In the past, Christmas shopping would make or break a retailer’s year. Not anymore. The end of the year shopping period traditionally kicks off with Black Friday. This momentous day gets its name from a well-worn narrative that retailers will spend the entire year operating at a loss...
The Singapore-Malaysia causeway is on the verge of reopening again after being closed for 20 months. While the land border with our northern neighbour has been closed since March last year, trade continues to be brisk between Singapore and Malaysia. In 2020, the two economies engaged in...
As the saying goes -- in life, nothing is certain except for death and taxes. Thankfully, we have better access to healthcare today compared with the past, helping us live longer. Meanwhile, if we assemble a strong dividend portfolio, it can generate income to help pay our...
Healthcare stocks have been historically prized for their resilience and stable growth. But that perception may be changing soon, especially in Asia. Take Singapore’s health expenditure, shown in the graph below. Between 2009 to 2019, the decade prior to the pandemic, healthcare spending rose by a little under...
Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared in The Business Times in January this year. Today’s article is an updated version, which takes COVID-19 into consideration. I bought units of Mapletree Logistics Trust (SGX: M44U) in September 2006. I still own all of those...
Most Asian companies are simply a clever copy of Western companies - or so the cynical among us might say. As investors, we will miss out on opportunities if we are swayed by this sweeping statement. The reality, however, is more nuanced. Broad generalisations can hold...
With the addition of another 1.5 billion middle class Asians by 2030, there will be more demand for services and consumer goods and plenty of consumer spending to go around....
We are living in the age of COVID-19. Naturally, most of us are adapting to change. But there are fewer discussions around what has NOT changed. And that’s the more important point, according to Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) founder and CEO Jeff Bezos. At first glance, it would seem like...