1. Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) has been around for decades but only grown in popularity in recent years. The SPAC fever has died down in the US after a crazy run up in early 2021 and Singapore are now launching the first batch of SPACs on SGX.2. Why SPACs and why now? The economy is undergoing a restructuring - it is becoming more tech-driven and increasingly powered by intangible assets. Singapore have been a hotbed of tech startups but they are not listed on the SGX.3. SGX has lost a couple of big name tech companies who chose to list in overseas markets to tap a wider investor base. For e.g. Sea and Razer. PropertyGuru is merging with a SPAC in the US.4. It is a catch-22 situation whereby if SGX does not have big name listings, it would not be able to attract investors. B
1. I was interviewed on MoneyFM 89.3 this morning about the recent big news involving $IFAST CORPORATION LTD.(AIY.SI)$ iFAST acquiring a digital bank, BFC Bank. I'll repeat some key points here if you are following this development. Link to listen to the interview: https://omny.fm/shows/moneyfm-morning-show/companies-to-watch-ifast-to-obtain-a-banking-licen2. First of all, give some credit to iFAST for taking a big step to becoming a global company. This is the first time iFAST ventured out of Asia and getting a foothold in the UK. It is rare for a Singapore company to go global. Of course, a lot more has to be done to be truly global but who says we can't celebrate every milestone along the way?3. An interesting question asked
1. $DBS GROUP HOLDINGS LTD(D05.SI)$ DBS was hovering near $30 for several months before it broke through it convincingly to $35 currently. What is causing such a strong surge?2. I believe the key reason is the looming rising interest rates. We have experienced numerous talks about this but what makes this time different? Inflation. Despite printing money for the last 13 years, inflation has not crept up until Covid did us a favour to disrupt the supply chain. It became a catalyst for inflation to rise.3. Raising interest rate is almost a sure thing now to curb inflation. The macro environment took a 180 degree turn and banks will benefit from this because their net inter
$1. High growth tech stocks have taken a beating like never before. Compared to the last correction in Feb-Mar 2021, this correction that started in Nov 2021 is deeper than that. Momentum has suggested these trends have been broken and momentum is now on the other direction. $ARK Innovation ETF(ARKK)$ ARK Innovation ETF, as a representative of high growth tech stocks, is down 16% in the last one month while Energy Select SPDR ETF gained 6% in the same period.2. This is likely due to the interest rate increment that is looming and growth stocks' reliance on future value will be worth much less today. On the other hand traditional sectors such as energy, industrials and materials are coming up as they benefit from rising prices.3.
1. Munger almost doubled $Daily Journal(DJCO)$ DailyJournal's investment in $Alibaba(BABA)$$Alibaba(09988)$ Alibaba based on the latest disclosure. Alibaba is now 28% of Daily Corp's portfolio value. This is one big bet on probably the most targeted company in China right now. Opinions were split if this was a right move among the investors.2. Why did Munger believe in China to such a degree? There could be a few reasons.3. First, Chinese culture aligns with his view of life. He gave an interview with Hong Zhou Kan in 2018 and he shared that Warren Buffett and him, act with Confucian values. Come to think of
1. Just not long ago$TENCENT(00700)$ Tencent announced it was divesting JD and it caused JD share price to tank. Yesterday, Tencent sold $3b worth of$Sea Ltd(SE)$ Sea shares at $208 each. Sea share price dropped 11.4% to $197.84.2. Tencent's stake in Sea has declined from 21.3% to 18.7% after the sale. Tencent will be restricted to sell Sea shares during the next six months. But I believe the divestment will continue thereafter, adding more selling pressure Sea shares.3. This means that Tencent can raise another US$20.52 billion if it eventually divest everything at today Sea's market cap.4. With the current $3b sale in Sea and $16.4b sale in JD.com, Tencent is sitting o
1. The Great Resignation isn't just happening to individuals but Singapore companies too. $KOUFU GROUP LIMITED(VL6.SI)$ management is offering other shareholders $0.77 per share to delist the company. 2. This feels like one of the shortest listings in Singapore considering that Koufu was listed in 2018 at an IPO price of $0.63, just before the World Cup final between France and Croatia. Now they are delisting even before the next World Cup begins.3. The reason for the IPO was to use the proceeds for building the integrated facility in Woodlands, renovating the outlets and expanding the business. $43m was raised for Koufu and the founders sold some stake for $27.5m. The building has since been sold to a third party at aroun