Ascendas Hospitality Trust: Am I interested?

Over the weekend, a friend asked me if I would be interested in Ascendas Hospitality Trust although he knew that I am generally not interested in IPOs. He was just asking for my thoughts on the Trust.

Ariake Sunroute Hotel, Japan.

Ascendas Hospitality Trust (A-HTrust) will be offering 437.33 million stapled securities at 88 cents each for mainboard listing in its initial public offer (IPO) in Singapore.

(Source: The Business Times, 18 July 2012)

What are stapled securities?

Stapling simply means that two different securities are "stapled" together for the purposes of trading or transfers. Stapled security could comprise two or more of the same or legally different instruments, for example, a share in a company and a unit in a trust.

The trust(s) and the company(ies) can hold assets and operate businesses, but active business, such as asset management and development are typically conducted by the company while passive investments in property or funds are undertaken by the trust. In practice, the trust and the company effectively operate as one entity although the company continues to be a separate legal entity from the trust.

Source: http://www.invested.hk/invested/en/html/section/index.html

For example:

CDL Hospitality Trusts is a stapled group comprising CDL Hospitality Real Estate Investment Trust ("H-REIT"), a real estate investment trust, and CDL Hospitality Business Trust ("HBT"), a business trust.

Well, what do I think of Ascendas Hospitality Trust? I won't do a thorough analysis of the Trust because I don't really have the inclination although I will share why I am not interested in it (now).

ibis Beijing Sanyuan Hotel.

Initially, the Trust will hold 10 hotels in its portfolio. These hotels are in the countries of China, Australia and Japan with Australia contributing to some three quarters of its income. The Trust also projects an 8% distribution yield in the year 2014.

I feel that I need to be conversant in the economies of three countries and the health of their respective tourism sectors to analyse how well they could continue doing. I would also need to take into consideration that income would be collected in three foreign currencies and converted to S$ for distribution to unitholders. Foreign exchange rates would affect income in S$ terms.

So, analysing this Trust and forecasting its future income is somewhat more challenging. It is less straightforward.

Then, what about my investment in Saizen REIT? Isn't that Japanese?

I won't say that I am conversant with the Japanese economy or its housing sector but I am a bit better informed in the area. Also, it is one country, not three and I only have to look at a pair of currencies, not three.

Saizen REIT is also holding residential properties, not hotels. Demand for housing is more inelastic compared to demand for hotels and with the type of properties Saizen REIT owns, there is lesser correlation with the ups and downs of the economy. Demand for hotels, however, is very different.

Ascendas Hospitality Trust is going to demand a lot of time and effort from me if I were to be become a unitholder. An eventual 8% distribution yield? I will need a higher distribution yield to entice me into this one in view of the work I have to do.

CapitaMalls Asia: Pre-emptive strikes failed.

Quite a few regular readers and friends are perplexed why I was buying shares in CapitaMalls Asia when it is clearly in a persistent downtrend. I replied that I was pre-empting a possible reversal as it looked like a positive divergence could emerge. Today, that possibility went out the window as the MACD formed a lower low as price weakened.

So, the technical reason I had for buying more shares in CapitaMalls Asia is no longer valid and I will not add to my long position anymore until the picture changes. Will I cut loss? I will only do so in a rebound. I will not do so as price goes lower. That has been my practice.

Prices rarely go up or down in a straight line. They climb a wall of worries and go down a river of hope. With CapitaMalls Asia, a rebound in share price could see gap filling at $1.325 per share. Whether this will happen or not, nobody knows for sure. If it happens, I will reduce my exposure.

Fundamentally, I still like the company's exposure to the growing middle class in China. These people have greater discretionary spending power and shopping malls in China will see strengthening demand over time. This will translate to higher asking rents and higher valuations for malls.

I also like how the RMB is likely to strengthen in time and this would mean that the NAV of the company will only go higher in S$ terms. How long will this take? Your guess is as good as mine.

Only one person knows for sure and he is Mr. Market. He will decide when the share price of the company will trade higher. Having failed to pre-empt Mr. Market's movements successfully, it is now back to basics while I wait for clearer signs.

Related post:
An elaboration on my methods.

Tea with AK71: Interest rates and inflation.

A topic on interest rates seems serious enough. Why have I put it under "Tea with AK71"? Well, it is because I want to talk about it in a more informal tone. It gives me an excuse to ramble and not be too careful in the way I write.

In the last one year, many have been talking about interest rates and how the low interest rates won't last and would go up in time. It seems to be a relatively safe prediction and, in general, I agree but when would it go up and by how much? That's the difficult question.

What goes up must come down one day and what is down would go up too. It is how things in the world achieve equilibrium. There could be exceptions but let's ignore these to keep this chat going.

I might have mentioned this in my blog before. I cannot remember. Think of China and what they are doing. They have increased interest rate more than once in the last few months due to inflationary pressures. Is increasing interest rates the only way to fight inflation? Well, there are many tools available and interest rate is just one tool. Like all tools, it has its limitations.

China has also increased bank reserves requirement in an attempt to reduce money supply. Interest rate and money supply are useful to a point in controlling inflation which are domestically created. They have little impact on exogenous factors.

The Chinese have a huge problem with inflation and much of that is imported. Remember that only a third of the Chinese economy is driven by domestic consumption. This is very different from Indonesia's 60%. How much of the inflationary pressure in China is due to rampant domestic over-consumption, therefore?

Raising interest rates won't help much and could make things worse. The more effective way to reign in inflation is what the Singapore government did: allow its currency to appreciate. Singapore too has a small domestic economy. The Chinese know that they have to let the RMB appreciate and they are just delaying the move.

The RMB is way undervalued and it is the main culprit in causing rampart inflation in China as the booming Chinese economy is heavily reliant on many imports just to keep its industries humming along. Its energy needs is just one such example.

The Singapore government does not use interest rate to control inflation. It uses the Singapore Dollar which floats against a basket of currencies of its major trading partners. If the MAS should hike interest rates (which it can't) to combat inflation, it could have a bigger problem on hand. Why?

Many Asian countries already have a problem of hot money flowing in, money looking for better returns. This money is usually from developed countries which are doing quantitative easing in the hope of jump starting or keeping their economy above water. In these countries, interest rates are more likely than not close to zero.

Money will go to where it is treated best and so, although the interest rates are pretty low in Singapore, a lot of money still find its way to our small island. For example, a 0.8% interest rate plus the prospect of  a 5% appreciation against its country of origin is very attractive for such funds.

The inflows have to be put to productive use and lenders (banks) will mostly offer relatively low interest rates to entice borrowers. More cheap debt and inflation continues. So, combating inflation is not a simple matter of increasing interest rates. If only it was that simple.

Now, one day, when the Chinese government decides to float the RMB more realistically, what would happen to companies with investments in the PRC? What would happen to CapitaMalls Asia?

Another point, since the Singapore government does not use interest rate to control inflation and if an increase in interest rate could be a bad thing instead as it encourages more hot money inflow, what would be the interest rates be like in Singapore for the next 12 months?

To both sets of questions, I have answers. However, seeing that my formal education in Economics ceased at "A" Levels, I shall not reveal what I think. I could be wrong, of course.

I think I need something bracing after this heavy blogging. Tieh Kuan Yin, anybody?

Hope this helps to refresh your "A" Level Economics!

The title of this blog post is exactly the same as the title of an email sent to me by a reader, Paul.  I like how it neatly encapsulates his good intention with a dash of cheekiness. I try not to take myself too seriously most of the time. Haha... I have reproduced his email with his permission:

Ways to Boost National Income

As we have learnt in basic economic theory, C+I+G+(X-M)=Y, I will now discuss issues which are restricting the major economies such as US and the EU to grow, and some of the policies which have been undertaken by them.

C stands for domestic consumption. In recessions, consumption is usually hit badly. As the consumers are busy deleveraging to pay off their debts, they cut down on their income elastic consumption which is normally the luxury goods.

I stands for investments, aka private sector. During recessions, there is a lack of incentives for investment by the private sector due to excess capacity therein. Furthermore, margins could thin due to lack of pricing power in times of recession. In addition, due to consumers deleveraging, there could be a lack of demand from consumers.

G stands for government spending. In normal recessions, a country's government is able to execute expansionary fiscal policies through spending in sectors such as infrastructure, education, health or military. These deficits could be financed by previous budget surpluses (which many of these big countries do not have), or borrowings through issuance of government bonds. Most countries adopt the issuance of government bonds approach to finance their government spending. However, as mentioned in an earlier post, governments in major economics like the UK, Japan and the USA have been incurring budget deficits for the past few years, which limit their ability to borrow more money. In the case of the US, the government debt is expected to double over the next decades, with majority of the debt caused by interest payment. The austerity program adopted by the major economies limit the governments' ability to prop up growth.

(X-M) is net export. One of the most basic ways to boost the (X-M) component is to have a weaker currency, which would make a country's exports relatively cheaper compared to other countries. Currently, governments worldwide are turning to this as a solution. Instead of focusing on productivity to boost exports, governments take the easy way out, by “manipulating” the strength of their currencies. For example, USA forced the revaluation of the Japanese Yen in 1985 to boost their exports. Currently, USA is trying to do the same to the Chinese RMB.

In this world, there is never a case of a balanced trade accounts, there will always be imbalances, some countries having surpluses, some having deficits. Trade account surpluses and deficits are not a problem in economic studies. But for political reasons, it has been a problem. Recently, Japan central bank also intervened in the FOREX market to weaken the yen. This has led to what is called "competitive devaluation", a race to the bottom, where countries will try to make their currencies relatively weaker to boost exports.

Another method to boost (X-M) is the implementation of trade barriers, which would again result in trade wars. Already, there are signs of protectionist measures in the USA through the “Buy Made in US” campaign. Trade wars would hamper global economic growth, especially those of emerging markets which are reliant on exports.

When there is a recession caused by a financial crisis, it takes longer than usual to recover due to the freeze in credit lines and financial system. Actually, US is doing comparatively better than the recovery from previous financial crisis led recession.

In the case of Singapore, we are fortunate enough to have a good public financial system. Any sales of Singapore assets such as land are being kept in the “treasury” under the care of the President and not the government. 50% of the returns from investments such as those from GICs are also channeled into this “treasury”.

Hence, when the Singapore government want to tap into this reserve in 2008 or 2009, it had to seek permission from the President. The budget surpluses which are usually stated by the government, do not include the increase in the reserve funds. Therefore, “short term pain, long term gain” has served Singapore well in saving for the rainy days and having the fiscal policies to help the economy. Most western economies do not have this privilege due to the asymmetrical nature of fiscal policies. Easy to cut taxes, hard to raise taxes, which sort of validate Singapore government's stand on retaining the GST even during the economic hard times.

Related post:
USA, a rock and a hard place: Paul opines.

Charts in brief: 21 Jun 10.

Most counters in my watchlist are positive today as the STI gained to close just a whisker off 2,880. It would seem that the Chinese government has done the world a great favour by deciding to let the RMB strengthen. This is something I have believed should happen for some time. A stronger RMB would ameliorate the problem of inflation within China, raise the purchasing power of its people and improve standards of living. Increased domestic consumption would do a lot of good for China's own economy as well as the global economy. You might want to read what I wrote in an earlier post here.

STI +1.6%; More upside on window-dressing, says SIAS
Monday, 21 June 2010

© 2010 - The Edge Singapore

AIMS AMP Capital Industrial REIT: Volume expanded today and all trades were done at only one price, 22c. MACD has turned up.  MACD histogram has a buy signal. MFI has turned up, forming a higher low. OBV has turned up, suggesting increased accumulation.

CapitaMalls Asia: Price broke the resistance band of $2.19 to $2.21 which I identified earlier. Closing at $2.22 seems bullish but volume suggests that this might not be durable. This counter is probably rising due to a lack of sellers rather than an abundance of buyers. Nonetheless, the momentum is still good as suggested by the MFI and price might be pushed higher.

Courage Marine: The picture is somewhat similar to CapitaMalls Asia.  A white candle day on improved volume but not impressively so which suggests a lack of sellers rather than an abundance of buyers. MFI shows improving momentum while the OBV has turned up slightly.  It remains to be seen if resistance at 20c could be taken out. A significant resistance after 20c is at 21c.

FSL Trust: MFI and OBV continue to rise. Could 40c be taken out this week? The next resistance level which is likely to be a strong one as suggested by candlesticks and a declining 20dMA is at 42c.

Golden Agriculture: Price continues to be resisted at 55c although it touched a high of 55.5c today. Momentum is still positive and MACD is about to cross into positive territory. Volume is, however, unimpressive which probably resulted in the failure to take out 55c and instead formed a white spinning top which is a possible reversal signal.  Support is at 51.5c in case of a trend reversal.

LMIR: It seems that the merged 100d and 200d MAs are too strong to be taken out today. Price closed at 47.5c which is where we find the 50dMA, forming an inverted cross in the process. The negative divergence between price and volume continues to suggest LMIR has been rising on weak technicals. If the 50dMA does not hold up as support, the next support is at 46c as provided by the 20dMA.

Related posts:
AIMS AMP Capital Industrial REIT: Big boys.
Courage Marine: Triple bottom?
Golden Agriculture: Resistance remains at 55c.
LMIR: Testing resistance.
FSL Trust: Verona I.

Revaluing the RMB.

Revaluing the RMB is a matter of when, not if.  It is widely known that the RMB is undervalued and the Chinese government realises that it has to let the RMB appreciate. This would bring down the cost of living in the country and help put a lid on inflationary pressures.  However, China wants to do so at its own pace. 

The Chinese government is and has always been very concerned about not losing face. A confrontational attitude from outsiders would do more harm than good.

When the RMB is revalued upwards and we can expect this to happen in a series of steps in time, foreign companies with assets in China and with earnings denominated in the RMB will surely benefit. Also, foreigners should find investing in Chinese companies and assets attractive in such a situation as the value of their Chinese investments in their home currencies would likely increase.

China is on track to overtake Japan as the largest economy in Asia and companies which are well positioned to benefit from the growth of the Chinese economy will most likely do better than peers which are not.

CapitaRetail China Trust posts 7.5% rise in net property to $19m in 1Q
Friday, 23 April 2010

© 2010 - The Edge Singapore

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Yuan Gains May Help China Vault Past Japan to Be No. 2 Economy

April 19, 2010, 1:36 AM EDT


April 19 (Bloomberg) -- China’s anticipated move to let its currency appreciate may help the nation overtake Japan as the world’s second-largest economy, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. said.

 A 5 percent revaluation against the dollar could see quarterly gross domestic product exceed Japan’s as soon as July- to-September this year, estimated Liu Li-Gang, a Hong Kong-based economist at ANZ. The Chinese economy is likely to vault past Japan by year’s end even if the yuan remains stable, Liu said in an e-mailed interview.

Read complete article here:
Yuan gains may help China vault past Japan to be No. 2 economy.

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Weak Chinese Currency "Not Just An American Problem,"
FT's Martin Wolf Says.
Posted Apr 22, 2010 07:30am EDT by Peter Gorenstein



Related posts:
New global economic leadership.

Healthway Medical's growing in China

Singapore's domestic market is tiny. Instead of opening hospitals in Singapore and waiting for patients to visit us in Singapore, go to the patients instead in countries where high quality medical services are lacking! I like the Chinese RMB. Earning Chinese RMB is a great strategy.

Video Clip added on 11 Feb 2010:



Business Times, December 14, 2009 Monday
Healthway plans to invest another $20m in China;
It is targeting a dozen first and second-tier cities there.
Ven Sreenivasan

AFTER expanding rapidly into one of Singapore's largest clinic chains, Catalist-listed Healthway Medical Corporation has set its sights on equally rapid expansion into the huge China market.

Less than a year after investing in its first venture in Shanghai via Crane Medical through a $3.3 million convertible loan, the company is preparing to spend another $20 million to expand its footprint in a dozen first and second-tier cities across the country.

'We will initially set up medical centres in Suzhou, Nantong and Nanjing,' said managing director Wong Weng Hong. The next phase will be expansion to other gateway cities like Beijing, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Chengdu, Tianjin, Dalian, Shenyang and Qingdao by 2015.

In Singapore, the group's business has been growing rapidly. The number of its clinics and doctors will double to 120 and 400, respectively, by by 2013. This includes the establishment of a complex diseases diagnostic centre in the city. Dr Wong, however, is particularly bullish on his company's growth prospects in China.

'This is a huge US $118 billion a year market which continues to grow at almost 20 per cent a year,' he said. 'The country is now undergoing a US $800 billion healthcare reform. It has a population of over 1.3 billion, of whom only 400 million have medical insurance. The numbers speak for themselves.'

The group currently operates on a management contract via Shanghai-based Nobel Hospital, an eye/ENT/dental practice. But going forward, according to Dr Wong, this will be expanded into general medicine, specialist and diagnostic services.

But would the plans pit Healthway against more entrenched players like Singapore's Parkway group and American health services group United Family?

'Right now the foreign players largely target the expatriate population,' Dr Wong said. 'Our aim is to provide accessible and affordable medical services for the local population. There is rapid shift in the demographics of the country, both in terms of geography and financial status.'

Dr Wong envisions a country-wide roll-out of a rapidly scaleable model of diagnostic clinics, specialist clinics and general practices which will have a presence in rural, suburban and urban areas, focusing on the growing demand for better quality and more reliable medical services.

'We will focus on specific specialist and sub-specialist services,' he said. 'This will include multi-specialty medical centres for locals and foreigners, dental clinics, eye and ENT, hospitals and GP clinics.'

The company, which has a gearing of 30 per cent, intends to use internal resources (it has cash of some $28 million) and credit lines to fund the China expansion. It recently announced a 67 per cent rise in profits to $12 million for the nine months to end-September.

Healthway is not planning to grow via acquisitions, at least in the initial phase of its China roll-out.

'At the initial stage, we will go in for management contracts,' Dr Wong said. 'This will enable us to be asset light and not burden our balance sheet.'

This is a model it follows at its Nobel Hospital in Shanghai, run by Crane.

Still, given that the China expansion will also have to dovetail with the planned roll-out of more clinics and a major medical diagnostic centre in Singapore, Dr Wong does not rule out raising funds from the market.

But one thing is certain, China will feature prominently on Healthway's books by 2015.

'If all goes according to plan, China's contribution will dwarf Singapore's, both on the top line and bottom line,' he said. Healthway Medical: Growing a defensive business

New global economic leadership

The USA was not always the global economic leader. It took its current place more or less after the world wars. Before the USA, the UK was the leader. The Sterling Pound was worth a lot more than what it's worth today. I remember my parents and my grandparents keeping the Sterling Pound. The exchange rate was S$7 to a Sterling Pound, if I remember their accounts correctly. So, global economic leadership shifted from the UK to the USA.

Now, Jim Rogers has said this many times and I agree with him: economic leadership is shifting once more and the next 100 years will see Asia taking over the reigns of global economic leadership and he expects China to take the lead.

That's why I've also shared my views with friends that my favourite currencies, apart from gold, are the RMB and the Indonesian Rupiah. I've a bit of all three and intend to accumulate more gold. The RMB and the Rupiah are fiat currencies like the US$ but they have not been abused and are not as flawed.

The Chinese economy is large and dynamic. However, it has to undergo a huge behavioral and structural transformation for the Chinese to consume more and to rely less on exports. Why do I say this? Let's look at Indonesia. It has a population of 240 million, a far cry from China's 1.6 billion, and private consumption is 60% of its GDP. In China, private consumption is only 36% of its GDP.

Many might or might not know this but "China's consumption-to-GDP ratio has dropped by nearly 15 percentage points since 1990 and continues to deteriorate in the aftermath of the financial crisis. The sources of China's low consumption rate are both behavioral and structural." This was in a recent report by McKinsey.

Asia might be the future economic powerhouse of the world and China might become the leader but the journey has only begun.