Month of February 2025

For the first two weeks of the month, it was still CNY mood as visits continued for personal and work reasons. It wasn't plain sailing as I felt sick with sore throat and runny nose, yet knowing I have to turn up. On one occasion, after hanging around for half an hour, I left as the event had close to a thousand people. Too noisy and difficult to have meaningful conversations. There's no need to squeeze out of car park as well. Among other events, I got to make new friends and enjoyed a meal at Shangri La.

I was at a mall and needed to wait an hour before picking my son from school. The food court was crowded and I had to share a table with a young lady. While eating, she was glued on the phone, intently focused on the drama. With the loud volume, I inadvertently became her audience. My lunch was over in minutes and I quickly left. But there was still time to kill. The problem with malls nowadays is there are no public seats for a short break. So I went loitering around and might as well clock some steps. The shop, kskin, soon appeared and intrigued me since it offered fast service for a reasonable price. As I scanned through the options, a skincare specialist came forward. In the end, I paid $50 for a cleanse and glow facial. It's been more than ten years since I had one and due to CNY period, there was a lucky draw and I won a reed diffuser! This was unplanned and turned into a nice experience.

Due to an upcoming school cross country event, the younger sons were a little jittery over their inability to complete it. Hence we found an afternoon and went for a trial run, along with the eldest as well. The objective was simple; target 2km non stop jog and time individually. We did warm up amid a light breeze. It looked like it might rain but we opted to continue. At the start, the two older ones sped off. I was amazed at their pace but since my role was to follow the youngest, I thought it was easier. Yet he also strode rather quickly, at least for a kilometer, until he gradually slowed down. The old man in me tried to keep up as this was above my usual pace. Feeling a bit breathless, I had to nonetheless encourage the youngest not to stop. He eventually timed a little more than 6min/km. That was the first time we ran seriously together. Our next objective is to do this at least once a week and evaluate after a month on the improvements made.

Tip: Hakutsuru Alternative Junmai Daiginjo, slight aged and caramel, mellow and medium body

Finance Investment Movement 54

 

The above is a new tracker that captures my ongoing effort to achieve my overall portfolio improvement. I have set 5% as the target this year, taking into account that I have an upcoming big renovation expense and other bills payable eg school fees, insurance, tax etc. This month saw an increase of 3.1%, getting off to a positive start. It mainly came from the CPF interest and year end bonus. The stock market rally also contributed. Contrary to previous years, I was actively trading options in January that earned some grocery funds. I seem to be getting the hang of it although my skillset is still at novice level.

With the start of Trump's tariff, it will be some time before a regular person feels any impact. As businesses try to work out solutions, it's prudent to keep a close watch on bread and butter issues. The EU could have been a better place but they are not united enough and face constraints. Hence, the US has to look for allies elsewhere who are close to its economic size. Trump is actually playing smart by leveraging on his country's leading position in many areas and reducing commitments to force the hands of others. For example, they are the largest foreign aid donor and since this is a voluntary act, the US can withhold any time and the receivers will plead a bargain (or it could be a cleanup of fraud as some have alluded). A strong USD makes export expensive but purchasing countries would do well to accept instead of putting on a retaliatory tariff. My opinion is Singapore will be a beneficiary as our corporate standards, judicial integrity, talent availability, financial strength and diplomatic neutrality put us in good stead to manage policy changes. Inflationary pressures will persist while a global rebalancing occurs. I foresee interest rates maintaining/reducing slightly throughout the year, a relatively strong Singapore economy and more expensive holiday travels.

Dividends as of January 2025: $381.20

Tip: William Fevre Fourchaume Premier Cru 2020, light wild flowers, gentle lemon hint within a medium body