Since we last discussed COVID-19, the world has gone from bad to worse. We now have a global pandemic which is increasingly out of control. It is becoming a crisis in the same order of magnitude as the 2008-2009 Global Financial Crisis. I have been using the original thebaselab website of daily checks. It is depressing. We have exceeded 15,000 deaths with no end in sight.Courtesy of thebaselabTo combat the virus, many affected countries have gone into lockdown mode following China's example. But they didn't do it fast enough. Some countries' healthcare systems could not handle the situation and many lives were lost. It is important not to stress the healthcare system because there are only so many ICU beds and only so many respirators. Unfortunately, we don't learn fast enough. The first l

No.  Counters No. of Shares Market Price (SGD) Total Value (SGD) based on market price Allocation % 1. City Development (Short) 24,000 S$6.79    162,960.00 43.0% 2. Suntec Reits 30,000 S$1.17      35,100.00 10.0% 3. Royal Dutch Shell B   2,000 £9.88      33,400.00 10.0% 4. Powermatic 18,000 S$1.83      32,940.00 9.0% 5. Broadcom      100 US$194      27,120.00 7.0% 6. HK Land   4,000 US$3.90      22,000.00 6.0% 7. Dairy Farm   3,000 US$3.95      16,700.00 5.0%

Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad (Dutch Lady Malaysia) manufactures and distributes dairy products. It has over 50 years of presence in Malaysia and more than 140 years of Dutch dairy heritage. It started off its business by importing sweetened condensed milk from the Netherlands. Its existing product portfolio includes milk powders, liquid milk, and yogurts. Their products are marketed under different brands including Dutch Lady, Dutch Baby, Frisolac, Friso Gold, and Dutch Lady PureFarm. I took a closer look at this company when its share price was hammered recently by declining net profit, as a result of higher dairy raw material prices and unfavourable foreign exchange rates. Here are 12 things to know about Dutch Lady Malaysia before you invest: 1. Dutch Lady Malaysia opera

Hongkong Land (SGX: H78) is at 0% Optimism after falling in share prices over the past few years (especially over the past few months), very bearish (similar situation for other Jardine Group siblings of giant stocks – JMH, JSH, Jardine C&C, Dairy Farm, etc). Jardine Group of stocks are mainly suitable for contrarian investors (i.e. Warren Buffett styles) who only buy based on price below value, ignoring the falling knife of share prices. Price to book ratio (PB) of Hongkong Land is around 0.26 based on my memory (presented in yesterday workshop), implying 74% discount of price below net asset value which mostly is property. This is the lowest PB or most undervalue stage of Hongkong Land history over the past 10+ years. If one could buy a giant stock with 50% discount

The past week has been brutal to most investors because of the speed and magnitude of the drop that left investors wondering if this is finally the big upcoming recession they have been waiting since the Great Financial Crisis back in 2008.What was supposed to be a small containment case of the Covid-19 in China alone has spread to all over the world. This has now no longer been compared to just SARS but possibly something bigger than that.Regardless of what your portfolio allocation is, chances are it brings some magnitude of damages to your portfolio even if you are holding gold as a safe haven hedge. Cryptocurrency is not spared either, dropping a massive 40% from the recent peak where bitcoin hits $10k.The past week we've seen Black Monday, Black Thursday and then Black Friday (before

What’s Dairy Farm International Holdings Ltd Doing To Turnaround Its Business?Can Dairy Farm International return to its former glory?The post What’s Dairy Farm International Holdings Ltd Doing To Turnaround Its Business? appeared first on Value Invest Asia.

Listed on the SGX, Fraser and Neave Limited (F&N) is a leading food and beverage conglomerate with a presence in 11 countries including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. To curb excessive sugar consumption, on 1 July 2019, the Malaysian government imposed excise duties of 40 cents per litre on sweetened beverages containing more than 5g/100ml of sugar, milk-based drinks containing more than 7g/100ml of sugar, and vegetable juices containing more than 12g/100ml of sugar. How will this impact F&N’s beverage business? I attended F&N’s AGM this year to find out more: 1. F&N’s revenue grew 4.0% to $1.90 billion. Most of the growth was attributed to the higher sales of soft drinks and dairies from the F&B segment. Overall, F&N posted a PBIT of $

In the recent Budget 2020, Minister Heng announced a one-time $100 top-up to the PAssion Card of all Singaporeans aged 50 years and above as part of the Care and Support Package. This benefit extends to the Pioneer Generation and Merdeka Generation seniors. Eligible Singaporeans will receive a letter notification by April 2020, with instructions and further details on how they can redeem the top-up from May 2020 onwards. Singaporeans aged 50 to 59 years old in 2020 without a PAssion Card may sign-up online for a complimentary PAssion Card. Alternatively, they can visit the nearest community centre or community club for assistance. Currently, eligible Singaporeans may be holding onto the 3 different types of PAssion Cards depending on their age range. They are the PAssion EZ-link Card, PAss

In the first edition of our 4 Stocks This Week column in 2020, we zoom into the new companies that have been added into Singapore’s benchmark Straits Times Index (STI) in the past two years. When we invest in the STI, we are gaining exposure to a diverse and strong group of companies – or more commonly termed the 30 largest and most liquid companies – listed on the Singapore Exchange (SGX). Often, this is part of a passive investing strategy and to achieve market returns. While investors can take a hands-off approach and just let their investments grow over a long horizon, the STI itself is regularly reviewed and updated if there is a need. Read Also: SPDR STI ETF VS Nikko AM Singapore STI ETF: What’s The Difference Between These 2 Straits Times Index ETFs Listed On The SGX? Precis

Dairy Farm International Holdings Ltd (DFI) is a pan-Asian retailer that operates 9,700 retail outlets consisting of hypermarkets, supermarkets, convenience stores and health and beauty stores. The group has a presence in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong and China and employs over 230,000 people. DFI has grown over the years to become a powerful force in retail, as it expands its retail brick-and-mortar presence. The group has Giant (hypermarkets), Cold Storage (supermarkets), 7-Eleven (convenience stores), and Guardian (health and beauty stores) as its core brands, while also operating Maxim’s food and beverage outlets in Hong Kong, IKEA home furnishing stores in Taiwan and Indonesia, and Starbucks coffee chain in Macau. Challenges facing the business However, in

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 /&

Living in a nation with many different cuisines, Singaporeans are blessed with a buffet of choices when it comes to deciding what to eat. The same can also be said for the stock market as it serves up a platter of juicy companies belonging to the food and beverage (F&B) industry. However, not all F&B businesses enjoy the same fervent following. Over time, some may lose their allure, while others go from strength to strength to conquer other countries and regions. Brand-building is as much an art as a science, and some companies have managed to generate the right kind and amount of buzz to ensure their continued longevity. Here are two F&B businesses that are growing rapidly, and I believe both also have strong brands that are recognised in many Asian countries besides Singapor

Sector rotation is an investment strategy which involves the movement of investment funds from one sector to another, in an attempt to beat the market return. The idea is simple, instead of holding equal weight in all sectors, an investor could potentially beat the market by holding a bigger proportion of his portfolio in strong sectors and a lower proportion of the portfolio in weaker sectors. This sector rotation strategy, when applied correctly, could result in higher returns over a period of time, as opposed to simple investing equally into the market as a whole. For example, one could favor aggressive stocks such as banks, which are likely to do well during periods of growth. During periods of uncertainty, defensive stocks such as telco companies may perform better. In this week’s e

With a history of 130 years, Hongkong Land is certainly one of the most venerable listed companies in Singapore. Possibly, only Boustead, OCBC’s Great Eastern and UOB’s Haw Par Corp can match Hongkong Land in terms of pedigree and history. If you are talking about prestige, Hongkong Land is even more impressive as its parent company is none other than the famous Jardine Matheson Holdings. Together with Dairy Farm, Jardine C&C, Jardine Matheson Holdings and Jardine Strategic Holdings, Hongkong Land forms the “Hong Kong Five Tigers” that ruled Straits Times Index (STI) for many years. The Hong Kong Five Tigers are all part of the Jardine Matheson Group and this network of companies established an impenetrable fortress in the SGX mainboard. Nonetheless, what can float a boat can a

Last week, the Securities Investors Association of Singapore celebrated its 20th anniversary and the occasion was a reminder to investors about the importance of putting emphasis on companies to uphold high standards of corporate governance.  Good corporate governance is one of the key fundamentals to a company’s success and long-term sustainability. At heart, it helps to reflect on a company’s values, supports its vision and shapes the culture. The goal is to help managers of a company mitigate risks, safeguard stakeholders’ interest and ultimately enhance value.   On the other hand, ineffective mechanisms or poor corporate governance could erode the very foundations that a company was built upon and lead to disastrous consequences.  For instance, when it came to light in 2017 t

There you go. The protracted Hong Kong protests claimed its first casualty among the prestigious Straits Times Index (STI) when it was announced on 5 September 2019 that Hutchison Port Holding Trust (HPH) will be booted out of the index. Replacing HPH Trust will be Mapletree Commerical Trust (MCT). The move should be a bid to contain the fallout from the Hong Kong protests. And it is not difficult to see why HPH Trust was chosen for the axe. Currently, Hong Kong stocks make up 20% of the STI constituents. Other than HPH Trust (which was backed by the famous Li Ka Shing), the other five Hong Kong counters are all linked to the conglomerate Jardine Group – Hong Kong Land, Dairy Farm, Jardine C&C, JMH and JSH. Between HPH Trust and the Jardine Group, the obvious candidate to be dropped