UT Portfolio as at 30 December 2007

Been busy working on a structuring a new incentive scheme for the associates in my company; I practically had no time monitoring the market. However, my portfolio has not been doing too badly. This goes to show that proper asset allocation of your investment portfolio is very important. :)

Two more days to the end of the year, here's wishing all investors and friends a great year of wealth abundance in the year of rat!

UT Portfolio as at 22 December 2007

Lousy week again..... as you would see from my portfolio above. With a rather positive short rally towards the end of the week from most markets, i wish all who have invested in unit trusts to have a great week towards the end of 2007 and start the New Year with Blasting Fireworks Rally!

UT Portfolio as at 16 December 2007

I am a little lost for words..... with the disappointing FED's cut of 0.25% instead of the much anticipated 0.50% cut, the global market went into another week of drama..... I wonder how much Santa can help the market this Christmas..... sigh.....

My portfolio has concluded its 2nd year anniversary on the 14th December 2007. Though it retracted from my absolute dollar target of $20k profit, it managed to stay with my expected return of 15-20%p.a.

UT Portfolio as at 08 December 2007

I am one week old in my new role as a Biz Dev Mgr with Advantage Group P/L. Advantage Group P/L is the holding company to five other subsidiary companies dealing in Mortgage Brokerage, International Trades, Financial Advisory, Events Management and Legal Services. I was recruited to run special projects and to help set up the Financial Advisory (a.k.a. FA) business for the Group.

Once the FA business commences, the group will be able to provide a one-stop platform to cater for Wealth Planning services which include:

1. Investment Planning
2. Risk Management & Insurance Planning
3. Retirement Planning
4. Estate & Tax Planning
5. Will & Trust Planning

Enough of my self marketing.... :D

This week, the market grew strongly from mid-week and ending rather flat on friday. The only exception was HSI closing the week at -716pts. The Chinese market remained cautious as its monetary policy tightens due to suspected overheating of the economy (though this was nothing new; there had been news about overheating since many moons ago).

With investors speculating FED to cuts its rates by at least 50 basis pts, the global markets soared to recover its losses from its previous weeks. There will most likely be some profit-taking activity prior to FED's announement on the FED rates cutting. This notion is supported by the fact that US dollar is still weakening by the day and that sub-prime chapter still remains inconclusive.

For new investors, i would recommend you to be cautious in your purchases. Though it looks as if a Santa's Rally is coming, Santa will only drop "gifts" on his list of "nice persons" who invest correctly. :D

Here's my scorecard for the week:

Virtual Portfolio Challenge #3 as at 29 November 2007

Just wanted to update those who are in the challenge their portfolio results as at 29th November 2007. :D This challenge has been going on for the past two months since 1st October 2007.

Peter Chiu leads the pack with -0.44% loss while Yilin trails with -7.50% loss (based on absolute returns). The average absolute return among the participants after 2 months stands at -3.61% loss.

UT Portfolio as at 01 December 2007

How time flies... its December already.... My Baby Andrea turned 4 months old recently. Today happens to be my 1st day at work. Luckily, its a Saturday, thus no work! ahahahaha...

As you may not be aware, i have quitted my job as a banker and started a new career as a Mortgage Broker. I will be representing Advantage Group as their Business Development Manager, managing bank tie-up. Should any of you need valuation on your property or property financing, i can help arrange for such services.

At the same time, i will be assisting in the setting up of an IFA to provide Investment Planning, Insurance Planning, Retirement Planning, Tax Planning & Estate Planning services to the mass affluent. If you have needs to review your investment portfolio, I can do it for you FREE OF CHARGE. :D

Now, enough of my crap..... let's see how my investments faired this week when major markets are in the black:

AWP Certification

Wow..... i thought i could not make it, but i did! :D

After waiting anxiously for the results of my Retirement Planning module of the CFP (Certified Financial Planner) program, I finally got my results.... it's a PASS!

Having completed Module 1 & 4 previously, I only need to pass this Module 5 to complete my AWP (Associate Financial Planner) certifictation. Though this may not mean anything to you, i really wish to share my joy with my friends and thank all who have supported me in many ways.

Should you have needs in Retirement Planning or any other Investment Planning needs, pls feel free to contact me. :D

UT Portfolio as at 25 Novemeber 2007

So much for the thanksgiving holidays which i was having high hopes for.... I was hoping that the US market would lead the rally this week to end a high before thanksgiving. Sigh......

As you can see from below, it's not good news.... My portfolio is down by $7k (unrealised profit) from a high of $20k. I am keeping my fingers crossed for a Santa's rally in the coming weeks.

UT Portfolio for the past 2 weeks....

I have been busy wrapping up issues at work which result me having no time to do any posting for the past 2 weeks. pls accept my apologies for those who read my blog regularly.

With the US market leading the correction, most equity funds were not spared; losing almost 10% in the past 2 weeks. If you thought you were lucky to have switched to fixed income funds, i am sorry, there are also no good news knocking. This was because the sub-prime (CDO) issues had knocked many good companies off their feet. This resulted in less than satisfactory results in the fixed income asset class. Some others who diversified to energy related funds also did not benefit from the oil price surge as well. Pls take note that UT fund manager normally trade stocks of the respective asset class rather than the actual commodities, understand? :)

With speculations that FED will cut rates the 3rd time (90% possibility), the market should start to rally in the coming weeks before the FED meeting. I am in the opinion of keeping your portfolio balanced and have tactical allocations for selected equity funds (in emerging markets).

I have just switched out of DBS Enhance Income to PRU Dragon Peacock, hoping to ride to possible rally i mentioned earlier. :D

Here's my results for the past 2 weeks:

UT Portfolio as at 04 Novemeber 2007

After a nerve-wrecking week, i suspect there will be short rallies in the coming weeks. Likely markets that will benefit will be Asia, Latin America & parts of Europe (those rich in resources or those who requires loads). This is still not the time to switch to fixed income investments; you should have witnessed the weakness in US T-Bills when the DJIA fells more than 350 pts in midweek.

After switching part of my DWS China Eqty to DBS Enhance Income (wanted to play safe pior to FED meeting), my portofolio managed to stay above the $20k profit target; I expected a dip after the said volatility in global markets. I will be monitoring for a sign to switch the load od DBS Enhance Income back to equity funds midweek.

UT Portfolio as at 29 October 2007

My dream of hitting $20K profit this week was dashed by the volatility in the global markets. With the Chinese market showing weakness mid-week, i decided to take profit and switched half my DWS China Eqty into DBS Enhance Income. I will be monitoring closely to re-enter the equity market in full force.

At the same time, i have fallen for Fidelity EMEA fund. :) With its excellent performance for the past months, this is another equity to look out for those who are keen to invest in the emerging markets. Though i have not personally invested in it (not enough cash), i rebalanced my wife's portfolio which included this fund. The fund performance has been pleasing especially when the global markets went into a week of profit taking.

Here's my scorecard for the week:

UT Portfolio as at 19 October 2007

Interesting to note that my portfolio did not increase as much as i expected, in fact it closed only slightly higher this week (failing to close above $20k profit). With US market dropping more than 300pts last friday, there may be a bloodshed in Asia this coming week.

The drop in US index was due to the Wave 2 of the Subprime crisis. When most of the banks showed their report cards this week, it was inevitable to note how badly hit were these banks due to billion dollars worth of write-off. The other reasons may be that investors are pressuring Big Ben to cut rates the second time during October FED meeting.

Noting the decoupling effect between US & Asia, I truly hope the Asian market hold up to expectations and climb new heights next week.

UT Portfolio as of 13 October 07

I can only say that i am very happy with my results. :) I will be hitting $20K profit for my portfolio this coming week (if nothing goes wrong). Once there, i will be rebalancing my portfolio by reducing my China's exposure; this is to secure a 25%p.a. return on my investments.

This week, i helped my wife to rebalance her portfolio yet again. Her portfolio only had DWS China Eqty right after the correction. This is a highly aggressive portfolio as it totally violates my investment philosophy; but i had little no choice - this is a tactical allocation as my wife's portfolio was net loss of $8K. To date, her portfolio is in the black with a pleasing $14K profit (net investment was less than $100K).

Here's the result for this week:

UT Portfolio as of 07 October 07

This week has been nerve wrecking for some where you witness HSI rallied more than 1000pts on one day and went down more than 1200pts on the next two days and then rallied upwards yet again by 857pts to close off the week.

The funny think is, Shanghai & Shenzhen index did not have anything to do with it due to its national holidays. I guess the money must have flowed to HK exchange to cuase the rally. And becos of the inactive chinese exchange, many mutual funds investing in china reflected little or no movement.

I suspect next week will be a hot week for chinese stocks and i am prepared for this rally; i increased my stake through HGIF Chinese Eqty. You will not see this in my current porfolio as i have invested through another portal. The reason to have another portal is to make sure i spread my eggs in many baskets. :)

UT Virtual Challenge - Expanded Version!

Hahahha.. finally...... we have 18 contestants to compete in this challenge instead of the normal 2 (chin & me). The challenge will start from 1st October 07 - 31st December 07. I will be uploading the 18 portfolios shortly.

Here's a teaser: I did a back-test on the portfolios and found that the worst performing portfolio produced more than 6% in 3 months (especially when early July was the global correction). This portfolio had 30% in cash fund. Now for the juicy part; the best portfolio resulted in more than 28% return in the same period.

Moral of the story: As long as you are willing to find out, there will be one suitable investment portfolio for you (based on your risk appetite & required returns).

Disclaimer: Unless you are an Accredited Investor, it is still wise to have a fully qualified financial advisor to assist you in your wealth planning. Should you need professional help, please forward your contact details to calgorix23@yahoo.com.sg

UT Portfolio as of 29 September 07

It has been another wonderful week in the financial markets; except for the current turmoil in Myanmar. The Asian market experience very positive growth with Chinese funds speedy upwards.

There was a surprise candidate in the top 5 performer (1 month)in the local UT scene; DWS Noor Metals fund - grew more than 20% in a month. However, if you have been tracking the commodities index, hard commodities has been performing exceptionally well the past weeks. You may also realise that most investment banks have been busy launching FX or commodities related notes to the retail market. Get the hint? :)

Here's my scorecard for this week:

Increasing Web Traffic

It was highlighted to me why some internet marketing concepts don't: Insufficient Traffic! I chanced upon a tool which could help you accelerate your web traffic; Wordtracker.com

Here's a summary on why web traffic is insufficient on your site:

Cases where there are some traffic, like my site. ;P

Webpages that generate great interests:

The key here is to create web contents (not only web titles) which allow web engines to search easily and point those search results to your site. Have fun!

UT Portfolio as of 22 September 07

This week has been nerve-wrecking. After the FED lowered rates to 4.75%, signs of life erupted from the most conservative investors. Dow closed more than 300pts that day, with HSI closing close to 1000pts the following morning. With such positive gains, i expected the Chinese Index moving in the opposite direction (downtrending) - due to the "US decoupling effect". Nah...... the downtrend was not apparent enough to shack off the "chinese punters". The chinese are just too strong and cohesive and thanks to that, my portfolio has been moving upwards.

Was chatting with my colleague yesterday on the possible markets to invest in. We identified Thailand as a possibility; election or not, the market is still cheap and investible. With eyes on various environmental issues, i suspect an uptrend in environmental related funds. However, caution must be taken to pick funds with specific investment focuses you are familiar with. With natural resources drying up, food & agribusiness related investments will also create opportunities for many of us. :)

FAQs in Personal Wealth

Hi there,

Thanks for visiting my humble site. I am in the midst of compiling a set of FAQs on Personal Wealth management. I seek your help to provide me with your teething financial concerns so i can make this compilation more comprehensive.

As my forte is in personal wealth management, topics discussed would consist of consumer loans, deposits, insurance and investment. Pls feel free to leave me a message on my textbox or email me at calgorix23@yahoo.com.sg with your queries.

Thanks in advance for helping make this project successful.

Virtual Portfolio #3

The UT Virtual Challenge has been postponed to start from 1st October till 31st December 07. I will be updating all the portfolios on this blog once they are ready. Have a wondeful weekend!

UT Portfolio as of 14 September 07

Seriously, i am quite worried about the financial markets. With FOMC meeting just around the corner, the stress levels is extremely high. Although market sentiments have forecast a possible rate cut of 0.25% or more, one can never be sure how the investors would react to this news.

Again, i find myself in a situation not knowing what i should be doing with the current portfolio. It is therefore extremely important to have a investment strategy in place; a strategy which will have to take place no matter what happens during distress situations.

My strategy is to hold and do nothing, i.e. bite the bullet and ride through the unknown. Should anything goes wrong to the portfolio, a cut-loss measure (when there is a 20% drop in unrealised profit) will be activated. After factoring the time delay, i would at least have locked-in 75% of my profit (less painful).

By the way, cutting loss does not mean to get out totally, but to re-invest in other funds. The important thing here is to stay invested so as not to lose out in opportunity costs. If the market goes my way, i will re-strategise to shift more funds into china to ride the uptrend.

Does Affiliate Marketing Really Work?

I have been busy evaluating the effectiveness of affiliate marketing and the kind of OBSCENE revenue generated. With many claims of 6-digit income on a monthly basis, I started to venture into this as well.

With little to loose, i started on a few programs myself. Though the income is very minimal at the moment (have not hit the required minimum paycheck value), I find it amazing how the "amount of $$$ interest" is created with little effort.

Now, don't just trust what i say, try it yourself to see how it turns out. :) Here are some of the programs i tried:

New PowerFX Course - Worth the time & Money

Wow, finally something that is really useful for those who trade FX. I was blown away by the content of this course. Try it by clicking the link or image below!



PowerFX Course Sign Up

By the way, if you are keen to make extra cash for marketing this course on your site, sign up by clicking on the link or image below:

PowerFX Affiliate Sign up

With nothing to loose and extra money to make, dun hesitate to add an new stream of income to you monthly paycheck today!

UT Portfolio as of 07 September 07

I was very suprised by the performance of DWS China Eqty, it has single-handedly turned my portfolio alive. With great faith that it will continue to do quite well towards the end of the year (my target price is $3.50), I will be keeping it in the portfolio and maybe switch some of my AIG Acorns later in the month.

Virtual Portfolio 3

It's time again for the Virtual Portfolio # 3.

This time i have sent out invitations to some of my frenz in my bank to join the fun. The challenge period will be for 3 months, from 15th September till 14th December 07.

Rules:

1. Participants will need to select funds available on Fundsupermart platform only (easy tracking)

2. Participants can have up to 5 different funds in their portfolio (min. 3 funds)

3. Participants will not be allowed to switch funds during the challenge period

4. Participants are required to pay a joining fee of $10 for this challenge (to pool the prize money for the eventual winner!)

5. Participants must stay employed with the bank throughout the challenge period; else the joining fee will be forfeited.

Stay tuned for the updates, i will upload the participants' portfolio once the challenge begins! :)

Updates on the Virtual Portfolio #2

As at 31st August 07 - (Armagedon)

Chin:
33.33% DWS China Equity Fund - SGD 2.412 -> SGD 3.0504
33.33% DWS Asian Small Cap Fund - SGD 1.547 -> SGD 1.4978
33.33% Lion Cap Sing/Malaysia Fund - SGD 2.733 -> SGD 2.580

Net Growth = (26.47 - 3.18 - 0.56) / 3 = 7.58 %

Calvin:
40.00% Fidelity China Focused Fund - SGD 1.136 -> SGD 1.424
40.00% Schroders ISF Emerging Markets Opportunity Fund - SGD 11.71 -> SGD 11.87
20.00% Henderson Asian Dividend Income Fund (USD) - USD 13.48 -> USD 13.78

Net Growth = 10.14 + 0.55 + 0.45 = 11.14 % (not inclusive of recent USD appreciation of 0.62% over the past 3 months)

I won the bet yet again by a convincing 356 basis pts. :)

Make $$ Online

I chanced upon some useful links which can yield good online income. If you have nothing against earning some extra cash, find out more by clicking on the following links:

Internet Riches 1!
Internet Riches 2!
Internet Riches 3!
Internet Riches 4!
Internet Riches 5!
Internet Riches 6!
Internet Riches 7!
Internet Riches 8!
Internet Riches 9!
Internet Riches 10!

I got to know about this some weeks ago. Though the yields are not fantastic, building additional income through these channels provide me with an added avenue to my retirement dreams! :)

UT Portfolio as of 31 August 07

After weeks of volatility, this week has been the most calming. Asian market closed positive prior to Uncle Ben comments; it's believed that there will be positive news coming from Ben's speech.

With Uncle Bush promising to help the subprime crisis, there were cheers in the US market which shot the Dow index up more than 170 points from its previous closing. Let's hope the week will end strong and push the global indices to new heights next week.

Here is my scorecard for the week:

Recruitment Drive

I am in the midst of building a Financial Sales team who will be conditioned to market financial services to high net-worth individuals or corporations for my bank (which is a regional bank in Singapore). The paycheck includes: Basic + Commission + Allowance + Bonus.

Any qualified financial advisers (or highly motivated sales executives who are not from the financial industry) who wish to join the banking industry as a Relationship Manager may forward your resumes to me at calgorix23@yahoo.com.sg.

UT Portfolio as of 24 August 07

While many others pulled out of the market, i bite the bullet and stayed invested; shifting portion of AIG Acorns (Balanced Fund) to DWS China (Equity Fund). I consider myself lucky as the change paid off with china market the least whacked among its Asian counterparts.

The volatility is definitely still present in the market. With the subprime issue being pushed aside for most of the week, the global market still reacted in mixed directions. While the Asian market ended slightly red on Friday, much still depends on Dow's performance on the last trading day of the week.

I had dinner with one of the interest rate/currency swaps trader from MS this evening. While on the topic of subprime, he is in the opinion that the worst is still not over. He advised to stay vigilant; if Fed cut interest rates, market should stabilise, else there will be another round of market swings.

UT Portfolio as of 18 August 07

If anyone were to tell you that you should not be sad when have your profit is halved during a market correction, please ask them to seek medical advice; there must be somthing wrong with their mind.

Last week was a terrible week, so terrible that i cannot describe. After deciding to switch some of my funds into china & emerging markets last week (thinking that the correction has hit bottom), I was hit by another week of bloodshed. Just yesterday, HSI made history for being the first index to drop more than 1000 points in a day, before recovering to -285pts at closing.

With Dow finishing more than 150pts postive on friday, let's hope the market has hit its real bottom and re-start its bull run next week. I am staying cautious by sitting out any activities for the whole of next week. Do not want to be hit by another week of volatility. :(

UT Portfolio as of 12 August 07

After more than 4 weeks of nervous trading, all exchanges around the world had reported nothing but bad results. Was this really due to the SUBPRIME issue? or is it just speculators overeacting to an issue that was already a historical topic disscussed many months earlier which resulted in investors running away from the market in panic?


I missed out on the opportunity to effect changes to my portfolio prior to the market downturn, hence i suffered more than 1.5k worth of unrealised profit. Sigh... this is more than 10% down in profit.....


Many central banks have since pumped in more cash to calm the market. Is this a good time to go in to pick up cheap bargains then? I cannot tell for sure, but i have switched a portion of my balanced portfolio back to china and other emerging markets. :)

Article on Home Loan - Home Concept magazine (August Issue)

If you are keen to find out more details on residential property loans, check out the Home Concept magazine (August Issue). I have contributed some ideas for your home loan needs. Should you have need clarification on some of the information, you may forward your queries to calgorix23@yahoo.com.sg

CFP Programme

I passed another module of the CFP certification programme: Module 4 - Investment Planning, on the day my baby was born. Hee...... Double Happiness!

Virtual Portfolio # 2 - as of 1st August 2007

Two months into the bet....

Chin:
33.33% DWS China Equity Fund - SGD 2.412 -> SGD 2.8015
33.33% DWS Asian Small Cap Fund - SGD 1.547 -> SGD 1.5724
33.33% Lion Cap Sing/Malaysia Fund - SGD 2.733 -> SGD 2.802

Net Growth = 5.38 + 0.55 + 0.84 = 6.77 %

Calvin:
40.00% Fidelity China Focused Fund - SGD 1.136 -> SGD 1.312
40.00% Schroders ISF Emerging Markets Opportunity Fund - SGD 11.71 -> SGD 12.14
20.00% Henderson Asian Dividen Income Fund (USD) - USD 13.48 -> USD 13.75

Net Growth = 6.20 + 1.47 + 0.40 = 8.07 % (not inclusive of recent USD fluctuation)

I am now leading by about 130 basis pts. Taking into consideration of current market volatility, both portfolios are pretty resilient to the market noises. Stay tuned to find out the final results...... :)

UT Portfolio as of 4 August 07

The market is in a total mess this past week. With Dow closing -280 points on friday, the following week will be another week of heartache unless miracles happen. As you would see from my portfolio which consisted more than 70% in a balanced fund, the overall downside is still more than 5%:




Though it is a great time to go into equity market to purchase cheaper investments, switching existing funds from your portfolio wil be a bad idea. Bear in mind that you are selling cheap to buy cheap investments during switching (rebalancing).

UT Portfolio as of 27 July 07

This is the time of the week to showcase my portfolio. This week has been pretty bumpy. With DJIA down more than 300pts on thursday and the Asian market losing more than 2% across, the week ahead will be very volatile. However, i see good opportunity in the coming weeks for more upside.

I will be watching the Thai funds..... :)

Princess Andrea Ng

This has got nothing to do with my postings on financial planning; but about a bundle of joy i would like all who visits my blog to share with me. Click on the image to visit her blog.

Portfolio Analysis

"Over-analysis creates Paralysis"

A 64-yrs old housewife beat top investment bankers to cliche top prize in a recent warrant trading contest. She traded solely in HSI warrants only. In 8 weeks, she managed to convert her S$100,000 virtual money into more than S$1,000,000. She eventually walked away with S$8,000 cash prize.

Moral of the story:

Maximise your senses; dun just think - learn to act (even on gut feel). To taste the food, one needs to take a bite. :)

UT Structuring 101

I received a call from a fren today asking me if i could help structure a portfolio for his client. As i have not met or spoken to this client of his, i will not be able to give any advice. Hope this fren understands my position. :)

Anyway, it is quite simple to structure a portfolio when you have the financial objectives of your clients:

1. Find out his current investment status (Any holdings in Stocks, UT, ILP or FDs)
2. Map out the investment horizon
3. Identify his preference in a particular investment (if any)
4. Evaulate his risk adversity (risk profiling)
5. Establish his required rate of return (e.g. better than FD rates)
6. Seek out UT funds that meets his risk-appetite & returns requirement

Though the above steps are not exhausive, it should be quite easy to start structuring some basic portfolio with the following "Rule of Thumb":

Conservative risk investor: 100pts
Medium risk investor: 110pts
High risk Investor:120pts

e.g. Medium risk investor aged 55 years => 110 - 55 = 55% Equity, 45% Bonds
e.g. High risk investor aged 30 years => 120 - 30 = 90% Equity, 10% Bonds

DISCLAIMER: This is not an inducement to buy or sell. You should do your own analysis on top of my postings. Pls seek professional help if necessary.

UT Portfolio as at 21 July 07

It's time to publish my portflio again; after a strong performance last week, emotions are again flying on whether a correction is round the corner. This resulted in volatility swings in the market this week. With Dow closing weaker yesterday (-149pts) after hiting a new record at 14,000pts mid-week, next week will be a healthy week with new records to be set. However, this is provided that positive/negative news on mid-yr earnings reports of companies do not cause too much excitement which would result in profit-taking by short term investors.

Personal Favourite for the 2nd half of 07:

1. DWS AgriBusiness
2. Aberdeen Thailand
3. Schroder ISF Emerging Market Opp
4. Fidelity SEA
5. DWS Climate Change

Updates: Schroder ISF Global Climate Change Equity

This is the other fund which deals with Climate Change. After looking thru the materials on hand; if i have to choose betwen DWS and this, i would be very lost. But here are some food for thoughts:

Schroder Climate Change:
1. Team of dedicated Fund Mgrs + Sectorial Specialist
2. Diverse portfolio allocation in US, EU, UK, JP, GEM & others
3. Concentrated stock pick (50-80 stks)
4. 5 diefferent investment themes

DWS Climate Change:
1. Same Fund Mgr as per their global equity fund
2. Less diverse allocation (mostly invested in EU & North US)
3. Diverse Stock pick (100-120 stks)
4. 3 Investment themes

The launch period will be from now till 8th August 2007. Priced at NAV $10.

DWS Global Climate Change Fund is now available!

DWS Global Climate Change Fund - Offer period starts from 16 July 07 till 17 August 07. Priced at $1.00 (NAV).

The interesting thing to note is that more than 40% is allocated in Europe and North America. My contact from DWS mentioned that this is due to the fact that these regions are more actively involved and technically more advance in curbing environmental problems than the emerging superpowers (e.g. China & India) in polluting. Since this is not a benchmark rigid fund, the fund mgrs has the option to skew their investment into emerging markets when the region is more ready.

As i have mentioned my preference to invest in Europe for long term, this fund happens to land into my radar. I will be looking at switching my Fidelity MAN fund into this or into DWS Agribiz. :p

SPH Seminar

Sigh, wanted very much to share with the crowd on simple ideas they can use to make their lives better. Not sure i created a mess of it; apparently no one asked any questions after my presentation.

Maybe what i presented was too generic. Maybe i should have create more punch by showing off my investment portfolio. Maybe just maybe, i should not have presented. Anyhow, what's done cannot be undone.

I think i was too stressed up having to speak after Daniel (the first speaker) and also having to share after a "wonder-full" tea break. Due to technical glitches, Daniel was delayed by almost 20 mins in his presentation. So when it was my turn, i guess the crowd was already waiting to go home. Sigh... maybe i am just finding an excuse for myself to feel better.

I felt the difficulty in meeting everyone's expectation when there are more than 100 pax in the crowd. Everyone has a different objective in coming for today's seminar; maybe that's the real reason i failed - i was just trying too hard.

Anyway, all comments from those who were there, are much appreciated. Pls be candid on your comments so that i could learn from my mistakes. :) Thanks......

Yet Another Climate Fund - Coming Soon!

DWS GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE FUND

Investment Objective
The Sub-Fund seeks to achieve an above-average appreciation of capital invested by investing all or substantially all of its assets in DWS Invest Climate Change (the “Underlying Fund”), a sub-fund of DWS Invest, a multi-portfolio investment company incorporated under the laws of the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg.

Investment Focus and Approach
(a) The Sub-Fund intends to invest in the FC share class of the Underlying Fund, which is denominated in Euros.

(b) At least 70% of the Underlying Fund’s assets (after deduction of liquid assets) are invested in equities, other equity securities and uncertificated equity instruments of foreign and domestic companies that are primarily active in business areas suited to restricting or reducing climate change and its effects: CO2-efficient or energy-efficient technologies, renewable or alternative energies, climate protection, disaster prevention or disaster management and energy-efficient mobility.

(c) Within the area of clean technologies, the focus of investment is on equities of companies whose current or future products contribute towards the reduction of the greenhouse effect and CO2 emissions. The focus of investment also includes equities of companies with CO2-efficient operations (e.g., by way of recycling, efficient processes or protecting resources).

(d) In the renewable and alternative energies sector, the focus of investment is on companies with operations in the areas of solar energy, bioenergy, wind energy, fuel cells, hydro-power, geothermal energy and geoenergy.

(e) Within the area of disaster prevention, the focus of investment is on companies that provide products and/or services for monitoring and disaster prevention in coastal areas and other areas that are vulnerable to disasters.

(f) Within the area of disaster management, the focus of investment is on companies that provide emergency relief services or support rebuilding efforts.

(g) The area of energy-efficient mobility includes companies whose products help to make the flow of goods and people more efficient. Possible measures include influencing the means of transport, reducing fuel consumption and optimising transport streams.

(h) Up to 30% of the Underlying Fund’s assets (after deduction of liquid assets) may be invested in equities, other equity securities and uncertificated equity instruments that do not fulfil the requirements of sub-paragraphs (b) to (g) above, as well as in all other permissible assets.

UT Portfolio as at 14 July 07

Busy Busy Busy...... just completed my slides for tomorrow's preentation. Hope i do not suffer cold feet (as i have not done public speaking to such a large crowd for a very long time).

There are some changes in the presentation of my portfolio as iFast decide to improve the look and feel of the portfolio presentation to make it easier for laymen to understand. :)

As you can see, my investments to-date has grown 28.45% since 14 Dec 2005 (exactly 19 months). The annualized return is 18.00% p.a., not too bad considering the fact that i was hit by 2 corrections in Apr/May 06 and Feb/Mar 07. Hee hee....

Public Seminar at SPH Auditorium on 14 July 2007

I will be addressing issues on "Growing Your Personal Wealth" tomorrow at SPH Auditorium from 2-5 pm. Those interested, pls contact SPH for tickets now!

New Funds - On the way to a store near you!

SCHRODER ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS COMMODITY FUND & SCHRODER ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS AGRICULTURE FUND

Investment objective and policy:

The investment objective of SAS Commodity Fund is to generate a total return in the long term through investment in commodity related instruments globally. The investment objective of SAS Agricultural Fund is to generate a total return in the long term through investment in agricultural commodity related instruments globally.

Investment approach:

The SAS Commodity Fund will be exposed to a range of commodity sectors globally, while the SAS Agricultural Fund will be exposed to a range of agricultural commodities globally. Although it is anticipated that the SAS Commodity Fund will be primarily invested in the energy, agriculture and metals sectors, the Fund may however invest in any sector of the commodity market at the discretion of the Investment Manager. The SAS Agricultural Fund may invest in any sector of the agricultural commodity market at the discretion of the Investment Manager.

The Funds will be actively managed and will invest predominantly in a range of commodity related derivative instruments (in the case of SAS Commodity Fund) or agricultural commodity related derivative instruments (in the case of SAS Agriculture Fund), principally comprising futures and other commodity linked derivative instruments such as swaps on physical commodities and futures on commodity indices, and structured notes. The Funds will not acquire any physical commodities directly nor will they enter into any contracts relating to physical commodities other than commodity futures, warrants, swaps, and options contracts. Any commodity futures or options contracts and any other derivativeinstruments that call for physical delivery of the underlying commodity will be liquidated prior to delivery and the Investment Manager has put in place procedures to ensure that this occurs.

The Funds will typically seek to gain exposure to the commodity markets by investing in commodity futures and commodity related total return swaps. A swap allows the Funds to create exposure to a specific commodity. Each Fund will pay a replication fee during the lifetime of a swap. At maturity of the swap, the relevant Fund will receive an amount linked to the rise in the price of the commodity over the term of the swap. However, if the price of the commodity falls, that Fund will have to pay this amount to the counterparty.

To implement their investment policy, the Funds may use standardized and non-standardized (customized) derivative financial instruments. It may conduct such transactions on a stock exchange or another regulated market open to the public, or directly with a bank or financial institution specializing in these types of business as counterparty (Over The Counter trading). Even in extraordinary circumstances, the use of these instruments will not result in the Fund being leveraged nor will they be used to engage in short selling.

To a lesser extent, the Funds will also invest in equities, warrants of issuers in commodity related equities, and may also for purposes of hedging only invest in foreign currency such as forward currency contracts, currency options and swaps on currencies, and cash or cash equivalents including certificates of deposit, treasury bills and floating rate notes. At least two-thirds of the total assets of each Fund, without taking into account any cash or cash equivalents which comprise bank credit balances and money market instruments with maturities of up to twelve months, will be invested in commodity futures, other commodity related derivatives or commodity-related equity securities or equity warrants.

UT Portfolio as at 06 July 07

Have not made much changes to the portfolio as i expected volatility. After 5.3% drop in the Chinese index, there is more reason to relook at investing into China. I am contemplating to put additional funds into DWS China Eqty in the coming week; to take advantage of this minor correction.

Here's my scorecard for the week:

Virtual Portfolio #2 - as of 29th June 2007

One month has passed, let's do some updates.....

Chin:
33.33% DWS China Equity Fund - SGD 2.412 -> SGD 2.6571
33.33% DWS Asian Small Cap Fund - SGD 1.547 -> SGD 1.5615
33.33% Lion Cap Sing/Malaysia Fund - SGD 2.733 -> SGD 2.85

Net Growth = 3.39 + 0.31 + 1.43 = 5.13 %

Calvin:
40.00% Fidelity China Focused Fund - SGD 1.136 -> SGD 1.244
40.00% Schroders ISF Emerging Markets Opportunity Fund - SGD 11.71 -> SGD 11.86
20.00% Henderson Asian Dividen Income Fund (USD) - USD 13.48 -> USD 13.77

Net Growth = 3.80 + 0.51 + 0.43 = 4.74 % (not inclusive of recent USD appreciation)

Chin is currently leading by about 30 basis pts. Will this winning streak continue? Stay tuned to find out...... :)

UT Portfolio as of 01 July 07

Wanted to post this earlier but could not find time; i was busy studying for my exam on Sunday, 1st July 07. Also because ofthis exam, part 3 of my Smart Money series will be delayed. I promised myself to get it done before the end of this coming week. :)

Anyway, the financial markets are not doing well this week, with major swings from one market to the other. Unless you are holding to pure cash, your investments will be swung in all directions. If you suffered less than 3% downside, you should consider yourself very lucky. :)

Sad to say, i am definitely not one of the lucky ones. Here's why:

UT Portfolio as at 22 June 07

This is another intersting week where the indices went in directions abnormally. HSI went up by at least 1000 pints in the past week while DOW showed weakness. At the same time, Shanghai Composite Index has showed weakness in the past 2 days while HSI stayed positive; even though the correlation between the two should be considered high relative to DOW.


With DOW at -120 right at this moment (1:49pm US time), I hope for at subtle correction on the HSI this coming Monday. This would make my wife happy.. :)

Here's my portfolio for the week:

Part 2A: When should i start saving?

This is a mock-up scenario to show the effects of saving earlier.

Scenario 1 : Ali, 20 years old, saves $100 per month @ 5% p.a.

At 40 years old, Ali would have contributed $24,000, and earned an interest of $17,275

Total Savings = $24,000 + $17,275 = $41,275

Scenario 2 : Billy, 30 years old, saves $200 per month @ 5% p.a.

At 40 years old, Billy would have also contributed $24,000, but only earned an interest of $7,186

Total Savings = $24,000 + $7,186 = $31,186

By delaying your saving plans, the same amount contributed would result in significantly lower returns!

Part 2: Simple methods to grow your Savings

This is part 2 of a 3 part series on Smart Money Series.

Someone once shared with me his savings methodology: "By not spending, I am already saving!" Not sure if it makes sense to you, but I am sure this is how some of the less financially savvy lead their lives.

Many of us tend to spend whatever we earn or more. Even though we knew the importance to save for unexpected emergencies or major life changes, but we just can’t seem to put some cash away.

In part 2 of the series, I will be sharing some simple methods to grow your savings. As the next part of this series will be touching on Wealth Management (Insurance & Investments), I will restrict this topic only recommending basic saving (deposit) methods available to all of us. Let’s take a look first at the types of savings instruments available:

1. Piggy Bank
2. Savings Account
3. Internet Savings Account
4. Interest-Bearing Current / Checking Account
5. Fixed Deposit
6. Foreign Currency Deposit

Piggy Bank was what I used to start my personal savings with when I was a kid. Even though my peers were fascinated with “saving stamps” I would save at least half my allowance in my little piggy bank every day.

After a sudden windfall (I scored 4A in my PSLE, I was rewards $400 from mum), I opened my first savings account. In those days, savings account does not have “fall below” fees. My savings quickly accumulated and four years later, I was ready to start a 1yr Fixed Deposit with an amazing interest rate of 6.375%p.a.!

My savings methods did not change until I started working in the financial industry some years ago. It was when I was introduced to a variety of new savings instruments like interest-bearing checking account, internet savings account and foreign currency deposit.

Today, I have small sums of money in each of the above instruments. Like the saying goes: “Never put all eggs in one basket”

My Recommendations: Family A

In theory and actual practice, we should have set aside liquid assets (e.g. cash in savings account) valued at least 3 to 6 times our monthly expenses for emergencies (e.g. due to involuntary loss of income). This can be in the form of normal savings or fixed deposit. With 25% of their gross income going straight into expenses, this should work out to at least $3750 (for 3 months survival).

Since both husband and wife are working, they should set aside 10 to 15% of their monthly income to a “Marriage Fund” while keeping separate transactional (savings or checking) accounts on their use. The aim of this fund is to set common financial goals for the couple on their journey to a lifetime commitment.

For a start, the method of saving for this “Marriage Fund” can be in the form of a Fixed Deposit (can be in local or foreign currency), Interest-bearing current account (some banks pay better interest than basic savings account) or Internet Savings Account (which pays you relatively higher interest; provided you are web savvy).

The reasons for putting the “Marriage Fund” in a:

Fixed Deposit (can be in local or foreign currency)
- Higher interest than basic savings account
- Discipline savings (money locked away for a period of time)
- Foreign currency FDs can hedge against exchange risks (and they usually pay much higher interest than local currency)

Interest-bearing current account
- Some banks give higher interest than basic savings account
- Free cheques issuance with ATM access
- Convenient withdrawal when liquidity needs arises

Internet Savings Account
- Usually no minimum maintenance required
- Ability to check account balances anytime.
- Savings from this virtual account passed onto account holders as a form of higher interest

BONUS TIPS:

Honeymoon:
Should the couple have decided their honeymoon destination, they could hedge against exchange rate risk and enjoy higher returns by placing some money in their choice of foreign currency deposits (can be in the form of savings account or FDs).

Saving for a car:
Although this is what I did not recommend during my last posting, I felt obligated to help. Besides having a “Marriage Fund”, the couple should start budgeting on the car they are looking for. Set out a target date to their dream car purchase. Select choice of saving method with a reasonably assumed savings interest. Using “Time value of money” methodology, they should be able to work out a monthly savings plan which suits their savings habit.

But I still feel taking Taxi is going to be more economical. :P

My Recommendations: Family B

Similar to Family A, we should begin the process by setting aside liquid assets valued at least 3 to 6 times our monthly expenses for emergencies (e.g. due to involuntary loss of income). With 30% of their gross income going straight into expenses, this should work out to at least $7200 (for 3 months survival).

As Unit Trust is considered quite liquid, the above rule of thumb can be considered as met.

Besides having a “Marriage Fund”, I would advocate a “Child’s Growth Fund” for each of the 2 kids. The aim of this additional fund is assist the children to kick-start their own savings habits from young.

As mentioned earlier, I started my savings regime when I was very young. I was also taught to study hard in order to get rewarded (monetarily). Apart from joint savings account with parents, children can now park their savings in accounts specially designed for the young:

“Child’s Growth Fund” (Junior Savings Account)
- Higher interest than basic savings account
- Discipline savings (can be arranged using GIRO)
- Free Insurance Coverage (some are available for both child & parent)
- Participate in free workshops and activities organized by the banks

BONUS TIPS:

On Husband’s Business Needs:
Due to business requirement, husband may need a checking account for transactional purposes. Most corporate accounts come with checking facility. However, the requirement on account minimum balance maintenance can be quite irritating. Also, cheque books provided may not be free (let alone unlimited).

Choices available:
1. Open a personal savings account with checking facility (lower requirement on minimum balances)
2. Open a personal interest-bearing checking account (lower requirement compared to corporate account)
3. Apply for a Credit Line facility which pays interest on credit balances (look out for those with low annual fees) - if possible; may have constraints due to self-employment status

Saving for a car:
Set budgeting on the car they are looking for. Set out a target date to their dream car purchase. Select choice of saving method with a reasonably assumed savings interest. Using “Time value of money” methodology, they should be able to work out a monthly savings plan which suits their savings habit.

Part 1A: Taking A Loan (Being in Debt)

Hi there,

Thought i should add a comment on the previous posting on Family B:

Husband just started his own business; Financial institutions will assess your income consistency before granting loan facility, hence, file your income tax "diligently".

Have fun!

UT Portfolio as at 17 June 07

Just wanna say that I have been quite lucky and quite unlucky at the same time. Although i did manage to evade the correction in asian markets, i was not able to participate in the upside as well.

Part 1: Taking a Loan (Being in Debt)

Whatever I am going to post today was supposed to be done by someone else but.... :)

If you have followed my past postings, Debt Management is a topic which I had posted in bits & pieces. Today, I will try to piece all the bits together within the next hour or so. I will discuss on how different type of loans affect two different families in their 20s & 30s.

Before I further evaluate the families' loan profile, let me go into some basics on Debt instruments. Debts or Loans can be categorized in two forms - Secured or Unsecured.

Unsecured loans are short term loan given to any individual without the need to pledging any form of collateral (e.g. Renovation loan, education loan, personal loan from banks). Secured loans are loans which are secured with an underlying asset (e.g. a property, bonds cert., stocks etc).

Now, let me take a peek at the profile on these two families and see how i can help them:

Family A:
Husband - 27 yrs, employed
Wife - 25 yrs, employed
Gross Combine Income - $5,000
Monthly Expenses - 25% of income
Mortgage Loan - $300,000 for 30 years from HDB
Wedding Dinner in November 07 - Budgeted at $20,000
Wife has a life policy of Sum Assured $100,000, Husband has none.
Plans to buy a family car in 2 years
Currently do not have any investments, but keen on unit trust or equity investments & no other savings

Family B:
Husband - 37 yrs, self-employed recently
Wife - 38 yrs, employed
2 kids aged 1yrs & 3yrs
Have a maid & a Nanny
Gross Combine Income - $8,000
Monthly Expenses - 30% of income
Mortgage Loan - 20 years to go with monthly repayment at $1200 from CPF for their HDB Executive flat
Saving more than 50% household income - invested in unit trust funds
Husband pays about $1800 for endowment plan, ILP and MRTA, but no life insurance
Wife & kids have few life policies but not sure if adequate
Plans to buy a family car (MPV) soon

With the limited information provided, I would need to make the following bold assumptions:

1. Both families do not have any short term debt liabilities like outstanding personal loan, renovation loan, credit card or personal line of credit.
2. All of them have good credit rating in their Credit Bureau records

My Findings & Recommendations: Family A

On their mortgage loan:
At the moment, the couple is enjoying subsidized rates form HDB at 2.6%p.a. (CPFOA rates + 0.1%). Compared to the interest rates offered by banks in the market, this couple is considered to be enjoying great discounts on their mortgage loans. Hence, unless the bank’s mortgage interest rates fall below 2%p.a., they should not be looking at refinancing.

Wedding Plans:
Wedding bills can be quite hefty. Paying cash would be a good idea, although not the best thing to do. With a combined income of $5,000, the couples could invest some time to pick up a few credit card facilities before their wedding in November 07.

These credit cards will come handy to split the $20,000 wedding bill into affordable installments (possibly 0% interest) should one decide to pay off slowly. Should they wish to pay off it as a lump sum, the couple has up to a maximum of 45 days grace to do so with no additional charges. At the same time, the couple can earn points from the credit cards in exchange for house warming gifts for their new home at almost no cost.

Buying a Car:
Just like anyone out there, I am your typical Alpha man who is crazy about owning my very own sports car. I went to a car show in late 2004 empty-handed, out with a Subaru Impreza 1.6(A) and a mountain of debts. Haha, now half my salary goes to paying out the loan, petrol, parking and maintenance costs. This is the trauma for switching my sales job or a management role in the company. Sigh.

However, I would encourage those who have intention to get a car to do so. Why? We have to rationalize that the convenience it brings is second to none (of course, there are problem in getting parking space sometimes). Especially if the couple has the intention to start a family soon, it may not be a bad choice to own an economical vehicle.

As I would not be able to foretell the future pricing of cars & the respective interest rates, I can only advise that one should not have more than one-third of their salary going into a personal transportation tool; taking Taxi is definitely cheaper!

My Findings & Recommendations: Family B

On their mortgage loan:
At the moment, this couple is also enjoying subsidized rates form HDB at 2.6%p.a. (CPFOA rates + 0.1%). Hence, unless the bank’s mortgage interest rates fall below 2%p.a., they should not be looking at refinancing. However, they may consider taking up a bank loan if they need to use the unencumbered portion (paid up principal of the loan) of the property once their property privatized.

Other secured loans:
Getting a standby line of credit using the UT investments as collateral may not be a bad idea. Especially when Husband has just become self-employed recently, getting unsecured credit fro business is an uphill task. In addition, insurance policies with substantial cash value can also be pledged as collateral for getting required financing without the need to surrender such policies.

Buying a Car:
I would encourage this couple to get a car as cost is technically shared by the number of headcounts in the family. However, I still do not advocate spending more than one-third of their salary going into a personal transportation tool.

Run thru a few distributors which offer the same model (parallel importers might be able to provide better pricing but with limited warranty). If second-hand or repossessed cars are options, going for them might not be a bad deal. Just thought you might want to know, I bought my car in Dec 04 for $73,500, my loan outstanding is still over $70,000; a new car of the same model cost $55,800. Sigh….. Heartache….

UT Portfolio as at 08 June 07

The renovation of the portfolio has just completed. There are only two funds to ride out the volatility as seen in the summary below. Will start shopping for aggressive funds this coming week; once the market settles. I expect this current portfolio to have a downside of 3% or so amidst the current correction.

The Real Correction........

The real deal is here...... :) Time to shop again......

Virtual Portfolio #2 - from 01 June to 31 Aug 07

Both Chin and me has agreed to run another campaign on the Virtual portfolio. This is the breakdown:

Chin:
33.33% DWS China Equity Fund
33.33% DWS Asian Small Cap Fund
33.33% Lion Cap Sing/Malaysia Fund

Calvin:
40.00% Fidelity China Focused Fund
40.00% Schroders ISF Emerging Markets Opportunity Fund
20.00% Henderson Asian Dividen Income Fund (USD)

Let's see how these portfolio will square off eventually........ :)

UT Portfolio as of 04 June 07

As my funds are in the midst of a switching exercise, you will not see much changes till one week later. Though the profits showed have depreciated a little, new funds purchased will also be at lower cost. So stay tuned....

Virtual Portfolio Scorecard Day

Our three-month campaign is up, time to summarize the results:

Chin (01 March 07)
DWS China Equity Fund - SGD 2.0477
Lion Capital Vietnam - SGD 0.999
First State Bridge - SGD 1.358

Chin (30 May 07)
DWS China Equity Fund - SGD 2.3335 (+0.2858)
Lion Capital Vietnam - SGD 1.000 (+0.001)
First State Bridge - SGD 1.4118 (+0.0538)

Total Growth: 0.25*0.2858+0.25*0.001+0.5*0.0538 = 0.0986

Calvin (01 March 07)
DWS China Equity - SGD 2.0477
Aberdeen Thailand - SGD 4.1917
Lion Capital Global Flexi - SGD 1.129

Calvin (30 May 07)
DWS China Equity Fund - SGD 2.3335 (+0.2858)
Aberdeen Thailand - SGD 4.4866 (+0.2949)
Lion Capital Global Flexi - SGD 1.206 (+0.077)

Total Growth: 0.25*0.2858+0.25*0.2949+0.5*0.077 = 0.1837

It's a convincing win for Calvin...... :P

Positioning 101

Hey fans out there, i need your favor to sink into deep thoughts on the following questions:

1. Are you afraid to lose your hard-earned money?
2. Do you keep all your available cash in your savings account / fixed deposit?
3. Do you have all you cash in one single currency?

Should your answer to any of the above questions is "Yes", you are exposed to investment risk. Why? Read on....

1. Since you are afraid to lose, your sub-conscious mind will instruct you to keep it well in a "Tin can" stashed away from public eyes.
2. If you a little smarter, you would keep the money in your savings account or fixed deposit earning slightly over mediocre interest.
3. Thinking that S$ will remain strong against other currency, you chose to keep all your money in one currency.

All the above will subject you to very high investment risk. Still don't understand? Read on....

1. Putting your money in a "Tin can" will not earn you any interest; which will eventually be eroded by inflation + GST.
2. Being a little smarter, the little interest you receive for parking your money with a bank will only cover either inflation cost or GST.
3. Having all your money in one currency will only expose yourself to exchange rate risk. Also, most deposit interest rates on local currency (wherever you are) are lower. Hence, you might lose money due to exchange rate without knowing it.

Things got a bit brighter now? Therefore, it is good to have a qualified advisor help you plan your financials. Don't be Penny Wise Pound Foolish!

Structured Investments

Happen to get my hands on a comparison between 2 structured products launched at almost the same time. You make your own judgement should you be keen to subscribe to it. My advice is to have your "financial health" checked by a qualified advisor before leaping into this. :)


Anyway, should you be keen to find out more, there is a free seminar on 1st June 2007 (Friday), from 7 - 9pm at Capital Towers, FTSE Room.

You may RSVP with Benjamin Lee at 63200669. Limited seats available.

Calmness Before A Storm

While Dow ended the last positive and Asian markets opened positive this week, many would think that weather had turned bright again. I would love to be very sure, but my guts feel is telling me to be careful; there will always be a period of calmness before a storm. So punters out there, pls stay vigilant. :)

God Bless.....

UT Portfolio as at 26 May 07

My portfolio grew by 6.6% in a week, thanks to Europe & China. However, I am a little concern of the sustainablility of this bull run. To play safe, i decided to take profit and reinvest into a balanced portfolio of equity and fixed income fund. You will be able to see the change in the next 2 weeks.

Here is my scorecard for the week:

Remember the 2% per day return?

Forget it lah.... its 50 cents to $6,000,000 TOTO jackpot! Quickly join the Queue! :P

UT Portfolio as at 19 May 07

There are alot of speculation on the bubble bursting, especially after Li Ka-Shing's comments this week.

The market are made up of big time institutional investors (like Mr. Li) and many small time speculators (like myself). If you follow the market closely, you will realise that when these institutional investors ("big boys") take profits from the market, a rippling effect will form; small player follow suit in cashing out on their investment subsequently - causing short term corrections. However, with growing market efficiency, more influx of small players might just create a shift in control of market directions.

Currently in Asia, it was witnessed that most new investors happen to be small players who wanted a try their hands on the "hottest slot machine" - China / Hong Kong Stock Exchange. With the increase in market players, it is not surprising for the big boys to shock the market in a bid to scare away the weak-hearted punters. In my opinion, the big boys just want to show that they are still in control.

However, all this might change in a very near future. With information readily available and small players being more investment-educated, the investment table might turn. A stronghold the small players created together could easily manipulate the market in any way they wish. The effect would be even greater than any market movements witnessed before..... this will be the REAL BUBBLE.

Here's my scorecard for the week: