Here are three things about the local stock market that you might be interested in today. 1. The Straits Times Index (SGX: ^STI) ended Friday down 0.2%, or 7.5 points, to 3,529.27. The biggest loser in the index was Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Holdings Ltd (SGX: BS6), falling 4.5% to S$1.06. On the other hand, the STI component that gained the most was Singapore Airlines Ltd (SGX: C6L). The firm’s shares rose 3.8% to S$11.56. Other big gainers in the index were Venture Corporation Ltd (SGX: V03), Jardine Matheson Holdings Limited (SGX: J36) and Wilmar International Limited (SGX: F34). In all, seven stocks ended the day in the green, 17 were in the red while the remaining six finished unchanged. 2. Singapore Airlines Ltd is looking to merge SilkAir, its regional wing, into Singapore’s flag

The general consensus in the market is to ‘Sell In May And Go Away’. While DBS does not think that the stock market is going down in 2018 (having just raised its year-end estimate of STI to 3,850), DBS thinks that the near-term performance of the Singapore market might take a slight dip. With the World Cup coming up in a month’s time, it could be a time for investors to look for a break in the month of May. Historically, the Straits Times Index fell by an average of 8.6 percent during the past six tournaments as trading activity starts to slow in May. Based on past statistics, the best market re-entry time is in the beginning of July, if history repeats. Investors Takeaway: 3 Stock Strategies To Recalibrate Your Portfolio Ahead Of FIFA World Cup Mid-To-Late-Cycle Plays As Singapo

Trump (USA) and Kim (North Korea) will meet on 12 June 2018 in Shangri-La Hotel of Singapore, the same place for historical meeting of Xi Jinping (China) and Ma Ying Jeou (Taiwan) in 2015. Sometimes when we read the news, need to read in between the lines to understand the stock investment opportunities.   Singapore: ========== Establish reputation similar to Switzerland as a neutral country. This is crucial for a small country to survive in a competitive international market, both in economy and politics.   Shangri-La Hotel: ============== Owner of Shangri-La Hotel is Robert Kuok, the richest person in Malaysia, who also owns businesses through major shareholding of giant stocks such as PPB (Bursa: 4065), Wilmar (SGX: F34), Shangri-La Asia (S07), Kerry Properties

MARKET OVERVIEW- The market could edge higher after US stocks rallied to a 7-week high as a benign inflation data reduced the odds of aggressive Fed interest rate hikes. - Technically, STI could continue to drift directionless in the near term within the broad 3,500-3,610 range.CORPORATE RESULTS*Genting Singapore- 1Q18 net profit rose 3% to $217.2m, achieving 29% of full-year consensus estimate.- Excluding one-off $96.3m gain from disposal of Jeju JV in 1Q17, earnings would have soared 156%.- Revenue jumped 15% to $675.1m on robust growth in volumes across gaming (+17% to $507.4m) and non-gaming segments (+10% to $167.1m). - Adjusted EBITDA leapt 27% $358.9m on 40% drop in bad debt provisions. - Japan IR Implementation Bill has been submitted to Diet for debate, paving the way Japan gaming

With more than two-thirds of the Straits Times Index (SGX: ^STI) having reported, the first-quarter earnings season will enter the home straight next week. Genting Singapore (SGX: G13) will be the first blue chip to report next week. In February, the integrated resorts owner lifted its dividends, even though earnings fell 17%. It said that it had seen a stronger underlying performance from the leisure and hospitality segment, thanks to higher business volume. Singapore’s second-largest bank, Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (SGX: O39), will also report on Monday. The bank soundly beat analyst estimates in the fourth quarter, when it posted a 31% jump in net profits. It said it had seen sustained growth momentum in banking, wealth management and insurance. But will it be able to compl

With STI now leading the race as Asia’s top performing market index, the market is starting to be concerned about overvaluation. However, there are still some blue chips that have yet to hit its peak. Here are four blue chips that Daiwa Capital Markets thinks will continue to prosper and help investors make alpha return in the second half of 2018. Investors Takeaway: 4 Blue Chips That Will Prosper In 2H18 DBS Group Holdings Combination Of Growth And Yield Play Among regional banks, the “earnings-per-share” growth outlook looks the most compelling for Singapore banks. According to Daiwa, Singapore banks have the highest EPS growth outlook in the region. Within the Singapore banks, DBS Group Holdings (DBS) is the runaway leader for its EPS growth. Apart from growth, DBS is also emer

From a top-down investment approach, Daiwa Institute of Research recommends taking positive positions on emerging markets for three reasons: Gradual Fed policy normalisation; Strong commodity and trade cycles; and deep valuation discount. These three reasons will drive the Asian reflation story. There are four sectors that Daiwa highlights as the inflation group: Financials, energy, materials and consumer discretionary sectors. Daiwa notes that these sectors are displaying superior earnings momentum than the general market. Among the Asian markets, Daiwa is positive on the Singapore economy as recent data suggests the Singapore economy remains in good shape. Daiwa believes that the positive momentum will persist through 2018 as trade-driven economic growth broadens to services and other do

Looking at base building by Hong Kong listed stock PCCW and Singapore listed Wilmar. Both demonstrate multiple-year supports and positive price action. Illustration with 3M charts. The post Base building: PCCW (0008.hk) and Wilmar (F34.si) appeared first on TerraSeeds Forex Blog, Gold, Oil, Stocks, Indices.

Both China and US have struck first blow at each other’s trade game with each side imposing tariffs on the other’s goods. Just two weeks back, China’s President Xi Jinping threw the ball back into US President Trump’s court by pledging to further open its market, including reducing tariffs on imported cars into China. Now, the world is waiting to see what kind of actions President Trump will take in response to President Xi’s initiation for truce. World Awaiting President Trump’s Response In the short-term, CIMB opines that sentiments will still be impacted, noting that Trump could still introduce measures to address investments by China in ‘sensitive’  US industries or technologies and his decision on whether to label China a currency manipulator still awaits. Investors T

In late February, Wilmar International Limited  (SGX: F34) released its 2017 full year earnings update. As a quick introduction, Wilmar is an agricultural company that has four business segments: Tropical Oils; Oilseeds and Grains; Sugar; and Others. Given the complexity of Wilmar’s business, it may be useful for investors to have a look at each segment individually. In a previous article, I had discussed the Tropical Oils segment. In this article, I will have a quick review of the business performance of the Sugar segment in 2017. [Editor’s note: An article discussing the Oilseeds and Grains segment has been published. It can be found here.] The following table shows the revenue and profit numbers that the Sugar segment delivered for the fourth quarter and the whole of 2017 and

In late February, Wilmar International Limited  (SGX: F34) released its 2017 full year earnings update. As a quick introduction, Wilmar is an agricultural company that has four business segments: Tropical Oils; Oilseeds and Grains; Sugar; and Others. Given the complexity of Wilmar’s business, it may be useful for investors to have a look at each segment individually. In previous articles, I had discussed the Tropical Oils and Sugar segments. In this article, I will have a quick review of the business performance of the Oilseeds and Grains segment in 2017. The following table shows the revenue and profit numbers that the Oilseeds and Grains segment delivered for the fourth quarter and the whole of 2017 and 2016: Source: Wilmar 2017 results announcement For the fourth quarter of 2017,

Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) are the people that run companies, make critical operational decisions that impact everything from employee morale to balance sheet health to futures business direction. This job usually comes with immense pressure to perform and long-hours to get the work done. Obviously, this job is not for the faint-hearted. This also often means that they are the most handsomely paid employee in the company. In this article, we look at how much the biggest listed companies in Singapore, those on the Straits Times Index (STI), paid their CEOs in FY2017. CEO Salary In FY2017 Three companies did not divulge the remuneration of their chief executive – Jardine Matheson Holdings; Jardine Strategic Holdings; and Hongkong Land. Also Read: How Much Money Do You Actually Take

In late February, Wilmar International Limited (SGX: F34) released its 2017 full year earnings update. As a quick introduction, Wilmar is an agricultural company that has four business segments: Tropical Oils; Oilseeds and Grains; Sugar; and Others. Given the complexity of Wilmar’s business, it may be useful for investors to have a look at each segment individually. In this article, I will have a quick review of the business performance of the Tropical Oils segment in 2017. [Editor’s note: An article discussing the Sugar segment has been published. It can be found here.] The following table shows the revenue and profit numbers that the Tropic Oils segment delivered for the fourth quarter and the whole of 2017 and 2016: Source: Wilmar 2017 results announcement We can see that the

First quarter of 2018 has passed in a blink of an eye. I thought it would be interesting to look at STI and have a good sense how the STI blue chips are doing, especially when we just had some volatility in Feb and Mar this year.Source: Business Times, 31 Mar 2018Based on the table above, I noticed thatFive companies are at a price level of 75th percentile or higher based on their past one-year price range: City Developments, Venture Corp, DBS, OCBC and UOB. Among these, Venture at $28.11 is the closest to its 52 week high, owing to its recent inclusion into STI and the continued optimism on electronic manufacturing sector.Seventeen companies are now within 25% of their one-year lowest price. This is more than half of the 30 components of STI. Among them, Hutchison Port Holdings ($0.295) a

PE ratio is arguably the most commonly used financial metric in share investment. But many investors may not truly grasp the idea of PE and how can it be applied to shares investing.In this article, I try to explain PE ratio using simple language, and highlight how it can be used in your daily investing decisions.PE Ratio - The ConceptImagine this. You have a sum on hand, and is prepared to acquire a food stall in the neighbourhood as an investment. As you approach the business owner, what would be your first question to ask?Surely, one of the first few questions you would post is 'How is your business?'. That's in layman term. Essentially, you are asking 'How much does your food stall earn?'. The owner would probably reply 'Well, last year we earned $100k per year', or  'For the past

In late February, Wilmar International Limited (SGX: F34) released its 2017 full year earnings update. As a quick introduction, Wilmar is an agricultural company that operates through four main segments: Tropical Oils, Oilseeds and Grains, Sugar, and Others. There are both positive and negative takeaways from Wilmar’s latest results that investors may want to learn about. The positives Firstly, the company reported growth in both revenue and net profit in 2017. For the year, Wilmar’s revenue increased by 5.9% year-on-year to US$43.8 billion while its earnings per share was up by 25.3% to US$0.193. Secondly, the Oilseeds and Grains segment delivered a strong performance in 2017, with its profit before tax almost tripling from US$251.1 million in 2016 to US$735.0 million. Thirdly, W

The earnings season had recently come to an end. As is common with every earnings season, there will be some companies posting growth, some posting mixed numbers, and some experiencing declines. Let’s take a look at two companies that delivered growth recently: 1. In early March, Jardine Strategic Holdings Limited (SGX: J37) released its 2017 second half and full year earnings update. As a quick introduction, Jardine Strategic is a a sprawling conglomerate with interests in many Singapore-listed companies such as automobile distributor Jardine Cycle & Carriage Ltd (SGX: C07), bricks-and-mortar retailer Dairy Farm International Holdings Ltd (SGX: D01), hotelier Mandarin Oriental Limited (SGX: M04), and more. In 2017, Jardine Strategic’s revenue increased by 7% to US$31.56 billion

In late February, Wilmar International Limited (SGX: F34) released its 2017 full year earnings update. As a quick introduction, Wilmar is an agricultural company that operates through four main segments: Tropical Oils, Oilseeds and Grains, Sugar, and Others. Here are 10 things investors should know about Wilmar’s latest results: 1. Revenue for 2017 increased by 5.9% to US$43.85 billion. 2. But, gross profit for the year was down by 13.3% to US$3.48 billion. 3. Yet, EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) grew by 14.9% to US$2.58 billion. 4. Net profit attributable to shareholders for the whole of 2017 jumped by 25.4% to US$1.22 billion. 5. The agricultural giant’s gross margin declined from 9.7% in 2016 to 7.9%. Yet, its EBITDA margin increased fr

Walter Schloss, dubbed a Superinvestor by Warren Buffett, was a deep value investor. He was very keen on stocks that were selling at 52-week low prices. In Singapore, even among the blue-chip companies of the Straits Times Index (SGX: ^STI), there are a few stocks that are near their respective 52-week low prices. Let’s look at three of them – StarHub Ltd (SGX: CC3), Jardine Cycle & Carriage Ltd (SGX: C07), Wilmar International Limited (SGX: F34) and Thai Beverage Public Company Limited (SGX: Y92) – starting with the stock that is closest to its 52-week low price.Source: Google Finance and SGX StockFacts After market close on Valentine’s day, StarHub announced its financial results for the full year ended 31 December 2017. There was no love for the stock, though, as its price

In close to three decades since the introduction of Volatility Index (VIX), the “fear index” has never been as low as 2017, having hit an all-time low of 9.14 in November 2017. As we entered 2018, VIX slowly crept up and shot to 37.2 at the start of February. While VIX is now lower at 19.6, it is still above levels seen in 2017. While the VIX has historically been an early warning signal for a market crash, UOBKH believes it is different this time around. UOBKH notes that the current volatility is not as severe as compared to 2015. The recent market pullback of around 11 percent from its peak, however, mirrors the same magnitude of the plunge in 2015. But since then, the market is slowly recovering back to its all-time high in January. UOBKH: Investors Should Look Beyond Short-Term Noi