Hutchison Port Holdings Trust: 86c.

Hutchison Port Holdings Trust (HPH) saw its unit price sinking lower today to close at 86c per unit. This is almost 15% lower than its IPO price of US$1.01 per unit not too long ago.

Just like what I did with Sabana REIT when it was newly listed, I used Fibo lines to estimate where are the critical supports for HPH and 86c is where we find the 161.8% Fibo line.

If 86c breaks, we could see price hitting 81c as the next strong support using the high of US$1.02 as 0%.

At 81c, it could be too tempting to refuse even though it is denominated in US$.

Related post:
Hutchison Port Holdings Trust: A weak debut.

Perennial China Retail Trust: Weak debut?

On 19 May, I did a relatively lengthy blog post on why I found Perennial China Retail Trust (PCRT) unattractive as an investment.

At that time, they were going to price it between 70c to 76c per unit. Ultimately, the trust was offered at 70c per unit, the lowest price in the range, and it was only 1.6x subscribed. The suggestion that the market is not enthusiastic about the IPO is not far off the mark.

Today, it closed at 61c or 12.86% lower than its IPO price of 70c. A weak debut? That would be an understatement.

Would I be interested in PCRT if its price were to weaken further? Yes, I would be interested if its distribution yield for 2011 were to be much higher than the 5.3% at its IPO price of 70c.

At today's closing price of 61c, its distribution yield has improved to 6.08% for the year 2011. However, it is still not attractive enough for me to invest for income. In my last blog post on this, I compared the distribution yield to CapitaRetail China Trust which was offering a distribution yield of 6.83%.

So, unless PCRT trades at a much higher distribution yield and this is really to compensate for the rather risky investment that it is, I would not be tempted. At 54c per unit, PCRT would trade at a distribution yield of 6.87% and, perhaps, I would be interested then.

Read article here.

Related post:
Perennial China Retail Trust.

FSL Trust: Private placement.

On 2 June, I blogged about FSL Trust's acquisition of a vessel and I was wondering if it would be a positive catalyst for its unit price since distributable income would likely increase.  Read blog post here.

Fast on the heals of that acquisition is another one. This time, "the acquisition will be fully funded by the drawdown of US$23 million from the trust's existing revolving credit facility and US$23 million in cash - with around US$15 million to come from a private placement of up to 57 million new FSL Trust units." Read full article here.

So, although distributable income would likely increase, distribution per unit might not increase much since there is a private placement involved. The new units would be issued at a discounted price of 35c/unit and represent 8.6% of the total number of units in issue after the placement exercise is concluded.

Read announcement here.

Mid-life crisis? Investing for income continues.

I am going through some big changes in my life. I am monetising my investments in real estate and moving back to stay with my parents. With work giving me some rather bad headaches recently, I am thinking of what I should be doing next. What is the next step in my life?

Should I continue with the status quo? I could. I would have to suffer the rather constant bad headaches at work as they are caused mostly by problems which are beyond my control.

Should I just quit and do something else? Time for a change? Indeed, time for a long break? Unfortunately, often, things have a way of turning out differently from how we would like them to.

Anyway, whatever I plan to do or not to do, I continue to invest for income and if I should be unemployed one day whether by choice or not, I have no fear even if I should be unable to find alternative employment.

Today, I  bought more units of Sabana REIT at 92.5c per unit. Readers might remember that I said I would like to lighten my position in AIMS AMP Capital Industrial REIT and to increase the weight of Sabana REIT in my portfolio. The reasons were discussed in this blog post here.

Well, unit price of AIMS AMP Capital Industrial REIT has been testing 22c resistance on low volume and one wonders if it could be broken. Price is flirting with the declining 200dMA. The ADX shows the +DI having the advantage and that the trend is positive and strengthening. The MACD, on the other hand, is finding it hard to form a higher high.

If volume does not increase significantly to take out resistance presented at 22c, I would not be surprised if price should retreat to test 21c for support. This is where we find the rising 50dMA and the uptrend support. I would not panic as the uptrend would still be intact. The price action of the last two weeks has broken out of the downtrend which started on 17 Sep 2010.

As for Sabana REIT, technically, it is trapped between 93c and 92c. 93c is where we find the flat 50dMA and 92c is where we find the flat 20dMA. The ADX suggests that there is no trend. So, I look at the Stochastics for clues.

Drawing a trendline connecting the lows, we get a support line which suggests that the Stochastics could test 50% in future which suggests a weakness in price is possible. Immediate support is at 92c. 91.5c? Not very likely if we see where the trendline support is at. Currently, it coincides nicely with the 20dMA at 92c.

Although I have not managed to do a partial divestment of my investment in AIMS AMP Capital Industrial REIT, I decided to go ahead and buy more units in Sabana REIT at 92.5c a piece today. The fundamental reasons to increase my investment in Sabana REIT remain valid and a partial divestment of my investment in AIMS AMP Capital Industrial REIT is not a necessary condition for this to take place.

Due to the changes in my life and my current mental state, during the next few weeks, there could be a day or two or even a few days in a row when I might not be updating my blog. I will try to update it as frequently as possible, of course. Blogging remains an engaging hobby for me.

Golden Agriculture: Further growth.

Feeling somewhat groggy from watching two movies back to back but I have some thoughts about Golden Agriculture which I would like to pen. I like Golden Agriculture's business and I like its numbers. I also like its technicals.

I am still in the queue at 67.5c to add to my long position. The neckline of a potential head and shoulders pattern is at 65.5c thereabouts. I would like to accumulate on weakness.

The ADX suggests a lack of trend and the Stochastics in such an instance suggests that price could experience more weakness. Notice how volume seems to be reducing as well in the last few sessions.

Golden Agri targets production growth, more land: Update
Tuesday, 07 June 2011

© 2011 - The Edge Singapore

NOL: Moving average envelope.

NOL suffered heavy selling today and touched a low of $1.71 before closing at $1.73. Such an intense sell down could see a follow through the next day.

However, it is interesting to see that despite the heavy selling pressure, we still have the potential for a positive divergence to form. Much would depend the price action in the next session.

The lower range of the moving average envelope should provide some support at $1.68 in the event of further selling down. Any recovery in price could see gap cover at $1.82. The way I look at it, anyone who is still thinking of shorting NOL at the current prices should think twice.

I would probably add to my long position by purchasing at $1.68 if it should be tested as support. Downtrends are rivers of hope.

Investing in REITs: A flawed strategy?

I have been told by some that my strategy of investing in REITs is a flawed one. I am also sure that there is no paucity of investment blogs out there saying that one should avoid REITs as they are always hungry for funds and are likely to go hat in hand to unitholders regularly or indulge in private placements.

If I were to be in the mood, I would pen short comments to correct what I feel are bias thoughts. Of course, if the writer should be downright rude, I would return measure for measure. There is always room for discussion and even room to disagree. However, I take a very dim view of bigotry and bad behaviour.

One of the catalysts for the above paragraphs is an article I read in The EDGE regarding Olam's raising US$600 million through selling of more shares. This, I have no doubt, would dilute the interests of minority shareholders.

To the people who would avoid REITs but would invest in companies like Olam instead, I wonder how is Olam different in such an instance? Raising funds to buy more income generating assets sounds like a strategy for growth which any REIT might pursue.

Personally, my investments in REITs have done very well in the last two years with the exception of Saizen REIT but we know why that was so. If we are making money in our investments, we must be doing something right. However, we have to remain vigilant to ensure that our investments remain in good health. This is true whether we are invested in REITs or companies.

Olam International said to raise US$600m in share offer: Update
Monday, 06 June 2011

© 2011 - The Edge Singapore

Win tickets to the Singapore Flyer and more!

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8. Sands Sky Park (MBS)

Closing date to win these tickets is 10 June 2011.
To find out more and sign up, click here.

GLP versus ProLogis.

I was just reading an article in The EDGE and wonder what this would mean for GLP and its shareholders:

"GLP was listed on the SGX last year after it acquired the Japanese and Chinese portfolio of Prologis with the Singapore Government Investment Corp. (GIC) in 2008.

 "Last December, GLP had to clarify that it did not disclose during IPO that a non-compete agreement with ProLogis was due to expire this February as the deal requires GLP not compete with ProLogis in Japan while ProLogis reciprocally does not compete in GLP’s core market of China.

 "The clarification was made in response to a report in The Business Times that the prospectus for GLP’s initial public offer last October did not specifically disclose that the non-compete agreement was expiring in a couple of months."

Question. Was the non-disclosure misrepresentation on the part of GLP during its IPO? This is especially grave if the information omitted could have serious consequences for GLP's shareholders. I learned in business law many years ago that misrepresentation by omission is just as grave as misrepresentation through the giving of false information.

From a purely business perspective, I wonder how things would pan out in the next few years as ProLogis becomes more aggressive in its pursuit of growth in Asia. Is GLP up to the challenge? It did buy ProLogis' assets. I liken this to Akira asking an OEM to produce its products. Obviously, the OEM is the party with the knowledge and the production capabilities. If the OEM were to offer its products directly to the market, it could do so with an in-house brand and at a more competitive price. Consolation? Akira has a more established brand name but see what good it did for Akira? Did GLP have enough time to establish a strong brand name?

Of course, I am just thinking aloud here and playing the Devil's advocate. I am throwing the floor open to anyone, vested or not vested in GLP, to share any pertinent thoughts on the matter.

Prologis to double Asian holdings after biggest REIT deal
Saturday, 04 June 2011

© 2011 - The Edge Singapore

Related post:
GLP: A falling dagger?

Of primates and their diet!

The title of this blog post belies the gravity of the subject on hand. Before we go into the subject proper, a bit of background information is necessary for the uninitiated.

Some might know of an infamous cbox owned by LP, the blogmaster of Bully the Bear. LP is a very decent sort of chap and is always concerned about people, having their best interests at heart. LP is also G.O.D. (Gorilla of Design) in his realm (i.e. his blog and cbox).

G.O.D.? Yes, LP is able to decide on how things look, how emoticons should be abbreviated and how abbreviations would turn out in his cbox. Most of the time, he is a benign G.O.D. but he is fully capable of dishing out caustic remarks and more. He also has the ability to excommunicate any recalcitrant cboxer and eradicate spamsters! Now, that is power!

In the zoo that is LP's cbox, there are larger primates of the gorilla class and smaller primates of the spider monkey class.  I am sure there are also baboons, orang utans and, maybe, a Yeti or two. The primates of different sizes represent investors and traders of different financial means.

In the cbox, we also refer to Sabana REIT as banana REIT just for fun. I cannot remember who started it but it was probably by some disgruntled investor who bought into the REIT at $1.05 a piece thereabouts. Some have referred to it as an expensive banana.

Regular readers would know that I blog about Sabana REIT regularly, starting from its IPO days. However, I only initiated a long position at 92.5c a piece, weeks before it started trading CD with a maiden DPU of about 3c. This was where FA and TA married nicely. FA identified a good undevalued buy and TA gave some hints as to when to buy. If only I am so consistent every time.

Last night, someone whom I believe to be of gorilla class in LP's cbox told me that I was being "suan" (Hokkien for "teased") by a fellow blogger. I went to read the blog post and I share LP's opinion that the blogger was most probably trying to warn spider monkeys to behave like spider monkeys and not behave like gorillas. So, a gorilla might be able to eat a few kgs of bananas in one sitting, a spider monkey could suffer from heartburn doing the same thing or worse! This is generally good advice, of course.

Then again, I have met spider monkeys with great appetites. They could eat a lot of bananas and not grow fat, avoiding the complications of over-eating. Some might say that the complications could come much later in life. Well, this could indeed be the case.

What do I think? Personally, if I have identified something which I believe is a winner, I would go in big. By this, I mean building up my position in the company to be at least 10% of my total portfolio. I am also not averse to building it up to be 20% or more of my total portfolio.

I remember a time when my portfolio size was much smaller, ST Engineering and SPH were the lion share of my total portfolio. In mid 2009 to early 2010, Healthway Medical, Golden Agriculture and Saizen REIT formed the lion share of my total portfolio. How did I do? Quite well, I believe.

However, the recent triple disasters to hit Japan dealt a blow to my investment in Saizen REIT which by that time was about 40% of my total portfolio. 40%? Yes, I liked the fundamentals and I liked the turnaround story which did finally pan out by end of May 2011 with YK Shintoku's CMBS fully repaid.

Unfortunately for me, the triple disaster wrecked a picture of recovery, technically and fundamentally. Informed by TA, I partially divested my investment in the REIT and suffered a small loss. This is a pitfall of a strategy of concentration as compared to diversification. Potential rewards are greater but the level of risk would be proportionally higher. So, we have to stay nimble as circumstances are fluid. This applies to all primates, from gorillas to spider monkeys.

In conclusion, if a spider monkey sees a gorilla wolfing down bunches of bananas and if the spider monkey wants to eat just as many bananas, it could. If it did, I would not say that it would, for sure, suffer from indigestion since it could be a spider monkey with a huge appetite although it might. I would say that it could suffer from malnutrition because it might not have seen what other food the gorilla could be eating as well. Primates are, after all, omnivores.

Oh, if anyone is interested to know, my overnight buy order for more Sabana REIT units at 92c was filled this morning.