With over 900,000 members, an NTUC membership is one of the most popular membership programmes in Singapore. But what exactly does it mean to be an NTUC Member and is it worth becoming one? We take a closer look at all the monetary and non-monetary benefits that NTUC members enjoy to help you decide. What Is An NTUC Membership? NTUC membership is issued by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), a national confederation of trade unions and network of professional associations and partners across all sectors in Singapore. For a complete list, you can refer to the organisation directory. Signing up for a NTUC membership makes you either an Ordinary Branch (OB) or General Branch (GB) union member. You can join as an OB member if your company has established a relationship with the respec

SATS Ltd (SGX: S58) is a Singapore-listed company with a market capitalisation of S$5.52 billion. As a quick background, SATS is the leading provider of gateway services and food solutions in the region. It caters to the needs of the aviation sector and a host of other businesses in hospitality, food, healthcare, freight, and logistics industries besides governments. SATS can be seen almost everywhere at Singapore’s Changi Airport, where it manages most of the gateway services for airlines. Between from 1 Jan to 31 Dec 2018, SAT’s total return, which includes reinvested dividends, underperformed the Straits Times Index (SGX: ^STI), with the former registering a negative 7.2% return, compared to a negative 6.5% return for the latter. Has the pullback in SATS’ shares made it a bargai

SATS Ltd (SGX: S58) is a company providing food solutions and gateway services solutions. The Food Solutions covers airline catering, food distribution, industrial catering whereas Gateway Solutions is involved in ground handling services of passengers, flights and cargo. In the last 12 months, the company’s stock price was down by more than 15% from its high of S$5.85 to S$ 4.90 (as of writing). Its lower share price might look attractive to different investor groups, one of which is the dividend investors. This article focuses primarily on this group of investors. In particular, we will like to highlight a number of reasons why SATS might be a good candidate for dividend investors to hold for the long term. We discussed the first two reasons this might be a good dividend stock in an

Income investors would ideally like to invest in companies that have sustainable dividends. Unfortunately, no one can accurately predict the future, which makes estimating the future dividends of a company potentially tricky. One way to help clear up some of the fog would be to look at a company’s history of paying dividends. Over the past 10 years, the global economy has been through some really rough times, with the great financial crisis being the most jarring episode. It would thus mean that a company that can grow its dividends in the past decade has a business that has some stability and sustainability in the past – and that could be a great starting point for further research. Here, we will like to share with you five blue chip stocks which have managed to grow their dividend pa

SATS Ltd (SGX: S58) is a company providing food solutions and gateway services solutions. The Food Solutions covers airline catering, food distribution, industrial catering whereas Gateway Solutions is involved in ground handling services of passengers, flights and cargo. In the last 12 months, the company’s stock price was down by more than 15% from its high of S$5.85 to S$ 4.90 (as of writing). Its lower share price might look attractive to different investor groups, one of which is the dividend investors. This article focuses primarily on this group of investors. In particular, we will like to highlight a number of reasons why SATS might be a good candidate for dividend investors to hold for the long term. Solid financial track record Investors make money from stock investment in two

According to a recent report released by the Singapore Exchange, 32 companies bought back 97 million shares or units for a total amount of S$78 million in December 2018. For the full year, the total share buybacks amounted to S$1.5 billion. The top ten companies with the most significant share buyback amounts in December were United Overseas Bank Ltd (SGX: U11), Keppel REIT (SGX: K71U), Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited (SGX: O39), Stamford Land Corporation Ltd (SGX: H07), Venture Corporation Ltd (SGX: V03), SingHaiyi Group Ltd (SGX: 5H0), SATS Ltd (SGX: S58), Singapore Post Limited (SGX: S08), Tuan Sing Holdings Limited (SGX: T24), and Sembcorp Industries Limited (SGX: U96). Keppel REIT’s manager has been regularly buying back the REIT’s units since July 2018. As I noted

The Straits Times Index (STI) is made up of the 30 strongest and most liquid stocks listed in Singapore. Comprising close to 80% of the entire market value in Singapore, the returns that the stocks on the STI provides is essentially the market returns or benchmark returns. For investors who are new or prefer taking a hands-off approach, being able to invest in the STI can be the most practical way to invest. This is primarily because it offers several advantages such as diversifying our investment portfolio with just one investment as well as receiving the market returns without requiring much knowledge or spending time monitoring and adjusting our portfolios. Currently, there are two listed STI exchange traded funds (ETFs) – the SPDR STI ETF and the Nikko AM Singapore STI ETF – that w

From 2008 to 2018, the Straits Times Index (SGX: ^STI) produced an annualised total return of 9.2%. Dividends have contributed significantly to the total return. Excluding dividends, the Straits Times Index‘s return during the period would be lower at 5.7% per year. The local stock market benchmark’s 10-year total return is also higher than that of regional indices such as the Hang Seng Index, Nikkei 225, and CSI 300. These statistics were revealed in a recent report by the Singapore Exchange. Some Straits Times Index components have performed better than the index. Let’s look at the best three of the lot, starting with the company with the lowest total return. Blue-chip #3 Jardine Cycle & Carriage Ltd (SGX: C07) slots into the third place. The firm has three main business segm

Warren Buffett once said that as an investor, it is important to be “fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful.” The idea is simple. When everyone is buying shares in a company, it’s unlikely that the company’s shares will be a good bargain. On the other hand, when others are shying away from the shares of a company, we might be able to pick some up at a good price. How can we tell if investors are staying away from a company’s shares? By seeing if it has fallen hard in recent times. In this article, we will look at three blue-chip shares with prices that have declined significantly from their respective highs over the past year: SATS Ltd (SGX: S58), Thai Beverage Public Company Limited (SGX: Y92) and Keppel Corporation Limited (SGX: BN4). They are blue-ch

Warren Buffett once said that as an investor, it is important to be “fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful.” The idea is simple. When everyone is buying shares in a company, it’s unlikely that the its shares will be a good bargain. On the other hand, when others are shying away from the shares of a company, we might be able to pick up some at a good price. How can we tell if investors are staying away from a company’s shares? One way is by seeing if it has fallen hard in recent times. In this article, I will look at two blue-chip shares with prices that have declined significantly from their respective highs over the past year: SATS Ltd (SGX: S58) and Thai Beverage Public Company Limited (SGX: Y92). They are blue-chips because they’re part of the 30 co

We highlight two investment themes that UOBKH recommends for investing: Dividend From Cash Machines and M&A Plays. Investors Takeaway: 2 Cash Rich Stocks For Dividend Seekers With the rising interest rate environment, UOBKH recommends investors to focus on high dividend yield stocks that are less correlated with higher rates. For this investment theme, UOBKH favours CSE Global and Valuetronics. There are also large caps that UOBKH prefers, like SingTel, DBS, SATS and ST Engineering. According to UOBKH’s estimates, these stocks offer sustainable dividend yields of at least four percent. They are also forecasted to grow their dividends in the next 1-2 years. CSE Global CSE Global has benefitted from higher oil prices in 2018. Going forward, there are potential synergies from its new

We continue to highlight the stocks that UOBKH has identified in its ‘Solid Blue-Chip Anchors’ investment theme. Investors Takeaway: 3 Solid Blue-Chip Anchors DBS DBS finished 3Q18 with a net profit of $1.4 billion. One of the key reasons for its record net profit is loan growth from its business segments. DBS saw its loan books grow by 8.2 percent year-on-year with Hong Kong, India and Indonesia growing at double-digit rate. Net interest margin expansion was also another driving factor for the net profit improvement as its Singapore and Hong Kong business both saw net interest margin expansion. DBS’ management expects the loan growth momentum to continue in 2019. They have guided for mid-single digit loan growth and continued net interest margin expansion. While non-trade corporat

“Ka-ching!” That’s the sound of dividends rolling into your bank account. If you love dividends, then you should pay attention to the following three dividend-paying companies. They have the potential to roll more dividends into your bank account for years to come. Company #1 The first company to be featured is Micro-Mechanics (Holdings) Ltd (SGX: 5DD). The company produces consumable parts that are needed in the assembling and testing of semiconductors. Micro-Mechanics has increased its total dividend by 1,150% from S$0.008 per share in FY2003 (financial year ended 30 June 2003) to S$0.10 per share in FY2018. The company’s dividend in FY2018 was 81% of its earnings in the year. To know more about the company’s dividends, you can check out a guide here. Micro-Mechanics coul

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 will look at three Singapore stocks (among the top ten stocks) that have seen the highest net disposal in dollar value

SATS Ltd‘s (SGX: S58) share price is down by 11.3% year-to-date. In comparison, Singapore’s stock market bellwether, the Straits Times Index (SGX: ^STI), has fallen by a slightly smaller margin of 9.7% over the same period. It looks like the market dislikes SATS, but I believe there is one key reason to be optimistic about the airline caterer and ground handler. Historical growth in Singapore’s tourism industry For its fiscal year ended 31 March 2018 (FY2018), 82.5% of SATS’s revenue of S$1.72 billion came from Singapore. In terms of combined revenue (which accounts the proportionate share of associates’ and joint ventures’ revenues), 64.9% of SATS’s revenue came from our city-state. As such, Singapore is an important market for SATS, and if Singapore’s

Last month, 29 companies bought back 39 million shares or units for a total amount of S$108.8 million, according to a recent report released by the Singapore Exchange. The latest buyback amount is 82% up from October 2018 and almost thrice that of November 2017’s figure of S$39 million. The top ten companies with the most significant share buyback amounts in November 2018 were DBS Group Holdings Ltd (SGX: D05), United Overseas Bank Ltd (SGX: U11), Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited (SGX: O39), SATS Ltd (SGX: S58), Keppel REIT (SGX: K71U), Olam International Ltd (SGX: O32), Singapore Post Limited (SGX: S08), Stamford Land Corporation Ltd (SGX: H07), Sembcorp Industries Limited (SGX: U96) and Lum Chang Holdings Limited (SGX: L19). The companies spent a total of S$104.7 million f

Here are some of the most popular articles that have appeared on The Motley Fool Singapore’s website for the week. 3 Singapore Blue-Chip Shares That Warren Buffett Might Like Ever wanted to invest in stable companies that are part of the Straits Times Index (SGX: ^STI)? Look no further. In this article, I look at three blue-chips that have wide economic moats and why they could make good investments. Companies discussed in the article: Singapore Exchange Limited (SGX: S68), DBS Group Holdings Ltd (SGX: D05) and SATS Ltd (SGX: S58). 3 REITS That Have More Than 8% Yield Right Now Lawrence Nga explores three real estate investment trusts (REITs) that have distribution yields of above 8%. They are not excessively valued in terms of their book values as well. REITs discussed in the article a

Fear is rampant in the stock market right now. Investors have taken it on the chin but it is not the time to give up. Singapore’s Straits Times Index (SGX: ^STI) peaked in early May this year and proceeded to fall past the dreaded 10% mark in less than two months to enter correction territory. Today, more than six months after this year’s high, the STI is still down by around 16%. As the downturn drags on, some investors are beginning to feel the strain. In some ways, fear has given way to exhaustion. After all, it’s been a tough year for any investor to eke out any sort of gain. Consider these statistics: Less than a quarter of the 30 companies that make up the Straits Times Index are showing positive returns for 2018. The average year-to-date return of a blue-chip stock is negati

World-renowned investor, Warren Buffett, likes to invest in companies with a wide economic moat. The presence of an economic moat in a company’s business acts as a powerful deterrent to would-be competitors who are considering encroaching the territory of the business. Examples are abound of Buffett investing in companies with sticky consumers, ensuring even more profits are produced by the firms when consumers come back for more. In Singapore’s stock market, there are also companies with wide economic moats. Let’s look at three such companies that are part of the Straits Times Index (SGX: ^STI), and hence, are also known colloquially as blue-chip shares. Company #1 The first company on the list is Singapore Exchange Limited (SGX: S68), or SGX in short. SGX is the only stock

1. SPH Reit  --  11th Oct 20182. Keppel Reit  --  15th Oct 20183. Keppel DC Reit  --  16th Oct 20184. Kep Infra Trust  --  16th Oct 20185. First Reit  --  16th Oct 20186. Kep-KBS US Reit  --  17th Oct 20187. Kep T&T  --  17th Oct 20188. Kep Corp  --  18th Oct 20189. FrasersCom Trust  --  19th Oct 201810. SGX  --  19th Oct 201811. Mapletreelog Trust  --  22nd Oct 201812. MapletreeInd Trust  --  23rd Oct 201813. Frasers Cpt Trust  --  24th Oct 201814. MapletreeCom Trust  --  24th Oct 201815. Suntec Reit  --  24th Oct 201816. M1  --  24th Oct201817. Semb Mar  --  25th Oct 201818. Parkway Life  --  25th Oct 20181