Stocks to watch: IHH, Croesus Retail Trust, Sim Lian

EARNINGS dominated overnight news heading into Friday's market opening.

IHH Healthcare's second-quarter net profit rose 8 per cent to RM246.1 million (S$82.2 million) on the back of gains from a divestment and foreign exchange. The group posted a RM54.8 million gain from selling its 90 per cent stake in Shenton Insurance.

Croesus Retail Trust raised its distribution per unit to 1.7 Singapore cents for the fourth quarter as fair-value adjustments dragged down net profit by 21.8 per cent to 4.4 billion yen (S$59 million).

The Japan-focused real estate investment trust's net property income rose 19.4 per cent to 1.44 billion yen in the three months ended June 30, but fair-value gains on investment properties slipped 6.2 per cent to 5.6 billion yen while derivative financial instruments incurred a loss of 820.6 million yen compared to a year-ago gain of 233.7 million yen.Click Here To Register For Free Trial Services OR Give A Missed Call : +6531581402 Follow Us On Twitter : www.twitter.com/epicresearchsg Like Us On Facebook : www.facebook.com/EpicResearchSingapore Need Any Assistance Feel Free To Mail Us at : info@epicresearch.sg

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Taiwan: Stocks rise on bargain hunting as financials recover

Taiwan stocks rose on Thursday on bargain hunting after recent lows, with shares in Mega Financial, the focus of a local probe by prosecutors, rising for the first time in five sessions.

As of 0153 GMT, the main Taiex index rose 0.5 per cent, to 9,060.28, after closing 0.2 per cent lower in the previous session.

The electronics subindex rose 0.7 per cent, while the financials subindex gained 0.9 per cent.

Among active counters, Mega Financial was up over one per cent.

After being hit by a rare fine in the US for anti-money laundering violations, local prosecutors earlier this week began their own investigation on whether the financial giant broke any local criminal laws.

The Taiwan dollar firmed T$0.017 to T$31.755 per US dollar.Click Here To Register For Free Trial Services OR Give A Missed Call : +6531581402 Follow Us On Twitter : www.twitter.com/epicresearchsg Like Us On Facebook : www.facebook.com/EpicResearchSingapore Need Any Assistance Feel Free To Mail Us at : info@epicresearch.sg

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Taiwan: Stocks almost flat, Mega Financial leads financials down

Taiwan stocks were almost flat on Wednesday morning as losses in financial shares, led by Mega Financial, eroded early gains.

Shares in the Taiwanese financial holding company, the focus of a probe by local prosecutors following a rare fine for anti-money laundering violations in the US, were sliding for the fourth session running.

As of 0252 GMT, the main Taiex index was unchanged at 9,031.24 points, after closing up 0.5 per cent in the previous session.

Tempering the selling was buying in tech heavyweight Hon Hai Precision, whose shares were 1.2 per cent higher, helping push the electronics subindex up 0.2 per cent.Click Here To Register For Free Trial Services OR Give A Missed Call : +6531581402 Follow Us On Twitter : www.twitter.com/epicresearchsg Like Us On Facebook : www.facebook.com/EpicResearchSingapore Need Any Assistance Feel Free To Mail Us at : info@epicresearch.sg

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Seoul: Won rebounds on US dollar selling, stocks firmer

The South Korean won rebounded early on Tuesday as investors sold the greenback, taking profits after it strengthened sharply over the past two sessions.

The won was quoted at 1,118.5 as of 0206 GMT, up 0.7 per cent compared with Monday's close of 1,126.5.

"The won has been reacting to the dollar's movements most sensitively among Asian currencies recently, which would explain today's sharp rise," said Jeong My Young, a foreign exchange analyst at Samsung Futures.

She added that investors will turn their attention to a speech by Fed Chair Janet Yellen in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, later this week for the won's next moves, although direct hints about the US Federal Reserve's next policy move seems unlikely.Click Here To Register For Free Trial Services OR Give A Missed Call : +6531581402 Follow Us On Twitter : www.twitter.com/epicresearchsg Like Us On Facebook : www.facebook.com/EpicResearchSingapore Need Any Assistance Feel Free To Mail Us at : info@epicresearch.sg

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These top investing minds see stormy seas ahead over the next year

Anyone looking for a narrative within the median forecasts might be stumped. With oil strengthening, shouldn’t the stock market look stronger? Does the median call on the S&P 500 point to investor awareness that stocks are overpriced, or does it suggest that margins are being squeezed by a stronger dollar, which could make continued robust hiring less likely?

Oversupply — of liquidity, cheap debt and cheap labor — has “broken down” the traditional connections between some indicators, Greene said. Increasing market volatility as central bankers bump up against the limits of monetary policy, she added.

Hoffman points out another quirk of the survey: “The range always has some outliers, some of whom confess they do it just to be provocative.” One unnamed bear’s forecast told a grim story: a 0.30% yield on the 10-year, oil at $11.50, and a 40% decline in the S&P 500 along with a jobless rate at 7.9%.

Some shared their forecasts with MarketWatch, discussing some of the major themes they think will drive the economy over the coming year.

Amy Cutts, chief economist for Equifax, thinks the 10-year note will yield 1.50% in one year, while the price of a barrel of oil slips to $42 but the S&P 500 rises to 2424.

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Singapore shares open lower as STI eases 0.2% to 2,861.54

SINGAPORE shares opened lower on Monday, with the Straits Times Index (‪#‎STI‬) slipping 0.20 per cent, or 5.86 points, to 2,861.54 as at 9:06am.

Gainers outnumbered losers 80 to 65, or about six up for every five down, after 46.2 million shares worth S$53.9 million changed hands.

Investment firm Attilan Group was the top active out of the gates, jumping 75 per cent, or 0.3 Singapore cent, to trade at 0.7 Singapore cent.

Among the blue chips, the banks presented an early drag. DBS Group Holdings slipped 1.3 per cent, or 20 Singapore cents, to S$14.84, while United Overseas Bank eased 1.5 per cent, or 26 Singapore cents, to trade at S$17.66. ‪#‎OCBC‬ Bank traded at S$8.42, down 0.1 per cent or one Singapore cent.



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Singaporesharesweaken on Friday but STI gains 1.4% over the week

the Straits Times Index (#STI) rose 40 points or 1.4 per cent to 2,867.40, including Friday's 2.42 point drop.

Providing the backdrop was a largely firm Wall Street, still basking in the "Goldilocks" glow of the previous week's employment report which suggested that economic growth is robust but not robust enough to justify significant interest rate hikes.

Turnover here however, was mediocre, Friday's session seeing one billion units worth S$916 million, below the S$1 billion daily average this year. On Friday, S$565 million or 62 per cent was done in the 30 STI components.

DBS kicked off the Q2 reporting season for banks on Monday when it announced a 5 per cent increase in net interest income to S$1.8 billion and 6 per cent fall in net earnings to S$1.05 billion.JClick Here To Register For Free Trial Services OR Give A Missed Call : +6531581402 Follow Us On Twitter : www.twitter.com/epicresearchsg Like Us On Facebook : www.facebook.com/EpicResearchSingapore Need Any Assistance Feel Free To Mail Us at : info@epicresearch.sg

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Natural-gas futures pare gains after EIA says U.S. supplies up 29 billion cubic feet

Natural-gas futures pared their gains to trade nearly flat on Thursday after the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that supplies of the commodity rose 29 billion cubic feet for the week ended August 5. That was above the average rise of 25 billion cubic feet expected by analysts polled by S&P Global Platts. Total stocks now stand at 3.317 trillion cubic feet, up 361 billion cubic feet from a year ago and 440 billion cubic feet above the five-year average, the government said. September natural gas NGU16, -0.78% traded nearly flat at $2.563 per million British thermal units, barely changed from Wednesday's settlement of $2.561. It traded higher at $2.572 before the data.

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ETF Holdings on SGX rose 18% in the last six months

ETF holdings on SGX rose US$507 million, or 18%, in the six months ended 31 July 2016. Sixty-four of the 78 ETFs listed on SGX registered an increase in assets under management (AUM). The biggest increases in AUM were seen in ABF Singapore Bond Fund, SPDR® Gold Shares ETF, SPDR® Straits Times Index ETF, iShares MSCI India ETF and Nikko AM Singapore STI ETF. Singapore’s five most active ETFs in the month of July were: SPDR® Gold Shares ETF, iShares MSCI India Index ETF, SPDR® Straits Times Index ETF, db x-trackers MSCI AC Asia Ex Japan Index UCITS ETF, and db x-trackers MSCI Indonesia Index UCITS ETF. These five ETFs offer exposure to a wide range of markets and span two asset classes. These five most active ETFs averaged a total return of 4.8% for the month of July and 9.4% for the year-to-date.

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Singaporeshares close lower on Thursday as oil and gas stocks tumble

THE Singapore market fell 0.78 per cent on Thursday, with the Straits Times Index dropping 22.87 points to 2,918.62 as investors sold down oil and gas counters.

About 1.25 billion shares worth S$878 million in total changed hands, which worked out to an average unit price of S$0.70 per share.

Losers outnumbered gainers 246 to 163, or about three down for every two up.

News of Swiber Holdings' winding-up application on Thursday took the market by surprise, and continued to dog the already-beleaguered oil and gas sector throughout the trading session.


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U.S Market Update : Epic Research Singapore

U.S. stock-index futures were quoted higher a little over eight hours ahead of the Monday market open. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA +1.13% and those for the S&P 500 SPX +1.15% were each 0.2% higher, according to FactSet, while Nasdaq 100 futures were up 0.3%. The advance came as most Asian markets rallied, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average JP:NIK +2.38% up 2.4% in the final hour of Tokyo trade. On Friday, the S&P 500 rose 1.2%, while the Dow industrials gained 1.1% and the Nasdaq Composite closed with a 0.8% gain.

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Epic Research Singapore : U.S Market Update

U.S. stock index futures Wednesday night pointed to a stronger Wall Street open on Thursday, as Asian markets rallied in the wake of better-than-expected Chinese manufacturing data. Roughly 12 hours ahead of the New York open, futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA +0.97% were up 0.3%, while those for the Nasdaq 100 and S&P 500 SPX +0.81% were each quoted 0.2% higher. The gains followed the release of the preliminary HSBC China manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index, which showed factory activity contracting slightly so far this month but at a much slower pace than economists had forecast. 
 

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