I never had any doubts that Clementi Mall will be anything but a huge success for SPH and NTUC Income. Clementi Mall is located in an estate with heavy human traffic due to its proximity to the Clementi MRT station, bus interchange, HDB residential homes, Singapore Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, SimUni and NUS. It is a no-brainer, really.
Anchor tenants already opened:
FairPrice Finest (Basement)
BHG
Foodfare foodcourt
Anchor tenants to opened in April 2011:
Best Denki
Popular Bookstore
Clementi Public Library
Fashion and accessories labels such as Charles & Keith, Cache Cache, Cotton On, Denizen, Giordano, Skechers and Samuel & Kevin can be found on Level 3. Lifestyle, sports and electrical shops such as Aussino, Arena, Challenger and World Of Sports will be on Level 4. Family and kids brands such as Chateau De Sable, Kiddy Palace and Mini Princess will be on Level 5. The Clementi public library and Popular Bookstore will also be located on this level.
* The bridge which links the mall directly to the Clementi MRT station on Level 3 has already opened to the public, allowing shoppers access via the station during retail hours.
Those of you staying in Clementi, have you visited Clementi Mall yet? If yes, how do you find it?
February and March have been terrible for most investors. After the Chinese New Year holidays, everything went downhill.
Cooling measures in China
Property-cooling measures in Singapore
Turmoil in the Middle East
Inflation fears (worsening into stagflation)
Natural disasters - Australia floods, New Zealand earthquake and Japan earthquake/tsunami/radioactive contamination/volcanic eruption
Downgrading of Spain and Portugal
Even though my dividends portfolio contain resilient blue-chips like SPH, Starhub, SingTel and Singpost, I am still rather concerned because the nuclear plant crisis can worsen very quickly. Japan is the world's 3rd largest economy. Many global corporations have business dealings with Japan in one way of another. If this turns out to be another Chernobyl, Japan's economy will be severely affected and so will Asia.
Stocking up on Blue-chips: My dividends portfolio is still in the black after all the recent dreadful events. This proves that my overall portfolio is resilient enough to withstand reasonable amounts of continuous shocks. At first, I wanted to be passive and stay on the sidelines. However, I remember Warren Buffett's famous words "When others are fearful, you should be greedy. When others are greedy, you should be fearful". One of my fellow CNA forum members named ThreeCents has an investment rule, "For a wonderful company, be delighted when its stock price falls, be regretful when its stock price rises."
A few blue-chips are approaching attractive prices. Therefore, I decided to ignore my initial fears and do a major clean-up of my portfolio. I cut loss for K-Green Trust, CitySpring, FSL. I then took profit for EpiCentre and PLife REIT. Next, I re-directed the fresh funds into more lots of SingTel and F & N. I will also accumulate more SPH shares if the price approaches $3.70
This major clean-up will further fortify my dividends portfolio against future shocks. You might want to do a consolidation of your portfolio too.
Finally, I pray that all my Japanese readers are safe and sound. Japan will emerge from this crisis stronger, just like my portfolio. ^^
If you have been following my blog, you would know that I have added telecommunications stocks ( Singtel & M1) to my dividends portfolio. I want my portfolio to ride on the current smartphone and tablet PC craze.
These are the reasons why telecommunications stocks should be part of your portfolio.
1. Resistant to Economic Recession:
Due to the rise of the middle-class, especially in Asia. There is a huge demand for fancy digital devices such as smartphones and tablet PCs. As a result of all this demand, telecommunications firms are remarkably resistant to the global economic recession. Even as consumers cut back on discretionary spending, they're continuing to pay for wireless telecommunications and data services -- these are true essential services much like electricity or water. People just cannot live/function properly without their smartphones. They are kind of "addicted" to these digital gadgets.
Great news for investors of Singtel, Starhub and M1. ^^
2. Strong Stable Cash Flow:
Firms with strong, stable cash flow are just what you need in your portfolio. Telecommunications companies typically have strong and stable cash flows. That's because once these companies build out their networks and basic infrastructure, there's little additional cost associated with adding new subscribers. Strong cash flow generation allows the telecom firms to pay out significant dividends to shareholders. Singtel's dividends distribution is increasing (even though the firm has not committed dividend policy yet), Starhub's dividends have been consistently high (even rising during the 2008 credit crisis 0_o") and M1 has increased its dividends steadily.
3. The Apple Craze
Consumers are increasingly smitten with Apple products. With the impending arrival of iPad 2, the telecommunication firms will stand to reap profits again. And we are not even talking about iPhone 5 yet. Personally, I have an iMac, and it is the best desktop PC I have ever used. No kidding. It does not crash, AT ALL! Not prone to viruses. Quiet. Good graphics. Fast. Sleek and simple. And most importantly, looks gorgeous on my desk! >_<
I love it when tech companies churn out products in series. So, Thank you, Apple. Thank you, Steve Jobs. Please continue to work your magic. Hoping to see iPhone 5 next year.^^ By the way, Motorola Xoom looks great too!
Epicentre Holdings - A Proxy to Apple's Growth:
Just to sidetrack a little here. You may wish to include Epicentre in your portfolio too. Epicentre is an Apple Premium Reseller in Singapore. The firm is venturing into China soon. Decent dividends with increasing profits over the past 2 years throughout the 2009 global recession.
Epicentre shop at 313@Somerset, Singapore
The article excerpt below was taken from the company's recent financial report.
Business Times 15 Feb 11
EpiCentre posts record half-year profit of $4.7m
By LYNETTE KHOO
RIDING on pent-up demand for iPhones and iPads, homegrown Apple products retailer EpiCentre Holdings posted a record half-yearly profit of $4.7 million for the first half ended Dec 31.
The 159 per cent surge in net profit for the first half of FY2011 was underpinned by strong growth in revenue to $92.1 million from $41.2 million in the same period a year ago, even surpassing FY2010 full-year revenue of $88.1 million.
Profit before tax of $5.8 million for the fiscal first-half also exceeded the full-year profit before tax of $4.1 million for fiscal 2010. Group earnings per share jumped to 5.05 cents for the first half of FY2011 from 1.95 cents in the same period a year ago.
'The results reflect not only increased demand for Apple products due to the phenomenal success of the iPhone and the iPad, but also our store expansion strategy which is based on securing the very best locations in both Singapore and Malaysia,' said group chairman and CEO Jimmy Fong.
EpiCentre's six stores in Singapore accounted for 88.4 per cent of group revenue, with new stores at Marina Bay Sands and 313@Somerset launched between January and May last year contributing $14.5 million to group revenue, while the three stores in Malaysia accounted for the balance.
With FY2011 performance well secured as the first half has already surpassed the full fiscal 2010, EpiCentre is gearing up for expansion this year. The group hopes to open a few more stores in Singapore and Malaysia and enter China this year, said chief financial officer Joanne Chua. According to her, EpiCentre is looking for retail space in first-tier Chinese cities.
While Apple's product launches will continue to drive EpiCentre's earnings, the group is also looking to diversify and raise the revenue contribution of non-Apple product sales from 15 per cent to 20 per cent, Ms Chua said.
So, what are your views on telecommunication stocks? Are you vested heavily in them, a little or not at all? Post your comments below. ^^
