Ascendas REIT (A-REIT) is the first industrial REIT listed on the SGX. It owns a portfolio of business & science park properties, high-specification industrial properties, data centres, light industrial properties, flatted factories, integrated development amenities & retail properties, and logistics & distribution centres located across Singapore, Australia, and the UK. Presently, A- REIT is worth S$9.5 billion in market capitalisation and is, thus, the largest industrial REIT in Singapore. In this article, I’ll cover its recent developments in 2019, latest annual results, and stock valuation. Here are 12 things to know about Ascendas REIT before you invest: 1. A-REIT’s portfolio value grew 10.1% year-on-year from S$10.1 billion in 2018 to S$11.1 billion in 201

DBS Group Holdings Ltd (SGX: D05) is one of the three major banks based out of Singapore, along with United Overseas Bank Ltd and Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp Limited. In this article, I will look at the business risks of DBS to help us better understand its business. This is important because risks exist in all businesses and one of the aims of a company would be to reduce risks. With that, let’s look at two main risks outlined by DBS and how it plans to manage those risks. Credit risk As a financial institution, one of the main risks that it faces is credit risk arising from its lending activities. So, what is the company doing to manage such a risk? Here are some examples. Firstly, DBS has set out clear policies covering the various dimensions of credit risk and the sco

There are many ways to find investment ideas. Some useful ways are to screen for stocks or to look at a list of stocks near their 52-week lows to sieve out potential bargains. Studying what institutional investors have been buying or selling is another avenue. Institutional investors are typically large investment organisations, such as hedge funds, mutual funds, unit trust companies, sovereign wealth funds, insurance companies and so on. These investors tend to possess vastly greater resources than individual investors like you and me when researching stocks. Hence, it may be useful to keep a close eye on what they are doing, as a way to generate ideas. In this article, I’ll look at two Singapore stocks (among the top ten stocks) that have seen the highest net purchases in dollar v

I woke up this morning to a red mist. As most of you reading this have probably already heard, Wall Street stocks were crippled last night as the news broke that China had devalued its currency. The S&P 500 was down nearly 3% in a brutal trading day. Meanwhile, the Dow shed 760 points, or 2.9%. With overnight trading continuing lower, stocks in the US could open even lower tomorrow. It’s hard to say if this decline will continue, especially given that neither the US nor China is backing down from the trade war.  However, before you hit that sell button, realise that stock market sell-offs such as this have happened before. Many times, in fact, and each time, the stock market as a whole has rebounded even stronger than before, climbing above its previous high to reach fresh

When it comes to retirement stocks, it’s beneficial to look out for companies that provide services that won’t become obsolete, have robust financials, and growing (or at least stable) dividends. In Singapore, there are some companies that fit the bill, and three of them belong to the Straits Times Index (SGX: ^STI). So without further ado, here are three blue chips investors can consider so they can have peace of mind in retirement. Company #1 Singapore’s largest bank, DBS Group Holdings Ltd (SGX: D05), is the first company on my list. On top of our city-state, the bank has operations in Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, India, and Indonesia. Being the biggest bank in Singapore, DBS attracts many savers with its huge network of bank branches and cash machines. DBS’s depo

As of the time of writing, the Straits Times Index (SGX: ^STI) has tumbled around 60 points, or 1.8%, to 3,201.27. The three banks that make up most of the index – DBS Group Holdings Ltd (SGX: D05), Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited (SGX: O39) and United Overseas Bank Ltd (SGX: U11) – have not been spared. For instance, DBS’s shares are down 2.1%. With the sudden rout, contrarian investors may be wondering which of the three banks is the cheapest now to buy for the long-term. So, let’s find out right away. Battle of the banks’ valuations The table below shows the valuation comparison of the banks (the best values among the banks are in bold): Bank Price  Price-to-Book (PB) Ratio Dividend Yield DBS S$25.41 1.37 4.7% OCBC S$11.08 1.10 4.

DBS Group Holdings Ltd (SGX: D05) CEO Piyush Gupta has built a reputation of providing insightful commentary on a wide variety of topics. In DBS’s latest earnings brief, it was no different, with Mr. Gupta once again delivering useful insights. Here are five key things he told analysts. On the threat of digibanks… In response to a question on the impact of digibank licenses being issued in Singapore, Mr. Gupta said: “On your question relating to digital banks in Singapore, many of their value propositions are related to payments, which are already well covered in Singapore. Some of the fintechs also provide wealth management or lending services. In general, Singapore banks are quite competitive in digital wealth offerings and lending. In markets where the incumbent b

Travelling overseas can be a costly affair. However, there are possible ways to save on hotels or make your hotel stay worth it. Usually, booking a room at the last minute will result in cost savings (yes, unlike plane tickets where booking early is better). But do you know when you should book directly with the hotel, or through a third party site? Moreover, did you know that some hotels offer special services and freebies for children? Here are eight hotel hacks so that you can use during your next family vacation to free up more cash for your trip. #1 Book Directly With The Hotel If You Are On A Loyalty Programme Hotel conglomerates such as Marriott International and Hilton Worldwide have a hotel loyalty programme where you can gain points if you book directly on their website. Usually,

We asked our writers to share their top stock picks for the month of August and here’s what they had to say: Royston Yang: BreadTalk Group Limited BreadTalk Group Limited (SGX: CTN) has been ramping up its efforts to penetrate into countries such as Taiwan, Thailand and China. Din Tai Fung added two new outlets this year – one in Singapore and the other in Thailand, while Song Fa Bak Kut Teh, in a joint venture with BreadTalk signed in July 2017, opened its first restaurant in Beijing, China in January. In May and June, the group entered into a franchise agreement with Song Fa for its Taiwan expansion, and opened Singapore’s first Wu Pao Chun Bakery, respectively. Though capital expenditure may be elevated in the next few quarters due to this rapid pace of expansion, the

In case you missed them, here’s a selection of some of the popular articles that have appeared on our website for the month. 1 Singapore REIT That’s Perfect for Retirement Are you looking for a Singapore real estate investment trust (REIT) that can give you a steady stream of passive income during your golden years? Look no further. Tim Phillips shows why Mapletree Logistics Trust (SGX: M44U) could be the perfect addition to your retirement portfolio. 1 Singapore REIT That Could Double Your Investment in the Next 5-7 Years Lawrence Nga reveals why he thinks First Real Estate Investment Trust (SGX: AW9U) could double your investment in the next five to seven years. Do jump into the article to find out. 2 Singapore Dividend Stocks I Plan to Hold for the Long Term Here, Jeremy Ch

DBS Group Holdings Ltd (SGX: D05), or DBS for short, is one of the three major banks based out of Singapore, along with United Overseas Bank Ltd (SGX: U11) and Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp Limited (SGX: O39). The company earlier today announced its 2019 first-half earnings update. Here are five positive things that I think investors should know about its results. But first, let’s run through the company’s numbers. The results Here’s a quick summary of some key financial metrics for the first six months of 2019. Source: DBS Group’s H1 2019 Results Presentation Overall, we can see that all metrics improved on a year-on-year basis. But there is more to these numbers. Here are the five things I took away from them. Total income for the first half grew 11% year-on-year to a record hi

At Deutsche Bank’s offices around the world on 8 July 2019, workers can be spotted leaving with their belongings. As part of its restructuring plan, the German-headquartered bank announced that it will be dramatically reducing its fixed income operations and eliminate its global equities business. This will result in 18,000 jobs being lost. If you were to understand how banks operate, then you might not be surprised. After all, we’ve all heard our fair share of stories about how banks treat employees as ‘disposable’, which this TODAY article explains. When companies are doing well, bonuses and higher salaries roll out rapidly to reward workers. But when things go downhill, employees are removed with great haste and not much qualms. With such a cavalier attitude,

US Stocks reached an all-time high this week. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite reached 3,019 and 8,321 respectively, lifted by strong corporate quarterly results and optimism that the United States will resolve its trade conflict with China. The US corporate earnings season was off to a strong start with nearly 80% of 104 of the 500 companies topping earnings expectations so far in the second quarter. Expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates at its policy-setting meeting this week have further fuelled the enthusiasm. Overall profits of S&P 500 companies are expected to rise by about 1% in the second quarter, according to Refinitiv, a provider of financial markets data. Meanwhile, South Korea’s economy returned to growth in the second quarter. The economy

DBS Group Holdings Price – $25.61 Target – $30.30 At end-Apr, DBS Group Holdings’ (DBS) management guided for 2019 loan growth in the mid-single digits. Hence, we believe business loans expansion could more than offset the weak housing mortgage trend and expect DBS to record a 1% q-o-q loan expansion for 2Q19. In 2Q19, the 3-month SIBOR averaged 1.98% which is higher than 1.92% in the previous quarter. This is positive for DBS’s net interest margin (NIM) and we believe the group’s 2Q19 NIM could climb marginally from 1Q19’s 1.88%. Following US Fed chair Jerome Powell’s comments pointing towards a rate cut at the next meeting at end-Jul, we lowered both 2020F and 2021F earnings marginally by 1%. Likewise, our long-term ROE assumption is also lowered to 13.6%. Nevertheless, DBS

Should dividend investors buy DBS Group Holdings Ltd (SGX: D05) or United Overseas Bank Ltd (SGX: U11) now?

It has been a gut wrenching ride for investors as DBS bank share price went into a tailspin following the release of Q1FY2019 financial results on 29 April 2019. During the media briefing, CEO Piyush Gupta revealed that mortgage growth for FY2018 was under $2 billion, vis-à-vis growth of $4 billion in the year before FY2018. The chilling revelation knocked the wind out of DBS bank share price. On 27 April 2019, DBS bank share price had hit a high of $28.40 but investors were spooked by the bank’s dismay housing loan performance. The data confirmed investors’ worst fear – that DBS’ loan portfolio will be hit by the 2018 property cooling measures. Since that fateful day, DBS bank share price plummeted from $28.40 to a low of $24 on 3 June 2019. The mayhem prompted management to tak

Artificial intelligence is making DBS Group Holdings Ltd (SGX: D05) a better business. Click here to find out how the bank is utilising AI to make itself more efficient.

With the trade war in full steam, it does not help that Singapore is expected to experience the sharpest economic slowdown in Southeast Asia. Investors need to take extra caution when deciding what goes into their portfolio for 2H19. According to MBKE, here are five large caps that investors should pick up in these uncertain times. Investors Takeaway: 5 Large Caps That Your Portfolio Should Consist Of By MBKE UOB While United Overseas Bank (UOB) is facing slower domestic growth, MBKE believes that the slowdown in domestic growth will be offset by increasing contribution from overseas operation. UOB’s lagging net interest margin should also see an improvement going forward from re-pricing loan yields and better liquidity management. Another fundamental that MBKE likes about UOB is its s

Raffles Medical Group Ltd (SGX: BSL), DBS Group Holdings Ltd (SGX: D05), and SATS Ltd (SGX: S58) could be keepers in your portfolio.

What a brutal decline! DBS share price suffered a devastating 15% decline in the month of May. For sure, investors would love to see the back of May as DBS share price had one of the most terrible forms. Nonetheless, it should be highlighted that DBS share price is not alone in the carnage. Fellow competitors, OCBC and UOB suffered the same fate as well. Apparently, the big boys decided to show hand after the release of a stellar Q1FY2019. On the surface, this is considered puzzling because DBS had actually produced a good financial performance. In view of this, it is only logically that DBS share price continued to climb. It is not unreasonable to assume that the solid results would fuel the bullish form of the DBS share price, which surged from $24 in January 2019 to $28.40 in end of Apr