Singapore Airlines: Slow to board the social media flight?

I might be slow here but I only read in The Business Times recently that SIA took over an unofficial facebook page. Apparently, the SIA facebook page was originally set up by fans and had almost 100,000 members.

Until almost two years ago, I didn't really know what was social media. OK, I heard of blogs, which I thought was a classy bog, and Twitter, which I thought was a noisy chatroom, and Facebook, which I thought was a vanity item. Yes, that's me, an IT dinosaur.

After I got the hang of blogging, it took me quite a while to get on Twitter and, more recently, Facebook. While blogging serves a purpose for me, being a platform for me to pen my thoughts and analyses, I could not see any advantages of being on Twitter and Facebook. I only started accounts because of requests by some readers.

Since starting a Twitter account many months ago, a grand total of 33 people are following my blogs using it. My Facebook account is less than a month old, so, having 3 members is a start. However, I think the most popular way in which readers follow my blog is still through Feedburner. Almost 600 people are following my blogs via feeds!

I know people who have terminated their Twitter accounts because they were not very successful. I also know people who claim that Facebook is more effective than Twitter in spreading the word. I kind of suspect that these are just different tools for different purposes and, most probably, Feedburner is the best tool for my blog to keep readers updated.

So, the view that SIA is very late in latching onto social media and how it has been detrimental to its business is something I do not quite understand. For those who do understand, please be kind to me. Laugh a little if you must but enlighten me with your insights please. :)

Tea with AK71: Good food at good prices!

Recently, I had some good food at good prices:

Breakfast at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. 1 for 1. I paid $7.70 for two sets of the above plus two cups of tea. A great deal!

This was a treat because I always see a long queue at the Western Cuisine stall at Kopitiam, Bukit Panjang Plaza. I hate to wait too long for my food but there was no queue that day! $6.10 after discount! Not bad.

Buuuuuuurp! I was a happy man! :D

Carpark Not Enough!

Although there are cries of discontent in some quarters and this is amply evident in the last General Election as well as the Presidential Election, it seems that more HDB dwellers are doing better in recent years.

How do we know this? Wait for Jack Neo to make a movie "HDB Parking Lots Not Enough!", maybe.

I read an article in The Straits Times on my iPad today that the "pace of growth of car ownership has overtaken that of HDB's carpark-building programme.

"The number of HDB carpark spaces has risen from 539,800 in 2005 to 557,000 as at June this year - a 3.2 per cent rise.

"But the number of HDB households - the bulk of Singapore households - with a car has grown by 26.3 per cent to 310,400 over the same period. And the number with more than one car has shot up by 76.5 per cent to 45,900."

It seems that we could use the scarcity of HDB carpark spaces as an indicator of economic prosperity in Singapore. Given the cost of car ownership in Singapore, the growth of car ownership amongst HDB households probably shows that many are better off in recent times.

For me, I am glad that I do not have a problem finding a parking lot in the HDB estate where I stay now. Well, not yet, perhaps.

My weaknesses.

When it comes to junk food, I have two big weaknesses: ice cream and chocolates.

The atas and delectable stuff from Haagen Dazs:

This costs several times more than a strawberry sundae from McDonald's but it was so good!

Burp.

Cache Logistics Trust: Partial divestment at 98c.

On 29 August, I blogged about partially divesting my investment in Cache Logistics Trust as the gap was filled at 96c. Today, my overnight sell order at 98c was filled.

After the gap at 97.5c was filled on 1 September, the REIT's unit price seems to be having difficulty clearing 98c, which is a natural candlestick resistance as well.

As the REIT's unit price does not seem to exhibit any form of trend, I look at the Stochastics to catch a glimpse of what is likely to happen next. Stochastics is in the overbought region and this suggests that chances of a pull back is higher than not.

Breaking out of 98c convincingly could see $1 tested next while further downside could see a retest of 91.5c for support. A simple risk and reward consideration suggests that another partial divestment at the current price level is a good idea.

Related post:
Cache Logistics Trust: Gap closed at 96c.

CapitaMalls Asia: At resistance.

While chatting in LP's infamous cbox today, a cboxer, OT, said that he is queueing to sell some shares of CapitaMalls Asia at $1.395 because I said that is where gap filling could happen. That was based on TA which I did more than a week ago.

TA is dynamic. What is valid now might not be valid a week later. So, is this case any different?

Share price touched a high of $1.36 which is where we find resistance provided by a flat 50dMA. It closed at $1.345 which is where we find the declining trendline resistance.

The MACD is rising nicely but it is still in negative territory. Volume although slightly higher is not impressive. This rebound could sputter and fail quite easily.

If both the 50dMA and the trendline resistance could be taken out in the next session, we could indeed see the gap filled at $1.395. If the share price could close above the 50dMA in the next session, we could even see $1.44 tested next. Will it happen?

TA simply hints of what could happen and we must have plans for all possible eventualities.

Related post:
CapitaMalls Asia: Rebounding.

AIMS AMP Capital Industrial REIT: Consolidation and corporate rating.

Some readers left comments here in my blog while others wrote me emails asking me about the proposal by AIMS AMP Capital Industrial REIT to consolidate 5 units into 1.

Personally, I am not really concerned with this exercise. Why? 

The fundamentals will not change with this exercise. It is still the same REIT with the same fundamentals. As for whether the REIT's unit price will do better or worse after consolidation, if only I knew.

Am I not doing anything with regards to this exercise? I will continue to monitor the REIT's unit price. If its valuation becomes very compelling, I will buy more at supports. If the unit price were to retest resistance, I could divest.

A more important and positive development is the upgrading of the REIT's corporate rating by Moody's. The new rating is Ba1 with a stable outlook. A stronger rating improves investors' confidence and could make borrowings cheaper and more accessible for the REIT.

The improvement in rating is even more significant when we take into consideration the redevelopment of 20 Gul Way.

In an earlier blog post, I said that the redevelopment is a step in the right direction as the REIT moves to maximise the use of its plot ratio of 1.4x from the current 0.46x.

However, there will be short term pain manifested in various forms during the redevelopment period. The most immediately apparent would be the loss of rental income from 20 Gul Way during the redevelopment period.

I estimate a reduction of about 9% in distribution income which means that the DPU per year once the proposed redevelopment is underway could be lowered to 1.99c, assuming that the REIT pays out 100% of its distributable income.

At a unit price of 20c, therefore, the REIT still offers an attractive proforma distribution yield of almost 10%. If the REIT were to reduce payouts to 90% in view of the said redevelopment, we are still looking at a proforma distribution yield of almost 9%.

AIMS AMP Capital Industrial REIT and Sabana REIT have almost equal weightage in my portfolio and, together, form about 50% of my total investment in the stock market. They are likely to remain significant passive income generators for me.

Read full report from Moody's here.

Related post:
AIMS AMP Capital Industrial REIT: Higher DPU and 20 Gul Way.

Tharman Shanmugaratnam has spoken.

I think Tharman Shanmugaratnam is a really brainy guy. He also did our country proud when he was selected as the Chairman of the International Monetary and Financial Committee.

When Tony Tan talks about the economy, I listen. When Tharman S. talks about the economy, I listen too and he has spoken.

"Tharman Shanmugaratnam told a conference that the world has now “entered a phase where there is a self reinforcing cycle” of a loss of consumer confidence, which is leading companies to hold back on investing.

“Asia will not be immune to a global slowdown,” Tharman said. The Singapore economy is highly reliant on international trade."


Related posts:
Wage slaves should be fearful.

Singapore says global recession more likely than not
Tuesday, 06 September 2011

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