Real estate has always been a major industry in Singapore. Even though properties can be very expensive, many Singapore investors continue to invest their capital across individual residential, industrial and commercial properties, committing more than $1 million into their investment properties, and/or taking large loans in order to finance these purchases. But even without at least a few hundred thousand dollars in investment capital, you can still invest in the property sector in Singapore. With numerous real estate developers listed on the Singapore Exchange (SGX), investors can pick and choose the different real estate stocks that they want to invest into. Read Also: Selling, Buying or Renting Property? 5 Reasons Why You Need A Contract In Black & White With Your Property Agent In

Amid the rally in the S-REIT sector, CapitaLand Commercial Trust share price is also enjoying a bullish run. The counter surged from $1.80 in January 2019 to a high of $2.30 in July 2019. Since then, CCT share price had cooled off a bit and maintained around the $2.00 level. Is the run of CCT share price sustainable? Hands down, I like this counter and could not find much fault on the management. However, certain aspect of the Group’s financial cashflow made me wonder if the bullish run of CCT share price is sustainable in the long run. Being Singapore’s first and largest listed commercial REIT, CCT is considered a blue chip among the S-REITs. Currently, the market capitalization stands at $7.8 billion. The portfolio consists of eight prime commercial properties in Singapore and two p

What are REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) A REIT, or real estate investment trust, is a group of properties that are bundled and packaged together under a structure that allows it to be listed on a stock exchange as a tradeable security. The REIT earns a steady rental income from leases signed with their its tenants. REITs are mandated by guidelines as to how they should operate in order to enjoy full tax transparency (i.e. they do not have to pay corporate taxes). One of these requirements is that a REIT needs to pay out at least 90% of its net profit as distributions to unitholders. Another is for regular quarterly reporting that is in compliance with the rules and regulations as stipulated by the Singapore Exchange. A third requirement is that REITs’ gearing level (i.e. total

Happy New Year 2020! The start of a new decade!   Technical Analysis of FTSE ST REIT Index (FSTAS8670) FTSE ST Real Estate Investment Trusts (FTSE ST REIT Index) is currently trading within Symmetrical Triangle.  The REIT index has changed from 905.48 (last post) to 926.24 (+.2.29%).Based on the current chart pattern,  the REIT index is trading within a consolidation range waiting for breakout. Probable direction for REIT index: Side way to Up. Also take note of the Multiple Tops formation which is a trend reversal pattern. Previous chart on FTSE ST REIT index can be found in the last post Singapore REIT Fundamental Comparison Table on Dec 16, 2019.   Fundamental Analysis of 40 Singapore REITs The following is the compilation of 40 REITs in Singapore with colour coding of

The weekly 4 Stocks This Week column on DollarsAndSense was started in 2017 with a simple objective was simple: to provide a convenient read each week for busy investors to stay updated with what is happening on the Singapore Exchange. 4 Stock This Week is not a recommendation from us to buy or sell any of the stocks that wke feature. Its purpose is to highlight interesting stocks that investors should be aware of, rather than to analyse these stocks. For this week’s edition, instead of the usual coverage of four stocks, we’ll do a year in review of the other 51 instalments of 4 Stocks This Week that our team has written in 2019. Over the past year (51 weeks), we’ve covered 123 SGX-listed stocks, 4 ETFs and 8 Daily Leverage Certificates. The most covered stock was Sas

2019 has gone by in a blink of an eye. It has been a tumultuous year in the market, filled with the uncertainties of geopolitical events such as the U.S.-China trade war, the UK (still) leaving the EU, and the now-withdrawn extradition bill that sparked months of unrest in Hong Kong. These events caused some investors to sell off, waiting on the sidelines for a golden opportunity to re-enter the market at a better price. As a result of that, those investors missed out on a good year, especially in the U.S. In 2019, the S&P 500 has a year-to-date return of 28.58%: Source: YCharts Which brings us to some key lessons we can takeaway from the year that just passed. 1. It’s impossible to predict the market Earlier in the year, investors expected the U.S. economy to slo

Technical Analysis of FTSE ST REIT Index (FSTAS8670) FTSE ST Real Estate Investment Trusts (FTSE ST REIT Index) is currently trading within a range between 940 and 887.  The REIT index has changed from 906.82 (last post) to 905.48 (-0.14%). Based on the current chart pattern,  the REIT index is retracing back to test the 200D SMA support. Probable direction for REIT index: Side way to Up. Also take note of the Multiple Tops formation which is a trend reversal pattern. Previous chart on FTSE ST REIT index can be found in the last post Singapore REIT Fundamental Comparison Table on Nov 17, 2019.   Fundamental Analysis of 40 Singapore REITs The following is the compilation of 40 REITs in Singapore with colour coding of the Distribution Yield, Gearing Ratio and Price to NAV Ratio. T

Since my last coverage on 1st October 2019, CapitaLand share price had turned on the style, surging from $3.40 to $3.70. The driving factors for the bullish form of CapitaLand share price stem from the recent asset recycling activities and sale of new launches. As of 20 November 2019, CapitaLand had divested close to $5.7 billion worth of assets, exceeding their annual target divestment of $3 billion. The most notable recent divestment was the divestment of The Star Vista for $296 million to Rock Productions. According to the management, the deal is expected to yield net proceeds of about $145 million and a net gain of about $32 million. The slew of divestments had led to the buoyant CapitaLand share price in 2019. Another catalyst for CapitaLand share price was the strong sale performanc

Earlier this week on 28 November, both Frasers Logistics Trust and Frasers Commercial Trust requested for a trading halt. According to Bloomberg, Frasers Logistics & Industrial Trust and Frasers Commercial Trust are planning to merge. Should they become a combined company, they will manage close to 100 properties in Australia, Singapore and Europe. This 2019, Singapore has seen its fair share of REITs consolidation. Earlier this year, CapitaLand struck a $6 billion deal with Temasek Holdings for Ascendas and Singbridge. OUE Commercial REIT also agreed to buy OUE Hospitality Trust, and Ascott Residence Trust and Ascendas Hospitality Trust combined to create the largest hospitality trust in the Asia-Pacific region. For this week’s edition of 4 Stocks This Week, we look at 4 different c

REITs are a popular and important part of the Singapore Exchange (SGX). There are close to 50 listed REITs, property-related business trust and REIT ETFs in Singapore. There are also numerous other unit trusts invested into Singapore and foreign listed REITs in Singapore. To get a better understanding of how well or badly Singapore REITs have performed, we dedicate significant time and resources to publish a report card each quarter. If you wish to catch up on previous quarters, you can refer to our regular REITs Report Card column. Read Also: Complete Guide To Investing In Singapore REITs How Has Singapore REITs Performed In The Year-To-Date 2019 To gauge how the Singapore REIT market has performed in the year-to-date (YTD) 2019, we can look at the iEdge S-REIT Index and the iEdge S-REIT

Technical Analysis of FTSE ST REIT Index (FSTAS8670) FTSE ST Real Estate Investment Trusts (FTSE ST REIT Index) broke down from a Symmetrial Triangle consolidation pattern but rebounded from 200D SMA support. The REIT index has changed from 929.69 (last post) to 906.82 (-2.52%). Previous chart on FTSE ST REIT index can be found in the last post Singapore REIT Fundamental Comparison Table on Oct 8, 2019. Based on the current chart pattern,  the sentiment is BULLISH in the long term but REIT index is currently going through a correction.  REIT Index has to go above the 20D & 50D SMA in order to continue the uptrend. The recent sell off could be a welcomed correction before REIT index can charge higher.   Fundamental Analysis of 40 Singapore REITs The following is the compila

When CapitaLand and City Development (CDL) teamed up to develop the 3.7 hectares residential site next to BuangKok MRT station in 2018, it promised to be a match made in heaven. Indeed, there was tremendous market hype as the two developers are the big boys in the real estate sector. The last time the two titans combined forces was in 2007 for the Botannia project in West Coast. Thus, it is not surprising that Sengkang Grand Residences became the best-selling integrated project in 2019. But what raised plenty of eyebrows was the strong response shown during the launch day of Sengkang Grand Residences. 216 of the 280 units had been sold at an average price of $1,700 per square feet (psf). Prices for the integrated project start from $798,000 for a one-bedroom plus study unit, $998,000 for a

Today, we are going to share with you how to invest your CPF investment money in a no-brainer way. The best part? You need not be financial savvy to do this. A beginner can do it! And I’ll reveal the exact step-by-step process, which you can follow easily. What is CPF Investment Scheme (CPFIS)? It is to provide option to CPF members to invest their CPF savings in your Ordinary Account (OA) and Special Account (SA) in various instruments such as insurance products, unit trusts, fixed deposits, bonds and shares in Singapore. The Average CPF Interest Rate is 2.5% to 4% for Ordinary Account. Check their latest CPF interest rate here. Below is the latest CPF rate (1st Oct to 31st Dec 2019).   Share this Infographic On Your Site </p><br /><br /><br /><br /&

There are total of 40 Singapore REITs, a popular investment option for retirement through passive income. By law, 90% of disposable income from Singapore REITs must be redistributed back to shareholders through dividends.  However, not all the Singapore REITs are profitable, an investor could lose money if choosing the wrong one, eg. pursuing the highest yield REIT.  REIT is an integrated investment between stock market and property market, knowledge of both markets are required to be successful. In general, a good REIT should have strong fundamentals and DPU (Distribution per Unit) should grow over the time.  At the same time, we could also profit from good REITs through capital appreciation of share price and net asset value of properties.  A good REIT investor

On 21 October 2019, through their handheld devices, shareholders from both sides gave their blessings to the marriage between Ascott Residence Trust (Ascott) and Ascendas Hospitality Trust (A-HTrust). With combined assets of S$7.6 billion, the new entity – Ascott REIT Business Trust (Ascott REIT-BT) — will form the largest hospitality trust in Asia Pacific and the eighth largest in the world. Ascott REIT-BT will be structured as a stapled security: a real estate investment trust and a business trust joined together. The news of the merger came on 3 July 2019 shortly after CapitaLand completed the acquisition of Ascendas-Singbridge on 1 July 2019. Source: Ascott REIT In an open letter to A-HTrust earlier this year, Quarz Capital Management wrote that the merger will sol

Those who invest in REITs usually go for consistent and stable income. While REITs are normally viewed as yield-related investments, the well-run ones can boast an element of growth as well, achieved through various methods such as asset enhancement initiatives and mergers and acquisitions. REITs with strong sponsors and a history of growing their distribution per unit (DPU) over time can provide investors with the best of both worlds: capital gains over the long term as well as regular, stable cash inflows. The bonus here is not just a gain in the share price of the REIT as it grows its portfolio, but you’ll also enjoy higher DPU over time due to rental appreciation and a higher appraised value of the underlying properties. Here are three REITs to consider if you’re looking f

Throngs of people swarming into a condominium show flat is a pretty common sight here in Singapore. Many locals are enamoured with physical real estate as the last 30 years of nation-building progress has seen the value of property rise at an impressive clip. As a result, many people have become very wealthy by investing in properties. However, I must caution you on two aspects. One is that the economic miracle Singapore went through in the last three decades may not be easily replicated in the next 20-30 years, as the economic, political, and social conditions that created the last miracle may not be present. The other factor is that real estate investments involve a heavy debt commitment on the part of the investor, as that person would have to borrow a significant sum of money in order

The REIT sector has been a surprise performer this year, with total returns of close to 20% year to date. This superb performance has been underpinned by a combination of low interest rates, ample liquidity, and continued strong operating performance for many REITs. Many investors have been surprised by this as the REIT sector is a mature one, with not many expecting it to outperform the benchmark index. However, another important question is, should investors start to trim their portfolios as REIT valuations head higher? After such a stellar performance this year, is there any upside left for investors? Perhaps the sector has run ahead of itself and is poised for a very painful and abrupt retreat. The above questions might be swirling in many investors’ minds, as several friends ha

With the wide variety of REITs available for investment, investors have a lot of options in terms of the types of properties and geographic exposure they’d like to have in their portfolios. Over the years, SGX has managed to attract REITs of all shapes and sizes to list here, creating a vibrant environment for REITs to thrive and be noticed. Of particular interest are REITs with non-Singaporean assets, as these provide investors exposure to property assets in different parts of the world. Though these REITs are listed in Singapore, their assets derive income from outside Singapore and are thus exposed to country and exchange-rate risks. Despite that, certain overseas REITs have managed admirable performances, reporting consistent and steady growth in distribution per unit (DPU). Her

After months of intensive research on the residential property sectors, my wife and I have decided to proceed with purchasing our second property here in Singapore.Just yesterday, we've submitted the cheque, went to the lawyer and signed everything that we needed to settle.We've never previously thought of the idea that we'd be buying a second home, especially in an expensive country like Singapore where private property was rated the second most expensive in the world according to a report from CBRE (source article here).Why Buy Now?But we were bounded by circumstances, in particular the fact that we rented out our bigger units a few months back and had to move in to our in-laws place in the interim. It was never the most ideal situation for the longer term because of many reasons and soo