Staying positive on S-REITs.

In the recent weeks, shares of property developers, telecoms companies, commodities companies, shipping companies, gaming companies etc have mostly declined in price.

So, in a sea of red, is staying uninvested the way to go? Very probably, many are doing just that. Personally, I am staying invested and mostly in selected S-REITs. In an environment of greater volatility, S-REITs' unit prices have demonstrated resilience and my portfolio of S-REITs has remained relatively unscathed in the recent market weakness.

Some asked me if it is safe to invest in S-REITs now or add to their long positions. Truthfully, I cannot give any answer in the affirmative. I will ask you to instead consider the more discussed circumstances in which S-REITs could fail.

1. Interest rates suddenly shoot through the roof when the time comes for S-REITs to refinance.

2. Credit drying up, leading to S-REITs being unable to refinance at any price.

3. Tenants defaulting en-masse leading to S-REITs being unable to meet their financial obligations.

4. Value of properties declining to the point where gearing exceeds 40%.

Then, ask ourselves how likely are these events to take place in the next two years. I have given some thought to these points and I remain sanguine about the situation.

1. It is unlikely that interest rates would shoot through the roof overnight or over the next two years. We must see some pretty strong inflationary pressure before interest rates would go higher. U.S. interest rates being revised upwards by 0.25% every few months is hardly catastrophic. Unless funds are able to get higher returns with similar or lower risks elsewhere, I do not see S-REITs turning unattractive, all else remaining equal.

2. The Great Depression delivered a lesson which has not been forgotten if the actions by central banks around the world were anything to go by. Any businessman would know that credit is the lifeblood of the economy. Credit dries up, businesses come to a halt and great hardship would follow. Central banks will ensure that this never happens again. We came pretty close in the last great recession and already got a fleeting glimpse of what could happen if credit dried up completely.

3. The supply of industrial space is likely to remain tight in Singapore in the near future and I have blogged about this. If the economy takes a sudden turn for the worse, we could see some tenants defaulting but it is unlikely that tenants would default en-masse. Even in the last recession which was one of the worst I have seen, nothing that serious took place. With interest cover ratios of 5.7x or more, industrial S-REITs are not about to make me lose sleep at night.

4. Most S-REITs are conservatively geared. Even with a gearing level of 32%, we have to see property valuations dropping by some 20% before gearing would hit 40%. A 20% decline is pretty severe and I do not think it likely unless the current valuations are frothy. If we look at the current valuations of industrial properties S-REITs, they are still very much below the peak before the last recession.

Although I remain sanguine about the fundamentals of the S-REITs I am vested in, I do recognise that prices are driven by sentiments. If Mr. Market should go barking mad and is willing to sell to me at prices which would give me distribution yields in excess of 10% like it did in the last recession, I would gladly increase my long positions. Yes, that is my plan. Keep a warchest ready and seize the opportunity if it should present itself.

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Investing in REITs: A flawed strategy?

Capitaland: More downside?

My purchase of more shares in Capitaland yesterday at $2.81 per share, unfortunately, did not turn out well. Today, its share price closed at $2.75, the day's low. There are some very determined shortists. The bears have won for now. Well, this is the risk one has to accept if one were to go long in a downtrend when there are no clear reversal signals. Too bad for me.

I am going to employ Fibo lines which have worked so well for me on other occasions to help determine where would we find the next support. Taking the high of $4.23 as 0% and $3.08, a natural support as 100%, we see a clearer picture.

$2.81 is where we find the 123.6% Fibo line, not a golden ratio and, as it turned out, it was a weak support which held up for a while in the morning. The next support is at $2.64. This is provided by the 138.2% Fibo line, a golden ratio and likely to be stronger. In the absence of a rebound, I would keep an eye on this price if it should be tested.

Fundamentally, Capitaland is now trading at a 21.4% discount to its NAV of $3.50 per share. I still get a feeling that it is very oversold and that a technical rebound is overdue. Of course, Mr. Market does not care two hoots what I feel.

For investors still keen on property stocks, the key is to be extra selective. Daiwa Securities recommends CapitaLand, which it notes has underperformed the local market “significantly” over the last 12 months. “We believe the market has sold down CapitaLand shares to a level where nearly all of the future policy risk (in China and Singapore) has been priced in.”

Daiwa adds what while home prices in Singapore and China may stagnate or even decline, CapitaLand’s combined residential property exposure in the two countries accounts for less than 20% of its overall assets. Daiwa has an “outperform” rating and $3.50 price target on CapitaLand. The stock closed at $2.75 on June 17.
(Source: The EDGE Weekend Comment Jun 17)

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Capitaland: Average buy price of $2.81.