The STI fell 7.3 percent in the month of October as trade war worries, rising interest rates and correction in the US stock market weighed on the local market. The underperformance was underlined by weaker performance from property and O&G stocks after new property measures were announced and amidst the oil price correction. DBS: STI To End Year On A Weaker Note Given the uncertainty over impact of the US-China trade war and rising interest rates environment, DBS foresees STI to end on a weaker note at the end of the year. DBS lowered its target for STI from 3,550 to 3,200. In particular, DBS is concerned that bank stocks could be a potential drag for the STI. However, the recent fall in market has created more attractive valuation levels. Going forward, DBS recommends investors to ado

Property stocks have certainly taken a hit in recent months. The Singapore government’s sudden announcement of additional property cooling measures caused related stocks to tumble in July. City Developments Limited (SGX: C09), one of the three property developers in the Straits Times Index (SGX: ^STI) has been one of the hardest hit with prices down more than 26% year-to-date. Last week, CDL released its earnings results for the third quarter of 2018. Here are the important points to take note of. The key numbers 1. Revenue for the quarter was up 17.7% to S$1.0 billion. Gross profit grew 13% to S$485.7 million. 2. Profit before tax was up 4.6% to S$242.5 million, with profit attributable to owners 10.4% higher at S$161.8 million. 3. Year-to-date, basic earnings per share was 48.4 cents,

1. SPH Reit  --  11th Oct 20182. Keppel Reit  --  15th Oct 20183. Keppel DC Reit  --  16th Oct 20184. Kep Infra Trust  --  16th Oct 20185. First Reit  --  16th Oct 20186. Kep-KBS US Reit  --  17th Oct 20187. Kep T&T  --  17th Oct 20188. Kep Corp  --  18th Oct 20189. FrasersCom Trust  --  19th Oct 201810. SGX  --  19th Oct 201811. Mapletreelog Trust  --  22nd Oct 201812. MapletreeInd Trust  --  23rd Oct 201813. Frasers Cpt Trust  --  24th Oct 201814. MapletreeCom Trust  --  24th Oct 201815. Suntec Reit  --  24th Oct 201816. M1  --  24th Oct201817. Semb Mar  --  25th Oct 201818. Parkway Life  --  25th Oct 20181

After the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) released the final 3Q18 private property index data on 26 October 2018, all eyes are on the stock price performance of several property counters, including the bulge bracket names like CapitaLand, City Developments (CityDev), and UOL Group (UOL). For the 3Q18, the PPI showed a 0.5 percent rise quarter-on-quarter (QoQ), one of the slowest paces of rise this year. The index had a 3.9 per cent rise in 1Q18, and a 3.4 percent rise in 2Q18. Final new home sales figures showed 3,012 private residential units sold in the third quarter, compared to 2,366 in 2Q18. The increase in new sales could be attributed to last minute panic buying before the implementation of the new cooling measures. Source: URA However, despite that, the overall picture for rea

Companies which buyback their shares could signal to the market that their shares are undervalued. Last month, 29 companies repurchased 30.8 million shares or units for a total amount of S$59.9 million, according to a report released by the Singapore Exchange Limited (SGX: S68) recently. The October buyback was 36% down from September’s buyback of S$94 million. In October, some companies were on blackout periods, which means that they cannot conduct share repurchases ahead of their earnings release. The top six companies with the largest share buyback amount in October 2018 were DBS Group Holdings Ltd (SGX: D05), Keppel REIT (SGX: K71U), City Developments Limited (SGX: C09), SATS Ltd (SGX: S58), Singapore Press Holdings Limited (SGX: T39), and Singapore Exchange. The six companies spe

October has been a really topsy-turvy month for US equities, which had spill over effects around the world, including the Singapore market. The STI declined from 3257.1 to 3018.8 in October, which represents a 7.3% dip. During market downturns, it is common for companies to take advantage of the dip in prices to execute share buyback mandates. Thus, it is not surprising to see that in October, 29 SGX-listed companies made share buybacks for a total consideration of $59.9 million. October’s buyback activity brought the total share buyback consideration in 2018 to S$1.34 billion. This is more than 3 times the volume compared to whole of 2017. For this week’s episode of 4 Stocks This Week, we’ll look at the 4 companies with the largest share buyback considerations for October – namely

Has there ever been a more crucial US midterm election for global stock markets? Probably. According to experts, there have been 10 pivotal midterm elections since 1826. This year’s results, which comes at a time of high stock-market volatility, hang in the balance. American voters will have to weigh up the benefits of more tax reforms, if the Republicans hold power, and an easing of global trade tensions, if the Democrats win. On the earnings front, DBS Group (SGX: D05) will hope to match, if not surpass, the improved results of its two Singapore peers, namely, UOB (SGX: U11) and OCBC (SGX: O39), when it reports third-quarter earnings. In August, Singapore’s largest bank posted a 20% jump in net profit. That still fell shy of market expectations, though. But DBS said it expects net

Performance of Straits Times Index (STI) Constituents in October 2018 The Straits Times Index (STI) ended 238.25 points or 7.32% lower to 3018.80 in October 2018.(compared to 3257.05 on 28-Sep-2018) Top Performers: Only 2 stocks with positive price gain - Golden Agri-Resources, Dairy Farm International. Least Performers: Genting Singapore, City Developments, Venture Corp, UOL Group, Keppel Corporation. Most Volatile: Venture Corporation, Yangzijiang Shipbuildings, Keppel Corporation, Genting Singapore, ComfortDelGro. Advertisement Continue Reading »

Share buybacks can be a good thing if done for the right reasons. And that is, if the company’s shares are undervalued, and the reinvestment opportunities into the company are not as attractive. On that note, let’s look at three companies picked at random that have bought back their shares so far during the week, as of market open today. Singapore Post Limited (SGX: S08) Singapore Post has a history stretching back to 150 years. The company currently handles e-commerce logistics, as well as provides mail and logistics solutions in Singapore and around the world. On 15 October 2018, the postal outfit bought back 390,000 shares at a price range of between S$1.05 and S$1.07 per share, translating to a total cost of around S$415,000. Singapore Post shares ended Thursday at S$1.05 each. Thi

One of the best investors in the world, Warren Buffett, is an advocate of companies buying back their shares for the right reasons. And that is, if the firm’s shares are undervalued, and the reinvestment opportunities into the company are not as attractive. On that note, let’s check out three businesses picked at random that have repurchased their shares so far during the week, as of market open today. SATS Ltd (SGX: S58) SATS is a provider of food solutions and gateway services solutions. Under the food solutions business, it provides services such as in-flight catering and institutional catering. Under the gateway services solutions segment, it is involved in ground handling, security services, and baggage handling, among other functions. On 9 and 11 October 2018, the company repurch

Dear readers, it needs no introduction: today, Singapore stocks dived 2.69% in a single-day drop magnitude not seen before in a long time. While there may still be much downside for the Singapore stocks markets, I present to you S16 large-cap stocks now which are trading at 52-weeks lows as of today: 1) OCBC stock2) Hongkong Land stock3) Genting Singapore stock4) Jardine C&C stock5) SIA stock6) Ascendas Reit7) City Development stock8) SGX stockRead more »

Legendary investor Warren Buffett is a huge advocate of companies buying back shares – if done for the right reasons. And that is, if the company’s shares are undervalued, and the reinvestment opportunities for the business are not as appealing. On that note, last month, 35 companies in Singapore’s stock market repurchased 32.4 million shares for a total amount of S$93.6 million, according to a report released by Singapore Exchange Limited (SGX: S68) recently. The September buyback level was 62% lower from August’s buyback amount of S$245 million, which was a 35-month record. In August, the Straits Times Index (SGX: ^STI) fell by 3.2% while in September, the index rose 1.4%. Share buybacks tend to increase when the stock market falls, and vice versa. The top four companies wit

Share buybacks can be a sensible thing to do when a company’s shares are undervalued. On that note, let’s look at three companies that are part of the Straits Times Index (SGX: ^STI) that have repurchased their shares thus far during the week, as of market open today. City Developments Limited (SGX: C09) City Developments Limited, or CDL for short, is a Singapore-based property and hotel conglomerate with a network covering 100 locations in 28 countries and regions. On 17, 18 and 19 September 2018, the property outfit bought back a total of 300,000 shares at a price range of between S$8.70 and S$8.94 per share. The total cost came up to around S$2.65 million. CDL embarked on its inaugural share buyback exercise last month. Shares in CDL closed at S$8.84 each on Thursday. The price g

Aug private home sales showed selective buying post cooling measures, in our view. We think that fast asset turn and good sell-through rates are key to margin preservation. Stay sector Neutral. Our sector top picks are City Dev, UOL and HoBee Land. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Selective buying post measures Aug monthly private home sales came in at 639 units (616 units excluding executive condominiums), down 60% yoy and 64% mom, reflecting a much quieter residential market post cooling measures. New launches such as The Tre Ver garnered 22% sales (out of a total of 729 units) within the first month of launch at an average of S$1,551 psf, in line with the company’s expectations. Meanwhile, selected ongoing projects saw an additional 4-10% changing hands such a

Yes, you heard it right. You don’t have to be a Crazy Rich Asian to invest in the Singapore stock market. You also don’t need thousands of dollars to buy your first stock. Lagi better, you don’t even need S$500 to start your investment journey. With as little as S$12 per day, or S$360 per month, you can kickstart your stock market portfolio. A basket of stocks Enter the SPDR STI ETF (SGX: ES3). The SPDR STI ETF is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the fundamentals of Singapore’s stock market benchmark, the Straits Times Index (SGX: ^STI). The Straits Times Index contains the 30 largest companies in the local stock market in terms of market capitalisation, adjusted for their free float. The companies include the three major banks in Singapore, and the property giants s

It is no secret that Singaporeans love to invest in properties. And who can blame them? Over the past decade, Singapore’s property market has skyrocketed. A growing economy, scarce land supply and low-interest rates have resulted in increasing demand for property. These in turn have propelled prices of property in Singapore to among the most expensive in the world. Investors who had purchased property a few decades ago would likely have made a killing. However, despite its marvellous track record, there are limitations to investing in property in Singapore. For one, investors require a large capital outlay. There are also additional stamp duties for permanent residents and Singaporeans buying their second property. Additionally, property is an illiquid asset that can take months or even

Just last week, we spotted some pretty bearish actions in CityDev…It was holding above the 9.00 psychological support all this while but this time buyers just could not hold it any longer…Hence some downside was expected and targets drawn as see below…Indeed we started to see more selling coming back and it pushed lower towards our target..But some support seen at 8.50 for now where short covering is happening given the sell down..…But would want to be cautious of more selling if this level were to give way… see updated chart below..Actually did a video over the weekend where I talked about the Singapore stock market (STI) and mentioned 2 stocks that you want to be cautious of for more weakness…Have you watched it yet??Click here to watch video now… And more importantl

Amazon.com briefly joined Apple in the trillion dollar club on Tuesday when its shares hit a high of US$2,050.50 apiece. Although the share price has since dipped back to US$1,994 (as of 6 September), it still marked a historic accomplishment for chief executive, Jeff Bezos, who founded the company as a small online book seller a mere 24 years ago. Bezos is now the world’s wealthiest person, with Amazon.com a diversified enterprise that has more than US$200 billion in annual sales and more than 575,000 employees. Amazon shares have more than tripled since 2015 and are up more than 500 times the IPO price, after accounting for share splits. Share buybacks in Singapore reached a 35-month high in August as 43.6 million shares worth S$245.4 million were repurchased by 30 companies. The total

In August, there were 30 companies buying back 43.6 million shares or units for a total amount of S$245.4 million, according to a report released by the Singapore Exchange yesterday. Compared to a year ago, the repurchases last month was up 300%. The buyback on a month-on-month basis more than doubled – in July 2018, the total share buyback amount was S$109 million. The top five companies with the largest buyback considerations were Straits Times Index (SGX: ^STI) components. In the magnitude of total buyback considerations, those five blue-chips were DBS Group Holdings Ltd (SGX: D05), CapitaLand Limited (SGX: C31), United Overseas Bank Ltd (SGX: U11), Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp Limited (SGX: O39) and City Developments Limited (SGX: C09). Coming in sixth was HRnetGroup Ltd (SGX: CHZ

Out of the universe of Singapore-listed companies that reported 2Q18 earnings, 29 percent bested UOBKH’s expectations. This is almost double of last quarter’s 15 percent, which makes 2Q18 one of the highest level of beats since 4Q16. In this article, we dive into the sector analysis of some of the top performing and underperforming sectors in 2Q18. UOBKH SG Report Card: How Did Each Sector Fare? Banks: Solid Performance But Outlook Affected By Uncertainty The banks managed to deliver solid earnings result in 2Q18. However, OCBC came out on top of DBS in this quarter by beating expectations. DBS uncharacteristically fell marginally below expectations but still managed to deliver on net interest margin (NIM) expansion. In that aspect, OCBC was still lagging behind with some catching u