Finance Investment Movement 58

It was a good resilient month as stocks held up, cryptos marched upwards and options trade went smoothly. Well everything but cash as a chunk was used to fully pay up the tax bill. A monkey off the back until next year. Hence, portfolio improvement target dipped to 4.8%, suggesting that I need to amp up returns. The big problem on hand is how to use idle SRS funds.

There's been a spate of company delisitings from the Singapore stock exchange, with a possibility of up to 16 and counting. It's a big jolt considering that the country prides itself as a financial hub. The optics were so bad till a task force at government level had to be setup. I recall prior to the 2000s, the stock market was a hot flurry of activities. Contra trading, explosive IPO debuts, penny stock intra day volatility etc were such common occurrences that had many people glued to the monitor. Stories of instant windfalls to the tune of few thousand dollars within minutes and lots of chatter even when walking on the streets. Trade orders were being placed over a phone call and lunch crowds gathered outside shops that had a TV display of stock prices. Those were exciting times. However, sentiments changed around mid 2000. Besides financial losses from market downturns, there were increasing issues with incompetent companies made worse by fraud findings. I think people could accept if a company loss is due to normal business operations. But issues such as opaque disclosures, safety compromise and sometimes non-existent sales contributed to an irreversible distrust mood. It happened to local and overseas companies especially from a certain jurisdiction. Personally, till today, that has put me off investing a single cent into those from a particular country on the SGX. Thus, I feel there’s a severe lack of confidence and better choices elsewhere. What Singapore lacks is the presence of big name local companies such as TSMC that could hold global investors’ attention. Once upon a time, Creative held that mantle but since then, there had been no notable ones. Add in some exciting startups and get the ball rolling. It can’t be just the banks and Reits doing the heavy lifting. How this is tackled and whether interest can be revived will be an uphill challenge. 

Dividends as of May 2025: $3735.99 (avg $747.20 per month)

Tip: Amabuki Tokubetsu Junmai, punchy dry, pairs well with heavy food