What is the Real Opportunity Cost of waiting for the next Great Robinson Sales in SGX???

Why wait for Great Robinson Sales in SGX?


When you can count money on quarterly basis



 




























What is the Opportunity Cost of waiting for GRS?

Giving an example:



















Why Uncle8888 still think it is worth waiting for the next GRS in SGX?


Will history repeat itself?


His Top three holding in his Portfolio ...

 

You may like to call it LUCK!!!

YES!

Of course, it is LUCK!


But, we can only get lucky until we attempt it!

It is same like ...

No buy ToTo???

How to strike ....

 

 

 

About 9 in 10 NTU fresh grads find jobs about 6 months after final exam

SINGAPORE: Slightly more than nine in 10 graduates of Nanyang Technological University (NTU) found jobs about six months after their final examinations in 2012, similar to 2011.

This is a key finding of the first joint Graduate Employment Survey conducted by Singapore's three autonomous universities.

NTU said the overall mean gross monthly salary for its graduates improved by 2.76 per cent - from S$3,152 in 2011 to S$3,239 in 2012.

The median gross monthly salary rose by more than 3 per cent - to S$3,100 in 2012, compared with S$3,000 in 2011.

Those who graduated with degrees in Computer Science Engineering and Mathematical Sciences had the biggest jumps in employment rate.
The rate was 8.5 per cent for Computer Science Engineering and 7.2 per cent for Mathematical Sciences.

NTU said it's confident about the job prospects of its graduates this year, although global economic conditions may cause some firms to be cautious about hiring.

It said the broad experiences that its students have will give them a strong competitive advantage in the global workplace.

For example, graduates from Nanyang Business School's accountancy and business-related courses continue to be highly sought by employers.
NTU said about nine in 10 graduates from these courses found full-time jobs six months after they completed their final examinations.

Many received more than one job offer.

Some were even offered a job during their second-year internships.

- CNA/ck

Fresh graduates from the 2012 cohort of Singapore Management University (SMU) enjoyed robust employment

SINGAPORE: Fresh graduates from the 2012 cohort of Singapore Management University (SMU) enjoyed robust employment, as well as high starting salaries, despite the economic uncertainties.

This is based on a joint Graduate Employment Survey (GES) covering Singapore's three autonomous universities.

For SMU, about 1,000 fresh graduates from five degree programmes took part in the survey.

It found that 91.7 per cent secured employment within six months after graduation.

More than 75 per cent had job offers during the time before they graduate and a month after graduation.

In addition, 61 per cent had two to six job offers per person.

SMU said the mean gross monthly salary of its fresh graduates in full-time permanent jobs is a record $3,395, since its pioneer cohort graduated in 2004.

It is slightly higher than the previous year's mean gross monthly salary of $3,388.

The top 20 per cent of income earners commanded a mean gross monthly salary of $5,187, which is 2.9 per cent higher than that of 2011.

Of the SMU graduates who are working full-time, 30 chose to embark on an entrepreneurial path and start their own businesses.

- CNA/fa

Retirement Income for Life??? (11)

Read? Retirement Income for Life??? (10)


Know Your Monthly Family Expenses!

How does Uncle8888 know that he will likely to have enough retirement income for life?


He has been tracking his monthly family expenses for five persons since Jan 2001 when he realized that to reach the Edge of Financial Independence he has to know his family expenses.

One easy way of maintaining records is to dedicate one bank account where all expenses are charged and doing inter bank fund transfer. At beginning of each month, we just need to download the bank statement and copy and paste into our Family Expenses Tracking Microsoft Excel Worksheet.

 

 

Uncle8888 knows his expenses. How about you?

DOW : 14,511.73 Up 55.91(0.39%)

 























NEW YORK: US stocks recorded solid gains on Wednesday as the Federal Reserve held steady on its policy of economic stimulus.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 55.91 points (0.39 percent) at 14,511.73.

The broad-based S&P 500 picked up 10.37 points (0.67 percent) at 1,558.71, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index increased 25.09 points (0.78 percent) to 3,254.19.

The Federal Reserve, as widely expected, kept its monetary easing policies in place as it trimmed its 2013 and 2014 growth forecasts for the US economy.
The policies have boosted shares and been seen as a major factor in the Dow's recent record-setting performance.

Barclays predicted the Fed will continue its asset purchases at the current $85 billion-a-month pace through the end of the year, "before beginning to slow purchases sometime in the first half of 2014."

Federal Express fell 6.9 percent after reporting earnings below expectations. The company also gave a tepid outlook for 2013, noting "accelerating customer preference for lower-yielding international services."

American Realty Capital Properties, a real estate investment trust specialising in commercial properties, rose 5.2 percent after announcing that it proposed to buy Cole Credit Property Trust III for more than $9 billion, including assumption of debt.

Homebuilder Lennar Corp. edged up 4.8 percent after reporting solid quarterly earnings and pointing to strong trends in the housing market, such as higher home prices.

Williams-Sonoma leaped 10.3 percent after announcing a 41 percent dividend increase and a three-year $750 million stock repurchase program.

Anadarko Petroleum and its partners moved higher after announcing a significant petroleum discovery in the Gulf of Mexico. Anadarko rose 3.8 percent, Cobalt International leaped 8.1 percent, Marathon Oil added 1.9 percent and ConocoPhillips climbed 1.9 percent.

Valeant Pharmaceuticals gained 2.7 percent after announcing a plan to acquire Obagi Medical Products, which surged 28.2 percent.

Bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 1.94 percent from 1.91 percent late Tuesday, while the 30-year rose to 3.17 percent from 3.13 percent. Prices move inversely to yields.

- AFP/de

Right issue back again (7)

Read? Right issue back again (6)


Read? Reits and their rights issues: How you initially react when you first hear it?

Rickmers Maritime announces S$102m rights issue

 

       

Singapore: Rickmers Maritime is undertaking a non-underwritten renounceable rights issue to raise gross proceeds of up to approximately S$101.7m (US$81.5m) to help keep its banks happy.

The rights issue will be offered on a 1-for-1 basis at an issue price of S$0.240 per unit.
This represents a discount of 33.3% to the closing price of S$0.360 per unit on the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited on 18 March.


CW8888:

Example of "good" right issues for retail investors depending on passive income???


Taking it back from investors???

O$P$!!!





 

Two types of retail investors

Just For Thinking ....


Uncle88888 begins to realise that there are two types of retail investors:

• Casual
• Serious

Serious retail investors will spend lots of time learning and managing their portfolio, assets allocation and re-balancing to meet their investing goals over their investing horizon.

Casual ones???

You know who you are. Right?

No plan.

No Goal.

Just having some excitement, boredom or frustration. Right?

DOW : 14,452.06 Down 62.05(0.43%)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By: JeeYeon Park CNBC.com Writer

                

Stocks closed in the red Monday, with the S&P 500 moving further away from its all-time high, amid worries over the bailout news in Cyprus and over fears the euro zone's bigger troubled economies such as Spain and Italy may follow suit.

"In the short-run, it does raise a lot of nerves because the last thing you need in Europe is to see a decline in confidence," said Anthony Chan, chief economist at JPMorgan's Chase Private Client Business. "The good news is, they're working towards making this a little bit more palatable, perhaps lowering the amount that they ask for from the insured depositors or eliminating that and just focusing on the uninsured depositors, which I think would be a step in the right direction."

The Dow Jones Industrial Average slumped 62.05 points, or 0.43 percent, to end at 14,452.06. closing lower for the second-straight session, dragged by Boeing and Disney. Still, the blue-chip index remains on track for its best quarterly percentage gain since the fourth quarter of 2011.

The S&P 500 fell 8.60 points, or 0.55 percent, to close at 1,552.10. The Nasdaq declined 11.48 points, or 0.35 percent, to finish at 3,237.59.

The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, spiked nearly 20 percent to finish near 14.

Most key S&P sectors closed in negative territory, led by financials and energy.

 

What's Really Happening in Cyprus?

 

The situation in Cyprus is unstable at this point. Luke Benfield, Eurosure Insurance chairman & CEO, describes the scene on the ground.

 

Global markets were spooked by news of Cyprus' plan to tax bank depositors to help fund a 10 billion euro bailout from the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund.This marks the first time depositors have been asked to contribute to a financial-rescue plan during the long-running euro-zone debt crisis.

Banks in Cyprus will remain closed until Thursday pending a decision by parliament to approve a levy on bank depositors.

"The difference between today's news from Cyprus and what this news might have meant a year ago is the Mario Draghi put, which means that the European Central Bank will probably step in in case of some sort of systemic risk," said Michael Sheldon, chief market strategist at RDM Financial. "It's going to be hard to really dent the recent uptrend in stock prices we've seen over the last few months without a significant piece of news."

                                    

Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers talks about whether or not the Cyprus crisis is an on-off issue or the start of something much more serious. The euro plunged to a three-month low against the U.S. greenback and a roughly two-week trough versus the yen.

 

All major banks were sharply lower across the board, including Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley.

SembMarine gets US$417m order for two rigs

SINGAPORE - Singapore's Sembcorp Marine , the world's second largest builder of offshore oil rigs, said on Monday its subsidiary PPL Shipyard has secured orders for two jack-up rigs worth US$417 million.

The orders are from Mexico's Integradora de Servicios Petroleros Oro Negro, S.A.P.I. de C.V (Oro Negro), which has ordered two similar rigs previously.

The new rigs are scheduled for delivery at the end of the fourth quarter of 2014 and end of the first quarter 2015, Sembcorp Marine said in a stock market filing. - REUTERS

Buy high in 2007 and sell low in 2009???

Just For Thinking ...

Why do investors lose money in stock market?

 Go to any Investing/Trading course preview, you may see similar chart presented by "Guru" as above.

The Guru will tell you something like this:

Investors buy high and sell low as indicated in the chart above and lose money!!!


Fact or Fiction?

Are you one of them who buy high and sell low or you personally know someone who buy high and sell low as indicated at the above chart?


Nonsense! Right?

What I know many investors buy high and hold long, long and some investors even hold till their death they part.

How many investors really buy high in 2007 and sell low in 2009 and lose money?

 

Retirement Income for Life??? (10)

Read? Retirement Income for Life??? (9)

Read? Mara River : Reaching the Edge of Financial Independence!!!

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Financial independence is a term generally used to describe the state of having sufficient personal wealth to live indefinitely without having to work actively for basic necessities. In the case of many individuals whose financial circumstances fit this description, their assets generate income that is greater than their expenses. To illustrate, a person's quarterly expenses may total $4000. They receive dividends from stocks they've previously purchased totaling $5,000 quarterly, while also having an even more substantial amount of money in other assets. Under such circumstances, a person is financially independent.

Uncle888 has reached the Edge of Financial Independence







But, the effect of inflation and market volatility may cause him to lose back his financial independence.

So Uncle8888 has to think of more sustainable retirement income for life model to live through market volatility and to reduce uncertainty and worries.

Still some works in progress ...

Daewoo Shipbuilding to Construct Jackup Rigs to Challenge Keppel

By Kyunghee Park - Mar 13, 2013 11:01 PM GMT+0800

     

Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. (042660), the world’s second-largest shipbuilder, is bidding to build jackup rigs for the first time in three decades to tap more orders from offshore oil discoveries.

Demand for bigger, more sophisticated rigs that can work under harsher conditions is increasing in the North Sea and other regions, Lee Jae Ha, chief marketing officer at the Seoul- based company, said in an interview. Each unit could be worth as much as $600 million, he said.

Oil discoveries, including in the North Sea, have boosted spending by companies for exploration and production. Daewoo is making a comeback since its last delivery in 1983 into a segment that has been dominated by Keppel Corp. (KEP) and Sembcorp Marine Ltd. (SMM)

“We expect demand for these high-specification heavy-duty rigs to increase this year,” Lee said on March 12. “We have a lot of experience building complex drilling units and that will give us a competitive edge over the Singapore yards.”

Keppel and Sembcorp Marine have a combined 70 percent share of the global market for jackup rigs, which are used in shallow waters with extendable legs that allow them to stand on the ocean floor.
Statoil ASA (STL), which accounts for about 80 percent of Norway’s oil and gas output, said in February that it will use a floating storage unit and a jackup rig for the first four to five years for its Mariner project.

Daewoo fell 1.8 percent to 29,550 won in Seoul yesterday. The stock has climbed 8.8 percent this year, compared with a 0.1 percent gain in the benchmark Kospi index.

Offshore Demand

The shipbuilder also expects more demand for other offshore products this year as economic growth and depleting reserves in existing fields increase the need to develop new wells in deeper and harsher areas.


Daewoo has $2.7 billion of orders this year, both from Statoil, for two fixed platforms. It also won a similar contract from the Norwegian company in December.

The shipbuilder is targeting $13 billion of new contracts this year, with almost 70 percent for offshore products.

“Daewoo Shipbuilding is trying to widen the scope of offshore products,” said Lee Jae Won, an analyst at Tong Yang Securities Inc. in Seoul, who recommends investors buy the stock. “They wouldn’t go into this if they think they will lose money. They’re moving into the high-end of the jackup market, not the low end.”

The company may get an order with its partner for a $4 billion onshore oil production plant in the Middle East, Lee said, without elaborating. The winner will be selected before the end of May, he said.

Daewoo is the world’s second-biggest shipbuilder by orders, according to Clarkson Plc (CKN), the world’s biggest shipbroker.
 

Noble's US$400m bond issue 6 times oversubscribed

Firm's credit rating outlook changed to 'stable' after release of results recently

 

By

andrea soh

 

This bond marks our first return to the US dollar market since 2010 - PHOTO : BLOOMBERG

  

NOBLE Group successfully priced on Wednesday its five-year US$400 million (S$500 million) bonds, which received a warm response from investors.

 

The bonds, which will pay 3.625 per cent coupon twice a year, will be priced at 99.268 per cent of the principal amount.

Demand was healthy, with the bonds being more than six times oversubscribed by over 200 accounts from Asia and Europe, the commodities firm said yesterday.

"This bond marks our first return to the US dollar market since 2010. We are delighted with the outstanding investor response," said group treasurer Wildrik de Blank, adding that the firm has been able to extend its debt maturity profile and lock in cheap funding with the bond issuance.

Perfect 10: Dow Posts First 10-Day Rally Since 1996

 

 

 

 

 

 

By: JeeYeon Park

CNBC.com Writer

                

Stocks closed near session highs Thursday, with the Dow logging its first 10th-straight winning streak since 1996 and the S&P 500 within a hair's breadth of its all-time closing high, lifted by a better-than-expected jobless claims report.

"This could be the greatest bull run since the 80s only because there's nowhere else for investors to go," said Alan Valdes, director of floor operations at DME Securities. "The Fed's pumping $85 billion a month into the market so there's no way for it to go down, but everyone's got their finger on the trigger because they don't know when this is going to turn."
 

 The Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied 83.86 points, or 0.58 percent, to end at 14,539.14, led by Hewlett-Packard and IBM led the gainers, logging its first 10th-consecutive winning streak for the first time since November 1996.

The blue-chip index is up a cool 10 percent so far in 2013, on track to logging its best first-quarter performance since 1998. Historically, a strong first quarter indicates robust gains for the year. Since 1950, there have been only 12 other instances where the Dow was up more than 8 percent in the first quarter and in each of those years, the index finished positive 100 percent of the time.

The S&P 500 rose 8.71 points, or 0.56 percent, to close at 1,563.23. The Nasdaq gained 13.81 points, or 0.43 percent, to finish at 3,258.93.

The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, ended near 11, falling to a six-year low.

CPL

STI ETF - Cost of substitution???

Read? STI ETF - Simple to buy but doesn't mean no emergency exit risk!
 

Thai Beverage to join ST Index after Quarterly Review

Singapore, Mar 7, 2013 - (ACN Newswire) - Singapore Press Holdings Limited (SPH), Singapore Exchange (SGX) and FTSE Group (FTSE) announced today that Thai Beverage will replace IHH Healthcare as a constituent of the Straits Times Index (STI) following the conclusion of the half-yearly review.

The STI reserve list, comprising the five highest ranking non-constituents of the STI by market capitalisation, will be (in order of size) Hutchison Port Holdings Trust, Keppel Land, Ascendas Real Estate Investment Trust, UOL Group and CapitaCommercial Trust. Companies in the reserve list will replace any constituents that become ineligible as a result of corporate actions before the next review.

The STI is widely followed by investors as the benchmark for the Singapore market and is used as the basis of a range of financial products including Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), futures, warrants and other derivatives.

Several changes were made to other indices in the FTSE ST Index Series including the FTSE ST Maritime and FTSE ST Catalist indices. In the FTSE ST China Top Index, China Minzhong Food Corporation will replace China Aviation Oil Singapore Corporation. Full details of all deletions and additions can be found under the Index Reviews section at www.ftse.com/st.

In September 2012, the FTSE ST Index Advisory Committee approved the introduction of actual free float (rounded up to the next 1%) in the FTSE ST Index Series to limit unnecessary turnover. This change will take effective on the same date of the review changes.

All changes from this review will take effect from the start of trading on 18 March 2013. The next review is scheduled for 6 June 2013.

The indices are reviewed quarterly by the independent FTSE ST Index Advisory Committee, in accordance with the index ground rules. The FTSE ST methodology ensures the indices accurately represent the investable universe for benchmarking purposes and can be easily replicated as the basis of index-linked products.

For more information about the STI and FTSE ST Index Series including index ground rules, please visit www.ftse.com/st.

STI Constituents:

CapitaLand Ltd
CapitaMall Trust
CapitaMalls Asia Ltd
City Developments Ltd
ComfortDelgro Corp Ltd
DBS Group Holdings Ltd
Fraser and Neave Ltd
Genting Singapore PLC
Global Logistic Properties Ltd
Golden Agri-Resources Ltd
Hongkong Land Holdings Ltd
Jardine Cycle & Carriage Ltd
Jardine Matheson Holdings Ltd
Jardine Strategic Holdings Ltd
Keppel Corp Ltd
Noble Group Ltd
Olam International Ltd
Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp Ltd
SembCorp Industries Ltd
SembCorp Marine Ltd
SIA Engineering Co Ltd
Singapore Airlines Ltd
Singapore Exchange Ltd
Singapore Press Holdings Ltd
Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd
Singapore Telecommunications Ltd
Starhub Ltd
Thai Beverage PCL
United Overseas Bank Ltd
Wilmar International Ltd

Jointly issued by: Singapore Press Holdings Limited, Singapore Exchange Limited, FTSE International Limited.

 

Createweath8888:

 

STI ETF, isn't this a case of buy high and sell low???

 

 

How are you measuring up with your investment return? (7)

Read? How are you measuring up with your investment return? (6)

Updated.

Look at Master investment Guru, Warren Buffet's recent past 5 and 10 year investment performance. The number is shrinking.

May be it is harder to find under-valued stocks in a more connected world where information is available anywhere and anytime to most smart people in the market.

Dow at record again, ends higher for ninth day. 14,455.28 Up 5.22(0.04%)

 

By Angela Moon

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks edged up on Wednesday, with the Dow rising for the ninth straight session to another record, buoyed by surprisingly strong retail sales that suggested the economy is gaining momentum.

The Dow Jones industrial average's nine-day winning streak is the longest consecutive run since November 1996.

But trading volume was light. Moves have been muted in recent days as investors consolidate positions after a strong run-up in the first three months of the year. Still, weakness in stocks has been met with buying, which helped propel the market's advance.

The broader S&P 500 is within striking distance of its all-time closing high of 1,565.15 and about 1 percent away from all-time intraday high of 1,576.09 - both set in 2007.

"I think we will soon see the S&P at all-time high levels. I don't think the market has topped yet, and there is still strength to move the market higher," said Ari Wald, technical strategist at C&Co/PrinceRidge in New York.

"Will we see a correction of 10 percent or so soon? Not imminently. We have not seen a divergence of behavior yet where participants become more selective on which stocks to buy."

International Business Machine (IBM.N) and Boeing Co (BA.N) were the Dow's top two gainers. IBM shot up 0.7 percent to $212.06. Boeing also jumped 0.7 percent - to $84.75 at the close.

The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) gained 5.22 points, or 0.04 percent, to 14,455.28, another record closing high. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (.SPX) advanced 2.04 points, or 0.13 percent, to 1,554.52. The Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) gained 2.80 points, or 0.09 percent, to end at 3,245.12.

Signs of strength in the economy and the Federal Reserve's easy monetary policy have helped U.S. equities accelerate their advance. The blue-chip Dow is up 10.3 percent for the year and the benchmark S&P 500 index has gained 9 percent.

Wednesday's retail sales report reinforced the view that the U.S. economy has momentum, even with the obstacles the recovery is facing. Sales increased 1.1 percent in February, the largest increase since September.

Investors had been looking for signs of any impact on spending from stubbornly high unemployment and a higher payroll tax that went into effect at the start of the year.

The Morgan Stanley retail index (.MVR) gained 0.7 percent.

Coach (COH.N) shares rose 1.8 percent to $49.67 after Citigroup raised its rating on the luxury leather goods company's stock to "buy" from "neutral.

Walgreen (WAG.N) jumped 4.2 percent to $42.78 after UBS raised its rating to a "buy" from "neutral", and lifted its price target to $48 from $41 on the stock of the largest U.S. drugstore chain.

But Express Inc (EXPR.N) shares slid 3.2 percent to $18.25 after the apparel retailer posted fourth-quarter earnings and said it was off to a slow start in the first quarter.

Spectrum Pharmaceuticals (SPPI.O) shares lost 37.3 percent to $7.79 after the biotechnology company forecast full-year sales well below analysts' estimates.

Volume was below average, with roughly 5.5 billion shares trading on the New York Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq and the NYSE MKT, compared with the 2012 average daily closing volume of about 6.45 billion.

Advancers outnumbered decliners on the New York Stock Exchange by a ratio of 17 to 13. On the Nasdaq, the positive breadth was slightly wider, with about seven stocks rising for every five that fell.

Kep Corp : No Black Candle???

Surprisingly with this bad news, how come today no Black Candle???

Where are the big time Short Sellers???


A US$1.2 billion deal has fallen through for Keppel Corp Ltd to build offshore drilling rigs for Ukraine's state energy firm, Naftogaz, the Singapore company said on Tuesday.

Keppel, the world's largest constructor of offshore oil rigs, announced on Dec. 4 that it had signed a contract with Naftogaz to build two semi-submersible drilling rigs for use in the Azov and Black seas.

"We wish to announce that the contract will not be taking effect as certain conditions within the timeline set were not met," Keppel said in a statement.

"Keppel will continue to seek opportunities where we can to support Naftogaz in their exploration and production activities." Mr Naftogaz declined to comment on the matter. - REUTERS

DBS plans to expand HK loan book by 10% this year

[HONG KONG] DBS Group Holdings, South-east Asia's largest bank, plans to expand its Hong Kong loan book by about 10 per cent this year, mainly targeting small and medium-sized companies and trade with mainland China.

DBS's 2012 yuan trade settlement surged 60 per cent from a year earlier, said Sebastian Paredes, the Singapore-based bank's chief executive officer for Hong Kong. He predicts that business using the renminbi will grow beyond the 17 per cent of total revenue that it reached last year.

Lenders in Hong Kong handled about 90 per cent of China's yuan-denominated trade payments last year, while sales of so- called dim sum bonds climbed to 174 billion yuan (S$35 billion), a 15 per cent jump from a year earlier, data compiled by Bloomberg show. Premier Wen Jiabao last week pledged to expand global use of the currency as the nation seeks to cut reliance on the dollar.

"What we clearly want is to continue the RMB products, the RMB services and the RMB capabilities to be in the forefront of the banking sector," Mr Paredes said in an interview on March 8. "You would expect a continuation of rapid growth in the utilisation of the RMB not only in trade, but in FX, in money markets, in debt."

Dow edges up to record high. 14,450.06 Up 2.77(0.02%)

 

By: JeeYeon Park CNBC.com Writer
 

The Dow eked out a gain for the eighth-consecutive session to post another closing high at 14,450.06 Tuesday. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 snapped a seven-day winning streak, dragged by financials and techs, logging its first drop in the month of March.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average eked out a gain of 2.77 points to close at 14,450.06, led by Merck, while Caterpillar and Bank of America sagged. The blue-chip index has been up for nine-straight Tuesdays.

The S&P 500 erased 3.74 points to finish at 1,552.48. The Nasdaq slid 10.55 points to finish at 3,242.32.

The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, jumped above 12.

Stocks Have Hit New Highs Every Day For a Week–Time for a Crash?

By Henry Blodget

Since the market low in 2009, every move upward has been greeted with confident assertions that another crash was just around the corner.

After all, the world is still beset by problems, from the Eurozone, to China, to the gridlock and debt problems here in the U.S.

At some point, market gurus have assured us, this sucker's rally will end, and stocks will plunge.

Well, a crash is always possible, but as time goes by, a return to the 2009 lows seems less and less likely.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) is up more than 110% from its 2009 lows. Despite some modest pullbacks along the way, this push higher has been steady and strong.

This year, the Dow is already up 10%, and it has set new all-time records in each of the past five days.

So, what's next?

Will the bull run continue?

Or will we finally get the crash that some investors have been waiting to use as an entry point for the past four years?

As ever, it's impossible to say.

Yahoo! Finance Senior Columnist Michael Santoli says those waiting for a crash may be waiting for Godot. The more likely event is a pullback at some point. If we do get that pullback, it won't be obvious that it's a "buying opportunity." It will look like the beginning of a crash.

From a shorter-term perspective, strategists like Goldman's Jim O'Neill have begun to worry about investors "selling in May and going away," a pattern that could leave us with the pullback.

In the meantime, although stock prices are high relative to cyclically adjusted earnings, stocks still look like a good long-term investment relative to bonds, which have yields that are so low that they have become quite risky. (If interest rates rise, which they seem likely to at some point, bond values will get hit.) And the U.S. economy finally seems to be gathering some steam.

So, as ever, the bull and bear cases balance out.

In fact, if we have learned anything in the last five years, it's that long-term investors should stop worrying about near-term market moves and just stay diversified.


 

Status update on Keppel’s semisubmersible contract with Naftogaz

 

A US$1.2 billion deal has fallen through for Keppel Corp Ltd to build offshore drilling rigs for Ukraine's state energy firm, Naftogaz, the Singapore company said on Tuesday.

Keppel, the world's largest constructor of offshore oil rigs, announced on Dec. 4 that it had signed a contract with Naftogaz to build two semi-submersible drilling rigs for use in the Azov and Black seas.

"We wish to announce that the contract will not be taking effect as certain conditions within the timeline set were not met," Keppel said in a statement.

"Keppel will continue to seek opportunities where we can to support Naftogaz in their exploration and production activities." Mr Naftogaz declined to comment on the matter. - REUTERS

DBS : Testing the Great Resistance of multi-years???

Why Uncle8888 keep repeating posts on XIRR?

XIRR!!!

Why again? Not sianz meh?


May be you happen to chance upon this blog post Retirement Income for Life??? (9) and read about Uncle8888's Formula and the Magic Number of $48K pa for couple.

For example,

You are in your 30 and have $300K as investing capital. You also plan to retire at 60 based on Uncle8888's Formula. However, the current Magic Number of $48K at 3% inflation rate will transform into $117K when you reach 60.

An increase of 243%!!!

Scary or not?

Then, do you know how much you will need to make from the stock market with your initial investing capital of $300K over your investing time horizon of 30 years?

Based on Uncle8888's Formula, you will need about $2.9M

Can you really make $2.6M from the stock market in 30 years?

To do that you will need an investing performance benchmark as road map to guide you along this long investing journey to reach your final retirement goal of $2.9M at 60.















What is this benchmarking tool?

XIRR!!!

On average you will need XIRR of 8% over 30 years.

Possible to achieve or not?

Why not?

Read more? Measuring investment performance

Read? Performance

DOW : 14,447.29 Up 50.22(0.35%)

By: JeeYeon Park CNBC.com Writer
 

Stocks finished near session highs Monday, with the Dow posting another record closing high and the S&P 500 within 1 percent of its 2007 peak, as investors shrugged off earlier worries over disappointing economic data from China and weakness in Europe.

he Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied 50.22 points to end at 14,447.29, finishing at a fresh high, led by Boeing and Merck. The blue-chip index is up more than 10 percent for the year and on track for its biggest quarterly gain since the fourth quarter of 2011.

The S&P 500 edged up 5.04 points to finish at 1,556.22. The index is nearly 0.5 percent from its record closing high of 1,565.15, hit on October 09, 2007. The Nasdaq rose 8.51 points to close at 3,252.87.

The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, ended below 12 for the first time since April 2007.



Most key S&P sectors ended higher, led by financials, while telecoms finished in the red.

"We're in unchartered territory, but the higher this market goes without a pullback, the more investors have to be concerned that underneath the surface: risk begets risk," said Quincy Krosby, market strategist with Prudential Financial. "Last week was impressive and investors want to see the S&P 500 similarly make new highs. But the market's resting right now and it's waiting for further confirmation to move higher."

Warren Buffett on Berkshire’s ‘Subpar’ Year

By Sam Gustin

March 04, 2013

Warren Buffett, America’s most famous investor, holds himself to a high standard. That’s why he described 2012, a year in which his conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway achieved a total gain for its shareholders of $24.1 billion, as “subpar.” As Buffett pointed out, for the ninth time in 48 years, Berkshire’s book value gain (14.4%) was less than the S&P’s gain (16%). This mea culpa of sorts kicks off Buffett’s annual letter, which was released on Friday. As usual, the document is required reading for anyone interested in investing, and features the Oracle of Omaha’s wry, homespun style.



















Createwealth8888:

Look at Warren Buffet's recent past 5-year and 10-year investment performance. Even for Grand Master Investment Guru, it is getting harder to maintain his past high performance return.


How about us? Peanut investors!


 

The Permanent Portfolio

Just For Thinking .....





















This book is also available at NLB.


Createwealth8888's thought after reading this book.

Unless we are already high income earners with high saving rate, can we afford to remain passive and not constantly upgrading and widening our investing knowledge and skills to make our hard earned money work harder for us and to achieve financial independence before Singapore's official retirement age at 62 and re-employment up to 65.

In our first half we should work hard for our money and save more. We shouldn't even doubt it. It is a must!

In our second half, we may have built up fairly large account size for investing, we should uplift ourselves to make our money works harder for us. But, there is no such thing as less-work-more-return in the market where there is full of smart people watching over it day and night trying to fish more money out from other investors' hard earned money.

To become rich in stocks we must rise way above average investors since they are the ones to provide the fuel of the market. Why??? ETFs or whatsoever funds, the money provided by these investors must find their way back in and out of the market cycles. Who will benefit from these market cycles? The answer is quite obvious when the investing mind is open.

Practise 3M's - Method, Mind, and Money Management.

"Investing knowledge and investing skills are worth investing your precious time to acquire them when you are younger. These skills will remain with you long after your official retirement age and can become your pass-time job" - Createwealth8888


 Read? Education - Trading - Becoming Rich in Stocks


Read? Education - Investing made simple

HDB flat is a Home and not an appreciating asset!!!

 

 

HDB flat is a Home and not an appreciating asset!!!

 

It is social need. It is our home to build our family.

 

 

 

Be bold and correct the big mistake made by the

Old Guards and save our future generations!

 

Why???

 

Uncle8888 didn't have to take 25 or 30 yrs housing loan and

has three children.

 

Isn't that the answer?

 

 Read? Home for Living and not for profit taking (9)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Semb Corp

Hyflux desalination plant starting up without in-house power

By

ronnie lim

        

DESALINATION group Hyflux, which is starting up its $1.05 billion Tuaspring desalination plant in the second half of this year, will have to power the facility in the interim with electricity purchased from Singapore's main power grid. This is because Tuaspring's in-house power plant, which is integral to the energy-intensive plant, will not be ready by then.

BT understands from industry sources that this stems from firstly, construction-related issues, including late award in December 2011 of the EPC contract for the 411-megawatt power plant, construction of which typically takes two to three years.

Apart from powering Tuaspring's 70 million gallons (265 million litres) per day desalination plant, the power plant - marking Hyflux's foray into the power business - is also expected to export some 300 MW of its excess capacity to the main grid. But there are also delays related to the plant's connection to the main power grid here.

While one source said Hyflux's power facility could lag Tuaspring's desalination plant by some six to 12 months, another said the delay could even stretch beyond that. Hyflux, which reported its 2012 financials on Feb 20, had indicated at that time that Tuaspring's desalination plant will start operations in the second half, while adding that "construction works on the power plant facility are progressing as planned", without specifying a completion date for the latter.