three property trusts listed on Singapore’s stock exchange. The sector has a combined market capitalisation of nearly S$100 billion, with Retail, Industrial and Office REITs making up the largest segments. In general, the REIT structure is one of Singapore investors’ favourite investment vehicles, mainly due to the predictability of their earnings over the long term. Yet, not all REITs are created equally, and some perform stronger than the rest over the longer term. In this article, I’ll look at three best-performing Singapore REITs in the last three years (data as of 26 April 2019). REIT 1 The first REIT on our list is Mapletree Logistics Trust (SGX: M44U). As a quick introduction, Mapletree Log

There are many shares in Singapore’s stock market that pay a dividend. Some pay a dividend on a quarterly basis, some do it semi-annually, while there are others who pay a dividend only once every year. A recent report from the local bourse operator Singapore Exchange Limited  (SGX: S68) shed some light on the 10 biggest stocks here that pay quarterly dividends. Here are some highlights from the report. Eight out of the top ten stocks on the list above are real estate investment trusts (REITs). Some of the names are CapitaLand Mall Trust (SGX: C38U), Suntec Real Estate Investment Trust (SGX: T82U), SPH REIT (SGX: SK6U), and Keppel REIT (SGX: K17U). Four out of the eight REITs are related to Mapletree. These are Mapletree Commercial Trust (SGX: N2IU), Mapletree Industrial Trust (SG

Frasers Hospitality Trust (SGX: ACV) continued to face challenges in the quarter ended 31 March. The hospitality trust that owns a portfolio of 15 properties saw its gross revenue and distribution per security (DPS) decline 7.6% and 11.5%, respectively. Here are the key takeaway highlights. Financial performance Source: Frasers Hospitality Trust FY18/19 Q2 Earnings Press Release As you can see, the numbers certainly don’t look good. All key operating numbers declined in the quarter, with DPS dropping by double digits. The lower net property income was due to weaker performance in the trust’s Australia, Malaysia, and Japan portfolios. On top of that, the strong Singapore dollar negatively impacted the trust’s earnings and distributable income. Foreign currency fluctuations accounte

Dividend investing is an amazing process – you purchase shares of a company which then give out regular streams of cash which flow into your pocket over time. However, as with anything in life, chasing after too much of a good thing may end up being harmful. While dividends do excite investors, they have to be wary of companies that seem to be paying a dividend yield which is much higher than the norm. So let’s break down why investors should be cautious about high yields. Don’t go chasing high yields Investors need to observe the average dividend yield of a basket of similar stocks within the same industry. This provides a great benchmark as to how high a yield one can reasonably expect to obtain. A good example would be the real estate investment trust (REIT) sector – the

Mapletree North Asia Commercial Trust (SGX: RW0U) or MNACT is a Singapore-based commercial real estate investment trust (REIT) with nine properties in China, Hong Kong, and Japan. 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 MNACT’s financial performance for the financial year ending 31 March 2019 (FY18/19). Source: MNACT Result Presentation The above is a table from MNACT latest earnings update. Overall, all metrics improved on a year-on-year basis. The strong performance was due to new acquisitions, higher occupancy rates and positive rental reversions. Cindy Chow, chief executive of the REIT’s Manager, said: “The Manager’s proactive asset and capital

Bear markets are brutal and savage events that can leave many investors scarred and horrified. Sometimes investors get mauled so badly by the bear that they quit investing altogether and park their money in “safe” savings and deposit accounts, not caring if their money is eroded by inflation. Such investors may not be aware of how to react during a bear market. A bear market is characterised by three distinct phases of psychology. By understanding each phase, investors can become more aware of how they should think about companies and also how to deploy their capital. With this knowledge, investors can hopefully improve their performances and have peace of mind. Denial phase In the denial phase, the market takes a dip from bull-market highs. However, the majority of market part

The above question has probably been asked by investors for many decades, and it seems to be a key reason investors hesitate when it comes to buying shares of a company. Companies are technically not legally obligated to pay a dividend, unlike bonds issued, where the coupon payment is a contractual obligation. And yet, there are many companies that not only pay regular dividends, but some are so predictable that investors rely on them for an almost certain source of income. Companies pay out dividends for a variety of reasons, and investors who know how to choose the right dividend-paying companies are able to enjoy an almost uninterrupted flow of passive income. Even though companies may not be obligated to pay a dividend, there are cases where management feels somewhat compelled to do so

Mapletree North Asia Commercial Trust (SGX: RW0U) or “MNACT” for short, is a Singapore-listed real estate investment trust (REIT) with properties in China, Hong Kong, and Japan. It currently has nine properties in its portfolio; Festival Walk, Gateway Plaza and Sandhill Plaza, and six properties in Japan. The portfolio has a total book value of S$7.6 billion as of 31 March 2019. MNACT released full-year results for FY2018/19 last night. Let’s dive into it to find out how it performed. Financial highlights The following’s a quick summary of the financial figures for the reporting quarter: Gross revenue for the year came in at S$408.7 million, up 15.1% year-on-year. Net property income (NPI) followed suit, increasing by 14.6% to S$329.0 million. The robust growth in reven

In the first quarter of 2019, local benchmark Straits Times Index ended flat as investors juggled between worries about higher US recession risks and the impending outcome of the US-China trade talks. The only bright spot was the S-REIT sector as it outperformed on the Fed’s dovish interest rate hike forecast. The slowdown in hike came from lower GDP growth expectations and rising unemployment, leading to the inversion of US yield curve to heighten recession fears. According to DBS, here are three investment strategies for you to jumpstart your portfolio. Investors Takeaway: 3 Investment Strategies To Jumpstart Your Portfolio By DBS Strategy 1: ‘Peak’ Interest Rate, Uncertain Growth Environment Calls For Greater Focus On Yield/Defensive Stocks According to the Fed’s dot plot, they

Singapore investors are always looking for high-dividend stocks to invest in. While it may look lucrative to invest in companies with high dividends, we should also think about it from a risk standpoint – any investment that pays a higher return also tends to have higher risk. Finding companies that pay high dividends may also be time consuming, or we may get outdated or even bad advice from family, friends and even online sources that cannot be trusted. To get started on finding these companies on our own, and looking into its fundamentals more, we can use SGX’s stock screener, StockFacts. Read Also: StockFacts: All The Latest News & Financials You Need To Know Before Investing In SGX Stocks Using SGX StockFacts To Find The Companies With The Best Dividends In this article, we use

This week, news broke that big-name furniture and electronics retailer Courts Asia will be delisted from SGX after its acquisition by Nojima Asia Pacific, who would own 90.07% of Courts Asia, thus causing it to not fulfil the free float requirement to remain public. This comes after last month’s news that Singapore’s third largest telco, M1, will also be delisted, following its acquisition by a joint venture between Keppel Corporation and Singapore Press Holdings. Read Also: 4 Stocks This Week (M1 Acquisition) [28 September 2018] – Keppel; Keppel T&T; SPH; M1 One advantage of investing based on indices like the Straits Times Index (STI) is that it is self-regenerating. Index constituents are periodically reviewed (quarterly, in STI’s case) and reconstituted if particular stock

After ending 2018 on a bad note, the performance of the stock market in the first two months of 2019 has gave investors a reason to cheer. If you are looking to repeat the splendid performance, here are some strategies for you to consider. Investors Takeaway: 3 Strategies If You Want To Beat The Market Again By DBS Take Advantage Of Interest In S-REITs With Fed Chairman Powell re-iterating the Fed’s dovish stance to be patient on rate hikes, interest in REITs should sustain going forward. The consensus now appears to be zero rate hikes for this year as the Fed continues to monitor how the economy evolves. Previously, DBS recommended investors to focus on large cap REITs in resilient segments such as retail and industrial (warehouse and business parks). DBS likes these large cap REITs f

The US Federal Reserve has indicated that 2019 will likely see slower interest rate hikes. This comes on the back of mounting macroeconomic uncertainties, that has seen investors turn to less risky investments. This may benefit REITs in three ways: # 1 Traditionally, REITs take on a lot of debt to fund its capital-intensive property investments. Slower interest rate hikes in 2019 will ease the growing pressure on REITs, in terms of debt repayment. # 2 Markets are efficient – which means that prices of REITs would have taken into consideration that rate hikes would continue as normal. This stance of slowing down the interest rate hikes in 2019 is new information for the market, and may give REITs a boost. (Do note that most of this new information should already be priced into the markets

With the 90-day truce in the US-China trade war coming to a halfway mark, attention is now on the outcome of those talks. While the news so far appears to be indicating that the talks will end in a positive note, it is hardly a foregone conclusion. Things could still change in a swift if either party changes its mind. So, what happens if the US-China trade talks fall apart? Investors Takeaway: 3 Things To Do If US-China Trade Talks Go Wrong By DBS Stay Invested In REITs S-REITs managed to put in the second-best performance in 2H18 after healthcare. According to DBS, S-REITs should continue to garner investors’ interest as bond yields are still pressured by the Fed turning more dovish. The Federal Reserve’s previous guidance in December last year pointed to two interest rate hikes in

We take a look at 9 points from Mapletree North Asia Commercial Trust’s (SGX: RW0U)) latest result announcement.

Imagine yourself as a business owner who is looking out for a retail shop in an upper-scale mall located across either Singapore or Hongkong. The location could be located at the prestige Orchard Road or the Vivocity of Singapore or on the other sider at the oceanfront Harbour City or Times Square of Hongkong. Either location you choose are going to get you sales and visibility for your product or services, which based on historical evidence are evident on their traffic footprint.Singapore RetailI blogged earlier this month here on the 6th Jan 2019 on the back of SPH Reit's rental reversion results that we are going to see better days for Starhill, which I am very heavily vested in.Since then, Starhill's share price has went up from 67.5 cents to the closing price of 71