Thursday, October 18, 2012

Sabana REIT: 3Q 2012 DPU 2.34c.

Sabana REIT reported a robust set of numbers, declaring a DPU of 2.34c. The counter will go XD on 24 Oct and income distribution is payable on 28 Nov.




Total assets under management: $1.1 bn

Occupancy rate: 99.9%

Average all-in financing cost: 4.3%

Weighted average tenor of debt: 3.5 years.

Interest cover ratio: 5.5x

NAV/unit: $1.03

Sabana REIT's higher income from a slew of acquisitions

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Value for money holiday in Hong Kong.

The year end holidays are just round the corner. Wondering where to bring the family for a vacation this year? Why not Hong Kong? The flight does not take too long and Hong Kong has good food and attractions aplenty.

You might want to bring the kids to Hong Kong Disneyland as well to see Snowy Christmas Town.





 

Find out more at: Christmas Town.

Get a special 4D 3N Hong Kong package to

Saizen REIT: A retest of resistance at 18c?




On two occasions in the past, I did not partially divest my investment in Saizen REIT as its unit price touched a high of 18c. It was due to a belief that it remained undervalued even at that price. Yesterday, Saizen REIT's unit price broke resistance at 16.8c while it touched a high of 17.7c before closing at 17.4c today. Could we see 18c again soon?




The lower highs on the MACD and the

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

China Minzhong: Opportunity in slowing momentum.

A big part of my portfolio is invested for income while the remainder is invested for capital gains. In both instances, once I stop adding to my long positions, the main thing to do is to wait. Wait to collect regular income in the first instance and wait to lock in gains in the second.

I will have more income distributions from S-REITs in November and December. Possibly, there will be dividends

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Wilmar: A rebound or something more?

Wilmar is up 3.9% at $3.18 as players await further details from the Malaysian government on a CPO export-tax cut. "It's one of the better companies in terms of having feet in both Indonesia and Malaysia and (being) able to trade around any opportunities from that" on the potential tax change, an analyst says.

He adds, the slightly improved soybean supply-side numbers from the U.S. were also

Friday, October 12, 2012

Tea with AK71: Maison Ikkoku.

Recently, a friend whom I have known for more than 20 years asked me out to have tea. We met at Maison Ikkoku which is owned by a friend of his.

I am not much of a food blogger but here are photos of what I had for tea that day:




Yummylicious ice lemon tea!





Melts instantly in your mouth tiramisu!






This was a total surprise. Kong Bah Pao!





It was so good! You simply have to

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

LMIR: More benefits from acquiring 4 malls?

Since its rights issue last year in December, expectation was for LMIR to acquire more shopping malls to improve its DPU which has been rather disappointing, being much lower, post rights issue, than initially expected. With my investment in LMIR some 200% bigger than it was, pre rights issue, I am naturally concerned with its underperformance.





Finally, an announcement to acquire 4 malls at

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Win $1,000 cash with Marigold HL Milk!





Do you drink Marigold HL Milk?

Take part in a contest and stand a chance to win $1,000 cash.

Prizes: 5x  S$1,000 each.

Closing date: 8 November 2012.

Find out more: Marigold HL Milk.

Tea with AK71: Vandals and selfish cyclists.

A few days ago, I was taking an evening walk after dinner and took these photos at an underpass:



Cyclists, get off your bicycles.



Vandals trying to be smart.


Shortly after, a motorised bicyle and three regular bicyles went by me. None of the cyclists got off their bikes as they went through the underpass. These people were being selfish and irresponsible.

The relevant authorities should

Monday, October 8, 2012

Win Eu Yan Sang goodie packs!

In 2002, Eu Yan Sang's first clinic at South Bridge Road opened.

Today, Eu Yan Sang has 21
clinics conveniently located island wide to offer a comprehensive range of
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) therapies for your health and well-being.





In
conjunction with 10 years of providing quality TCM healthcare, Eu Yan Sang is running a
series of activities.

Find out how they have

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Seven money habits of AK71's.

This blog post is mainly inspired by a conversation with my mother on some of my habits. Recalling a popular book titled "Seven habits of highly effective people", I came up with "Seven money habits of AK71's". ;p

Habit No. 1:
I never order canned or bottled drinks when dining out.

Fresh food needs on site preparation but I can walk to a nearby supermarket to buy the same canned or bottled

Friday, October 5, 2012

Tea with AK71: Parting with an old friend.

Would you consider 15 years a relatively long time to be in a relationship? Personally, I think it is. It is longer than the duration of many marriages I know of.




After 15 years, I am finally parting ways with an old friend which has been showing visible signs of ageing. Beginning to fall apart, it still stayed by me, faithfully serving me while I reluctantly looked for a replacement in the

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Millionaire or not, plan for retirement.

Being a millionaire today is different from being a millionaire 30 or even 20 years ago. This is simply because a million dollars is worth less now due to inflation in the cost of goods and services. These days, even a HDB flat could cost a million dollars!

So, someone with total liquid assets worth a million dollars does not impress me. What might impress me is how he got it and what he is

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Save money with low prices and free shipping globally!

I started buying stuff like books and health supplements online only recently. The convenience and savings, especially with a strong Singapore Dollar, help to make online shopping a growing phenomenon here.

Recently, I stumbled upon a website that is an online shopper's dream come true! Buy anything on offer at unbelievably low prices and they ship globally free!

Want products for your iPhone

Friday, September 28, 2012

Made and still making money from S-REITs.

In an environment of very low interest rates, S-REITs are logical beneficiaries and in more ways than one. Regular readers would have heard this many times already. Readers who are new to my blog might want to read some of my older blog posts on S-REITs and why they are expected to continue performing well.

When we invest in S-REITs, it is with a primary aim of receiving regular and meaningful

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Tea with AK71: Ipoh Hor Fun (Holland Village).

Some time ago, I blogged about a higher purpose in having passive income in our lives which, to me, is to be able to spend more quality time with family as we spend less time at work. Of course, being able to spend money more freely is a nice feeling too.

Since moving back to stay with my family, I have been spending more time with my family, especially my mother. We would go and exercise in the

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Marco Polo Marine: Accumulation mode.

On 19 June, I blogged about Marco Polo Marine's persistent insider buying activity. I initiated a long position and I have been updating that blog post in the comments section. The latest update happened yesterday.

Today, I added to my long position as its share price retraced to 34c a share.





Technically, we see the Bollinger Bands narrowing on the weekly chart. Expecting a big move in

Monday, September 24, 2012

Tea with AK71: Home made sandwich!

My last blog post on what I had for lunch was a cause of concern for some readers. I have to say that I don't eat instant noodles all the time and I apologise if I have given anyone the wrong impression. I am happy to note, however, that so many readers of ASSI are into healthy eating.

So, what am I having today for lunch? A home made sandwich.





Ingredients:
1. Wholemeal bread
2. Tuna flakes

Help disadvantaged kids with MILK.

I remember how when I was in primary school, we were made to drink a packet of milk a week by the school. My favourite was the green color one: banana flavour! I was very fortunate. There are those who are less so.

Marigold HL Milk believes that milk shouldn't be a luxury but a necessity for every child to grow into a healthy
adult. The underprivileged shouldn't be undernourished.

Marigold HL

Ever thought of being an entrepreneur?

More and more, people are starting online businesses. In Singapore, where a small shop space in a popular mall could cost more than $20,000 a month to rent, having a virtual shop makes sense.






Follow a few successful online shop owners and see their entrepreneurial journey. See how they carve out a niche in a market where fickle minded consumers are an everyday
staple.

Find out also how

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Sabana REIT: Convertible Sukuk.

Some time back, I wrote about how perpetual bonds could be a good thing for REITs if they could use the funds raised to acquire yield accretive properties. Imagine borrowing at a lower interest rate to invest in a property with a NPI yield higher than the cost of debt. This is good news for existing unitholders.





Sabana REIT has announced a Convertible Sukuk which will raise S$80m. What is

Friday, September 21, 2012

First REIT: Acquisitions in Manado and Makasar. (Amended)

First REIT is acquiring two properties from its sponsor, PT Lippo Karawaci Tbk.




The two are Siloam Hospitals Manado & Hotel Aryaduta Manado at S$83.6 million, and Siloam Hospitals Makassar at S$59.3 million. The prices are at a discount of 10.78% and 9.81% to valuations, respectively.

The purchases will be funded through debt and a private placement.

Some pro forma numbers:

Total asset

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Tea with AK71: Breakfast and lunch for 96c.

What did I have for breakfast and lunch today?

Breafast: Oatmeal! My favourite!





A 1 kg pack of rolled oats costs less than S$5.00 and is enough for 20 servings or more. So, each serving costs 30c to prepare, perhaps. I would cook enough for 3 servings each time. Keep them in the fridge and bring 1 serving to work daily for the next 3 days.

Lunch: Cup noodles!





I used to eat instant

Young working Singaporeans, you are OK. Really?

This was just in the news:

Young Singaporeans in the workforce today will have adequate savings in their
Central Provident Fund (CPF) accounts by the time they retire, according to an
independent study by the Ministry of Manpower.

A recent study using the Income Replacement Rate or IRR indicates that
Singaporeans are adequately covered. Pension economists measure
retirement adequacy by

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Tea with AK71: Inflation hits fried bee hoon.

Today, I went to the "economic fried bee hoon" store near my office to buy breakfast. I like fried bee hoon a lot. It is inexpensive and tasty. However, I would try to restrict it to once a week or fortnight. It is still less expensive to bring my own food to work (e.g. oatmeal).

I would usually order fried bee hoon with a piece of tofu to make it a more nutritious meal. Price? $1.50. If I am

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Fraud: Credit cards.

When I was in Los Angeles with my dad once many years ago, he tried to buy some chocolates at the airport but his card was declined. The cashier told him that a message appeared on the machine that he was to call the card centre. My dad was puzzled since he promptly paid his credit card bills each month.

Anyway, he called the card centre using his ICC at a public phone booth. In case you are

Saturday, September 15, 2012

China Minzhong: Emerging from a down trend.

The last time I blogged about China Minzhong, I said that the longer term downtrend was still intact. Has this changed? Yes, it broke out of this downtrend middle of August and briefly went under the trend line in early September.





Both MACD and MFI have formed higher lows. Breaking the down trend with stronger positive momentum is good news for the bulls. Now, all eyes would be on 78.5c, the

Friday, September 14, 2012

Wilmar: Is the tide turning as buying pressure returns?

I bought more shares of Wilmar as its price went to a new low yesterday. Some might question why I did this. Was I not afraid of losing even more money? Well, it was a calculated risk based on certain technical signs.

As Wilmar's share price went lower, I noticed that the CMF was forming higher lows. So, share price was forming a positive divergence with the CMF. What is CMF?

CMF stands for

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Tea with AK71: Gangnam style.

Oh, my. I am so slow.

I just found out what the animated GIF I posted on 29 August is all about! It is "Gangnam Style", the latest K-pop sensation!

See: Tea with AK71: Funny!

My 10 year old niece is able to do the dance and even knows some of the lyrics of the song!

For those of you who are even slower than me, here are some clips:



Since being posted on YouTube in July, Psy's video for "

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Religare Health Trust: 8.5 to 9% yield.

A new business trust to be listed soon in Singapore, it seems.

Religare Health Trust, which will own assets managed by Indian hospital group Fortis, is offering an indicative yield of 8.5% to 9% for its initial public offering that could raise as much as $500 million. The units offered will comprise about 70% of the total, the source added.

The listing is planned in the third week of October,

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Tea with AK71: Tonkatsu, Saizen REIT, Mazda cars.

Many things happened in my life lately. Some good and some bad. Well, mostly bad, I feel. Anyway, all I can do is to soldier on and roll with the punches. Take the good with the bad.

Today, after going out in the morning for an extended family gathering, I detoured to Orchard Road to take in the sights and have lunch at a tonkatsu place in the basement of Ion Orchard which my sister brought me

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

60 years leasehold condominium in Singapore.

When I was told many years ago that residential properties in Hong Kong generally come with a 50 years lease, I was amazed. So, if someone in his 30s were to buy a condo in Hong Kong and if he should live to be 90 years old, he could be kicked out of the property as there is no guarantee that the lease would be extended?

To someone from Hong Kong, a 99 years leasehold property in Singapore is

Sunday, September 2, 2012

AK71's simple strategy.

What is my simple strategy?


按兵不动

 

- Hold our troops; bide our time.

Collect regular dividends and wait for opportunities.

We want to be in a position which would allow us to benefit from market weakness as well as strength. The way to do this is to stay invested in the market and also have a war chest ready.




Opportunities to accumulate will always show themselves but without a war

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Tea with AK71: Funny!

I was sent this and found it amusing:




I hope this has coaxed a chuckle or even a hearty laughter from you, no matter what your personal beliefs might be.

Life is short. Don't take it too seriously. ;)




This is funny! I really laughed very hard!

I don't know who are responsible for these works but kudos to them for bringing fun and laughter to our lives. :)

I know I need some cheering

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Wilmar: Should we be buying?

A reader asked me if I am buying more shares of Wilmar as I said before that the time to buy is when the selling has dried up. Has the selling dried up?

Well, the trend is still obviously down and my investment is in the red. My long position in Wilmar is my biggest money losing investment on paper this year.

However, I have bought more shares of Wilmar as the MACD is rising while share price

Monday, August 27, 2012

Tea with AK71: Quick, buy a new car cheaper now!

It is reported that last weekend saw 5 to 20% more new cars sold in the showrooms here as COE premiums declined for the first time in months.

We probably have friends and family members who are looking to buy a car for a host of reasons. Although some might think that cars are not necessary in Singapore, many would beg to differ.

Finance manager Lionel Ng, 58, and his wife, 53, a homemaker, own

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Saizen REIT: 2H FY2012.

Thanks to its recent acquisitive activities, paying down of its loans and a strong JPY, Saizen REIT is able to declare a higher DPU of 0.63c for 2H FY2012. This is payable on 18 Sep.

Therefore, the expected reduction in DPU of 10+% with the conversion of its warrants did not materialise and Mr. Market has shown his approval in the usual way as unit price of the REIT climbed higher today.





Have a plan, your own plan.

As always, invest based on your risk comfort level. Remember that media headlines should not be what is driving your overall strategy and, instead, thoughtful analysis of your goals (and willingness to absorb pain in market down periods) is what is necessary for a successful investment strategy.




 
Decide which type of investor you are before you invest and make sure the overall strategy

Saturday, August 18, 2012

The very first step to becoming richer.

Singaporeans have a reputation for being very good at complaining. This is not a bad thing per se. After all, if some things are really bad and in urgent need of correction, we should complain. How else would the relevant authorities know about the problems and to take action? I draw the line at taking videos and photos of minor incidents and posting it on Stomp!


However, what I really find

Friday, August 10, 2012

AIMS AMP Capital Industrial REIT: Scrip dividend II.

I have been asked online and offline if I would be taking part in the Distribution Reinvestment Plan (DRP) offered by AIMS AMP Capital Industrial REIT.





The price is $1.2421 per unit. This is at a slight discount compared to the closing price of the REIT in the last session which was $1.27 per unit.

The last DRP offered unitholders a price of $1.1622. Shortly after, the unit price plunged to

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Tea with AK71: Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple.

As a boy, I used to visit the temple dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy on Waterloo Street regularly with my parents. During the very difficult years of the 1980s recession, we were even more regular. Till today, my dad would still visit regularly.

Personally, I have not been to the temple in years. Today, I made use of the public holiday to visit the temple. I went through the usual routine of

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Good debt is always good?

I look at debt as a necessary evil. Sometimes, I need that extra help in order to buy something.

Then, do I take as long as I can to repay the debt? Well, in this environment of very low interest rates, the concept of good debt has gained traction. Why not?

The idea of good debt is appealing because it gives us more funds which could possibly generate higher returns than the interest paid on

Monday, August 6, 2012

Tea with AK71: Climate change.

Let us take a break from all the hustle and bustle of our lives. Let us think about the world and if we are helping to make a difference.



Beijing was hit by the worst rainfall in 60 years last month.



The relentless, weather gone crazy type of heat that has blistered the USA and other parts of the world in recent years is so rare that it can't be anything but man-made global warming...

The

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Wilmar: Touched a new low.

In the last session, Wilmar's share price touched a new low of $3.18. Many market participants are wondering if they should go long here. Of course, conventional wisdom would say wait for the sellers to be done selling.





So, are the sellers done selling? The OBV shows that distribution activity has not ceased. However, both MFI and MACD have not formed lower lows as compared to May 2012 when

China Minzhong: Pushing higher.

To any chart watchers, it is obvious that China Minzhong's share price has broken out of resistance.  From here the immediate resistance is provided by the declining 100dMA which is currently at 73c. It could approximate 72c in the next few sessions.






Overcoming the 100dMA could see a test of resistance provided by the 200dMA which is also declining but more gently so. The 200dMA is at 83c.

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Sound Global: Retest of resistance likely

On 7 July, I said that the technicals suggested it could be time to sell Sound Global's shares and that if price were to move higher, it would be a slow grind upwards. This picture has, essentially, stayed intact till now as its share price has been stuck at resistance, not being able to move convincingly above 61.5c, a many times tested resistance in the last few months.





Mr. Market is

Friday, August 3, 2012

Ben & Jerry’s Chunkfest!

Have you been to an ice-cream beach festival? Ice-cream what? Yes, an ice-cream beach festival!



Featuring 15 exclusive and specially flown flavours from around the world as
well as our favourite flavours in Singapore, there will be fun, games and
activities for everyone. And to top it all, we are also introducing a brand new
flavor at the event this year! Join us from 2pm to 10pm on
August

Saizen REIT: Beefing up distributable income.

Saizen REIT has been adding apartment buildings to its portfolio since resolving the CMBS for YK Shintoku. This will go some way to ameliorating the expected decline in DPU due to warrants exercised earlier.





Since my blog post of 26 May 2012, Saizen REIT's unit price has been rising gradually, hitting a high of 16c just two sessions ago. Mr. Market has recovered from his anxiety and is

LMIR: 2Q 2012 DPU 0.79c.

LMIR has increased distributable income, giving a distribution per unit (DPU) of 0.79c in 2Q 2012, payable on 30 August 2012. This an improvement over the DPU of 0.69c in 1Q 2012. Having said this, it is still lower than the 0.815c I estimated, post rights.





LMIR has a gearing level of 9.3% (9.2% in 1Q 2012) and its interest cover ratio is 11.4x (13.3x in 1Q 2012).  There is plenty of debt

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Masters In Management - At The London Business School























In a very competitive job market, are you thinking of how to stand out from the crowd? Have you thought of having a Masters Degree to give you that competitive edge in job applications?

London Business School is looking to increase the number of Masters in Management (MiM) applications it receives from graduates/recent graduates with less than a year’s work experience, who

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Traffic accident with a Malaysian vehicle.


On Saturday night, while driving home on the PIE, there was an accident on the lane I was in. As I always make it a point not to follow too closely the vehicle in front of me when I drive, I was able to stop my car in time although the wet road surface from an earlier downpour made braking more hazardous.

I was really pleased that my safe driving style paid off. However, that happiness lasted

Friday, July 27, 2012

To be richer, be comfortable with being invested.

I met someone recently who told me he is swearing off the stock market for good. I asked him why. He told me that he lost a lot of money in the global financial crisis but he managed to recover all his losses in the ensuing recovery. That is good news, isn't it? Well, apparently, Mr. Market took back some of the gains in the last one year. So, he is still in a nett loss position.

I asked if his

Thursday, July 26, 2012

What should a Singaporean have by age 35?

I came across an article in Yahoo!Finance: "The 5 things every Singaporean should have by 35."




The 5 things the author listed are:

1.  A time deposit that would be maturing soon. He thinks that people should start by having a reliable investment scheme in their 20s and went on to say that fixed deposits are a good place to look... er...

2.  A relevant degree. He thinks that a degree is the

CapitaMalls Asia: Interim dividend of 1.625c per share.



Hurrah!

CapitaMalls Asia posted profit after tax and minority interests (PATMI) of $232 million for 2Q 2012, an increase of 40.7% from the $164.9 million for 2Q 2011.

Earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) were $283.8 million for 2Q 2012, 33.4% higher than the $212.8 million for 2Q 2011.

CapitaMalls Asia has declared an interim dividend of 1.625 cents each.


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