Sharing Stock and Investment Market Info and Happenings

Dear SHCians,

The STI Index has moved up more than 40% since Mar 09. Most economists believe the worst is behind us, but nobody knows how fast and how soon our economy will recover. However, we know the stock markets move much faster and earlier than the actual economy.

For those with interest, it is wise to get prepared so that you do not miss the next rally and bull run in the stock market. There are also new instruments such as Exchange Trade Funds (EFTs) and Extended Settlement (ES) contracts much like stock option in the stock market today.

Drop me an email foost@phillip.com.sg to receive stock info and invitations to selective investment talks and events. If the response is good, we can consider starting our own Investor Club to help educate our members and share knowledge and experiences so that we can be better traders and investors.

82 thoughts on “Sharing Stock and Investment Market Info and Happenings”

  2. Hi Ben

    It’s good that you’re bringing up the subject of investing which should be of interest to many SHC members. What the older and retired members want is safe, secure investments NOT trading advice.

    As to the predictions of economists on the economy I would hesitate to really say that the worst is behind us… most economists are either right or wrong 50% of the time (their record has been worse). Our own government has warned us of a continued downturn especially if the other world economies don’t perform as well. So, we’re not out of the woods yet.

    You also mention about not missing the next rally and bull run in the stock market. Yes, you’re right in that the economy lags the stock market. But I would be more wary of trying to time the market.

    Interesting that ETFs are being more available in Singapore; they have been around for quite a few years in the US and have surged to include every conceivable index or combination of sectors, industry, etc. A careful selection of ETFs can be made to cater to the needs of senior/retired investors… but, careful.

    ES and CFD contracts are another matter and should be limited to those with extra capital and more risk appetites.

    Of course these are my personal opinions; but each investor would have his/her own objectives and investment needs and would need to address them personally.

  3. Thanks Kenneth for your feedback.

    I fully agree each of us must not only define our objectives clearly but also know our risk apetite before embarking on any investment as a cautionary first step.

    Some comments on EFTs, it is better to make an effort to know what advantages specific EFT offers. Can be useful say if you believe in the economies of India or China and want to make a small investment in them instead of buying Unit Trust (which one? by which manager? which sector? which stocks? so many questions that you probable do not know enough and can’t get any advise from the sales person). With EFTs, it is safer, more transparent and easy to monitor, buy and sell, much like the STI index in Singapore. You are in control.

    On the economy and stock market – Phillip Capital is organizing an interesting seminar this Sat on Q309 Market Outlook: Market Recovery? where fund managers, analysts and market watchers share their analyses and expectations of the market for the months ahead, to help address questions like are we already experiencing a slow recovery? are market indicators pointing to further improvement or for another wave of market decline?

    Send me an email if you are keen.

    There are talks every month that I can invite our members to and they are mostly free if conducted at phillip Investor Centers, ecl F&B.

    Cheers :-)

  5. Hi Ben,
    Have sent an email to you.
    Very keen to come back into the stock market.

    Hopefully more will come in, so as to assess the market more widely.

    Lawrence Lee

  6. Having experienced the worst ( a few thinks the worst is yet to come), we may become over cautious. The equity market have rised by 30-40 percent but we are still at the lower end of the recovery cycle and i think if we stick to blue chips and have a two to three years time horizon, we should do much better than fixed deposits or bonds .

  7. Gamblers never expected to be hit so suddenly and so senselessly last 2008 Qtr into 2009 1st Qtr. Pent-up, they’re fed up and, with at leasst 2 coming togetheer, they will make a mountain out of a mole story of recovery. They’re now in the property mart, stock mart, drawing more and mnore hitherto doubting thomases to their fold, and the gambling grows, the partying wilder.

    Unless another shocker dawns, think it’s a good wager to buy into black chips which have sunk a fair bit fro their pre-June 2008 highs. All said, this money for investment shd be one’s spare money, not one’s lifeline or reserved for funeral expenses……………..

  8. Hi Ben,

    Even though I see you have asked for email contacts from interested SHCians, I would request that you continue to use this forum to keep your Post up to date, and for other SHCians to offer their comments.

    Terence Seah

  9. Hi Terence,

    Sure thing. The email contacts are for those who wish to receive updates and invitations to monthly talks. So far there are 7. This will also be a useful guage of the interest level to start an investor club or it will fade away after all the “talking” on the post, yet again like LH Jie has mentioned.

    At the very least, those who replied will continue to receive invitation and info. So, all is not wasted….

  11. Hi Ben,

    When we have formed our investment club, we need to inform others of any news fast. How do we go about that?

    Can we post it here and sms to members?
    By posting or email may not be quick enough as not everyone have SHC forum and email on all the time.

    I have seen markets/stocks drop by >20% within an hour in the ’80.

    Thanks
    LLee

  12. Thanks Lawrence, for your support.

    I think we got 10 replies so far and I am still monitoring.

    Basing on the final responses, I shall make my recommendation and seek Terence’s opinion before going ahead.

    Will take note of your proposed communication by posting with sms.

    Thanks for your patience and support. :-)

  23. Wow!! So much interest in investing… and quite a number who want to attend/learn about investing.

    My concern is that there have been a few times before where the subject of investing had been raised, even leading into talks and forays into forex, share trading, retirement investing, ScoreBot trading systems, etc.

    What did become of all these? Did any unpleasant, unwarranted situation and even financial loss occur out of them?

    We must keep the SHC forum away from self and commercial interests. If any member wants to share his interests, knowledge and “financial savvy”, let it be done through the forum or a talk open to all. And any decision to make any investment or open a trading account be separate from the SHC.

    Yes, we may talk and the topic may fizzle out… but we have to keep it within certain boundaries.

  24. Kenneth, you’re spot on, man.

    While it seems that there’re more crests to ride in the current waves, do be cautious as it wont be a 45 degree ride-up. When a correction comes, it can be quite severe, not to mention that other than the East, the global economy is still not quite looking up.

    Good if ideas are shared openly so that folks not in the email loop get to read and comment as well.

  25. Hi Ben,

    As I read this forum on investing, I like to pause a moment and ask some questions. I am concern with this Post asking for email addresses. But at the same time, I don’t see discussions on this topic or comments.

    For clarification, what is the purpose of collecting the email addresses? If there is a talk for interested SHCians, do open it up. What I would like to avoid is a situation where the emails are used to get members to sign up trading accounts.

    Terence Seah

  27. Hi Kenneth,

    So far, i count 21 interested… I wonder whare is the wow… so many interested in investing! I also do not think most are interested in investing pe say, rather learning more about investment.

    To address your concern, I have said I set out to help members learn more about investing in the stock market to make better decisions. For those who are looking for tips to punt on, please look elsewhere.

    As a trading license holder of SGX/MAS, I have to be abided by their rules, the most important of which is not to promise anybody any profits from entering into a trade.

    It would be pre-matured to inffer somebody will get burn from this exercise, al-beit whatever happens before.

    I have to spent lots of time and money to educate myself, a graduate in B Sc Economics with more than 20 years of management experience. I don’t see how using the post alone can help members learn anything. If you have any market issues to raise on the post, I am sure I will give my two cents worth.

    Hi Terence,

    Soembody has to do the mandane stuff of initially collecting responses, keep account of these, send out emails, organise a first chit-chat for this group to find out what are we interested in, how to do it, perhaps in a breakout during this Sat meeting.

    I see raising investment quetions, ideas, experiences on the post is a different issue from learning as a social group with like-mind interest.

    I do not know if we do have a group like this within SHC or not. So I am merely trying to find out. Till then, I can only ask for patient.

    To clarify, there is only one question asked in the emails, that is by Lawrence on HG Heavy Metal Mfg recommended by CIMB-GK.

    My reply is that it is a penny stock suspended for while and the risk is high. I do not have any comment basing on technical analysis before as it was suspended. There are many choices of blue chips for the moment, they are reasonably priced, are much safer so why bother.

  28. It is good to share what one knows and that must be the spirit and purpose of SHC.

    In about 2007, one SHCian actively shareed with us what he knew. He can write well, speak well and, backed by a reservoir of financial knowledge, he taught us derivatives, ATMs etc.

    The open discussion in this forum as well as talks he conducted at a venue which can comfortably seat 20, the discussions were lively, even livid. Some invested with him. Many didnt because there were too many risks, and the open discussions helped folks assess the risks.

    Then the financcial tsunami struck. Bigger gurus than him were maimed, killed and he is not seen for a while in this forum, probably taking a deserved rest.

    This good and tested philosophy of an open discusssion, which can be complemeteed with talks/seminars, is invaluable and should be jealously guarded and maintained. Not least, many of us have to count on what we have accumulateed through all these work years as our nest eggs.

    It’s nice that, Ben, you have openly informed of your qualification – a B Sc Econs holder. However, “a trading license holder of SGX/MAS” doesnt ring a bell. Perhaps, you may wish to be precise : the Licence will say what the licensee is.

    Finally, I note these mistakes : “mandane” should have been “mundane”, “patient” >> “patience”, “pe say” >> “per se”, “to be abided” >> “to abide”, “albeit” isnt hyphenated, a verb after “to” is in the present tense and “like-mind” is not the same as “like-minded”.

    We share knowledge.

    See, the benefit of an open forum discussion? i too learn and have benefitted (and think am a better person than I was in 2007)

  29. Dear all who have responded,

    Can we have an informal chat during this Sat meeting? Anybody not coming? The purpose is to know each other, understand what does each wants, solicit suggestions on the formation of an investor club, if relevant, how to communicate, etc.

    I will be there 3.00pm and maybe we can breakout at 4-5pm if it doesn’t clash with other activities. Do drop a line lah.

    C ya :-)

  32. What better time to put some of your surplus cash into equity which promises even greater returns judging from the reports that are coming out.
    I think for most of us who are prepared to sit out on our investments for a couple of years, and play it safe by investing in blue chips, we are almost certain to succeed.
    The stock market always price in future earnings and is always ahead of the actual situation.

  33. Hi Charles, Ben, Tim, Kenneth, Ivan, Lawrence, Jonathan,

    I have to admit that I am generally pretty optimistic about the future. I believe the world can only get better because that what we human beings want in our lives. Therefore, I usually take a positive outlook of world economies and the business world.

    Of course, there will be downturns, but being people, we will always work towrads overcoming them. That said, I think the world has recently seen one of the worst collapse in financial markets and economies. There is no doubt many economies are still weak, and it may take some time before real growth is seen.

    I am in the mid 50s, and I doubt I will ever see another of this financial scenario in the next decade or so. To me, equities in Singapore, China, India and even in the US are probably at its lowest in my lifetime. Interest rtes are so low, that even fixed deposit interest rates make no sense holding on to.

    I support and adopt Charles Wee’s view that if one has surplus cash and putting them into blue chips, the returns will give better returns. There might be some negative news along the way, but do we wait until the markets and global economies clearly show rising employment, higher manufacturing output and increased global exports.

    This is only my viewpoint. What’s yours?

    Terence Seah

  34. Hi Terence

    It is good that you’re optimistic about the world economy in general. And are willing to invest for the future, otherwise there will not be any advancement or economic progress. And we would be just hiding our money under our mattresses.

    Predicting the markets is another matter: You say that “you doubt there will be another of this financial scenario in the next decade or so” but there could be worst to come if the ballooning debt and mortgage/property crisis in the US and EU erupt.

    But, yes, we have to be optimistic… and we can put some of our money in China, India, even Brazil and Russia (BRIC economies which would have potential growth).

    And yes, Charles, we can and should put some of our money into blue chips and China and India at least.

    Here, maybe Ben can help us with suggesting some ETFs for China and India and even for Singapore. For many of us, stock picking may not be the best way… due to limited knowledge, time, money… and we just cannot beat the “big boys” who manipulate the market.

    Today’s Straits Times (page C33) carries an article on “high-frequency trading” where the big financial institutions like Goldman Sachs use powerful computer programs to skim billions in profits from the markets. So where does the small investor stand?!

    Ben: Don’t be put off by the forum comments; I never did infer that you could get us burnt through your offer to attend Phillip Securities talks. But that we should use the forum to put our views/suggestions across.

    Maybe you should post your investment philosophy and investment strategies for our knowledge. Or also your trade/investment history/success. What is your suggestion for investing $20,000 or $50,000 for a retiree/senior?

    For me, my time frame is very short: I’m more interested in the “return” of my money than the “returns” on my money. I cannot afford another “Mini Bonds” or derivative scandal, investment scams or even the promised high-return options or forex trading courses.

    But I know that keeping my money in the banks at the obscenely low interest rate is a losing proposition. So, what are your alternatives?

  35. Hi Kenneth Tan,

    ….I ’m more interested in the “return” of my money than the “returns” on my money. I cannot afford another “Mini Bonds” or derivative scandal, investment scams or even the promised high-return options or forex trading courses.

    Just to share , I totally agree with you as I am a retiree too and I invest some of my savings in 4 yrs (short term OUB 9th series )where capital is guaranteed and payment of interest for every yr. And the profit taking depends on the summation of absolute values of the Hang Seng indices.

    Well,it may mean a longer period but my capital sum is guaranteed return upon maturity. I must confess that I am a v.low risk taker .

    Better to be SAFE than SORRY. :) , after hearing so much of Lehman brothers and global financial meltdown. :(

    Some of my friends were “BURNT” in the stock market and one of them being a high risk taker has to sell his bungalow becos in debt and poor thing he has to rent a room to stay. .

    Other savings are placed in M’sian banks to earn interest and the rest for my eldest brother who paid for my post sec.education to invest for me to buy blue chips from China and India.

    The rest is still with CPF which earns a higher interest of 2.5% for O.A. and 4% S.A. than our local banks miserable <1%.

    ” Make hay while the sun shares.”

  36. Hi all,

    From #35, contd…..Poor soul now, he has to rent a room to stay. To add fuel to fire , his wife and children has left him for good ; with tears dripping from his eyes as he told me his sufferings.

    Well that is the price he has to pay for greed,one of our human weakness.

    Ben Foo,I am not trying to throw a wet towel over this post but this is a reality of life and I do not wish any of our SHCians are bogged with unpredictable stock market trading
    and manipulation of the market by the big fishes to swallow up the small fries like us.

    My 8 cts. worth.
    You can choose to agree /disagree.

  37. “I think the world has recently seen one of the worst collapse in financial markets and economies.” Walau eh, Sengh, not so bad lah.

    Although Iceland’s economy was at the verge of a “collapse”, it didnt. No doubt, many economies were whacked very hard, I have not read of an economy which has gone kaput due to the last financial melt-down, and no prime minister or president was le-longed.

    SHCians like to help each other but honestly, few can really help another financially. So, whatever we have especially the retirees, are all we have.

    With no income and only savings to get by (which means very little when inflation returns and it will with a vengeance), we tend to believe in lobangs, kangtows and will be quite easily swayed and tempted by promises of good returns to invest.

    Thus, while opportunities (and people with kangtows to share) cant be dissmissed outright, it’s best to share and discuss openly.

    Unless some choose to bluff, I wont make fun of any investment suggestion or trivialise anything of substance and contents. My promise.

    See you all later at the monthly gathering………….

  38. Hi Tim,

    First of all. thank you for correcting my grammar. You have made me realised how “addicted’ I am to the wonder Word editor. Pai sei man ;-)

    FYI, it is the Trading Representative License issued by MAS under the Security and Futre Act. Think this be precise enough.

    I am for sharing and having open post discussion as one of the means to a good end.

    Hi Kenneth,

    Using your scenerio to invest $25,000 or $50,000 basing on your objective – short window (maybe 2-6weeks say), low risk and maybe expecting about 2-5% return during this period – I would say EFTs would be more suited.
    For comparison let’s see:
    STI EFT – broke last resistance on 15 Jul at $2.37 and closed yesterday at $2.59 (up 9.2%), new resistance level not clear yet, the safer rule says not entry as yet.
    Lyxor China – broke last resistance level on 15 Jul at $13.85 and closed yesterday at $15.58 (up 12.4%), again new resistance level unclear yet.
    Lyxor India – broke last resistance level on 16Jul at $12.71 and closed yesterday at $13.71 (up 7.8%, not sure of new resistance level.
    This returns are on hindsight and not to get you or anybody excited to jump in the market, but you can see the comparison.
    If you want better returns and take low-mid risk with your own portfolio, blue chips are running ahead of mid or small cap for now. Then 1 lot each of property (choose Citydev or Capitaland or Keppeland) and bank (DB or UOB or OCBC) = $20K
    And add oil related (Keppelcorp or Sembmarine) or SGX or SingTel – all 2 or 3 lots each = $50K.
    Even if you have to wait longer to get your return, blue chips are definetly safer.

    Timing entry and exit is another matter altogether.

    For other EFTs, tradable on the SGX, please visit their website. On what are EFTs, how to trade, fees, etc… can discuss when we meet.

    Disclaimer – the above discussion is for sharing and info only and is not meant to solicit anybody to trade. Investment involves risks and one should take responsibility for oneself.

    Hi

  39. Hi Ben,
    Maybe you shd try 2 arrange a short presentation n gather those interested 2 attend 1st n thereafter u r proceed further 4 tose keen to pursue.

    My opinion is dat, noe wat u r going in2 n shd not b 2 greedy. Invest wat so called u hv is spare $$$ so dat u hv holding power evendoe market is bad.. Dolly

  40. Happened to log in one last time before I leave and thanks Ben for replying.

    The SI Act and the FT Act were the predecessors of the S&F Act. My colleagues and I had a hand in working on the former Acts in the aftermath of the PE crisis………….obviously, the S&F Act is an improvement.

    Looking forward to us learning & benefitting from yr sharing, got to run now…………..

  41. Oh sorry, accidentally click submit.

    My last comment is that small timers are more nimble than the big boys. Biggies buy and sell in tens of millions of shares and they cannot do in one or two days….(else price will rocket before they buy enough to meet objective) they accumulate over a period of time when they are buying. Techical analysis of trend lines, resistance levels and daily volume accumulation can show such big boys’ buying pattern.

    Small timer can come in just after accumulation has started and run after they started dumping, which has to be over a longer period of time (similarly to keep from diving before they well everything).

    Food for thought…

  42. Hi all SHC members.

    I have a word of caution for all investment novice.
    It has been several months ago that I visited this forum.
    Since trading forex, from 2005 until now, I have learned that the financial trading market has been surreptitiously manipulated by the large financial brokerage firms,most of them from US. Asia, and Singapore, is no exception.
    You can read about this in the daily newspapers and the internet.
    I had stopped trading stocks in 2003.
    I stick to trading just forex, with very small capital, for consistent small profit at my free time.

    Best regds,
    T S Lim

  43. I want to thank to LH Jie, Ron Wee, Frisna Tan, Lawrence Lee, Mary Chan, Lina Tan, Alicia Soh, Kenneth Tan, Molly and Terence for your feedback during the SHC meeting yesterday.

    It is encouraging and we have about 30 or so interested replies. For the next step, I agree with Dolly’s suggestion to conduct a short presentaion to cover some important basic steps before trading the stock market – money and risk management, trading pychology, choosing stocks, basic technical indicators, entry and exit strategies.

    I shall present and help moderate and try answer (perhaps together with the more experienced members) pressing questions.

    At the same time, we can share what we are interested in and see how we can align these interests to suit all.

    I am applying to book a meeting room for about 30+ or so people either at Phillip main office at Rafles City Tower or Phillip Investor Center at Balestier Rd / Shan Rd (near Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Singapore Police HQ) on Sat 8 Aug 2-4pm. Only these 2 places have big meeting rooms.

    When and if availability is confirmed, I shall post the invitation details for registration.

    Meanwhile, plse feel free to post or email me any question.

  44. Hi, all SHC members.

    The last few days’ market “improvement” as seen in the major indexes, DOW and S&P 500, rising were contributed by companies improving their bottom lines by cutting jobs and freezing spending. In effect, there was no actual earnings.
    Exports from US, Japan and EU were down. All were in deficit.

    Be careful of what is reported that the world economy is improving. Market is still struggling as employment in the US, Japan and EU are at all time high. Singapore is no exception.

    Best regds,
    T S Lim

  45. Hi Tiang Soon

    It is good that you’re ringing the alarm bells when everyone else may be anticipating a market recovery.

    Yes, the so-called recovery and sudden upturn in the US and subsequently the Singapore and other markets has brought the optimism and surge of interest again in stocks and shares.

    You are right also that the so-called “improvement” in the S&P, NASDAQ and DOW are the result of cost-cutting, job lay-offs and freezing spending plans. Many big companies like IBM, Caterpillar, DuPont, CocaCola, Nokia, Microsoft and Amazon missed their earnings estimates and revenues. The trend lines for S&P and Nasdaq may hit the resistance and reverse this coming week.

    The past two weeks has seen an amazing uptrend driven by more optimistic expectations and also short covering by hedge funds… but will it last?

    Ben #38: It looks by your suggestions that you’re a trader. By that I mean that you’re mainly looking at technicals and entering the trade and exiting from it in “maybe 2-6 weeks say, low risk and maybe expecting about 2-5% return”.

    For me, this can be dangerous and speculative ground and I cannot be sure that I can “make money” consistently doing this.

    Anyway, I’ll be looking forward to your presentation where I’m sure you will cover these strategies. Thanks for your interest in bringing investment knowledge to SHC.

  46. Hi All,

    My thoughts as follows :-
    Trading in stocks or gambling in the casinos are similar to playing with fire :- Fire can either burn you badly OR Fire can cook you a great meal.

    Only around 10% of traders make money on a CONSISTENT basis. Including the financial institutions & hedge funds & professionals with their complicated trading systems, where does that leave the small individual trader?

    If one still decides to trade, then do consider the following…

    1. Have a diversified portfolio. Do not put all eggs in one basket. Diversify your net worth in different categories :-
    50% Fixed assets e.g. property
    25% Fixed Deposits, Govt bonds etc to give you recurring interest income
    15% Cash to give you liquidity in emergency & daily needs
    10% Spare cash that you can use for trading/speculation.

    2. You must have an EDGE.
    If you do not know what is your edge, then do not trade!e.g. Ben’s edge is using Swing trading methods, Abel’s edge is using intra-day contrarian buy on dips & sell on strength, Tiang Soon’s edge is trading Forex. Invest in education, study the masters like Warren Buffet etc. No one becomes a doctor or chef overnight. It takes effort & preparation & sweat.

    3. Be prepared to LOSE.
    If you are afraid of losses, then do not trade. Losses are part & parcel of trading. There is no guarantee that when you buy, the market will go up. If you are wrong, cut your losses. People get burnt badly because they do exercise discipline & cut their losses in previous crises!

    Above just my 2 cents worth.
    rgds
    Jonathan
    “Luck is when Preparedness meets Opportunity”

  47. Hi Jonathan, Kenneth, Ben and Tiang Soon,

    I guess with the equity markets still on the upward trend, there is a temptation to buy today and try to sell tomorrow or before the end of the day. This is where we see thousands of retirees glued in front of teletext or the computer and waiting for the stocks to go up a few percentage points, enough for a few days living allowance. For most of your advice and caution, are you referring to this area of trading.

    What about for the many SilverHairs who would like to invest on some blue chip stocks, wait a 6 mths, a year or even two years. What’s your advice or more important what your strategy? Is this a good time to go in? What do you mean by one has to be careful or cautious?

    Terence Seah

  48. Many of us have been (or still are) top honchos, establishing our own businesses and running them, or worked for conglomerates; one even aspired to be the President.

    So all these speak of the people we have in here : their knowledge, some weird but mostly work.

    So Ben, dont get disheartened. If you have a trading formula that has been tested and works, do discuss here. Like anyone of us, you too are entitleed to be wrong so long as the approach is reasoned and the probabilities of success is there.

    I used to be a hard banger. With age catching up, I have softened (and you can read more in there).

    Ultimately, we all wish SHC and all SHCians well which means that we all welcome anyone with ideas to genuinely help fellow SHCians to grow their wealth and assets, mindful that savings and the house they live in are largely all we have.

    And for those who invest, do remember nobody can guarantee you a rissk-free investment. Do as you like with your money but only if that’s what you like your money to do.

  49. Hi Jonathan

    Well said!! It’s more than 2 cents’ worth. It’s exactly what a would-be trader should be when planning to trade. Having ‘the Edge’ and preparing to lose are essential.

    ‘Luck is when preparedness meets opportunity’ – so true!

    Other contributors – good sharing and also sound advice.

    Read these articles in the South China Morning Post (HK) – July 22 (last Wed). Headlines:

    > Beijing: Loose lending policy now seen as unsustainable
    Swelling bank loans raise default alarm

    > Hong Kong: As HK’s prices fall, the real risk is a
    return to inflation

    > Singapore: Asian recovery may be short-lived

  50. Hi Kenneth (#45),

    To clarify, I am merely repsonding to your earlier question but as you did not specify your goals clearly enough, I took the liberty of making the assumptions re ‘for me, my time frame is short’ and low risk taking with certain level of expectation in returns. With a short time frame, swing trading (meaning buy and sell at swing points) is safer as you can set your rules for entry/exit and stop loss to be on the safer side.

    Personally, I have made long term investment as well as swing trading within my risk apetite. I have never indulged in contrarian trading or intraday trading as these are high risk and one has to be very skillful and experience.

    I recommended ETFs as they are not susceptable to news or performance of a single company stock, so therefore lesser risk (as you have specified) and you do not have to be knowledgeable about the fundamentals of a single company per se. The underlying are basically like STI index or Hang Seng Chine Enterprise Index, etc… all are highly transparent.

    Hi Terence (#47),

    We have to differentiate between what is systemic risk (eg the risk that the US economy will come down further, beyond the the low of Q109 and the STI will tank again) and specific risk (risk specific attributable specific industry and company).

    For those who are fearful of the market systemic risk, then you may want to stay on the side for a while, just watching and getting prepared but no action. You will sleep better.

    If systemic risk is not an issue for you to start investing, then consider longer term investment strategies (6to12 months or 1-3years). Cos of the time frame, your risk taking, expectation on return must be consistent with your investment plan. Start working on one if you don’t have. Attend the coming talk on 8 Sug 09 (confirmed already by the way) to ask questions. Do your own research, etc…

  51. Dear all,

    I am pleased to announce that I have got the presentation room and we can go ahead with our first meeting. Details follow, borrowing the wisdom of Jonathan Ong (no copyright eh? I like it and edite slightly).

    Theme: Stock Market – Preparedness (when meeting Opportunities = Managed Luck)
    Topics include basic planning steps such as money/risk management, trading psychology, stock picks, basic technical indicators, entry/exit strategies, online trading tools, regulatory and admin matters
    Discussion: Investor Club good for me?
    Speaker/Moderator: Ben Foo (other speakers also welcome)
    Charges: FREE
    Date: 8 Aug 09 / Saturday
    Time: 2-4PM
    Place: Phillip Securities Lobby Level 6 Presentation Room (with large screen projector), Raffles City Tower
    Location: Get off at City Hall MRT station and go to level 1 to look for Raffles City Tower Lift Lobby
    F&B: Bring your own coffee as the cafe maybe closed on Sat.

    Attendees: about 50 max

    The list below included the names of those who have expressed interest investment talks. Plse inform us via post here if you cannot make it to give your seat to others.

    If your name is not here, just drop a post here if you want to register.

    1 LH Jie
    2 Lina Tan
    3 Cat Yeo
    4 Frisna Tan
    5 Lawrence Lee
    6 Mary Chan
    7 Alicia Soh
    8 Ron Wee
    9 Paul Kong
    10 Shirley Wee
    11 Alice Teo
    12 Helen T Wong
    13 Gingko
    14 Kwok Lin Oi
    15 Jennifer Lim
    16 Nina Choo
    17 Lorraine Chia
    18 Ivan Lim
    19 Pauline Chew
    20 Christina Chan
    21 Andrew Koh
    22 Thilagaa
    23 Annie Loh
    24 KL Ng
    25 Jacqueline Han
    26 Daisy Neo
    27 Constance Wong
    28 Patrick Chan
    29 James Tan
    30 Ronald Lee
    31 Dora Lim
    32 Myra Chia
    33 George (gtlp)
    34 Helen Wong (862)

    Terence, Molly, Kenneth, are you coming? I apologise if I accidentally miss out anybody.

    The rest on first come fist serve basis, plse hurry.

  53. Hahaha!!

    Didn’t I say in my #45 post that I would be looking forward to your presentation? Count me in for sure!

    On starting an investment club… there are rules, you know?

  57. Hi Ben

    Both Terence’s and Molly’s minds must be racing now!
    Please amend Daisy “Neo” to Daisy “Yeo”.

    Had used “Neo” for my email address.

    ThanKs
    dAISY

  59. Hi Kenneth, thanks for coming. Idea is to start the investor club as a social gathering for networking and sharing knowledge/experiences, no money transaction involved and no pooling of monies as well, no formal or legal structure. Gatherings will be at private premises. Can discuss when we meet.

    Hi Daisy,

    Will have you changed, no problem. I meant Dolly (not Molly) as well. Sori Dolly!

    OK, newly registered follows:

    35 Kenneth
    36 Pauline Khoo
    37 Lena Ho
    38 Jonathan Ong
    39 Charles Wee
    40 Roger Lim

  63. Ben, so you see, when you open up your talk with an invitation to a presentation, you get so good a response that you might not be able to cope or have a room large enough to keep all spell-bound.

    Happy for you. Do put up a good show. Be prepared, expect sharp questions and a grilling time like what prospective parents-in-law will do to candidates wanting the hand of their daughter. Dont disappoint both at the talk as well as what you can and will deliver after the talk.

  68. Hi Esther, the topics are found in #51, kindly refer.

    Hi Tim, thanks for the encouragement. I will do my best to make sure we will have lots of fun sharing, which is what all this is about.

    Latest registrations:

    41 Peng Peng
    42 Freda Lim
    43 Daniel Ong
    44 Rene Leong
    45 Kristin Leong

  70. Hi Ben,

    This session on investment is very encouraging. It probably goes to show how important this issue is to SilverHairs.

    I won’t be able to attend but I would like to ask if your room has microphone/amplifier facilities. And for those participating, I encourage everyone to respect each and everyone’s opinion on investing. Have fun hearing the different views.

    Terence Seah

  71. Hi Ben,

    Pls include me (Lisa Ong) and Eileen Lee. We’ll most likely be observers and hope to learn something from you and all the other experts who’ll be attending. Can you pls advise if it’s easy to park over there or better to take MRT? Tks, Lisa

  74. Hi Ben

    I am unable to attend as I will be away over the long weekend. However, do keep me in the loop for future talks/seminars.

    thanks
    shirley wee (#10)

  76. Food for thought.
    In the old days.
    We just concentrate on our career, business or hobby and rather blur about equity investing. Just buy some blue chip stocks within our means and continue with what we are doing. Occasionally just peep at our stock price and sleep peacefully. Feel like it, buy some more. Feel like it sell some away. Simply refer to broker for everything from tips to news to IPO kangtau.
    Nowadays.
    We know more about equities. Read and keep track of analyst reports, fundamentals, charts and forecasts. Wow.
    But then there are fund managers. International funds, regional funds, local fund, boutique funds, hedge funds, blackpool funds, 30/130 funds, you name it, they have it.
    We also have to compete with computer trading and now the “super-speed” programs.
    Besides equity stocks we are told to trade CFDs, ETFs, SBL, warrants, forex, futures indices, comodities futures and other derivatives.
    Furthermore, there are advance traders, professional traders, seminar trained traders, forum group traders, etc who also want to action, action the market.
    Today, play the market must also know something about HK market, Europe market and US market.
    Can still sleep peacefully, but wake up dazed…DJ plunged 200 points down etc.
    And when market open must pray HK don’t sabbo SG.
    So how do SHC members get that “edge”.
    Do “green horn” investers have a chance.
    Roger

  77. Hi Lina, so sorry, you are in.

    Hi Ah Nee, it is at Raffles City Tower, not Raffles Place plse note. So you are in too.

    Hi Terence, I am sorry you can’t make it, next time lah. Got questions, just throw. The presentation room has the full works, so no worry.

    Wa lau, nowadys it looks like Roger ‘huat’ already, has so much money and headache. I am sure we will be willing to spend some for him ;-) Joking only lah.

    I guess I would keep things simple if I can help it, but then I don’t have the millions to worry about.

    Hi Karen, Pauline Khoo is already in #59.

    Latest register:

    46 Lee Ah Nee
    47 Line Ng
    48 Lisa Ong
    49 Eileen Lee
    50 Ann Lim

    Cancellation with regrets:
    1 Shirley Wee

  78. Dear all,

    A question was raised on how to find parking – you can park at the Raffles City Tower itself, it is per entry after 1pm on Sat. Not sure how much. The smaller bldgs eg Peninsula, the one next to Brash Barsah Plaza, etc nearby maybe cheaper.

    2 more coming…

    51 John (joy)
    52 Maritha Chia

  80. Wow! We had a full house and a lot of interest in investment especially among the ladies.

    And thanks Ben for the short talk on investing in the Singapore market. I learnt quite a bit and I am sure that the others, too, appreciated your kind eforts.

    Maybe as a follow-up, Ben can post a short summary of the meeting and topics covered on the SHC forum. This will enable the others to get an overview and generate interest for the next meeting or forming the SHC Investors Club.

    For the next meetings, maybe Ben can also take us through his method of selecting stocks, the fundamentals as well as the technical aspects of his trading strategies.

    Thanks again, Ben!

  81. Hi Ben,

    Reading the feedback from Jie and Kenneth, I see you have initiated and created a started investor group. May I encourage you to keep the group alive and active. Well done.

    Terence Seah

  82. Kenneth-T is a smart old boy and if he says that the talk was good, it is almost very good. Keep it up Ben and see, the benefits of doing a talk where you met the eyes of everyone listening, and theiry eyes searched you.

    Do please follow up with a good show in delivering what you have taught them. Investment is not a rocket science where you can be right all the time, and there’s nothing wrong if an honest mistake is made, just be candid and sincere about it.

    Cheers…………..

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