The Straits Times Index (STI) comprises the 30 largest and most actively traded stocks in Singapore. They include well-known Singapore companies such DBS, SingTel, CapitaLand, Keppel Corp and Wilmar. This is why it is often used as the benchmark return for Singapore investors. Investors who are experienced or prefer to embark on active investment strategies will try to beat the benchmark returns, while new investors or those who prefer to embark on a passive investment strategy will try to match the benchmark return. The simplest way to match the benchmark return will typically invest in the STI exchange traded fund (ETF) – either the SPDR STI ETF or the Nikko AM Singapore STI ETF. Read Also: SPDR STI ETF VS Nikko AM Singapore STI ETF: What’s The Difference Between These 2 Straits Time

When it comes to investing in technology stocks, the SGX may not be the first exchange that comes to mind when screening for exciting or suitable companies. While it may be true that the Facebooks and Alphabets, or the Alibabas and Tencents, may be listed in the US, Hong Kong and China, SGX still offers a compelling tech play – to invest in the companies that manufacture the hardware and semiconductors that the “tech giants” will use. On SGX’s StockFacts platform, we found that there were 70 companies listed under the Software and IT Services (17), Technology Equipment (46) and Telecommunications Services (7) sectors. 15 of these companies have a market capitalisation of over $100 million, and of these, the five best performers delivered an average total return of 77.7% in the y

I have nothing much to update for my SRS portfolio. I sold off my OCBC Bank in my last post and the decision to sell UMS Holdings at 80.5 cents turned out to be a bad one 🤕  It continue to run all the way to 95 cents and that represents a "loss" of $14,500 (assuming i sold at 95 cents). Ouch! 😫 I received 773 stock dividends from Frasers Commercial Trust at the end of November and that

I sold off my 5,000 shares of OCBC Bank from my SRS account this week at $11 per share. The “dividend” for less than 3 months is around $1,238. Coupled with the sale of UMS Holdings earlier, the cash balance in the SRS account ballooned to $196,000. I am taking advantage of the “feel good” sentiments from the US-China trade reprieve to take some money off the table. In my view, the trade

It was quite funny that right after my last blog post in mid-October, UMS Holdings went "bonkers" and sky rocketed by more than 25% in two weeks. I decide to sell the stock at 80.5 cents from my SRS account this week and crystallise a profit of $26,603. Including the $500 dividend received from UMS in October 2019, the total dividend received from UMS since investing in this counter was $12,300.

When we invest in the stock market, we typically want to grow our wealth. This comes in two main ways – either in long-term price appreciation or receiving a dividend payout. According to SGX, analysts are recommending that investors include high-yielding and defensive stocks, on the back of increasing geopolitical uncertainty and slowing global growth. To find these companies, we can look at the FTSE ST Small Cap Index, which has a combined market capitalisation of $37 billion, and comprise 49 constituents, out of which 20 are REITs. The dividends these companies pay us can be used to provide added financial muscle in subsequent investments we make, give us the freedom of going on a holiday or making a luxury purchase for “free”, or even allow us to use for our living expenses if we

Information technology (IT) can be considered a sunrise industry as it offers great future prospects for enhancing our quality of life. The sector itself is large and varied, ranging from companies that manufacture components for the electronics industry to software companies that write programs for clients. SGX has recently highlighted the IT sector as the best-performing sector over first the seven months of 2019, generating a total return of 29.8%. With the ongoing trade dispute between the US and China, electronic manufacturers may witness higher costs seeping into their supply chains, while demand may also remain muted moving forward. However, I believe all these headwinds will eventually pass, and they are currently creating mouth-watering opportunities for long-term investors to pi

Electronic companies can be great candidates for investment if they check all the right boxes, as the focus in the last few years has been on the technological advancements in computers and the internet. This has created a booming industry that has caused demand to surge for electronic components and parts. While some believe the industry remains inherently cyclical and is subject to sharp booms and busts, others feel the cycle has lengthened enough for most companies to be able to make consistent profits. A previous article of mine had questioned whether electronic companies’ businesses had peaked. Though it may seem that many companies in this industry have seen weakening revenue and profit numbers on a year-on-year basis, it still seems worthwhile for investors to sift out the st