MARKET OVERVIEW- Sentiment remain cautious amid the tense stand-off between US and China over trade tariffs as traders await a keynote address by China President Xi at the Boao Forum today and the release of advance 1Q18 GDP growth as well as MAS policy statement later this week.- Technically, the STI is likely to trade within its downward channel between 3,370 and 3,480 in the near term.POSITIVE NEWS*CapitaLand- Serviced residence unit, The Ascott, tied up with developers in China, Japan and Thailand to manage apartments under development and future projects.- It added 1,607 units to its portfolio in Jan and Feb and will sign management and lease agreements for a further 3,400 apartments across 14 properties in 10 cities this quarter.- The group is on track to achieve its global target of

While delistings on stock markets is routine and doesn’t necessarily bode disaster, its not hard to imagine that SGX would like to reduce the scale of delistings on the Singapore market, and counteract with new listings. Delistings have outpaced listings on SGX in five of the past eight years. In 2017, there were a total of 29 delistings from SGX, contrasted by 20 new listings. Part of SGX’s strategy to grow the local equities market is to pursue the Technology sector by making it a more attractive place for technology companies to list. Last year, SGX began floating a proposal to allow dual-class shares, which is a structure that is quite fashionable in Silicon Valley and has been growing in popularity elsewhere. In this instalment of 4 Stocks This Week, we will look at four new list

Hello, everyone. Here are three things about the local stock market that you might be interested in today. 1. The Straits Times Index (SGX: ^STI) ended Thursday at 3,513.9, down 0.1% or 4.1 points. Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Holdings Ltd (SGX: BS6) was the biggest loser of the index after its shares tumbled 4% to S$1.45. Yesterday, the shipbuilder announced its 2017 full-year results where net profit grew 67% year-on-year to RMB2.93 billion. This was on the back of a 27% rise in revenue. The firm proposed a first and final dividend of 4.5 Singapore cents per share, up from 4.0 cents a year ago. On the other hand, CapitaLand Commercial Trust (SGX: C61U) climbed the most today. The real estate investment trust’s units added 1.2% to S$1.75. 2. Straco Corporation Ltd (SGX: S85), which owns to

MARKET OVERVIEW- The market could continue its uptrend following a positive close on Wall Street last Fri, while investors await a slew of Singapore economic data this week, including Jan industrial production and PMI for Feb.- Technically, the STI is heading towards its near term objective at 3,575 with immediate support at 3,470.CORPORATE RESULTS*Genting Singapore- 4Q17 net profit slid 17% to $132.8m but FY17 earnings of $601m (+78%) came in within expectations.- Revenue for the quarter rose 4% to $580.1m on stronger slot and VIP volumes, despite lower hold rate, as well as improved leisure and hospitality segment, with daily average visitorship growing between 6-9%.- Adjusted EBITDA rose 9% to $255.1m on record low provisions from a more measured credit policy.- However, operating margi

Singapore Press Holdings Limited (SGX: T39) is Asia’s leading media organisation with three business segments – Media, Property and Others. It also has a 26.84% stake in newly-listed education company, MindChamps PreSchool Ltd (SGX: CNE). Last Friday, the media giant announced its financial results for the first quarter ended 30 November 2017. Here are 10 things investors should know from the earnings announcement: 1. Revenue for the quarter slumped 7% year-on-year to S$258.8 million, mainly due to a decline in sales at the Media segment. 2. Disruption to the industry hampered the Media segment’s revenue as it fell 13.9% year-on-year to S$173.9 million. Advertisement revenue came down 16.7% while circulation revenue sank 7.3% as compared to last year. 3. Revenue from the Property se

The Straits Times Index (SGX: ^STI) hit a 52-week high of 3,524.65 points on Tuesday before retreating to close at 3,520.56 points for the week. As compared to the previous week, it added 0.9% for the five days. Out of the 30 index constituents, 11 were in the red, with Singapore Press Holdings Limited (SGX: T39) leading the pack down. For the week, the media giant slumped 4% to S$2.63. Singapore Press Holdings released its financial results for the first quarter ended 30 November 2017 after market close on Friday. It reported a revenue fall of 7% year-on-year to S$258.8 million but a net profit improvement of 32.1% to S$60.4 million. The bottom line was buoyed mainly by gains from the listing of an associate and gains on divestment. MindChamps PreSchool Ltd (SGX: CNE), an associate that

Vietnam is one of the chief investment destinations in Southeast Asia. With the advantages of a strategic location, stable gross domestic product growth, and competitive labour costs, the country attracts a significant amount of investment capital every year. So, it was not surprising that in 2017, several Singapore-listed companies either expanded their presence in, or set up shop in, Vietnam. Investors who wish to have an exposure to the country – one of the fastest growing economies in the world – can look to the aforementioned companies, without having to go through the trouble of finding Vietnam stocks to invest in. One example is Thai Beverage Public Company Limited (SGX: Y92). Last month, an indirect-associate of Thai Beverage, Vietnam Beverage, won a bid to buy a 53.6% stake in