STI generates a +19.7% gain in 2012

In 2012, the Straits Times Index (STI) rebounded from its 2011 decline, generating a gain of +19.7% over the year. Dividends boost the total return of the Index to +23.5% in 2012. Over the past three years the average annualised return of the STI including dividend distributions amounted to +6.4%.

The five best performing STI stocks over 2012 were CapitaMalls Asia (JS8, +72.1%), CapitaLand (C31, +67.4%), Global Logistics Properties (MC0, +58.4%), Fraser and Neave (F99, +55.8%) and Hong Kong Land (H78, +54.4%). The five underperforming STI stocks over 2012 were Wilmar International (F34, -33.0%), Olam International (O32, -26.8%), Genting Singapore (G13, -8.9%), Golden Agri Resources (E5H, -8.4%) and Jardine Cycle & Carriage (C07, -0.3%).

The broader universe of stocks as represented by the FTSE ST All-Share Index gained +22.2% in 2012. Reinvested dividends boosted the FTSE ST All-Share Index to +26.7%. The FTSE All Share Index is made up of the STI stocks, stocks of the FTSE ST Mid Cap Index and the stocks of the FTSE ST Small Cap Index.  The FTSE ST Mid Cap Index generated a +31.7% gain for the year, while the FTSE ST Small Cap Index gained 30.7%. Reinvested dividends boosted the respective indices to +39.3% and +36.6%. Last Monday more constituents were added to the FTSE All-Share Index, bringing the total number of constituents to 166 stocks.
 
The FTSE ST All-Share Index also represents the selection of stocks that make up the FTSE ST Sector Indices. The two best performing Sector Indices of 2012 have been Real Estate Holdings & Development (+56.0%) and Financials (+36.8%), while the two underperforming Sector Indices in 2012 have been Consumer Goods (-17.5%) and Health Care (-4.1%). Please note that the Financials Sector Index is a broad benchmark that includes Banks, the aforementioned Real Estate Holding & Development stocks, REITs and diversified financials. The two FTSE ST Sector Indices that posted the most similar returns to the STI were the Oil & Gas Index which gained in +23.8% in 2012 and the Utilities Index which gained +15.0%. While the Oil & Gas index includes some STI constituents the Utilities Index does include STI constituents.

CCIS Grand Concert

25 Dec 2012
7:30pm
Outdoor Stage (Facing Paragon)

GRAND WELCOME HOME FOR LIONS

Welcome Parade Details

Lions Flight:   SQ973 from Bangkok
Estimated Time of Arrival: 1:15pm
Venue:    Changi Airport Terminal 2 Arrival Hall

The route for the team parade will see the open-top bus pass through the city and Orchard Road belt before ending up at the Jalan Besar Stadium. The Jalan Besar Stadium will be the gathering point for Lions supporters who want to celebrate and welcome the team.

 
APPRECIATION EVENT DETAILS

Where: Jalan Besar Stadium
When:  Sunday, 23 December 2012
Time:   3.30pm

The open-top bus parade is expected to depart Changi Airport by 2pm and should arrive at the Jalan Besar Stadium by 3.30pm. Fans are asked to gather at the stadium from 3pm onwards.

SGX Sees 13 Mainboard IPOs in 2012

The Singapore Exchange listed a total of 13 initial public offerings (IPOs) on its mainboard in 2012 from 11 mainboard IPOs last year.

The first mainboard IPO for the year was Cordlife Group which took place at the end of March. The most recent IPO was Gaylin Holdings which took place in late October.

The 13 IPOs have averaged a gain of 26.8 per cent in the year-to-date from the respective offer prices. From the closing price on the first day of listing, the average gain for the 13 new listings has averaged 9.1 per cent.

In total, 11 of the 13 have generated a positive year to date return from their respective offer prices with two stocks – Religare Health Trust and JB Foods – generating price declines.

Year-to-date returns vary from a +183.8 per cent gain for Civmec to a -10 per cent decline for JB Foods. Meanwhile, year to date performances from the closing price on the first day of listing vary from +104.5 per cent gain for Civmec to a -20.6 per cent decline for Cordlife Group.

The current market capitalisation of the 13 new mainboard listings ranges from S$10.7 billion for IHH HealthCare Bhd to S$101 million for Swee Hong. IHH Healthcare has been added to the Straits Times Index (IHH) adding a new sector (Healthcare Equipment & Services) to the benchmark index.

The STI is now made up of 30 stocks representing 14 sectors as categorised by the Industry Classification Benchmark (ICB).

Global Logistic Properties coverage

Leveraging dominant market positions
GLP has successfully built upon the original Prologis foundation of high quality industrial investment properties via development and complimentary acquisitions. GLP is the largest logistic warehouse landlord by a considerable margin in each of the markets within which it operates: China, Japan and Brazil. GLP has arguably been able to take advantage of the weakness of its peers as they struggle with de-leveraging and restructuring to aggressively build a portfolio of high quality investment properties and a market leadership position with relationships with tenants and capital partners that can be leveraged in existing and new markets to drive growth. GLP's dominant position in China should provide leverage to the growth in domestic consumption and the logistics market, both goals in the 12th five year plan.

Re-cycling capital to improve RoCE
Recently management have accelerated the development of the funds’ management platform attracting the highest quality 3rd party capital partners, which should allow GLP to re-cycle capital and create an asset light business model, boosting return on capital employed (RoCE). GLP aims to recycle capital from lower RoCE developed market Japan, to higher RoCE developing markets China, Brazil and longer term, potentially India and Vietnam. A key step of this process is currently underway with the attempted listing of a J-REIT.

IHH Healthcare - Turkey for Christmas

IHH’s ability to make profits in desperate times cannot be ignored, when growth is hard to come by. We continue to like its defensive earnings with bigger offerings to take the healthcare market by storm. As predicted by us earlier, its share price has strengthened in recent weeks, after results. Seasonal strength in 4Q12/1Q13 and a ramp-up of its Acibadem hospital are expected to provide near-term catalysts for our unchanged Outperform rating, while further-out catalysts could include any success in penetrating new markets. No change to our EPS or SOP target price.

'Wreck-It! Fix-It!' Challenge with Boy Thunder, Aloysius Pang and Kimberly Chia!

Wreck-It Ralph PK Day Out
Date: 15 December, Saturday
Time: 3:00PM onwards (PK with Celebrities at 4:00PM)
Venue: Bugis Junction, Bugis Square level 1

In conjunction with the release of Disney's Wreck-It Ralph, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Singapore is collaborating with Capitaland's Bugis Junction for an 'All-star Wreckin' Fix-It Felix Challenge with the original Fix-It Felix game from the movie!

Local artistes Aloysius Pang, Kimberly Chia and HotFM913 radio personality Gerald Koh aka Boy Thunder will form three teams in the game to be held on next Saturday, 15 December 2012. 

A SATURDAY WITH THE JERSEY BOYS

Details
Where: Skating Rink, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands
When: 8 December, 5pm
Admission: Free

This Saturday, 8 December, everyone is invited to head down to the skating rink at The Shoppes at 5pm to sing along to the unique sounds of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons with hits like Sherry, Walk like a Man, Rag Doll, Oh What a Night and Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.

SGX Securities, Derivatives Trading Up in November

Volume of trading in securities and derivatives in Singapore Exchange rose in November from a year earlier, the bourse operator said Wednesday.

The securities market turnover and daily average value (SDAV) both grew 8 per cent year-on-year to S$27.3 billion and S$1.3 billion respectively. Compared with October, turnover was up 5 per cent and SDAV was up 10 per cent.

However, exchange traded funds turnover was down 39 per cent year-on-year to S$327 million.

Value of bond listings was up 91 per cent in November. A total of 35 listings raised S$15.3 billion compared with 16 listings raising S$8 billion a year earlier.

For derivatives, volume traded in November increased 23 per cent year-on-year to 7.19 million contracts and daily average volume increased 22 per cent to 342,506 contracts.

Over-the-counter (OTC) interest rate swaps cleared totalled S$314 billion notional since its November 2010 launch. Volume of new trades cleared in November was S$2.7 billion, a decrease of 37 per cent year-on-year, reflecting dampened market trading and corporate activities ahead of the holiday season.

On the commodities front, SGX said AsiaClear volume jumped 47 per cent to 28,264 contracts; iron ore swaps clearing volume increased 65 per cent to 20,877 contracts while volume of energy swaps cleared more than doubled to 1,048 contracts.

SICOM rubber futures trading was down by half to 15,041 contracts, reflecting a year-end slowdown in the physical market.

《南方小羊牧场》 SG Star Tour @ 粉丝见面会

Kai Ko 柯震东 and Yao Yao 郭書瑤 will be here in Singapore to promote their movie 《南方小羊牧场》 WHEN WOLF FALLS IN LOVE WITH SHEEP!

3 December 2012, Monday
Meet-The-Fans Session
Time: 7:00pm
Venue: Bugis Junction, level 1 (nearest MRT - Bugis Station)

Movie Gala Premiere (Cast Appearance)
Time: 9:00pm
Venue: The Cathay, 2 Handy Road, level 1 (nearest MRT - Dhoby Ghaut Station)
--

4 December 2012, Tuesday
ScreenSingapore Event (Appearance)
Time: 7:00PM
Venue: Shaw Lido (nearest MRT - Orchard Station)

IHH Healthcare: 3Q down but not out

3Q within expectations. 3Q core net profit slipped 19% y-o-y to RM96.1m,
largely due to start up losses from Novena Hospital (Novena). Excluding
losses from Novena and exceptional items, net profit would have been up by
22% to RM141.6m in 3Q12, from RM116.4m in 3Q11. 9M core profits (including
Novena medical suites) forms 76% of our forecasts.

Novena losses narrowing. In 3Q12, Novena saw more than 500 inpatient
admissions, contributing RM19.1m in revenues registering an EBITDA loss of
RM23.9m. This was an improvement from 2Q12’s EBITDA loss of RM28.3m.
Management is optimistic that Novena’s performance will continue to improve
with increasing admissions on the back of rising number of specialists
operating there. We understand that management still expects Novena to turn
EBITDA positive by 2H13.

Recapitalising Acibadem for interest savings. The group intends to
recapitalise Acibadem in order to repay a portion of the US$ debt, and
indicated this should result in interest savings of US$11m p.a.. This is
also expected to reduce its exposure to currency fluctuations and result in
a stronger balance sheet for Acibadem.

Maintain BUY, TP unchanged at S$1.38 (RM3.45).  We are expecting a
seasonally stronger 4Q. We maintain our BUY recommendation and sum-of-parts
based TP at S$1.38 (RM3.45). We reiterate our view that IHH remains a key
proxy to healthcare in the region, and coupled with its robust growth
profile (CAGR FY11-14F of 55%), offers investors an attractive exposure
into this sector.

Does a Forex trading expert make profit on every trade?

An expert trader is able to make consistent profits, but that does not mean he/she will profit from every single trade.

The market is traded by millions of traders worldwide, hence we cannot expect the market to move in the direction that we want all the time.

There will be instances where the market goes against our trades and we just have to take our Stop Loss and move on to the next trade.

If trading is a football game, the Stop Loss is the goal-keeper. A goal-keeper is necessary for the game, but having one does not mean you will win the game. The same goes for a Stop Loss. Placing it doesn't guarantee that you will make profits, but it is necessary to protect your trading capital.

There are many reasons why a trader is not making profits. The best solution is to find the right coach to help you identify the problem and guide you to rectify it.

GARENA STADIUM TOUR & LEAGUE OF LEGENDS《英雄聯盟》REVIEW

Special thanks to Nuffnang and Garena for inviting me with a group of bloggers to attend the event!

Garena Stadium is a new exciting entertainment centre located in the heart of the city at Bugis+ level 3, a premium cybercafé, retail store, cafeteria and customer service centre rolled into one.

We were warmly welcomed by the mascot of Amumu, The Sad Mummy 殤之木乃伊 阿姆姆 at the entrance doing the Garena-style dance!

The Garena retail store opening hours are from 11:30am - 10:30pm daily. You will be able to find exclusive items such as plushies & t-shirts.

There is also a friendly customer service team, dedicated to making your gaming journey smooth and painless. Please remember to bring your NRIC for verification regarding queries for your account.

The in-house cafeteria not only serves delicious gourmet hotdogs of different flavours with both hot and cold beverages, it is also a place to chill with friends after the gaming experience!

The spacious gaming area allows you to immerse yourself in your gaming experience and be at the top of your game.

If you are a hardcore gamer, it will be worthwhile to signup for the Garena Stadium membership programme.

We also have the chance to play a 4v4 League of Legends (LOL) game with each other. Do you know that 25% of singaporean youths (aged between 15-25) are playing this game ? Of course the majority are males!

I selected AMUMU as my champion and have my virgin defeat after a challenging battle with newbies on both teams :)

After my brieft encounter with LOL, I decided to learn more about this interesting game by going for the Garena Premier League Playoffs to see how the professional gamers play this game.

Even though the door opens at 11am, the queue starts to form as early as 10am!

The championship tournament starts with a bang by a hot dance performance !

After a few hours of killing monsters and cheering from supporters, the champion ring goes to Taipei Assassins.

In second place is our local singaporean team known as Singapore Sentinels.

The second runner-up goes to Saigon Jokers.

For those interested to connect with fellow gamers, Garena Carnival 2012 is the fun place to go !

Global Logistic Properties - A step closer in going global

2Q13 core is in line at 26% of our FY13 and 24% of consensus. GLP will be entering Brazil through 

two JV funds. Taken with its planned J-REIT, AUM looks set to balloon − a strong positive − though 

the deal comes with higher risk premiums and equity fund raising. 1H13 core EPS forms 52% of our 

FY13 number. We raise our FY13-15 core EPS by 8-12% for this Brazilian deal but note that NPI 

could plunge once its J-REIT is established. We lift our RNAV-based target price but remain Neutral 

in view of limited upside from its Brazilian and J-REIT initiatives.

Aaron Kwok's 'Cold War' Promotional Tour in Singapore

Meet-The-Fans Session

14 November, Wednesday

Time: 7:00PM 

Venue: Square 2, level 1 Atrium (nearest MRT - Novena Station)

Food Tasting Session at Ricciotti Star Vista (061112)

I was invited to a 2 hour (12 noon to 2 pm) food tasting event by Nuffnang and Ricciotti Pte Ltd at their third outlet, next to Buona Vista MRT Station! The new outlet opens everyday from 10am to 10pm.

Ricciotti is pronounced as REE-CHORE-TEE, derived from the famous ancient Biblical scholar and archeologist in the early 1900s, conveying the importance of Italian rich culture and history at the restaurant.

Ricciotti Pizza Pasta Grill is a "cucina nostrana" (i.e. home-style) feel Italian restaurant with an aim to be the destination of choice for authentic yet affordable Italian gourmet food in Singapore. It is the tradition of sharing which reflects the warmth of eating Italian food.

When I first entered the restaurant, the caricature of Italian heroes on the wall caught my eyes! They actually reminded me of the chinese movie Mural 画壁 :)

While waiting for the Executive Chef Gero Dimaria to prepare our food, we kept ourselves busy by playing the paper games supplied to us. Great to divert our attention from our Iphones and Ipads! For those without pens or pencils, feel free to ask the friendly crew for assistance.

I tried the signature fruit soda BLOOD ORANGE at the recommendation of restaurant manager Mark. A drink to make me remember that Halloween has just gone by!

My personal favourite signature dish of the day is PIZZOTTO, pizza with bacon, mushrooms, egg, pomodoro and mozzarella! The whole pizza is actually cut up into 8 pieces and I had a double :)

We also had the opportunity to sample some of their best-sellers too.

The restaurant captures a contemporary and warm ambiance while diners enter the restaurant from the bar to the restaurant. It is definitely an ideal place for customers who are looking for a spot to chill-out and relax away from the crowd.

For more information, please visit APPETITE GROWS WHILE EATING.

SGX Wins Industry’s Vote as Exchange of the Year

Singapore Exchange (SGX) was recognised as the “Exchange of the Year 2012” at the Asia Risk Awards ceremony held in Hong Kong on 1 November 2012.

According to the judging panel, SGX demonstrated “the strongest achievements and developments, across all asset classes and regional bank categories, with a forward-looking approach to clearing and firm commitment on risk management”.

The Asia Risk Awards was established by Asia Risk magazine in 2000 to recognise best practices and innovation in derivatives and risk management in Asia-Pacific.

“We are delighted by this recognition from Asia Risk, and appreciate the feedback from the industry that helped SGX earn this recognition.  Customers come to us for a safe and efficient clearing environment, underpinned by Singapore’s transparent and well-rated legal and regulatory framework.  Our efforts are focused on ensuring that we remain abreast of the rapidly evolving regulatory landscape across Europe and the US, in order to continue to link Asian, European and US customers on one platform” said Muthkrishnan Ramaswami, President, Singapore Exchange.

As Asia’s pioneering central clearing house, SGX is the preferred central counterparty for the clearing and settlement of financial, derivatives and commodity products in both securities and derivatives markets.

In 2012, SGX’s derivatives open interest reached a record high of over 2.4 million lots and SGX was ranked the world’s second fastest growing futures market in open interest terms by the Futures Industry Association.

SGX was also recently given three awards: “Asian Derivatives Exchange of the Year”, “Asian Clearing House of the Year” and “Professional Traders’ Asian Derivatives Exchange of the Year” by the Futures & Options World 2012, a global derivatives publication.

GLP to Raise S$3.2 billion in Asset Sale to Japanese REIT

Global Logistic Properties Limited (GLP), a provider of modern logistics facilities, said Thursday it will contribute 30 of its properties in Japan to a real estate investment corporation (J-REIT), which will be focused on owning and operating logistics facilities in Japan.

The initial consideration for the contribution will be approximately JPY209 billion (SS$3.2 billion), in-line with the appraised value of the properties.

“This is a very significant transaction for GLP. It is consistent with several key elements of our strategy, recycling capital to fund expansion in high-growth markets and growing our strong fund management platform,” said Jeffrey Schwartz, Deputy Chairman of GLP.

“The transaction will drive long term shareholder value as it monetises a considerable proportion of our portfolio and will generate stable recurring income for the group, diversifying our earnings base. Japan remains a highly attractive market for GLP, with favourable demand and supply dynamics,” he added.

Net cash proceeds from the sale are estimated to be approximately JPY100 billion, which GLP intends to use primarily for investment in China and Japan.

As sole sponsor, GLP will act as the property and asset manager of the J-REIT. Accordingly, it will receive asset and property management fees, as well as fees arising from the subsequent acquisition and disposition of properties.

“The J-REIT will provide the company a continuing income flow with recurring fee income arising from fees payable to the asset management company and recurring distribution income arising from the unit holding interest in the J-REIT,” GLP said in a statement.

The 30 properties being contributed to the J-REIT have attributable net profits of approximately US$102 million, representing around 23.1 per cent of GLP’s consolidated net profits.

This excludes incremental asset and property management fees and dividend income which will be earned by GLP.

Analysts said the move may be in line with GLP’s plan for an IPO that could raise at least JPY100 billion in the first IPO for a real estate trust in Japan in five years.

Sources said GLP has hired Citigroup Inc, Goldman Sachs and Nomura Holdings as the main underwriters for the IPO.

GLP currently has 68 wholly-owned logistics facilities in Japan and another 15 logistics facilities are owned in a joint venture.

The group raised S$3.5 billion in October 2010 in what was at the time Singapore’s biggest IPO since 1993.

GLP shares edged up 3.5 percent to S$2.66 at Thursday’s close, the highest since September 13.

How does the Non-Farm Payrolls report (NFP) correlate with gold?

Traditionally, the US dollar is inversely correlated to gold. This means that when the US dollar strengthens gold weakens and when the US dollar weakens gold strengthens.

The Non-Farm Payrolls report reflects the state of the US job market (excluding the farming industry) and it does impact the US dollar.

If the figures are bad, the US dollar will fall and gold should strengthen. If the figures are good, the US dollar will rise and gold should weaken.

However, be aware that the Non-Farm Payrolls report is the most traded news in the world and it is well-known for its high volatility especially in the first hour of the news release.

Ensure your trading system/strategy is able to handle such volatility and risk before you trade the Non-Farm Payrolls.

Why does a currency pair turn in the opposite direction the minute after we enter the market?

1. Illusion

When I first started trading, I had the illusion that the market was moving against me every time after I entered a trade.

Imagine these two scenarios after you enter a trade:

Scenario 1
The market immediately moves against you.

Scenario 2
The market moves 10 pips in your favour and the next minute it moves against you towards your Stop Loss.

Traders tend to consider both scenarios as moving against them but in fact, in Scenario 2 the market actually moved in their favour first.

The market moves up and down by the second, so traders can tend to perceive market is moving against them because of the basic human emotion called “fear of losing”.

To avoid these illusions, I don't focus my immediate attention on the charts after I enter my trade and have my Stop Loss and Take Profits in place. I will only check my trades on a periodic basis such as every 1-2 hours to check if the trade has hit a profit or loss.

2. Inappropriate Entry Price

The other possibility is that a trader enters the market at an inappropriate price or time. For example, a trader may enter a Long position after market actually displays signs of a downtrend and the market really does go into a downtrend after the trader enters.

To improve your performance in this situation, you can review your trades on a regular basis to find out whether you are trading correctly or if there is something not right with your trading system.

The best way to do this is to find the right coach to review your trades together with you. A coach is able to highlight your "blind spot". A coach is also emotionally detached from your trades, so he is able to provide unbiased comments on your trades.

Halloween Fright Night @ ACM

27 Oct 2012
Saturday |  7pm to midnight |  @ Asian Civilisations Museum, 1 Empress Place

Fright Night at ACM is back to scare you this Halloween! Get ready for a spooky frightfest as the museum comes alive with restless spirits and spine-chilling stories from across Asia. Enjoy colourful performances, listen to haunting Asian tales, and explore the museum through a supernatural trail in the galleries! 

Don’t miss your last chance to catch the Treasures of the Aga Khan Museum exhibition for free.

Idol David Cook to perform here in free public concert

Come Oct 25, visitors and shoppers to ION Orchard will be able to see American Idol Season 7 winner David Cook perform live in the mall's next free, open-air fashion-concert.

And a few lucky fans of the singer will also get to meet the 29-year-old singer in a private session, who will be in town to promote the latest season of American Idol, now in its 12th season.

David Cook is not the first international singer to perform in a free concert at the mall. Other singers included Carrie Underwood and Wang Lee Hom in 2009, Van Ness Wu in 2010, and UK boy band BLUE in 2011.

Besides the free concert, there will be fashion shows and catwalks as ION Orchard's fashion tenants showcase the latest Fall/Winter collections, an art exhibition - POP! In the City II - at the ION Art Gallery from Oct 20 - 30 featuring the works of legendary POP artists Andy Warhol, Yayoi Kusama, Roy Lichtenstein, Keith Haring, Damien Hirst and Burton Morris, as well as a chance to win shopping vouchers, and a pair of Business Class return air tickets to Paris.

Is trading the EURUSD pair better than trading many other pairs?

The EURUSD is the most traded currency pair.

It has the lowest spread.

This pair is an ideal choice for beginners because it responds very well to simple rules and technical studies, which new Forex traders learn when they are starting out.

The EURUSD is usually not too volatile under normal market conditions, and therefore can be safely traded with less risk.

Mapletree Commercial Trust: the upside prevails as long as 1.21 is support

Our preference: the upside prevails as long as 1.21 is support.

Alternative scenario: the downside breakout of 1.21 would call for 1.18 and 1.15.

Comment: the RSI is above 70. It could mean either that the stock is in a lasting uptrend or just overbought and therefore bound to correct (look for bearish divergence in this case). The MACD is above its signal line and positive. The configuration is positive. Moreover, the stock is trading above both its 20 and 50 day MA (respectively at 1.2 and 1.14). Mapletree Commercial Trust is currently trading near its 52 week high reached at 1.27 on 17/10/12.

Supports and resistances: 
1.36 *
1.34 **
1.31
1.255 last
1.23
1.21 **
1.18 *

SET membership to enhance cross-border trading

Early this month, the Singapore Exchange (SGX) reported that trading and clearing activities picked up in the month of September as compared to August. Taking a closer look, daily average value increased 4% year on year but due to fewer trading days, the absolute trading volume actually slid 6% instead.

Last month, in a bid to benefit retail investors and brokers, the Asean Trading Link was launched. This was largely deemed as the first step towards creating a Southeast Asian platform, starting with the Singaporean and Malaysian stock exchanges being linked up on 18 Sept, thereby offering cross-border trading.

As a sign of progress, the stock exchange of Thailand (SET) became the third member to connect to the Asean Trading Link on Monday. Mr Charamporn Jotikasthira, the president of SET said that “together the three markets offer investors easier access to over 2200 listed companies with a market capitalisation of US$1.4 trillion, accounting for nearly 70% of the total market capitalisation of ASEAN”.

Following SET joining Asean Trading Link as its freshly minted member, SGX had gained 1.2% when compared to last Friday’s close. Over the same period, the STI climbed 0.17%.

How Much Time Does a Trader Spend Looking at Charts?

There are basically 4 types of traders in the market:

1. Scalper
Scalpers tend to enter the market many times a day, each time taking between 5-20 pips. They like to look at the lowest time-frames available; typically the M1 and the M5 charts.

2. Day Trader
Day traders tend to close out their position within a day. They do not have the habit of rolling over their positions and let the effect of swap (or interest rates) kick in. Typically, they look at time-frames of M15 and M30.

3. Swing Trader
Swing traders seek to take advantage of early trends. They get into trades which can last anywhere from a couple of days, to around a week in duration. Typically, they look at time-frames of H1 and H4.

4. Position Trader
Position traders hold trades the longest. They look at the "big picture" and are not concerned with intra-day trends. Additionally, they tend to use swap as part of their strategy because of the length of time they are in the markets. Typically, they look at time-frames of D1 and W1.

So you see, different strokes for different folks. It all depends on your nature and the amount of time you have.

I have seen massively successful traders in all 4 categories.

Lee Hyun Woo Artiste Tour

Date: 15th October 2012 (Monday)
Venue: Suntec City Mall, Entertainment Centre Atrium
Time: 630pm

ONE is proud to present to you the charming star of ‘To The Beautiful You’, Lee Hyun Woo who is in Singapore to promote his hit Korean drama series. Lee Hyun Woo has garnered much attention for his role as Cha Eun Kyul, a bubbly and innocent soccer player. Now airing on ONE, every Wed – Thu at 9.05pm, this drama series also boast a star studded cast with Choi Min Ho (SHINee), Choi Sulli f(x), Kwang Hee (ZE:A)! For fans who wish to catch a glimpse of the star, join us at Entertainment Centre Atrium on the 15 October 12, Monday at 6.30pm.

How do you measure a successful trader?

As a trader, I have found two key rules that have led to my success over the long term:

1. Consistency
2. Discipline

Let me explain.

1. Consistency - In order for you to be a consistent trader, you need to limit your risk. Great traders never risk more than 1%-3% of their capital per trade. I can't over-emphasize the importance of this rule. As the old trading saying goes "Amateur traders are concerned with how much they can make; professional traders are concerned with how much they will lose".

Inconsistency creeps in when a trader takes on different levels of risk for different trades without understanding the consequences. This mostly occurs after a trader experiences a string of losses; and packs on the risk to make up for these past losses.

2. Discipline simply means setting trading rules, building a trading plan and trading according to only what you have planned. Remember that much of successful trading is counter-intuitive. We must exercise discipline at all times so that we never deviate from our original plan.

This rule becomes all the more important to aspiring traders who decide to abandon a trading plan and conclude that trading is "risky" after a couple of negative results.

Is it possible for you to be a successful trader? The answer, is an emphatic YES!