Zonely Revamp

Buffett’s Berkshire Boosts Stake in ConocoPhillips on Oil Bet

2008-11-15T00:53:00.000-08:00

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. became the largest shareholder in oil producer ConocoPhillips and took a stake in manufacturer Eaton Corp. in the third quarter as stock markets tumbled.

Berkshire had more than 83 million shares in Houston-based ConocoPhillips as of Sept. 30, compared with about 17.5 million on March 31, the company said yesterday in a regulatory filing. Buffett also disclosed a reduced holding in Bank of America Corp. and more shares of NRG Energy Inc., the second-biggest power producer in Texas. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index dropped 8.9 percent in the three months ended Sept. 30.

Berkshire, which purchased MidAmerican Energy Holdings in 2000 and reported record profits last year from selling holdings of PetroChina Co., is betting on a long-term increase in energy demand worldwide. Global oil consumption will increase about 25 percent to 106 million barrels a day by 2030, the International Energy Agency said this week.

“Buffett is thinking decades ahead,” said Jeff Matthews, author of “Pilgrimage to Warren Buffett’s Omaha” and founder of hedge fund Ram Partners LP. “He’s thinking about oil production falling and an eventual doubling of worldwide demand as countries like China reach U.S. levels.”

ConocoPhillips traded as low as $67.31 a share in the third quarter after closing 2007 at $88.30. The company slipped $1.79, or 3.6 percent, to $47.39 in New York Stock Exchange composite trading yesterday before Berkshire’s disclosure.

Waiting for Spring

Buffett, the world’s preeminent stock picker, has said he’s also spending his own money to buy U.S. stocks as prices decline amid the worst financial crisis in 75 years. Buffett is Berkshire’s chief executive officer and makes most of the firm’s investing decisions.

Berkshire held about 59.7 million ConocoPhillips shares as of June 30, Buffett revealed in a separate filing. Buffett, 78, won permission from regulators to omit that number from his second- quarter filing and withhold it until yesterday to prevent copycat investing.

ConocoPhillips rose 86 cents, or 1.8 percent, to $48.25 at 7:59 p.m. in New York in extended trading. Bill Tanner, a spokesman for ConocoPhillips, had no immediate comment.

Berkshire increased holdings in NRG Energy by 54 percent to 5 million shares, a 2.2 percent stake. The firm was the object of a takeover offer from Exelon Corp. after the Princeton, New Jersey- based company lost half of its market value in two months. NRG’s board of directors this month rejected the offer.

Buffett also disclosed a 1.8 percent stake in Cleveland-based Eaton, the maker of parts for Boeing Co. planes and Volkswagen AG cars.

Eaton Corp.

“Eaton fits exactly with his investment strategy,” said Gerald Martin, a finance professor at American University’s Kogod School of Business in Washington. “He likes to say that he wants to invest in companies that he can understand, that he can really get his arms around, and take a look at them and project their cash flows.”

Eaton rose $1.44, or 3.5 percent, to $42.55 in extended trading. Prices for new Berkshire holdings typically jump as mutual funds and individual investors mimic the stock picks. Martin co-wrote a study in 2007 that found buying after such disclosures would have delivered annualized returns of about 25 percent over 31 years, double the performance of the S&P 500. Eaton spokesman Peter Parsons declined to comment.

Buffett cut his stake in Bank of America by almost half, while increasing his investment in U.S. Bancorp. Charlotte, North Carolina-based Bank of America, which purchased money-losing mortgage lender Countrywide Financial Corp. in July, has lost 64 percent of its market value in the last 12 months.

Changing Perceptions

“It’s pure speculation on my part, but it could be that the Countrywide acquisition changed his perception,” Martin said of Buffett.

Bank of America spokesman Scott Silvestri had no comment.

The U.S. Bancorp holdings rose 6.3 percent to 72.9 million shares from the second quarter. Berkshire is the Minneapolis-based bank’s largest shareholder. Buffett lowered the stake in Wells Fargo & Co., the largest bank on the U.S. West Coast, less than a percent to 246.4 million shares.

Buffett cut his stake in Home Depot Inc., the largest U.S. home-improvement store, by 12 percent to 3.7 million shares and trimmed holdings of No. 2 Lowe’s Cos. by 7 percent to 6.5 million. Holdings of CarMax Inc., the largest U.S. used-car dealer, fell 13 percent to 18.4 million.

Berkshire is also the largest shareholder of companies including Coca-Cola Co. and American Express Co. as of Sept. 30, with a portfolio worth $76 billion. Buffett discloses non-U.S. holdings in filings with regulators in those countries.

Buffett, named America’s richest man by Forbes magazine, built Berkshire from a failing textile manufacturer into a $155 billion holding company by investing premiums from insurance subsidiaries such as Geico Corp. in out-of-favor securities and buying businesses whose management he deemed superior.

Berkshire shares, which rose in 17 of the last 20 years, are down about 29 percent since Dec. 31.

Warren Buffett invest $3 Billion in G.E

2008-10-04T09:09:00.000-07:00

Mr. Buffett, the billionaire investor, announced on Wednesday that he would invest $3 billion in General Electric, the industrial giant that is also the nation’s largest nonbank financial company.

He is betting when other investors remain fearful and on the sidelines. And his investments, analysts say, are based on the assumption that these two companies will come through the financial turmoil in good shape — helped by a government economic rescue package that will not only emerge but will bring confidence to shaky markets.

Mr. Buffett, the chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway, said in a statement, “G.E. is the symbol of American business to the world,” adding that he has known the company’s leaders for decades. “They have strong global brands and businesses with which I am quite familiar. I am confident that G.E. will continue to be successful in the years to come,” he said.

F1 in Singapore

2008-09-21T00:44:00.000-07:00

7 days to go for the official F1 Grand Prix to be held first time in Singapore.

Singapore will be hosting the inaugural night race of Formula 1 on 28th September 2008.

Drivers Involve
1. Kimi Räikkönen
2. Felipe Massa
3. Nick Heidfeld
4. Robert Kubica
5. Fernando Alonso
6. Nelson Piquet Jr
7. Nico Rosberg
8. Kazuki Nakajima
9. David Coulthard
10. Mark Webber
11. Jarno Trulli
12. Timo Glock
13. Sebastian Vettel
14. Sebastien Bourdais
15. Jenson Button
16. Rubens Barrichello
17. Takuma Sato
18. Anthony Davidson
19. Giancarlo Fisichella
20. Adrian Sutil
21. Lewis Hamilton
22. Heikki Kovalainen

Do stay tune for more info.

Opening Ceremony Of Bejing 2008 Olympic

2008-08-08T17:08:00.000-07:00

Finally after long waiting, the Olympic had officially started at Bejing 8:00 p.m. (1200GMT).

First of all is the arrival of the Chinese President and the President of the IOC.

In the last 10 seconds, the percussion rhythm of the "Fou Formation" is as intense as the roar of thunder. Chinese and Arabic numerals flash on the surfaces of the Fou successively, in tune with the rhythm ... 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

Splendid fireworks burst from the Stadium's exterior trusses, making the entire Stadium like a blossoming flower.

The Journey of the Torch

With the start of the music, the first torchbearer enters from Gate 3 holding high the Olympic torch, and the relay (eight torchbearers in total) goes one full circuit around the Stadium. The last torchbearer will light the Cauldron.

The audience waves silk scarves with the torch cloud pattern to welcome the Olympic torch.

The Lighting of the Cauldron

Gymnast Li Ning lights the flame cauldron.

Eight flag bearers carry the flag into the Stadium horizontally and solemnly display the Chinese national flag. A child sings A Hymn to My Country.

Fifty-six children representing each of the 56 Chinese ethnic groups cluster around the Chinese national flag.

The flag guards raise the national flag of the People's Republic of China. A 224-member chorus sings the national anthem of the People's Republic of China.

Paid To Click (PTC)

2008-07-18T19:13:00.000-07:00

They are advertising intermediaries as well, but in a different way as the surf bars do. All you have to do, after a simple signing up procedure, is to log in to the PTC site and click the ad links you find there. To qualify as having viewed the advertisement, you must have the page opened for a certain amount of time (30 seconds on avg.). When the time is up, you can close the window and you've got your money, then you can click the next link. The page with the ad is not needed to be kept up front, you can minimize it if you wish. The ad links can be clicked only one at a time. Until the time isn't up for this, you ought not click another link, it won't be paid. All the links on a PTC site can be clicked in about 5-10 minutes depending on how many links are on that site. One link after the other, that's the rule, remember? Here's another little trick: it's worth signing up to at least 5 PTC sites and with a tabbed browsing capable browser (Mozilla Firefox, Opera, IE 7), you ought to log in to all the 5 PTC sites at the same time, each of them opened on a different tab. I'm using Mozilla Firefox. I've bookmarked my PTC sites and organized them in a folder. When I click on that folder with the middle mouse button (the wheel) every bookmarked site opens automatically on a new tab. That is a very effective way to open more than one page. Then click the tabs one by one and click on one link for each of these sites. The countdown timer runs on each tab, thus you'll save a lot of time.

Pay attention! Always log in to your PTC sites you are registered to before you start clicking the ads. It is possible to view those ads without being logged in just like a regular visitor, but in that case you won't get your money. This is a common mistake between the newly signed up users. They don't login, they just click the ads, and they don't get nothing when the time is up. They get disappointed because they think it's a scam and they quit.

Never forget: you'll earn much more with referrals. Every PTC site offers a few possibilities to increase your earnings. They are optional but recommended. You can upgrade your Membership. Premium Membership comes with some extra benefits. It will give you access to increased rates for every click, to lower and faster payout, and to increased rates for every referral’s clicks and more great features. You can buy referral packs as well, so you don't have to trouble yourself with referring others.

You are not allowed to have more than one account. But if you have an access to another PC with a different IP address, you can create an account there, using your first account's referrer link, of course. This way you'll earn three times more: 1st the points made by your first account, 2nd the points made by your second account, 3rd the points gained in your first account due to your second account.

Recommended Paid To Click Websites:

Bux.to
07Bux.net
Bux3
AdsTab
EmailCashPro
DailyClicks
World-Bux
ClixSense
JustAdBux

If you have any questions you can always contact me.

How To Quit Smoking??

2008-07-05T20:27:00.000-07:00

Smoking is dangerous to your health. Quitting will reduce your risk of dying from heart disease, blood vessel disease, lung problems, cancer and stroke.
Talk to your doctor about quitting. Ask about classes and support groups in your area. Get support and encouragement and learn how to deal with stress.
Talk with your doctor about medicines and other aids to help you quit.
Before you try to stop smoking, commit to stopping. Smoking is a learned
behavior that you must unlearn.
It is not easy to stop, but it can be done if you are serious about quitting. Stopping will help you live a healthier and longer life.

Getting Ready to Quit
Follow these tips to get ready to quit:
• Cut down the number of cigarettes you smoke each day.
─ Smoke only half a cigarette each time.
─ Smoke only during the even hours of the day.
• Clean out ashtrays and start putting them away one by one. Clean the drapes,
the car, your office, or anything else that smells of tobacco smoke.
• Get a friend or spouse to quit with you.
• Start exercising before you quit.
• Switch to a brand of cigarettes you do not like as much.
• Throw away spare lighters.
• Smoke alone if you like to smoke with people.
• Become aware of why you smoke each cigarette. Avoid the things that cause
you to smoke.
• Write down a list of the top 5 reasons you want to quit. Read this list daily.

Happy Indepedence Day

2008-07-04T19:39:00.000-07:00

Independence Day celebrates the birthday of the United States of America. Founded July 4th 1776, with the signing of the Declaration of Independence, America is celebrating it's 232nd birthday this year (2008)

Story of Independence Day

Independence Day is the national holiday of the United States of America commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

At the time of the signing the US consisted of 13 colonies under the rule of England's King George III. There was growing unrest in the colonies concerning the taxes that had to be paid to England. This was commonly referred to as "Taxation without Representation" as the colonists did not have any representation in the English Parliament and had no say in what went on. As the unrest grew in the colonies, King George sent extra troops to help control any rebellion. In 1774 the 13 colonies sent delegates to Philadelphia Pennsylvania to form the First Continental Congress. The delegates were unhappy with England, but were not yet ready to declare war.

In April 1775 as the King's troops advanced on Concord Massachusetts Paul Revere would sound the alarm that "The British are coming, the British are coming" as he rode his horse through the late night streets.

The battle of Concord and its "shot heard round the world" would mark the unofficial beginning of the colonies war for Independence. The following May the colonies again sent delegates to the Second Continental Congress. For almost a year the congress tried to work out its differences with England, again without formally declaring war. By June 1776 their efforts had become hopeless and a committee was formed to compose a formal declaration of independence. Headed by Thomas Jefferson, the committee included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston and Roger Sherman. Thomas Jefferson was chosen to write the first draft which was presented to the congress on June 28. After various changes a vote was taken late in the afternoon of July 4th. Of the 13 colonies, 9 voted in favor of the Declaration, 2 - Pennsylvania and South Carolina voted No, Delaware undecided and New York abstained.

To make it official John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress, signed the Declaration of Independence. It is said that John Hancock signed his name "with a great flourish" so "King George can read that without spectacles!."

The following day copies of the Declaration were distributed. The first newspaper to print the Declaration was the Pennsylvania Evening Post on July 6, 1776. On July 8th the Declaration had its first public reading in Philadelphia's Independence Square. Twice that day the Declaration was read to cheering crowds and pealing church bells. Even the bell in Independence Hall was rung. The "Province Bell" would later be renamed "Liberty Bell" after its inscription -

Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants Thereof

And although the signing of the Declaration was not completed until August, the 4th of July has been accepted as the official anniversary of United States independence. The first Independence Day celebration took place the following year - July 4 1777. By the early 1800s the traditions of parades, picnics, and fireworks were established as the way to celebrate America's birthday. And although fireworks have been banned in most places because of their danger, most towns and cities usually have big firework displays for all to see and enjoy.

Singapore Flyers

2008-06-07T10:18:00.000-07:00

Singapore Flyer is the world's largest observation wheel, the iconic Singapore Flyer, illuminated the burgeoning Marina Bay. Standing at a stunning 165m from the ground. From the comfort of 28 spacious, air-conditioned Singapore Flyer capsules, visitors can witness history unfold before their very eyes as they admire 360-degree, breath-taking views of Singapore’s dynamic cityscape, and parts of Malaysia and Indonesia.

The Flyer offers you breathtaking, panoramic views of the Marina Bay, our island city and beyond. There's also a wide range of shops, restaurants, activities and facilities. Not only that it is the perfect venue for intimate and awe-inspiring events. No matter what the occasion, a private capsule offers you privacy, intimacy and awe-inspiring views.

Opening Hours
Daily Flights: 8.30am - 10.30pm
Ticket Sales: 8.00am - 10.00pm

Enjoy a 10% discount on Signature Cocktail Flight tickets from 1 Jan till 30 June 2008 if you book online using your UOB cards now!

Overall world indices for the week

2008-05-30T17:20:00.000-07:00

OGGI.sg...The Best Way To SAVE SAVE SAVE!

2008-05-25T08:43:00.000-07:00

Great Singapore sales is here in Singapore. Now is time to buy lots of things at great discount. Instead of going round the Singapore to search for great bargain, won't it be better to make a little research online.
Well OGGI.sg is one great sites. What's that you may ask. Well, it is a free one-stop online promotion portal where you can find good information on food, fashion, travel and entertainment.

Food : "Cafe Cartel"....UOB cardholders can get a 10% off total bill. I mean 10% is indeed a lot. I can sure save lots. Slurps!...:)

Body Care : For the ladies out there, Great Singapore Sale 2008 and together with TOUCHE's 6th Anniversary is giving discounts, together with exciting giveaways to oggi.sg members this May! Packages like

1. Advanced Skin Whitening Series @ $35 (UP$475)
Consists of : BioLight Advanced Whitening Skin Treatment & Whitening Hydro Eye Treatment
2. Advanced Body Whitening Series @ $35 (UP$200)
Consists of : Advanced Infra-Red Whitening Body Treatment & Whitening Silky Body Treatment Mask & Purifying Rose Bud Body Buff
3. A TOUCHE of Balance @ $35 (UP$200)
Consists of : AromaSpa Body Massage & Scalp Tension Relief & LDT Therapy or Sensual Rose Bud Full Body Polish

Entertainment : Enjoy movies at reduced prices. Simply charge to your OCBC Credit Card at any Golden Village Cinemas and you'll enjoy discounted* movie ticket prices and $1.00 discount^ off promotional "combo set meal" of the week.

Save! Save! Save! Why not seek out OGGI.sg for promotions and freebies? Visit OGGI & get a piece of the action!

Daily World Indices as at 25th of May 2008

2008-05-24T22:34:00.000-07:00

Dear Readers,

Starting from today, I will be posting daily world indices. If you miss any of the past indices, you may click on the link found on the left side of the blog under Daily World Indices.

Golden Agri-Resources delivers record revenue and profit

2008-05-22T04:54:00.000-07:00

The Group posted an all-time-high quarterly revenue of US$747 million, up 172% from a
year ago. Net profit attributable to shareholders for the quarter was also a record at
US$443 million, two times the profit recorded in the last corresponding quarter.
The outstanding performance was the result of higher CPO production and a surge in
CPO market prices of close to 100%. CPO production rose due to recovering weather
conditions following the effect of El Nino in the first half of 2007.
Sales volume for the quarter increased by 48% as a result of improved production and
delayed sales brought over from end-2007 (caused by bad coastal weather).
At the bottomline, there was a US$307 million net gain from changes in fair value of the
Group’s biological assets (after tax and minority interests). Excluding this gain and
exceptional items, the net profit for the quarter still grew by a robust 177% to US$136
million.
Mr Franky Widjaja, Group CEO, said that the Group has had an excellent start to the
year. “We are seeing a continuation of a Golden Era for Golden Agri and are reaping
the benefits of our large hectarage of oil palm plantation and our continual efforts to
improve yields and optimise resources. Our fresh fruit bunch yield and CPO extraction
rate are among the highest in the industry.”

OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
During the quarter, GAR increased its planted area to 364,000 hectares. On more than
244,000 hectares, or two thirds, of the planted area, the trees are between seven and 18
years of age, the prime producing years for oil palms. This large mature planted area
puts GAR in a strong position to capitalise on the historically high CPO prices.
GAR has maintained its production efficiency, raising palm products production by 31%
to 538,000 tons. The fresh fruit bunch yield has been recovered after the drought in late
2006 and early 2007, increasing by about 20% to 5.8 tons per hectare for the quarter.
The CPO extraction rate was stable at 23.43%.

AusGroup wins A$12m Aussie offshore contract

2008-05-08T04:52:00.000-07:00

ENERGY and resources specialist AusGroup has secured a new contract worth A$12 million (S$15.2 million) from an unnamed international offshore construction services client.

AusGroup will supply supervision and labour to the client for the offshore installation of a production platform topside, jacket and offshore pipeline on the construction work on the Montara offshore oilfield development project off the north-west coast of Australia.

Work is expected to start next month and scheduled for completion by October.

The latest deal brings AusGroup's contracts secured in less than two weeks to about A$38 million, taking its total order book to more than A$190 million.

'These new orders represent a new market sector for AusGroup,' said AusGroup managing director John Sheridan.

'It is a good start and we look forward to continue the growth.'

AusGroup is primarily based in Australia, where it is a supplier of total engineering solutions in the oil, gas and resource-mining sectors.

The new contract will provide it with exposure to the offshore construction services sector in Australia. AusGroup believes its ability to recruit specialist offshore personnel, as well as manage associated safety and industrial relations issues, puts it in good stead to secure additional offshore construction services-related contracts.

Just last week, the group announced a new contract from a 'blue-chip' client worth about A$26 million.

That contract - for which work is to begin in May and finish in December - came from a global mining resources firm and is for the fabrication, supply and installation of structural and mechanical piping and electrical systems for a new iron ore facility in Western Australia.

AusGroup also has in the pipeline plans to increase the output of its subsidiary Cactus Engineering, a manufacturer of subsea equipment, with the recent purchase of a new facility in Tuas.

For the half-year ended Dec 31, 2007, AusGroup's net profit hit A$12.1 million, an increase of 47 per cent. Revenue rose 60.4 per cent to A$202.2 million.

S'pore to have highest concentration of millionaires by 2017.

2008-05-07T07:38:00.000-07:00

This article was published in today's Straits Times:

Singapore will leapfrog Hong Kong to have the highest concentration of millionaires in the world in 10 years, a new Barclays Wealth report says.

A total of 40.7 per cent of all households (Note: This is the key word here, not INDIVIDUALS) in the Republic, or 436,000 households, are set to boast net wealth in excess of US$1 million (S$1.36 million) by 2017.

This means two out of every five households in Singapore are projected to be millionaires by then. The report looks at the combined wealth of household numbers.

The data used measures aggregate wealth, financial wealth such as currency, deposits, loans and insurance, as well as non-financial wealth such as property and land. Liabilities are subtracted from the total.

Last year, Singapore ranked second with 23.3 per cent, behind Hong Kong's 26.4 per cent. In 2017, Hong kong is expected to register 39.4 per cent, ahead of Switzerland, which maintains its current third ranking.

Barclays Wealth, the leading wealth manager in Britain, said Singapore's efforts to move away from manufacturing into higher value-added activities like technology and financial services had helped its rise.

Mr Didier von Daeniken, Asia-Pacific chief executive of Barclays Wealth, said at a press conference yesterday that the opening of previously protected sectors, such as financial services, and various free trade agreements had also helped Singapore's cause.

He added that Singapore's future millionaires would likely come from a growing number of rich entrepreneurs.

The report, by Barclays Wealth, and the Economist Intelligence Unit, said wealth held by high net worth Singapore households, defined as those with more than US$1 million, could hit US$1.6 trillion.

Mr von Daeniken said this presented great growth opportunities for private banks. "Asia now represents 25 per cent of high net worth individual wealth globally, 60% of the world's population, but only about 10 per cent of the income of the major private banks."

May Portfolio

2008-05-07T06:38:00.000-07:00

These are my current stocks holdings as of 7 May 08.

1. Marco Polo Marine
2. AusGroup
3. Cosco Corp

These are my current Unit Trust holdings as of 7 April 08.

1. Allianz GIPF RCM Global High Payout Fund
2. Schroder Singapore Trust Class A
3. Aberdeen Pacific Equity Fund

Key Portfolio Changes:

I sold off my shares for Capitaland and Capitamall as I feel that this year round the market is not so well perform on property.

Just bought shares for AusGroup and Cosco.

Cosco
has achieved significant progress in growing its Ship Repair, Ship Building & Marine Engineering capacities and capabilities. The completion of its acquisition of a 51% stake in the largest shipyard in China.

AusGroup
SINGAPORE – 19 March 2008 – AusGroup Limited (“AGL” or “AusGroup” or “the
Group”), an energy and resources specialist is pleased to announce that it has secured
a new contract amounting to approximately A$26 million.
AusGroup secured the new contract from a global mining & resources firm to fabricate,
supply and install structural, mechanical, piping and electrical systems for a new iron ore
facility in Western Australia. The work is scheduled to commence in May 2008 and will
be completed by Nov 2008.

I did not receive any dividends for April 08.

STI Market Update

2008-05-05T06:33:00.000-07:00

STI should grind higher towards the next near-term resistance at 3310, followed possibly by 3428 to 3470 subsequently. Short-term, buy near 3150; sell near 3310. Upside bias to the next resistance level at 3310 before a pullback to test the rising trend line and 15-day moving average support at 3150 to 3200.

The McClellan Oscillator should trend higher towards the overbought level near 50 as the STI heads for 3310 and ease back, in line with STI behaviour. If the STI rises above 3310 subsequently, the next level is 3428 to 3470.

DBS Research sees the USD strengthening from 1.36 currently to 1.39 during 2Q to 3Q. This is positive for shipping trusts Rickmers Maritime, Pacific Shipping Trust and First Ship Lease given their USD-based cashflows and attractive yield. DBS Research has Buy recommendations for Rickmers Maritime (S$1.07; TP: S$1.80; FY08 yield: 11.3%) and Pacific Shipping Trust (US$0.45; TP: US$0.52; FY08 yield: 10.5%). No rating for First Ship Lease (S$1.06; FY08 yield: 13.9%, based on consensus). From a technical prospective, we like Rickmers Maritime and see a trading objective of $1.24. Buy at $1.05 support or slightly above.

The Master Plan, to be exhibited in its draft form in late May this year as part of a review every 5 years, is the statutory land use plan aimed to assist in guiding the physical development of Singapore in the medium-term over the next 10 to 15 years.

We have identified the Property sector as a key and obvious beneficiary.

Stronger planning initiatives and an improved sense of fundamentals will bring foreign investment into Singapore, directly benefiting developers over time.

Our top picks in the sector are City Dev (BUY, TP S$12.81), CapitaLand (BUY, TP S$7.50), Fraser and Neave (BUY, TP S$5.85) and Allgreen (BUY, S$1.66). Among the S-Reits, we favour CMT (BUY, TP S$3.93) and Suntec REIT (BUY, TP S$1.98) for their exposure to the resilient retail sector.

We also continue to like CCT (BUY, TP S$2.93) for its strong organic growth with positive rental reversions likely up to 2010; and CDL HT (BUY, TP S$2.90) for its exposure to the booming hotel sector.

Apart from the Property sector, also standing to benefit from this strategic outline are the Hotel, Aerospace, Healthcare, Transport and Construction sectors. Within the construction sector, we prefer the building material suppliers like Hong Leong Asia (BUY, S$4.30) and Pan-United Corp (BUY, TP S$1.16). For the healthcare and transport sectors, likely long-term beneficiaries would include Raffles Medical (BUY, TP S$1.74), Parkway Life REIT (BUY, TP S$1.50), SMRT (BUY, TP S$2.00) and ComfortDelgro (BUY, TP S$2.15).

The Best 6 Years Old Girl In The World

2008-05-03T00:58:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it. She got such a talent voice. Not only that, she is just 6 years old.
Don't believe, do watch the video.

Coporate Results Update

2008-05-03T00:32:00.000-07:00

Indofood Agri Resources announced a 586% rise in quarterly profit, mostly driven by additional revenue from its recent acquisition of subsidiaries. This is in line with the broad rise in commodity prices this year.

For the medical healthcare sector, Raffles Medical announced a 48% rise in quarterly profit.

For the transport sector, SMRT announced a -5.5% fall in quarterly profit despite a 14.3% rise in revenue, largely due to higher operating expenses, especially higher oil prices.

for the retail sector, Jardine C&C, one of the region's largest automotive retailers, announced a 64% rise in quarterly profit, which is surprising given that rising inflation and poor economic outlook is supposed to reduce consumer spending.

For the property sector, Capitaland announced a -59% fall in quarterly profit. But upon closer examination, its revenue and gross profit actually registered -1% and 9% respectively, and that the fall was mostly attributed to the exceptional fair value gains of its investment properties last year.

Cosco Corp, one of the leading S-shares in terms of growth potential and market cap, announced a 110% rise in quarterly profit.

Warren Buffett

2008-05-03T00:02:00.000-07:00

Warren Buffett is often considered the world's greatest investor. Using his own investment strategies and principles, he has managed to become one of the world's richest with an estimated personal networth of at least US$10 billion. His investment career began in 1957 when he started his first investment partnership with a group of investors in his hometown, Omaha, Nebraska in the United States. He bought stocks of various companies with the goal to beat the Dow Jones Industrial Average by an average of 10 per cent a year. When the partnership dissolved in 1969, Buffett's investments had soared at a compound rate of 29.5 per cent, compared to just 7.4 per cent for the Dow.

When the dissolution of the partnership, Buffett concentrated on investing through his holding company, Berkshire Hathaway, which he took control of in 1965. In the next 20 years, the company underwent a series of business restructuring and it re-deployed its capital. Berkshire also entered into an array of other business, including insurance. At the same time, guided by his own set of investment principles, strategies and business acumen, Buffett went around the country investing in companies that had solid fundamentals, including The Coca-Cola Company and The Gillette Company. He continued to add more money-spinning companies to his portfolio over the years.

You may well ask, "What contributed to his success? What made him buy a particular company?" The essence of his success is that he only invested in business that had good earnings and excellent management.

PTC earnings updated

2008-05-02T17:38:00.000-07:00

Last month I been pretty busy with my work and burning midnight oil to watch the live shares performance for Nasdaq and Nyse. Did not spare enough time to make sure to click all my PTC sites. Anyway I had just purchase referrals for all my PTC sites to help me do the clickings. I can just sit back and watch my money grow.

For those who are interested, you may wish to click on my PTC sites to join them NOW.

Market Update

2008-04-19T05:13:00.000-07:00

After the Dow's strong showing last night (see here), I received an sms from a trusted broker friend of mine informing me that he believes that we are almost 80% through this current crisis.

His view was substantiated when I logged into Sgfunds this morning and read what Starry had to say:

1st statement posted last night:

If tonight DJI closes above 12800, be ready for the above moment.

Things will go crazy one more time.

Forget about all the noises and all the never ending debates on sub-prime and recession. Never believe in them from the first day except that they make good reading.

The doom day will come, but everyone before they die will have a good day. But then people have called me crazy after they read what I said above, so up to you to believe in my judgement and evidence.

2nd statement posted this morning:

In response to this statement: Something is very wrong...banks announce losses and share price surges??? eg Citigroup and Merril.

I know abt EMH and rational expectations but this is a bit stretching it don't u think.

It has nothing to do with the banks. Sub-prime was never the main factor of dragging the market down over the last few months anyway. I have said that so many times till I am blue on my face.

I read TODAY's and it says that local property sales have drop like 46% compare to the last quarter because people are all waiting at the sidelines? Wait a minute....it says people are doing the "wait and see", hence poor sales. It didn't say people "gave up". Can't be any better setting for the property market to continue shooting up.

I know many people are hoping the property prices to come down, but looking at the current situation, it's not going to happen anytime soon. People who are doing the wait and see now is going to be sorry.

3rd statement posted this morning:

In response to this statement: the surge most likely, is due to pent up money looking for a good return. those money on the sidelines are itching to find something good. its the flow of funds and the presence of it that matters. anything else is pretty secondary.

look at tech.

The surge more likely due to the breach in the critical 12750-12800 level. It's a breach against a near triple resistance. It's a matter of time anyway, just look at the weekly charts and you know what I mean.

Expect it to come back down to near these levels before gaining strength again.

Conclusion:

The timing of these views nicely coincide with my own view that it may be a good time to buy in again once the next set of corporate results are in and stock prices are reevaluated based on their earnings revisions.

Watch this space for updates on stocks worth buying soon!

Recent STI Index

2008-04-16T21:31:00.000-07:00

STI tested 3000-3050 support zone and poised to recover back to 3100-3150.

The market is unlikely to sustain any downtrend all the way below 3000 to 2900 or 2800 during the current earnings season without making significant rebounds as the macro picture has not deteriorated.

At this stage the market is not reacting too negatively to the same old bearish views that the worst of the sub-prime is still to come and that the US is headed for the worst economic and financial woes since the oil crisis of the 70s or even since WW2 or the Great Depression of the 30s.

Even the likes of Ben Bernanke and Alan Greenspan have acknowledged that the balance sheets of US corporations are sound with strong cash positions and that the real economy “appears to be reasonably good” which implies that core corporate earnings should underpin the market in the event of more sub-prime related credit losses.

After the first quarter market turmoil, analysts too have become increasingly cautious in earnings forecasts which should help to mitigate any investor disappointments during this latest reporting season.

Having seen the STI plunged some 28% from its 3831 peak to 2746, with the 2750-2800 area well-defended after being tested 3 to 4 times, there is less fear of a major crack of this support level anytime soon.

Although the future remains bleak the market has a way of adapting itself to bearish situations always trying to discount them quickly and try to read the fundamental picture 6 to 9 months going forward.

Thus even if the credit losses reach the US$945b IMF figure or $1.2tr Goldman Sachs estimate, Wall Street’s reaction may not be worse than it had been in q1 which had seen the Dow plunged to below 12000 to around 11600.

Investors have been encouraged by the consistent rebounds to above 12000 with the Dow showing single digit year to date loss (currently 7.4% down at 12302).

This will lead to more widespread views that Wall Street will be sticky on the downside and the STI too will not easily break the established 2750-2800 support.

The recent strong rebound to as high as 3181 shows the market’s potential to look at the bright side of things especially with the Singapore economy rebounding strongly in q1, the strong S$ which will mitigate inflationary pressures and the continued bullish economic picture with tens of billions to be pumped into transport and building projects.

The STI’s recent rebound and relatively tame pullback notwithstanding yesterday’s 84 point plunge (lows of 3035 yesterday/today), shows the market had read the local economic and hence earnings picture well and will not over-react to bearish overseas leads more than it had done earlier.

The STI after all is down 12.4% YTD against 7.4% for the Dow when our economic and earnings picture look much better than the US.

Thus there is still a good possibility that the STI will meet our 50% retracement target of 3250-3300 in the next one to 2 months. At this level it will still be 5-6% below 2007 close of 3466.

AdsTab

2008-04-12T09:29:00.000-07:00

Today I manage to find a PTC " also known as pay to click" website which turn out to pay USD$0.02 for each ads I click. Not only that, it also pays USD$0.03 per click when upgrade to become a premium membership.
The payout is quite attractive so I make no hesitation and register for it. Anyway it's free to register and hopefully my earnings for this month will see some improvements.
If anyone of you keen to join, you may find the link at my right side of my blog or click on this URL http://adstab.com/?r=wallence
Once again, I will update my daily earnings every month.

CapitaLand, HPL secure S$2b financing facilities for Farrer Court acquisition

2008-04-11T18:42:00.000-07:00

Property developers CapitaLand and Hotel Properties Limited (HPL) have secured financing facilities worth nearly S$2 billion for their collective purchase of Farrer Court estate in prime district 10.

CapitaLand and HPL, along with their partners, had bought Farrer Court for S$1.34 billion last June.

The financing facilities will be used to refinance the acquisition costs of the purchase, as well as to fund the construction and development of the new project.

CapitaLand, which owns a 35-percent stake in the joint venture, intends to redevelop the site into a 36-storey condominium project with some 1,500 high-end units.

Other than HPL, the other partners in the JV are Wachovia Development Corp and a Morgan Stanley real estate fund.

Farrer Court currently comprises 618 units and has a remaining lease of 69 years.

According to estimates, the total acquisition cost works out to about S$783 per sq ft per plot ratio.

DBS Bank, UOB Asia, Standard Chartered, OCBC Bank and The Royal Bank of Scotland are the lead arrangers and bookrunners for the secured term loan, revolving credit and bank guarantee facilities.

In its stock exchange filing, CapitaLand said United Overseas Bank will act as facility agent and security agent for the facilities.

These will be secured by a mortgage over the Farrer Court property and a debenture over the assets of the joint venture.

Bear or Bull Run

2008-04-07T07:37:00.001-07:00

This article was published in The Business Times today:

Recent rebound does not signal a V-shape recovery

In just a short span of three weeks, the benchmark Straits Times Index (STI) has staged an impressive rebound, recovering over 360 points, or some 13 per cent, from its lows in March - a balm for investors' rattled nerves.

Even so, analysts say that there are no signs of a bottoming-out in valuations, and a near-term market rally is still not in the bag.

The continuing market weakness was reflected in a dip in the STI last Friday of 15.99 points or 0.5 per cent to 3,155.56, ahead of key jobs data from the US later that day.

This left the STI still reeling, with a year-to-date loss of 310.07 points or 9 per cent, largely mimicking the Hang Seng Index. The HSI is also nursing a year-to-date loss of 12.8 per cent despite steep gains over the past three weeks.

Technical chartists call the recent spike in the STI a 'rebound in a downtrend' or a bear rally, without any shift in the short-term trend of the index.

'We are at a crossroads. We have the first-quarter reporting season where the STI may face some resistance when the results start to stream in,' said Kelive Research technical analyst Ken Tai. 'It's too early to call for a bottom at this moment.'

From a technical point, the market looks overbought in the past two weeks, he said.

He is pegging STI resistance at 3,306 points and eyes a bottom for this year at 2,650 points, a level which he expects to be cleared in the next three months and a signal for re-entry into the market.

UOB KayHian analyst K Ajith believes that a V-shape recovery is unlikely but instead, sees a base formation for the STI on retesting of lows or sideways drifting over the next three to six months.

What the market could be seeing now is a 'major low' and not a real bottoming-out, Mr Ajith said.

'We are not seeing a broad-based rally - some small caps are still underperforming, some laggard stocks are rallying and property stocks are underperforming.

'It's not sufficient to bring the market index to a new high.'

Mr Ajith sees STI support at 3,050 points, which was formed earlier last week, and technical resistance at 3,190 points.

These views resonate with that of billionaire George Soros, who told Bloomberg last week that the markets would fall further this year after a temporary reprieve, and that the recent bottom touched by the market would probably not be the final bottom.

Chief investment officer of Fullerton Fund Management Chan Chia Lin also said in a recent interview with Reuters that a decisive rally in the global equity markets is not imminent, held back by the US economic woes and slower earnings.

Analysts here say that the market could see further volatility as the earnings reporting season kicks in by end-April, when investors would look for signs of further damage from the US sub-prime crisis and the global economic slowdown.

'At this stage, the market still looks attractive on a fundamental basis but if you are talking about sentiment-driven, nobody can really tell whether the worst is over,' said Terence Wong, senior vice-president for research at DMG & Partners Securities. 'I do suspect there will still be some volatility at least for the next couple of months.'

He added that, at least for the first and second quarters, there will be further revelations of collateralised debt obligation (CDO) writedowns by banks, though it would be less shocking than previously.

'Earnings may not have bottomed out but hopefully sentiment has become more resilient,' Mr Wong said.

On a medium to long-term outlook, analysts remain optimistic of the STI's uptrend since there has been no fundamental shift in the Singapore economy, and recommend stock picking in select industries.

Mr Ajith of UOB KayHian recommends switching to laggard mid-cap and low-beta defensive stocks such as SingTel, ST Engineering, Parkway Life and SMRT.

DMG's Mr Wong said that it is time to look at stocks with growth prospects and defensive qualities, such as those in the oil and gas sector and telecommunications.

In the same vein, Mr Tai of Kelive said: 'We would look at low betas to tide over.'

These are stocks that have lower sensitivity to market volatility, such as SPH and real estate investment trusts (Reits).

Investors will be looking out for Singapore's first-quarter GDP data on Thursday, Westcomb research head Goh Mou Lih said, which he expects to include some positive numbers given the stronger loans growth, index of industrial production and stronger exports and retail sales seen in January and February.

But the latest snapshot of the US job market last Friday, which showed US employers slashing 80,000 jobs and the jobless rate rising to 5.1 per cent last month, provides yet another sign of a shrinking US economy and this might cap any upside on the markets this week, analysts say.

My Resolution

2008-04-07T07:34:00.000-07:00

Resolution for 2008

My resolution for this year. I wanna earn some extra cash by clicking online programs, mostly are US site. It's like a small investment that I fork out and waiting for time to see returns. Is quite a tedious process now as I have to fork out around 2 hours daily to click around 6 programs. I know it seems crazy to alot of you, but let me put it this way. I'm sure everyone surely online daily, chatting, surfing for hours. But what you get in the end? A waste of time, perhaps fruitful in getting sources for projects and stuffs. To me, I can do both at a time, chatting while clicking. I believe and will be consistant to do daily to hit 3 years to have around $1000 USD monthly. But I know is small amount to all but if join with me, I'm sure as a team can work out things faster.

April Portfolio

2008-04-07T07:32:00.000-07:00

These are my current stocks holdings as of 7 April 08.

1. CapitaMall
2. Capitaland
3. Marco Polo Marine

These are my current Unit Trust holdings as of 7 April 08.

1. Allianz GIPF RCM Global High Payout Fund
2. Schroder Singapore Trust Class A
3. Aberdeen Pacific Equity Fund

Key Portfolio Changes.

I did not receive any dividends for March 08.