There are 26 Singapore-listed shares in the FTSE All-World High Dividend Yield Index. This global dividend yield index contains 1,389 globally-listed shares that have a higher-than-average dividend yield. The index excludes real estate investment trusts (REITs) and stocks that are forecast to pay no dividend over the next 12 months. Here, let’s look at the best five Singapore-listed companies – part of the FTSE All-World High Dividend Yield Index – that have the highest dividend yields (yield data as of 18 January 2019). The best of the lot Taking the top spot is the Straits Times Index’s (SGX: ^STI) highest yielding component, Hutchison Port Holdings Trust (SGX: NS8U). The trust has a distribution yield of 9.9%. Investors should not be misled by the high yield as the trust’s di

In this article, we highlight two trade diversion plays that DBS recommends investors in 2019. Looming Danger Of US-China Trade War The ongoing trade disputes between the US and China will affect export dependent economies such as Singapore. Singapore’s manufacturing base is largely focused on high value-added intermediate products, and a large proportion is shipped to China for subsequent processing. However, as the trade war is largely bilateral in nature, there could be some degree of trade diversion, which could benefit Southeast Asia’s economies. Singapore is in a unique position given its regional hub status, a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement network and higher level of innovation and business sophistication. Being a regional shipping and financial hub, Singapore could also se

Long term investors seek companies that can sustain, or better still, grow their profitability for the foreseeable future. As a matter of fact, no one can accurately predict the future, thus, the ability of a company to consistently be profitable over the long term. Thus, average investors might want to limit their investments to those companies that have a more predictable business, or in other words, blue chips. Now, the conventional wisdom is that blue chip companies are boring investments since they don’t usually grow much given their size. This is true, to a certain extent. Yet, there are some blue chip companies that continued to grow their profitability over time, despite their size. Here, we will look at three blue chip companies that more than doubled their profits in the last d

The blue-chip shares of the Straits Times Index (SGX: ^STI) all pay a dividend, with an average dividend yield of 3.6%. However, some of the index stocks have way higher dividend yields. Here, let’s look at the top five blue-chip shares that have the best dividend yields (data as of 17 January 2019). Blue-chip #1 Coming in first is Hutchison Port Holdings Trust (SGX: NS8U) with a distribution yield of 9.6%. In its most recent earnings update, the trust posted a net profit of HK$239.5 million, down 11.4% as compared to a year back. The high yield should not fool investors because of late, the trust’s distributions have been falling. For the last twelve months, total distribution has dropped to 19.62 Hong Kong cents from 26.10 cents in the prior period. Hutchison Port Holdings Trust 

Warren Buffett is a huge advocate of businesses buying back their shares. He believes that share buybacks can reveal a thing or two about the company’s management. He once said: “What you’d like to do as an investor is hook them up to a machine and run a polygraph to see whether it’s true. Short of a polygraph the best sign of a shareholder-oriented management — assuming its stock is undervalued — is repurchases. A polygraph proxy, that’s what it is.” On that note, let’s check out three companies picked at random that have repurchased their shares thus far during the week, as of market open today. Silverlake Axis Ltd (SGX: 5CP) Silverlake is a software solutions provider servicing mainly the financial services sector. On 14 January 2019, Sil

Welcome to a brand-new week, everyone. Here are three things about the local stock market that you might be interested in today. 1. The Straits Times Index (SGX: ^STI) climbed 43.6 points, or 1.4%, to end the day at 3,102.8. Of the 30 index components, 22 finished in the green, with Venture Corporation Ltd (SGX: V03) leading the pack. The electronics manufacturing service provider’s shares rose 5.3% to S$14.40 each. Meanwhile, the biggest loser of the index was Dairy Farm International Holdings Ltd (SGX: D01), which fell 1% to US$9.01. Three other blue-chips finished Monday in the red, with the remaining four ending the day unchanged. 2. CapitaLand Limited (SGX: C31) is acquiring a prime office building in Shanghai, China. In an announcement before the stock market opened today, CapitaL

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

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 five years, the global economy has been through some challenging events like the oil price crisis, Brexit, and the recent one being the US-China trade war. It would thus suggest that a company that can grow its dividends during this period has a strong business, and that could be a great starting point for further research. Here, I would like to share with you five blue-chips that have managed to grow their dividends by 20% or more despite all the head

Singapore’s stock market benchmark, the Straits Times Index (SGX: ^STI), ended December in the red. For the month, the index tumbled 1.6% to 3,069. Of the 30 index components, 10 were in the positive territory, three were flat while the remaining 17 were in the red. The top three best-performers of the Straits Times Index for December were Jardine Matheson Holdings Limited (SGX: J36), Dairy Farm International Holdings Ltd (SGX: D01) and Wilmar International Limited (SGX: F34).Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence Jardine Matheson is a diversified Asian-based business group with interests in a few listed entities in Singapore, including Dairy Farm. The latter operates supermarkets, hypermarkets, convenience stores, and health and beauty, and home furnishings stores in Asia. For its

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 five years, the global economy has been through some challenging events like the oil price crisis, Brexit, and the recent one being the US-China trade war. It would thus suggest that a company that can grow its dividends during this period has a strong business, and that could be a great starting point for further research. Here, I would like to share with you three blue-chips that have managed to grow their dividends by 20% or more despite all the hea

2018 was a challenging year for Singapore investors. The Straits Times Index (SGX: ^STI), Singapore’s stock market barometer, was down by 9.8% in 2018. There are a number of stocks, however, that saw poorer performance in 2018. In this article, and the next, I will look back into the year and identify six of the index’s biggest losers. The sixth worst performer The conglomerate UOL Group Limited (SGX: U14) captures the sixth spot with a 30.2% decline in its stock price in 2018. As a quick introduction, UOL is a property company that is involved in property development and management, property investments, and hotel businesses. In its latest earnings for the third quarter ended 30 September 2018, UOL reported that revenue was down 3% to S$523.8 million. Yet, UOL’s attributable profit

Share buybacks can be useful for companies if done for the correct reasons. And that is, if the firm’s shares are undervalued, and the reinvestment opportunities into the firm are not as attractive. On that note, let’s check out three companies picked at random that have repurchased their shares thus far during the week, as of market open today. Stamford Land Corporation Ltd (SGX: H07) Stamford Land is Australasia’s largest independent owner and operator of luxury hotels. It has a portfolio of prime hotels and investment properties in Australia and New Zealand. On 24 and 26 December 2018, the property firm repurchased a total of 1,260,100 shares at S$0.49 per share. The total cost came up to slightly below S$618,400. For the second quarter ended 30 September 2018, Stamford Land’s

In 2018, stocks that are listed on Singapore’s Straits Times Index (STI) has seen an increase in volatility compared to 2017. This heightened volatility has also translated into a higher trading turnover for more than half of the STI stocks. Read Also: Complete Guide To Investing In The STI ETF Trading turnover is simply calculated as the price of a stock multiplied by its trading volume. When a stock’s trading turnover surges, it usually means there is more interest in the company. This can be either a good or bad thing as investors find reasons to buy up the stock or sell down the stock. A surge in trading volume can also represent institutional investors actively investing in or selling the stock. As the STI has declined by close to 11.2% in 2018, it shouldn’t come as a surprise t

Share buybacks can be a good thing if done for the right reasons. And that is, if the company’s shares are undervalued, and the reinvestment opportunities into the firm are not as attractive. On that note, let’s check out three companies picked at random that have repurchased their shares thus far during the week, as of market open today. Keppel REIT (SGX: K71U) Keppel REIT is a commercial real estate investment trust (REIT) that has interests in nine premium office assets located in Singapore and Australia. On 17, 18, 19 and 20 December 2018, the office REIT’s manager repurchased a total of 3,684,900 shares at a price range of between S$1.17 and S$1.19 per unit. The total cost came up to around S$4.37 million. Keppel REIT’s unit price closed at S$1.18 on Thursday. The price trans

It was not long after Diwali was over when Singapore started getting ready for the next major festive event – Christmas. I sometimes wonder why we can’t celebrate Diwali just that little bit longer. Diwali, or the Festival of Light, for me is a reminder of the victory of light over darkness. It’s about the triumph of knowledge over ignorance. It is also about appreciating and understanding what is going on around us. What’s volatility? It was around the time of Diwali when I was asked by the morning crew on MoneyFM why Genting Singapore (SGX: G13), City Developments (SGX: C09) and Venture Corp (SGX: V03) were the three worst performers in the Straits Times Index (SGX: ^STI) in October. Point is, I don’t think anyone really knows. But what I do know is that October certainly l

Is the worst of the trade conflict finally behind us? On Monday, stock markets in Asia reacted positively to the announcement that the United States and China have agreed not to impose further tariffs on each other for 90 days. China is hoping that the US will remove tariffs imposed in July, while the White House said that talks will take place to resolve specific US complaints such as “forced technology transfer” within the next 90 days. If the trade conflict does resolve, it will certainly be good news for investors around the world. Lower trade barriers mean more efficient use of resources and larger markets for companies around the world in a time where trade has become a major part of the world economy. While the lifting of trade tariffs do not directly impact Singapore,

The Straits Times Index (SGX: ^STI) has rallied 2.1% as of the time of writing today. The spike comes after US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to a truce on the trade war over dinner on Saturday after the G20 summit. If you are wondering what stocks you should consider for your portfolio amid the rally, you have to look no further. Using data from S&P Global Market Intelligence and the Magic Formula investing strategy developed by investor Joel Greenblatt, I found some of the best Singapore-listed stocks for December that could go on to do well. The basic premise of the Magic Formula is to find the 30 best shares in the market as ranked by their cheapness and their quality, and to hold on to that basket shares for a year before repeating the ranking proc

Singapore listed companies crossed the 3Q18 finishing line with a subpar performance. Among the companies covered by UOBKH, 36 percent of them missed consensus estimates. According to UOBKH, 37 percent of companies reported results that fell below expectations, the highest rate of disappointment since 2Q16. Only 17 percent of companies reported better-than-expected results. Here is a breakdown of the most interesting sectors and how they fared in 3Q18. Investors Takeaway: Hits And Misses Of 3Q18 Banks: Delivering In 3Q18 Amidst Volatile Environment The banking sector was one of the few sectors that delivered in 3Q18. All three Singapore banks met UOBKH’s earnings expectations. Both DBS and OCBC achieved net interest margin (NIM) expansion and strong growth in net trading income. OCBC’