BUAYASG

SGX Welcomes Hong Leong Finance as Full Sponsor on Catalist

2012-02-18T07:51:00.001+08:00

Singapore Exchange (SGX) has welcomed Hong Leong Finance Limited (HLFL) as a Full Sponsor on Catalist, its sponsor-supervised board for growth companies.

As a full sponsor, HLFL will be able to introduce new listings to the Catalist board and oversee the company’s compliance with SGX listing rules.

The addition of HLFL brings Catalist’s Sponsor pool to 10 full sponsors and nine continuing sponsors.

SGX said it will continue to widen the pool of Sponsors.

Currently, Catalist is home to a total of 136 listed companies.

The full list of Catalist sponsors is available on www.sgxcatalist.com.

《华丽的挑战》粉丝见面会 | Skip-Beat Meet-the-Fans Session

2012-02-16T10:44:00.001+08:00

日期 Date: 16-02-2012
时间 Time: 7.00pm
地点 Venue: Plaza Singapura 一楼广场 (Level 1 Atrium)

Less than 24hrs to seeing Super Junior Donghae 东海, Ivy Chen 陈意涵 and Super Junior Siwon 始源 from 'Skip-Beat!'! They would be at Plaza Singapura today 7pm so see you there!

HSBC Joins SGX Derivatives Market

2012-02-14T08:50:00.001+08:00

The Singapore Exchange (SGX) on Monday announced that The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC) has joined its derivatives market as a trading and clearing member.

The addition of HSBC brings the number of trading members and clearing members in the derivatives market to 40 and 29 respectively, up 29 per cent and 12 per cent from 31 and 26 a year earlier.

In addition, there are 11 clearing members for the clearing of OTC traded financial derivatives on SGX AsiaClear. The securities market, meanwhile, has 30 trading members and 29 clearing members.

Y.E.S 93.3FM - Kai Ko "Be Yourself" Autograph Session

2012-02-11T12:20:00.000+08:00

Date:12th Feb (Sunday)
Time: 7:30pm
Venue: Bugis Junction-Bugis Square Level 1

• Autograph signing is applicable to both [Be Yourself] First Version & Limited Edition Version.
• One person is allowed to sign on one [Be Yourself] album only.
• The organisers reserve the right to change or amend any aspect of this event at their discretion.

柯震东来新班机详情更新：
**抵新日期：乘搭MI331于2月12日（星期日）早上9.50am从吉隆坡入境。

** Kai Ko will be arriving Singapore Changi Airport on 12th Feb, Sun via MI331 @ 9:50am.

Chinatown Yuan Xiao Jie 牛车水庆元宵

2012-02-04T12:14:00.002+08:00

Date: 5 February 2012

Time: 7.30pm – 9.30pm
Venue: Eu Tong Sen Street and New Bridge Road

Festivities culminate on the 15th day of the Chinese New Year, which marks the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations. It is also the Chinese Valentine’s Day for couples. Enjoy local and overseas performances and highlights of the Chingay Parade Singapore as the floats and performers make an appearance at Chinatown.

日期：2012年2月5日
时间：晚上7时30分至晚上9时30分
地点：余东旋街和新桥路

新春庆祝活动将在农历新年的第15天正式结束。人们总会在这农历新年的第一个月圆之日，和家人及好友相聚，增进彼此间的感情。这天也是华人的情人节。本地和海外艺人以及新加坡妆艺大游行的花车队伍和表演者也将到牛车水与大家欢聚。

Chinatown Chinese New Year Celebrations 2012 Countdown Party

2012-01-22T10:42:00.003+08:00

Date: 22 January 2012

Time: 9.30pm – 12.30am
Venue: Eu Tong Sen Street and New Bridge Road

Join in the party with live performances and countdown with MediaCorp artistes. Usher in the year of Dragon with firecrackers and a spectacular display of fireworks at this countdown celebration.

日期：2012年1月22日
时间：晚上9时30分至凌晨12时30分
地点：余东旋街和新桥路

参加迎春派对，和大伙儿一起观赏精彩的现场表演，然后和新传媒艺人一起倒数迎接龙年！倒数的重点庆祝活动是燃放鞭炮和壮观的烟火大汇演，在热闹的气氛中迈入新的一年。

SGX and Ong First to Promote Futures Trading Profession

2012-01-21T09:12:00.002+08:00

Singapore Exchange (SGX) and futures broker Ong First Tradition are launching a Professional Traders Development Programme to attract and train new futures traders.

SGX said on Friday the programme will raise awareness of the profession and impart trading skills to new traders through career seminars, intensive hands-on workshops and mentorship at a new trading arcade set up by Ong First.

It added that this joint initiative will meet increasing interest in the profession.

According to the exchange, the number of SGX-registered futures traders jumped more than 20 per cent in the second half of 2011, compared with the first half. During the same period, the daily average trading volume of the MSCI Singapore futures contract rose 19 per cent, reaching a record high of 18,895 contracts.

“Professional futures trading has evolved from the open outcry system on the trading floor to the current form of electronic trading which is less visible. It is thus timely now to raise awareness of the profession and grow the community by attracting new traders,” said Ng Tee How, President of Association of Financial & Commodity Traders (Singapore).

“This is the first time a professional trading course is combined with mentorship at a trader’s arcade. It will go a long way towards supporting the training and development needs of all new futures traders and contribute to building a more vibrant derivative trading landscape in Singapore,” said Chew Sutat, SGX Executive Vice President who oversees the SGX Academy.

More information on the activities of the Professional Traders Development Programme can be found at www.sgx.com/academy.

Securities Investors Association Singapore Appoints New Chairman

2012-01-19T08:04:00.001+08:00

Securities Investors Association (Singapore), or SIAS, Wednesday announced that it has appointed Hsieh Fu Hua its second Honorary Chairman with effect from 2 January 2012.

His first term will be for a three-year period.

Since its first Honorary Chairman, Tan Chok Kian, stepped down in September 2010, SIAS had been looking out for a candidate who is passionate for the retail investors’ cause and believes strongly in what the association stands for, it said in a statement.

SIAS noted that during his tenure as CEO of Singapore Exchange (SGX), Hsieh showed keen interest in the association.

It also found him supportive of its investor education initiatives and truly interested in the well being of the retail investor community.

In addition, Hsieh initiated and was the driving force in building a stronger relationship and communication between SGX and the retail investing community, SIAS said.

It added that Hsieh brings with him the industry knowledge and experience to help SIAS move to the next level of growth.

Singapore Exchange Withdraws Suit against China Sky

2012-01-18T08:58:00.000+08:00

The Singapore Exchange (SGX) has dropped its suit against China Sky Chemical Fibre and four of its Chinese directors in a closely watched case since late last year.

SGX’s suit sought to compel the company to comply with the exchange’s directive to appoint a special auditor under the listing rules.

While the High Court hearing was originally scheduled for Monday, SGX issued a brief statement late last night saying it has withdrawn the suit.

A separate SGX statement on Monday said the exchange’s lawyers and China Sky’s lawyer met the same day, with the latter seeking further instructions from his client in light of the company’s earlier announcement that it would “continue to communicate with SGX to resolve the impasse expediently”.

The case would have been the first of its kind for SGX, if the exchange had proceeded with the suit to enforce its listing rules after China Sky ignored its deadline to appoint a special auditor.

China Sky’s shares have been suspended from trading since November 17 last year.

“This saga has exposed structural issues that SGX may have in the sense that shareholders based in Singapore might have limited protection from the existing legal framework. This is something similar to a product that is sold without a warranty,” Tan Han Meng, a DMG & Partners analyst, was quoted by Reuters as saying.

The SGX directive earlier sought to address various issues pertaining to interested party transactions between the company and the audit committee chairman, the aborted acquisition and development of land in China, and repair and maintenance costs.

SGX - Earnings Surprised Analysts +S$65mn

2012-01-17T11:44:00.005+08:00

SGX announced its 2Q12 earnings results after markets yesterday. Despite the difficult market, SGX recorded a revenue of S$148mn and a net profit of S$65.4mn. The net profit is 7% higher than consensus and 19% higher than Macquarie Equities Research (MER) forecast.

Revenues fell
Total revenues fell 14% year-on-year (YoY) as securities revenues plummeted by 34%. This was partially offset by an 11% YoY increase in derivatives revenues, which benefited from growth in collateral-related income. The total revenue figure was 3% higher than MER's forecast, which MER had intentionally set at a conservative level.

Costs led to earnings surprise
Operating expenses fell by 9% YoY and was 11% below MER's forecast. This was mainly due to reduced variable compensation and IT related expenses, although weak market activity also played a role.

Reasonably good results
On the whole, MER thinks this was a reasonably good result. Markets have been abysmal, but management’s prudent control of operating costs helped to offset this. Annualized ROE of 43% was the highest since 2Q11, when markets were far more copacetic for the exchange business.

MER continues to prefer SGX over HKEx and Bursa on balance sheet strength and valuation. A return of positive market sentiment would allow for a re-rating, and this could occur medium term with the OECD Leading Indicators showing signs of a trough. MER sees the key downside risk now as a potential London Metal Exchange (LME) acquisition.

SGX fell 2.2% yesterday, closing at $6.10.

SGX Lists CapitaMalls Asia 10-year Retail Bonds

2012-01-14T08:32:00.003+08:00

Singapore Exchange (SGX) Friday welcomed the listing of CapitaMalls Asia’s 10-year bonds on the Mainboard under the stock code ‘PW3Z’.

CapitaMalls Asia, one of the largest listed shopping mall developers, owners and managers in Asia by total property value of assets and geographic reach, listed S$400 million of 10-year callable bonds.

Ng Kok Siong, Chief Financial Officer of CapitaMalls Asia, said: “We would like to thank SGX for providing a sound trading platform for our bondholders to trade their bonds as and when required. In addition, the company would like to take this opportunity to register our sincere appreciation to the public for their strong endorsement of our second series of bonds. Despite the upsize to S$400 million, we regret that we were unable to fulfil all the demand. We will definitely continue to look into offering retail investors opportunities to invest in our future series of bonds.”

“CapitaMalls Asia’s return to the retail bond market underscores the market’s growing attractiveness amid sustained investor interest in fixed income products. The addition of a 10-year bond to the retail bond market provides investors easy access to a longer-term investment with price transparency,” Tng Kwee Lian, Head of Fixed Income at SGX, said.

CapitaMalls Asia Friday closed on the SGX at S$1.265, up from its previous close of S$1.215.

Singapore Exchange Launches Investor Education Portal

2012-01-10T22:42:00.003+08:00

Singapore Exchange (SGX) has launched a new portal called ‘My Gateway’ to meet increasing investor interest for more investment knowledge and education.

It noted that last year, over 7,800 participants attended the more than 150 investor education activities organised by SGX Academy. In the second half of 2011, participation at investment seminars and professional courses grew 31 per cent and 83 per cent respectively from the first half of the year.

In a statement on Tuesday, SGX said the new portal provides one-stop shop access to market updates, video clips on investment products, information on seminars or courses that investors can sign up for, and tools such as investment or profit and loss calculators.

“We recognise that investors are hungry for information on investments and are looking for flexibility in learning. We therefore want to encourage investors to take advantage of the newly launched portal on (the) SGX website to learn about investing at their own time and pace,” said Mr Chew Sutat, SGX Executive Vice President, who oversees the Academy.

Mr David Gerald, President of Securities Investors Association (Singapore), welcomed the launch of SGX’s new portal.

“Investors should take responsibility (for) their investments. They should commit to equip themselves with the right knowledge to know – firstly, their risk appetites; secondly, the available products and finally, what investment strategies to adopt,” he said in a statement.

My Gateway can be accessed at www.sgx.com/mygateway.

SGX Securities Trading Down, Derivatives Trading Up in December

2012-01-05T09:41:00.002+08:00

The Singapore Exchange (SGX) on Wednesday said that its securities turnover in December 2011 fell 41 per cent from a year ago to S$16.67 billion.

The daily average value of securities traded was 36 per cent lower from a year ago at S$794.0 million. Also, the turnover from exchange traded funds declined 18 per cent year-on-year to S$640 million.

Total derivatives trading volume, however, rose 6 per cent to 5.1 million contracts while daily average volume increased 8 per cent to 241,783 contracts.

China A50 futures trading more than doubled to 342,825 contracts, while Nifty futures activity rose 28 per cent to 1.1 million contracts and MSCI Taiwan futures volume was 8 per cent up at 1.2 million contracts.

Meanwhile, agricultural commodity futures volume also increased 6 per cent to 17,263 contracts as participation in SICOM rubber futures continued to grow.

SGX also said that volume of OTC commodity contracts cleared was 8 per cent up at 12,369 contracts while clearing of iron ore swaps was over three times that of a year earlier at 7,453 contracts.

Since its launch in November 2010, OTC interest rate swaps cleared totalled a notional S$186.0 billion.

For fixed income, bond listing in SGX totalled S$8.3 billion, up 49 per cent year-on-year. The biggest listings were KDDI Corporation’s JPY190-billion 2015 convertible bond, Tencent Holdings’ US$600-million 2016 senior note and Hana Bank’s US$500-million 2017 note.

SGX Proposes Removal of Iceberg Order Functionality

2012-01-03T23:16:00.004+08:00

Singapore Exchange (SGX) is consulting the public on its proposal to remove the engine-level iceberg order functionality in the securities and derivatives markets.

The iceberg order functionality is utilised primarily by investors who trade large quantities. The functionality facilitates the execution of large orders in a manner that minimises adverse market impact by releasing the order gradually into the market. This allows only part of the order to be displayed and available for execution at any given time.

SGX noted that its engine-level iceberg order functionality is little used by the marketplace, as similar execution functionalities are offered in the order management systems of brokers and automated execution desks to execute block trades.

As such, the continued provision and maintenance of iceberg order functionality bring little benefit to the marketplace and its removal is expected to have insignificant effect on the market, the exchange said.

It added that the removal of this order functionality will also enhance transparency in the opening and closing routines, as well as in the calculation of equilibrium price.

The consultation paper on the proposed removal of the engine-level iceberg order functionality is available on SGX’s website from Tuesday.

Market participants and members of the public can send SGX their comments and suggestions on the proposal from Tuesday until 16 January 2012.

Guardian 313 @ Somerset - Pharmacy Counter NIGHTMARE EXPERIENCE

2012-01-02T18:23:00.000+08:00

I went to collect my AHA Facial Wash sample about 2 pm .

When reached , the pharmacy counter is empty .

Saw 2 promoters talking between themselves and approached them for assistance .

One of the promoters directed me to the cashier counter .

Atfer waiting patiently for my turn , I showed the cashier my email printout and her face went blank !

She told me that the pharmacy is closed and the promoter had misdirected me to her wrongly ...

Is she implying that I have to return the next time when hopefully the pharmacist is around so as to collect my sample ?

I suggested she contact her superior to find out where the sample is kept instead .

Mei Ching , the assistant store-manager of somerset outlet then directed me to ngee ann city outlet for collection .

She told me her outlet is out of stock and comfirmed that the ngee ann city outlet still have stock .

Quite amused that Guardian @ takashimaya and Guardian @ ngee ann city are just opposite each other in the same building !

Why make it so confusing to separate the two outlets ?

After confirming that I was at the ngee ann city outlet , I showed the pharmacist my email printout again .

Sad to say , the pharmacist told me that he did not have the sample too and directed me to his in-charge .

Joan , the retail executive of ngee ann city then comfimed that I can only collect the sample at somerset outlet as shown in the email printout ...

Joan then contact Mei Ching for liaising between the two outlets and update me that Mei Ching had found out where the sample is kept from her somerset pharmacist !

Why did Mei Ching direct me to another outlet without confirming exactly where the sample is kept ?

To my persistence , I manged to contact Amos , the retail manager for orchard area and offered my feedback .

Amos promised to contact me tomorrow afternoon by phone and email .

The ordeal I experienced finally ended about 4 pm.

Why is there no gesture of any goodwill compensation for my 2 hours of wasted time ?

Chinatown Chinese New Year Celebrations 2012 Official Light-Up and Opening Ceremony

2012-01-01T09:08:00.003+08:00

Date: 1 January 2012

Time: 6.00pm – 10.00pm
Venue: New Bridge Road and Eu Tong Sen Street

Be part of the Chinatown Chinese New Year celebrations opening ceremony and official light up which will be graced by Guest-of- Honour, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. This year, the big bang of real firecrackers is back again with more sparkles! Be mesmerised by the colourful display of pyrotechnics and fireworks display staged at the heart of Chinatown, enhanced by spectacular stage and street performances.

日期：2012年1月1日

时间：傍晚6时至晚上10时
地点：新桥路和余东旋街

与盛会主宾李显龙总理一同参与牛车水农历新年庆祝活动开幕典礼和亮灯仪式。今年的亮灯仪式将再度以震耳欲聋的鞭炮掀开序幕，牛车水中心也将燃放缤纷璀璨的烟火，并以精彩的舞台与街头表演助兴，让大家沉浸在歌舞升平的欢乐气氛中。

Happy 3+65 Countdown Show @ Marina Promontory

2011-12-30T18:40:00.001+08:00

Dec 31, 2011

The Promontory @ Marina Bay
11 Marina Boulavard
018940
6329 3535

6.30pm till late

Price: Free admission

The Happy 3+65 countdown show is a showcase of local talents who have worked hard to fufill their dreams throughout 2011. If you are planning to head down to the bay for the fireworks, be sure not to miss their live performance. Booze, food and drinks will be available at special prices.

Line-up:
6.30pm: Start of Happy 3+65 countdown party
6.40pm: Deon Toh
7pm: Natalie Hiong
7.20pm: Wei En
7.40pm: Cheryl Wee
8pm: Black Forest
8.20pm: Catalogue V
8.40pm: The Pinholes
9pm: Sleeq
9.30pm: Performance by various institutions

Block B in Singapore!

2011-12-27T10:10:00.002+08:00

Arrival

Date: 27 December 2011
Flight/Terminal: KE643, T2
Time: 1.45PM

Meet-and-Greet Session (Autograph Session, Hi-5/Handshake Session)Date: 28 December 2011
Venue: Tampines Mall, Level 4 Open Plaza
Time: 7pm to 9pm

Showcase
Date: 29 December 2011 (Thursday)
Time: 7pm to 9pm
Place: St James Powerhouse

CHILLOGY on Christmas Day (25 DEC) at Powerhouse!

2011-12-25T12:07:00.002+08:00

Have a white Christmas day at Powerhouse with 3 DJs spinning 3 genres in 1 power packed night!
Add to the wintry season by dressing in white and the first 500 will enjoy free entry, a door gift, a shot of Cuervo Cold and free flow of Jose Cuervo Tequila cocktails from 10pm to 11pm.

Minimum age of entry is 18 years old.
No cover charge before 11pm.
Cover charge applies after 11pm: Ladies no door charge, Guys $20 (includes 2 drinks).
Extended Happy Hour till 11pm (MERRY CHRISTMAS!)
St James Members enjoy free entry + unlimited guests all night long!

SGX Expands GlobalQuote Footprint with New ADRs

2011-12-24T09:15:00.001+08:00

Singapore Exchange (SGX) will expand its GlobalQuote footprint with the addition of 15 new American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) to its international quotation board on 29 December 2011.

In a statement on Friday, SGX said the move is part of its continuing efforts to expand the scope and coverage of GlobalQuote to offer more international investment opportunities for market participants.

All 15 new ADRs are of industry-leading companies with at least US$1-billion market capitalisation. They hail from across Asia, Europe and Australasia, expanding GlobalQuote’s geographic coverage to 11 countries across three continents.

SGX said all the ADRs on GlobalQuote are fully transferable with those listed in the US and allow investors to manage their exposure to these companies across both US and Asian market hours.

Nels Friets, Head of Securities at SGX, said: “By expanding our GlobalQuote footprint with these new ADRs, we enable investors to manage risk and trade across several time-zones with ease and cost efficiency. For the first time, investors will be able to manage exposures to these global companies during the Asian time zone, when increasingly relevant news (flows are) likely to occur for these companies with significant businesses in Asia.”

The new ADRs include: Makita Corp, Alumina Ltd, James Hardie Industries, Telco of NZ, Alcatel Lucent, Total SA, France Telecom, Veolia Environment, Vodafone Group, Diageo Plc, HSBC Holdings, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Statoil, Syngenta, and Portugal Telecom.

SIAS Urges China Sky to Comply with SGX Directive

2011-12-22T17:06:00.002+08:00

A statement on Wednesday by Securities Investors Association (Singapore), or SIAS, highlighted “serious concerns” over recent developments at China Sky Chemical Fibre Co Ltd.

Trading of Singapore Exchange (SGX) Mainboard-listed China Sky’s shares has been suspended since November 17.

SIAS called for the company to immediately comply with the SGX directive to appoint a special auditor under the listing rules so that the trading suspension can be lifted.

Issued on November 16, the SGX directive seeks to address various issues pertaining to interested party transactions between the company and the audit committee chairman, the aborted acquisition and development of land in China, and repair and maintenance costs.

The SIAS statement also called on China Sky and its directors to “adhere to corporate governance standards in Singapore, which is the least that shareholders expect from the company and its directors”.

“SIAS is perturbed to learn from SGX’s statement dated 16 December 2011 that queries from SGX to the company have been met with contradictory statements and disclosures which were not substantiated,” the association said.

Global Logistic Properties - Beachhead for asset management

2011-12-20T18:54:00.002+08:00

GLP has acquired a 50% stake in a logistics facility portfolio from LaSalle Investment Management valued at

US$1.6bn. The acquisition is slightly accretive to its tangible asset value and marks the start of asset management.

We view this move positively. Balance sheet remains strong with a resultant net gearing of 0.4x, on our estimates.

We lift our RNAV-based TP with FY12-14 EPS estimates up by 3-9% to factor in the accretion and a 15x PE applied

to its new fee income stream. Maintain Outperform.

家輝新加坡簽唱會!!! 期待與大家見面!!

2011-12-16T18:18:00.003+08:00

伍家輝[妳愛我嗎]簽唱會
日期: 12月17日(星期六)
時間: 6pm
地點: Bugis Junction, Bugis Square

吴建豪 C'EST LA V 签名会

2011-12-14T22:55:00.000+08:00

Date: 15.Dec. 2011

Time: 7:30pm

Venue: Bugis Junction, Bugis Square Level 1

凡携带Vanness C'EST LA V 改版专辑，将可获得签名！千勿错过！
现场也可购买得到！

Singapore Launches World’s First National Two-factor Authentication Device

2011-12-13T09:21:00.002+08:00

A new device, expected to raise the security of online transactions while allowing access to multiple electronic platforms, was launched in Singapore on Monday.

Called “OneKey”, the device was rolled out by Assurity Trusted Solutions, a subsidiary of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore.

Assurity said OneKey, about the size of a name card, is the world’s first national two-factor authentication device.

The device was launched as part of the National Authentication Framework, of which Assurity is the operator.

According to Assurity, OneKey users can access multiple online platforms using the single device.

For example, the same device allows them to do online banking with different banks.

While Philip Securities, Kim Eng Securities and ST Electronics have reportedly said they will leverage on OneKey, no banks have joined the new system as yet.

BlackRock Boosts its iShares ETF Offerings with Two New Funds in SGX

2011-12-08T08:53:00.001+08:00

BlackRock (Singapore) Limited, a unit of the world’s largest asset management company, on Wednesday announced it is extending its iShares fixed income exchange traded fund (ETF) offerings in Singapore with the listing of two new Asian fixed income ETFs in a bid to give investors more investment access to one of the world’s fastest growing regions.

The new iShares Barclays Capital USD Asia High Yield Bond Index ETF and iShares Barclays Capital Asia Local Currency 1-3 Year Bond Index ETF are expected to take advantage of the region’s improving economic fundamentals and better corporate profile with investments on baskets of Asian currency, credit and high yield bonds.

“Driven by domestic consumption and exports, Asian economies are recording faster growth than any other developed markets. Market conditions in the US and Europe are leading investors to increasingly turn to Asian fixed income markets, which offer higher yields and lower default rates, for returns,” said Nick Good, Managing Director and Head of iShares, Asia Pacific at BlackRock.

Asset allocation strategies are heavily leaning towards emerging markets in general and Asian high yield bonds could be major beneficiaries of that trend as economic growth trends remain robust as compared to the Western world.

Dedicated emerging market bond funds have attracted US$8.2 billion in inflows year to date, according to EPFR Global data. This contrasts with US$27.3 billion of outflows for emerging market equities.

The iShares Barclays Capital USD Asia High Yield Bond Index ETF will track the performance of a combination of USD-denominated government-related and corporate high yield debt in the Asia ex-Japan region. The countries include China, Indonesia, Hong Kong, the Philippines, India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, South Korea, Pakistan and Singapore.

Meanwhile, the iShares Barclays Capital Asia Local Currency 1–3 Year Bond Index ETF provides access to Asia’s local currency bond markets with less sensitivity to interest rate movements than existing products due to its shorter duration. It will cover Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines and Hong Kong bonds, with small allocations to regional corporate bonds.

ETFs are baskets of assets, such as stocks, bonds or commodities, that trade on stock exchanges. Unlike traditional mutual funds, ETFs can be bought and sold throughout the day like stocks and are also attractive to investors because they have lower fees and tax advantages compared with mutual funds.

In June this year, BlackRock introduced its first two Asian fixed income ETFs which offered exposures to a diversified portfolio of local Asian currency denominated debts from sovereign issuers such as Indonesia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and the Philippines, combined with allocations to regional corporate bonds.

“Together with iShares’ first two Asian fixed income ETFs, investors can now choose to invest in bond markets at varying levels of risk adjusted return in order to suit their investment view. All four of our fixed income ETFs listed on SGX are cash-based ETFs that invest directly in the underlying bonds,” explained Catherine Barker, Director and Head of iShares Southeast Asia at BlackRock.

Both ETFs will be listed on SGX, with trading to commence December 8, Thursday. They will both trade in board lots of 100 shares.

“Singapore is a hub for fixed income as it provides accessibility across regional markets. With improved access to the fixed income sector through SGX-listed fixed income products such as retail and corporate bonds, Singapore government bonds and fixed income ETFs, we are seeing increased interest in these products from investors,” said Nels Friets, Head of Securities at SGX.

BlackRock is the world’s leading fixed income manager managing US$1.2 trillion in fixed income assets across multiple investment approaches, and iShares is the world’s leading fixed income ETF provider, accounting for 59 per cent of total fixed income ETF assets.

Singapore Exchange Strengthens Regulation with New Appointments

2011-12-06T09:54:00.001+08:00

Singapore Exchange (SGX) announced that it has appointed Richard Teng as Deputy Chief Regulatory Officer with effect from 1 January 2012.

SGX said that in his new role, Teng will support Yeo Lian Sim, Chief Regulatory Officer, in maintaining a robust regulatory framework to uphold the quality and integrity of the marketplace.

Teng was appointed Head of Regulation in July this year to oversee the issuer regulation, Catalist regulation, member supervision, market surveillance and enforcement functions under the Risk Management and Regulation (RMR) unit.

He joined SGX in 2007 as Head of Issuer Regulation and Chief of Staff for the RMR team.

Prior to joining SGX, Teng was director of the corporate finance division at the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

The exchange also welcomed Sonia Zhang as Head of Risk Management with immediate effect on Monday.

In leading the risk management team, Zhang will be responsible for establishing enterprise-wide risk policies and management of clearing houses’ risk exposures.

SGX said the risk management unit will work closely with the clearing risk unit, which is responsible for the formulation and implementation of risk frameworks for new products and services. Both units report to Yeo.

Zhang joins SGX from OCBC Bank where she headed market risk control and analysis within the group risk management unit in overseeing market risk identification, measurements and control for the bank’s trading activities.

“The new appointments strengthen the risk management team for the challenges of the changing financial landscape,” Yeo said in a statement.

SGX Derivatives, Commodities and Clearing Activity Continues to Grow in November

2011-12-04T11:09:00.001+08:00

Singapore Exchange (SGX) on Friday said its derivatives, commodities and clearing activity continued to grow while securities fell in November from a year earlier.

Securities turnover fell 37 per cent year on year to S$25.4 billion as global uncertainties lingered. Securities daily average value was S$1.2 billion, down 40 per cent from a year earlier.

Turnover from exchange traded funds also went down 52 per cent to S$532.0 million. Structured warrants trading, however, rose 57 per cent to S$931.0 million.

Total derivatives volume increased 7 per cent year on year to 5.8 million contracts while derivatives daily average volume was 281,038 contracts, up 6 per cent.

MSCI Taiwan Index Futures volume was 33 per cent higher in November from a year earlier at 1.6 million contracts.

MSCI Singapore futures volume was 26 per cent up at 395,618 contracts while China A50 futures trading increased 81 per cent year on year to 369,041 contracts in November.

For commodities and clearing, trading of agricultural commodity futures increased 54 per cent year on year to 30,140 contracts primarily due to growing interest in the SICOM rubber contracts.

Volume of OTC commodity contracts cleared rose 67 per cent from a year earlier to 19,800 contracts; while iron ore swaps cleared totalled 12,851 contracts, almost five times the volume of a year earlier.

Clearing of OTC Interest Rate Swaps continued to grow with a notional S$4.5 billion cleared in November, bringing the cumulative amount cleared since launch to S$184.5 billion notional.

SGX Introduces Clearing of New OTC Coal and Naphtha Swaps

2011-11-29T22:17:00.001+08:00

Singapore Exchange’s (SGX) AsiaClear service will clear more varieties of over-the-counter (OTC) coal and naphtha swaps from next month.

According to SGX, clearing of OTC CFR South China Coal Swaps and CFR Japan Naphtha Swaps is available from 5 December 2011, while Balance-of-Month CFR Japan Naphtha Swaps and Balance-of-Month FOB Korea Benzene Swaps clearing will be offered from 1 February 2012.

Julie Heng, Head of Commodities at SGX, said: “We are extending our OTC product suite in response to market demands, offering greater breadth of trading tools to our customers. These products offer traders and market participants additional risk management tools which will help to support the growth of the coal and petrochemical markets in the region.”

China’s energy-hungry economy, which relies on coal for some 80 per cent of its power generation needs, has seen its net import of thermal coal surge to over 100 million metric tonnes a year, according to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences. This makes China the world’s second-largest thermal coal importer behind Japan and ahead of South Korea.

Naphtha is the feedstock for many petrochemical processes in the manufacture of products including plastics, fibres and lubricants. Three of the largest petrochemical producers in Asia ‒ Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan ‒ import approximately 80 million metric tonnes of naphtha a year for the industry.

Other OTC products that SGX clears on AsiaClear include Sub Bituminous Coal FOB Indonesia Swaps, FOB Singapore Naphtha Swaps and FOB Korea Benzene Swaps.

ASEAN Exchanges Roll Out ASEAN Trading Link

2011-11-17T23:49:00.001+08:00

ASEAN Exchanges, a collaboration of seven Southeast Asian bourses, on Thursday announced the roll out of the ASEAN Trading Link, an initiative which will see the participation of member exchanges taking place progressively.

The first stage will see the connectivity of Singapore Exchange and Bursa Malaysia in June 2012, to be followed by the Stock Exchange of Thailand in August 2012 after its new trading engine goes live.

The participation dates of the other ASEAN Exchanges members from the Philippines, two from Vietnam, and Indonesia will be announced at a later date.

“The three bourses that will participate in the first stage of the ASEAN Trading Link represent approximately 70 per cent of the market capitalisation of the seven-member collaboration, thus offering substantial investment opportunities for investors.”

The seven ASEAN Exchanges have a combined market capitalisation of approximately

US$2.0 trillion, with more than 3,600 companies listed on their exchanges.

Some of these companies are the largest and most dynamic companies in the world, including those in the finance and banking, energy, telecommunications, commodities, automotive manufacturing and other industrial sectors.

SGX Derivatives and OTC Clearing Volumes Increase in October

2011-11-03T00:11:00.002+08:00

Singapore Exchange (SGX) Wednesday announced that derivatives and commodities activity rose while securities trading fell in October from a year earlier.

Turnover for securities fell 38 per cent year-on-year to S$28 billion as global uncertainties continued to curb investor appetite. The securities daily average value was S$1.4 billion, down 35 per cent from a year earlier.

ETF turnover fell 42 per cent to S$557 million but structured warrants trading rose 61 per cent to S$812 million.

Total derivatives volume increased 11 per cent year-on-year to 5.9 million contracts, while the derivatives daily average volume was 304,088 contracts, up 17 per cent.

Nifty futures volume was 19 per cent higher from a year earlier at 1.2 million contracts. MSCI Singapore futures volume rose 30 per cent to 412,671 contracts. China A50 futures trading more than doubled year-on-year to 305,667 contracts.

Commodity futures volume increased 2 per cent year-on-year to 21,906 contracts.

Volume of over-the-counter (OTC) commodity contracts cleared rose 45 per cent from a year earlier to 26,037 contracts.

Meanwhile, volume of Iron Ore Swaps cleared totalled 15,380 contracts, five times that of a year earlier.

Clearing of OTC Interest Rate Swaps continued to grow with a notional S$11.4 billion cleared in October, bringing the cumulative amount cleared since launch to S$180 billion notional.

SGX to Attract Listings from India with New Appointment

2011-11-01T23:42:00.000+08:00

Singapore Exchange (SGX) announced that it has appointed Neena Prasad as Senior Vice President and Head of Listings (India) with effect from Tuesday.

SGX said she will lead the exchange’s efforts in attracting listings from India to its international capital-raising platform.

Prasad reports to Lawrence Wong, Executive Vice President and Head of Listings of SGX.

“We continue to see strong interest from Indian businesses seeking to tap the international capital market via our Asian Gateway and our product (offerings) such as REITs and Business Trusts. With Neena’s vast experience in the Indian market, she can ably promote SGX as the listing venue of choice in South Asia to businesses seeking international exposure,” Wong said in a statement.

Before joining SGX, Prasad was with Morgan Stanley New Delhi, and has extensive experience in India’s private and investment banking industry.

Flaunt It! 晚晴园

2011-10-30T09:07:00.002+08:00

Date: 30 October 2011
Time: 730pm to 930pm
Venue: Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall, Ah Hood Road

Concert-goes can look forward to a showcase that’ll last a whole 2 hours, yes, FREE! Look forward to performances by MiCapella, The Teng Ensemble, Chou Pi Jiang, Joi Chua, Serene Koong, The Freshman, Derrick Hoh, Jim Lim Chinese Theatre Circle and Zingo Festival Drum Group. Phew, that was really quite a mouthful. Word has it that DJ KoFlow himself will be down to do collaborations with some of the artistes onstage. To add on to the star-studded list, Royston Tan, one of Singapore’s top filmmaker is the artistic director for the showcase. Looks like one can look forward to a meaningful event with a majestic visual feast!

《美味人生》

2011-10-28T22:08:00.001+08:00

CAPITAL 958 城市频道广播剧《美味人生》签名活动，就在明天。到时，主要演员会到场与您同欢共乐，并在 CD 上签名。每一位听众只可以索取一张 CD，先到先得！送完为止！欢迎来参加我们的广播剧迷聚会！日期：10 月 29 号 (星期六) / 时间：下午 2 点 / 地点：美珍香分店 (189 New Bridge Road)

SGX Clears First Asian FX Forwards

2011-10-25T10:28:00.000+08:00

Singapore Exchange (SGX) on Monday launched its clearing service for over-the-counter (OTC) traded Asian Foreign Exchange (FX) Forwards (non-deliverable).

Deutsche Bank, DBS Bank and OCBC Bank cleared their first Asian FX Forwards with the exchange.

A world’s first, this initiative is aligned with global developments towards central counterparty clearing (CCP) of OTC derivatives to promote systemic stability in financial markets, SGX said.

The clearing of Asian FX Forwards covers non-deliverable Asian currencies, namely the Chinese yuan, Indian rupee, Korean won, Indonesian rupiah, Malaysian ringgit, Philippine peso and Taiwanese dollar.

“Launched in close collaboration with our members, the Asian FX Forwards clearing service will accord our members capital and operational efficiencies. This service is well aligned with global regulatory reform and will encourage the adoption of CCP clearing of OTC traded products in Asia,” Muthukrishnan Ramaswami, President of SGX, said in a statement.

The launch of FX Forwards by SGX follows the November 2010 clearing service for Interest Rate Swaps denominated in Singapore and US dollars.

The 11 SGX Clearing Members eligible to clear FX Forwards are Barclays Bank Plc, Citibank N.A., Credit Suisse AG, DBS Bank Limited, Deutsche Bank AG, The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd, OCBC Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, The Royal Bank of Scotland Plc, UBS AG, and United Overseas Bank Ltd.

SGX said it expects the membership to grow in the next few months with membership interest from all banks active in these products.

WILD ABOUT WINGS REVIEW

2011-10-23T14:22:00.001+08:00

1000 East Coast Parkway
#01-A10
Singapore 424886

Mon - Fri: 15:00 - 23:00
Sat: 12:00 - 01:00
Sun: 12:00 - 23:00

On 151011 4pm , I was invited to sample the chicken wings with different flavours. 2 female bloggers and a few other male photographers were there too.

I tasted the honey lemon wing and lemon garlic wing. The difference in tastes is actually from the sauces applied on the crispy skin of the chicken wings. Next up is the spicy hot (mild) wing which left a little burning sensation in the mouth after tasting. The spicy hot flavour actually has 3 different levels of hotness namely mild, hot and fire.

Lastly , we tasted the GHOST CHILE WING ! A little advice for those who want to challenge their tolerance for hotness , be prepared to have lots of water on standby. We all know that indians have fondness for hot stuff as they like curry. Can you imagine the hotness if one of the indian photographers tried it and cried ? For me , I managed to take 3 small bits before I surrender !

As I have another event to attend in the evening , I left before I can tryout all the different flavours available. On a final note , the best time to tryout their chicken wings is actually during their happy hour !

SGX’s 1QFY2012 Profit Rises 18 Per cent to S$88 million

2011-10-18T08:25:00.000+08:00

The Singapore Exchange (SGX) announced on Monday that it recorded a net profit of S$88 million in 1QFY2012 (ending 30 September 2011), up 18 per cent from S$74 million a year ago.

Overall revenue rose 12 per cent to S$178 million, compared with S$159 million in the previous corresponding period.

However, Listings revenue decreased by 3 per cent to S$9 million as fund raising activities slowed down due to unconducive market conditions spawned by ongoing macroeconomic concerns, it noted.

SGX said that while Securities and Issuer Services revenues were flat in the quarter, revenues from Derivatives, Depository, Member Services and Connectivity and Market Data grew by 27 per cent year-on-year to S$90 million in 1QFY2012.

The exchange’s securities daily trading value (SDAV) for the quarter was S$1.6 billion, on par with that of 1QFY2011 and about 9 per cent higher than the S$1.4 billion in the preceding quarter (4QFY2011).

Derivatives volume was 33 per cent higher at a record volume of 322,152 contracts a day.

“We are pleased with our results in this quarter. SGX had record derivatives volumes and continued to see growing interest for listings and new memberships,” Magnus Bocker, CEO of SGX, said.

“We successfully rolled out a number of new initiatives, including reduced minimum bid-ask spreads, all-day trading in our securities market and Reach – our new securities trading engine. We also revised our listing rules to improve corporate governance,” he added.

However, he said SGX remained cautious amid “uncertain global financial markets and continuing macroeconomic challenges in Europe and the US.”

For the period under review, SGX recorded S$150 million in IPO funds from six new listings, compared with S$82 million from eight new listings in 1QFY2011.

It also recorded S$1.1 billion in secondary funds raised, compared with S$1.4 billion in the previous corresponding period.

In addition, S$25 billion of debt capital programmes were listed through 54 issues.

SGX said EBITDA rose 15 per cent to S$115 million. Driven by increased revenues, its earnings per share was 18 per cent higher at S$0.082 and the ROE improved to 10.1 per cent.

Expenses were 10 per cent higher at S$75 million, mainly driven by technological expenses on increased depreciation of new platforms and the phased roll-out of the Reach initiative that began in April this year.

SGX cautioned that market activity in the near term could be adversely affected by the prevailing uncertainty and challenging global macroeconomic outlook.

But it said it would nonetheless continue with its current initiatives and investments.

SGX also announced that its Board of Directors has declared an interim dividend of S$0.04 per share, payable on 16 November 2011.

LIVERPOOL VS MAN UTD - LIVE AT THE COLISEUM @ RWS

2011-10-16T21:47:00.003+08:00

Yesterday , I went to attend the event as a MAN UTD supporter . I reached the entrance about 7pm as the
match start at 7.45pm . To my horror , there is a long queue outside as the part-time tiger girl is explaining to
the supporters that the venue is full . At the front of the queue is a family of 5 with an angry father and a
dissappointed little boy . From their conversation , the angry father wants to talk to the manager as they have
spent $50 to come and watch the match . When the tiger manager comes out , she was immediately
bombarded left , right and centre by the unhappy crowd . I felt pity for the tiger manger as she is in her 20s
and almost break-down in tears . The angry father demanded that his little boy be let in to watch the live
match . After liasoning with the security at hard rock cafe , a few more slots were opened up and I am lucky
to be the last one to be allowed entry . I could hear those behind me arguing with the security . As I stepped
into the watching area , the place looks like 80% full with more spaces furthest to the entrance . What is
meant by fullhouse by the management ? The most ironic is that the VIP tables are quite empty as many of
them did not turn up . I even managed to have a place at the VIP area . The supporters become excited
after liverpool scored the first goal around 70th minute . Just as the cowd thinks that liverpool will win ,
MAN UTD equalised around the 80th minute . After that , the supporters for both teams shouted more and
louder but in a friendly way . Quite amused by the couple in front of me as the female supports MAN UTD
but the male supports liverpool . Technically , liverpool should win as they are on home-ground and have
more shots on target . But luck seems to be neutral that night . Even though there is a second match to watch
between MAN CITY VS ASTON VILLA , most of the crowd left . Hope the next event will not have the
hiccups again !

Internal Audit Should be Part of SGX’s Listing Rules: SIAS

2011-10-12T08:20:00.001+08:00

The Securities Investors Association (Singapore), or SIAS, has called for an independent internal audit function to be part of SGX’s listing rules and for companies to include the internal audit report in the annual report.

This message was stressed by Mr David Gerald, President and CEO of SIAS, at a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing ceremony in Singapore Management University (SMU) on Monday evening where he spoke to reporters.

The signing marked a three-year collaboration between SIAS, Institute of Internal Auditors Singapore (IIAS) and SMU to establish an Internal Audit Excellence Award as part of the SIAS annual Investors’ Choice Awards.

The new award seeks to recognise public-listed companies that have established an effective internal audit function to enhance corporate governance, risk management and internal controls.

Noting that having an internal auditor is currently seen as a best practice, Mr Gerald said: “We would like to see the internal audit process developing into an independent function where the internal auditor would be the eyes and ears of investors…and report directly to the board and audit chairman. We would like to see this as part of the (Singapore Exchange’s) listing rules and not just as part of the corporate governance code.”

Mr Gerald added that it is important to preserve the audit report’s independence because that is what investors want, and an independent internal auditor could provide “early warning signals” that would allow the board to make urgent decisions to prevent any scam.

“We don’t want a situation where the audit report is interfered with in any way or altered to suit certain people within the organisation,” he said. “We want investors to have the comfort of knowing that there is someone inside (the company) who is independent and will report immediately any lapses in integrity.”

A key finding of the KPMG Singapore Fraud Survey Report 2011 was that 46 per cent of fraud incidents was perpetrated by employees, while management, including board members and senior management officers, were responsible for a significant 17 per cent of such cases.

The KPMG report also noted that an average of nine incidents is reported per fraud-hit company in 2011, up sharply from 3.8 in 2008. Also, the total estimated cost of these incidents is S$6.5 million in 2011, an increase from S$5.3 million in 2008.

There should be mandatory corporate action when the chief auditor resigns possibly because he refused to leave out certain things in the audit report as requested by the CEO and this is a “very telling sign”, said Loh Uantchern, President of IIAS, who signed the MOU with Mr Gerald and Professor Arnoud De Meyer, President of SMU.

Internal audit has traditionally been seen as the third line of defence after internal controls and risk management.

However, Loh noted that the latter two functions have been increasingly challenged amid today’s economic turbulence and high-profile cases such as the recent UBS incident.

“We believe that the internal audit function has to go beyond the third line of defence…the role of internal audit has to be at the first, second and third lines of defence,” Loh said.

If the organisation allows the internal auditor to be present everywhere to know what is happening in various departments, the value of internal audit would not be questioned, he added.

Mr Gerald acknowledged that the effectiveness of the internal audit function is based on the assumption that top leaders and board members are people of integrity. However, he stressed that internal audit is still crucial as an additional layer of corporate governance to ensure accountability.

Regarding the short-listing of companies for the Internal Audit Excellence Award, Loh said the internal audit head, board chairman, the CEO and the external auditor will fill up and submit four questionnaires to a selection committee comprising members from SIAS, IIAS and SMU. Then, the questionnaires will be scored quantitatively and, together with qualitative considerations, will determine the award winners.

The Internal Audit Excellence Award will be given out at the SIAS 12th Investors’ Choice Awards ceremony on October 27.

Party at Holland Village Circle Line station

2011-10-07T19:31:00.000+08:00

SMRT will be organising a free Circle Line Carnival on Saturday, October 8, to celebrate the full opening of the Circle Line.

It said there will be live music and dance, stilt walking and fire twirling performances and also Mardi Gras performers and samba percussionists on the street level at Holland Village Station from 6pm to 9pm.

Local bands Matterfour, The Dirt Radicals and Timmy! Band will also be entertaining commuters.

SMRT said it has also arranged for commuters to enjoy on that day foot reflexology and massage services by masseuses from the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped.

A discount voucher booklet will also be given out at any Circle Line MRT station that day, with discounts at more than 70 merchants.

With the opening of the Circle Line, SMRT said travel time can be shortened by up to 17 minutes.

For example, someone travelling from Bishan to Holland Village will only spend 14 minutes, compared to 31 minutes using the North-South line and making a transfer by bus.

Hang Lung, CapitaMalls Plan Chinese Shopping Centres to Tap Luxury Market

2011-10-01T19:40:00.000+08:00

Hang Lung Properties Ltd and CapitaMalls Asia Ltd have announced plans to build new shopping malls in China, underscoring their confidence in the country’s growing luxury consumer market.

Hang Lung, the Hong Kong developer that is building high-end shopping centres in other parts of China, and its parent bought two sites in Kunming in the southwest for RMB3.5 billion (US$547 million), it said in a stock exchange filing Thursday.

Singapore-based CapitaMalls said Friday it plans to trade its shares in Hong Kong, a day after announcing a venture to invest RMB6.7 billion in a mall and office development in Suzhou, a city west of Shanghai.

Luxury-products makers such as Prada SpA and LVMH Moe Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA are expanding in China, where the number of millionaire households jumped 31 per cent to 1.11 million in 2010 from a year earlier, according to a Boston Consulting Group survey. Demand for retail space helped drive a 42-per cent surge in commercial real estate investments in the country last year, according to Cushman & Wakefield Inc.

“There are a lot of opportunities in retail property in China,” said Sherman Yeung, Beijing-based director of retail services for North China at Colliers International. “The population is big and the country needs domestic consumption to boost the economy.”

Hang Lung fell 1.4 per cent to HK$24.05 as of 10:25 am in Hong Kong trading, while its parent Hang Lung Group gained 1.8 per cent to HK$40.10. CapitaMalls climbed 1.7 per cent to S$1.22 in Singapore, the first advance in three days.

Chinese consumers will be the world’s largest luxury spenders by next year, according to a HSBC Holdings Plc report last month. The nation’s retail sales climbed 17 per cent in August from a year earlier, after increasing 17.2 per cent the previous month, the statistics bureau said earlier this month.

Foreign developers may have an advantage in acquiring commercial projects over local rivals, who are “short of capital,” Yeung said.

Chinese developers are facing an “increasingly severe” credit outlook that may force them to cut prices and borrow on higher interest rates, Standard & Poor’s said in a September 27 report. Fewer than half of the 70 cities monitored by the government in August posted month-on-month gains in home prices for the first time, according to Samsung Securities Co.

CapitaLand unit CapitaMalls said in a statement to the Hong Kong exchange Friday that it plans to start trading its shares in the city on October 18 after applying for a secondary listing. The stock started trading in Singapore two years ago.

China makes up 44 per cent of CapitaMalls’ S$6.19 billion (US$4.8 billion) of assets, and is its biggest market.

SGX Offers New Features to Enhance Market Transparency

2011-09-23T14:58:00.002+08:00

Singapore Exchange (SGX) Thursday announced that it will improve its securities market opening and closing routines to enhance transparency and trading safeguards.

SGX said that from September 26, real-time indicative equilibrium prices will be published during the opening and closing routines. Also from that date, there will be a random ending to the pre-open and pre-close phases of the opening and closing routines.

The exchange added that it will also improve trading functionalities available to market participants from September 26. Following the launch of its Reach trading engine last month, SGX will offer new order types, allowing investors more flexibility in the execution of their orders, it said. These order types are “Market on Open and Market on Close (both market orders and market-to-limit orders)” and “Session State Orders”.

Gan Seow Ann, President of SGX, said: “We are pleased to be able to better meet customers’ need for increased transparency, richer functionalities, greater capacity, and improved latency with these initiatives. Improvement and innovation are necessary to enhance Singapore’s edge as a leading financial centre. We will continue to offer new market features and initiatives for the benefit of all market participants.”

NTT Singapore, SGX Collaborate to Give Customers Fast Trading Access

2011-09-21T07:53:00.000+08:00

NTT Singapore, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NTT Communications Corporation, Tuesday announced that it has successfully attained the status of NSP (Network Service Provider) in collaboration with the Singapore Exchange (SGX).

With this, NTT Singapore will be able to offer customers collocated in SGX access to other global or regional stock exchanges and their home markets using NTT Com Low-Latency Service.

In addition, customers who co-locate in NTT Singapore’s new data centre will be able to reach out to trading communities in Chicago, Tokyo and soon, Hong Kong, among others.

NTT Singapore said this can be achieved through its low-latency infrastructure comprising ASE, PC-1 and NTT Communications’ data centres, which are strategically located in close proximity to exchanges.

It added that all of NTT Communications’ data centres are inter-linked by a dedicated high bandwidth and carrier-grade backbone, providing customers optimal access to market information and trading activities.

“Low latency network has increasingly become an important differentiating factor in the financial services industry. Every microsecond counts! Our goal is to enhance customer experience by improving latency between customers’ trading facilities and financial exchanges so that customers can enjoy faster access to market data and trading opportunities,” said Takeshi Kazami, President and CEO of NTT Singapore.

SGX Amends Listing Rules to Strengthen Corporate Governance Practices

2011-09-15T14:56:00.001+08:00

Singapore Exchange (SGX) Wednesday announced amendments to its listing rules to strengthen corporate governance practices and foster greater corporate disclosure.

These amendments are undertaken to keep abreast of the challenges and developments of the industry and are part of SGX’s ongoing efforts to enhance the quality of the marketplace, the exchange said.

To come into effect from September 29 this year, the amendments will apply to the Mainboard Listing Rules, as well as the Catalist Rules where applicable, SGX said.

To strengthen corporate governance and safeguard shareholders’ interests, one of the key amendments is for issuers to have a robust and effective system of internal controls that addresses financial, operational and compliance risks.

Another key amendment is the disclosure of whether any of the issuer’s independent directors has been appointed to the board of the issuer’s principal subsidiaries based in jurisdictions other than Singapore. On an ongoing basis, announcements are required for the appointment and cessation of such independent directors to the board of these principal subsidiaries.

In addition, no transfer of securities will be allowed during a trading suspension, unless approved by SGX.

Under specific circumstances, such as where the issuer is the subject of an investigation of irregularities or other wrongdoing, SGX’s approval may be required for appointments of directors, chief executive officers and chief financial officers. The exchange’s right to take action against directors or key executive officers, such as public censure or objecting to their appointments to the boards of other issuers is also codified in this rule.

Another key amendment is requiring auditing firms appointed by the issuer to be registered with and / or regulated by Singapore’s Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority or an independent audit oversight body acceptable to SGX.

New Practice Notes have also been introduced to provide clarity on the wordings for responsibility statements, use of Right of First Refusal Agreements and submission of profit estimates, projections and forecasts.

Following consultation for the rule amendments, SGX also noted certain practical problems associated with implementing some of the proposed rules.

As such, the exchange said it will not proceed with requiring a Singapore resident independent director on the board of overseas principal subsidiaries. This is because the feedback highlighted the difficulty of sourcing for independent directors to serve on the boards of principal subsidiaries that operate in jurisdictions unfamiliar to a Singapore resident.

To have better control and oversight of overseas subsidiaries, SGX said it will require issuers to have a robust and effective system of internal controls. Disclosure requirements have also been imposed on issuers to announce whether the board of the issuer has appointed its directors to the board of the principal subsidiaries based in jurisdictions other than Singapore.

In addition, SGX said it will not proceed with requiring the appointment of a governance adviser as such a role is “too widely encompassing” to be managed by a single professional.

It added that such an appointment could also be “too demanding to impose on all newly-listed companies, including the well-governed ones.”

However, SGX said it retains the flexibility to require such an adviser on a “when-required” basis.

WCS and friends Meet & Greet Session

2011-09-10T15:28:00.000+08:00

Catch the young cast of Channel 8 drama On the Fringe at this live appearance. Edwin Goh, Kimberly Chia, Ian Fang, Elizabeth Lee, Phua Yida, Gabriel Lee and Justin Peng, who have since soared to meteoric stardom, will be there to thank their fans for their support. There will be photo-taking opportunities, and free postcards of the young stars will be given to all fans in the queue.

2pm to 4pm, Cathay Cineleisure Orchard.
Sunday - 11092011

샤이니(SHINee) FLIGHT INFORMATION IS OUT

2011-09-09T08:16:00.000+08:00

Arrival Date: 10 September 2011, Saturday

Arrival Time: 6:00AM

Flight: JL035 (Japan Airlines)

Terminal 1 Changi Airport

Strong SGX Trading Volume Growth in August

2011-09-03T18:08:00.000+08:00

Securities and derivatives trading volumes at the Singapore Exchange (SGX) grew strongly in August from a year ago.

SGX said on Friday that turnover for securities increased 31 per cent year-on-year to S$41.4 billion, with a securities daily average value of S$1.97 billion.

Exchange traded fund turnover jumped 156 per cent from a year earlier to S$1.18 billion.

Structured warrants volume soared 189 per cent year-on-year to 5.2 million units.

Total volume for derivatives increased 53 per cent year-on-year to 8.1 million contracts, with a derivatives daily average volume of 360,282 contracts.

China A50 futures trading rose 31 per cent from July to 301,133 contracts, while MSCI Taiwan futures volume was up 49 per cent from a year earlier to more than 2 million contracts. Nifty futures volume was 80 per cent higher from a year earlier at 1.48 million contracts.

Volume of over-the-counter (OTC) commodity contracts cleared rose 29 per cent from a year earlier to 21,884 contracts.

Volume of Iron Ore Swaps cleared hit a new record high of 8,564 contracts, more than double from a year earlier.

Clearing of OTC Interest Rate Swaps continued to grow with a notional S$22 billion cleared in August, bringing the cumulative amount cleared since launch to S$164 billion notional.

SingPost Opens Second Regional Airfreight Hub

2011-09-02T08:36:00.000+08:00

Singapore Post Limited (SingPost) has opened its second regional airfreight hub.

Located in Singapore’s Changi Airfreight Centre, the new SingPost Airmail Transit Centre (ATC) 2 will enable SingPost to handle higher volumes of international mail, packages, parcels and Speedpost items.

SingPost ATC 2 has an area of slightly more than 2,000 square metres.

Ng Hin Lee, CEO (Postal & Corporate Services), SingPost, said: “With this new ATC 2, we will have the additional capacity to handle higher traffic volume efficiently and expeditiously, resulting in faster and better service to customers.”

He added that the new facility will help SingPost meet the anticipated surge in shipment volumes at the end of the year, while supporting growth of e-commerce.

SingPost Thursday closed on the Singapore Exchange at S$1.050, compared with the previous close of S$1.060.

Manchester United Picks Two-tier Singapore Listing

2011-09-01T09:20:00.001+08:00

Manchester United football club chose Singapore over Hong Kong for an Asia float because of the city-state’s more flexible conditions and proximity to their passionate Southeast Asian fans, a source said Wednesday.

The English football champions are opting for a dual-share structure, which will allow the club’s owners ‒ the US-based Glazer family ‒ to stay in charge of key decisions, the source who is close to the planned listing told AFP.

Hong Kong ‒ the world’s biggest initial public offering market last year ‒ was the first choice for the Glazers, but exchange regulations there do not allow a two-tier structure, the source said.

“The rationale is because sports clubs are quite different from most companies,” said the source, who did not want to be named. “Allowing control ensures long-term decision-making and strategic planning. That structure is important for the successful operation of the club.”

The proposed dual-share structure will contain a block of shares with voting rights and one without, according to the source.

One of the advantages of such a structure is that it allows the owners to make quick decisions, such as on player transfers.

A listing in Singapore will also position the 19-times English champions closer to their fanatical supporters in Southeast Asia, where millions follow the club religiously, the source said.

“Singapore is nearer to Southeast Asia, where the fan base is more fervent. If you have it in Hong Kong, people may just construe China as ‘it’ but China is just part of the equation.”

Local media reports said Manchester United could raise US$1 billion from the IPO of 30 per cent of the club’s shares, which would value the company at more than US$3 billion.

United was ranked by business magazine Forbes earlier this year as the world’s most valuable football club, worth US$1.86 billion.

Analysts said the plans to list in Singapore did not come as a surprise.
“I suppose it’s not surprising they are looking to list in Asia,” said Matthew Gorman, the Singapore-based head of corporate with global law firm Stephenson Harwood.

“The levels of liquidity here in Asia are better at present than in Europe / US. They also recognise that Asia is where a lot of their fans are,” he told AFP.

Asia accounts for 190 million of the estimated 330 million United followers worldwide, and most of the club’s sponsors are based in Asia or generate a large part of revenue from the region.

Snaring United was a coup for Singapore, which has been in rivalry with Hong Kong as a regional financial centre.

Singapore Exchange’s chief executive Magnus Bocker said last week the city-state was a distinct market from Hong Kong, which offers a direct springboard into the vast China market.

“Hong Kong has been very successful in offering listings for companies that want to have a very Chinese focus, where you reach into China, and they’ve been very good at that,” Bocker was quoted as saying by Dow Jones Newswires.

“I think Singapore has a very strong offering for companies that want to be much broader, maybe reaching out to India, reaching out to Southeast Asia, but also reaching out to China…our offering is therefore broader in a different way.”

Sheng Siong Lists on SGX, Gains on Trading Debut

2011-08-18T08:51:00.001+08:00

Singapore Exchange (SGX) Wednesday welcomed the listing of Sheng Siong Group Ltd on the Mainboard under the ticker symbol ‘OV8’.

One of the largest supermarket retailers in Singapore, Sheng Siong has 23 stores across the island. To support its retail operations, it has an extensive distribution network, food-processing facilities, and warehousing facilities.

In a statement on Wednesday, the group said its Singapore IPO raised net proceeds of approximately S$62.6 million, which will be used to fund the expansion of its grocery retail business, repay its term loan, and for working capital purposes.

“This IPO offers an opportunity for investors to participate in the stable growth story of the Singapore retail industry,” Lim Hock Chee, Chief Executive Officer of Sheng Siong, said.

Anchor investors in Sheng Siong’s IPO include JF Asset Management, Prudential Asset Management (Singapore), FIL Investment Management (Hong Kong), VPL Funds and Kenrich Partners.

Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation is the issue manager, underwriter and placement agent for the IPO.

With a market capitalisation of S$442.5 million, Sheng Siong brings the total number of consumer goods and services companies listed on SGX to 121.

The group began trading at 9 am Wednesday on SGX’s Mainboard, with a debut opening price of S$0.32.

Sheng Siong said it was the second-most actively traded stock Wednesday in terms of share volume, while gaining 3 per cent from its IPO price of S$0.33 to close at S$0.34 on 92.3 million shares.

The group also said it plans to distribute up to 90 per cent of net profit to shareholders for the financial years ending 31 December 2011 and 31 December 2012.

IL VOLO AUTOGRAPH SESSION

2011-07-30T23:26:00.001+08:00

Date: 31 Jul 2011

Time: 2 p.m.

Venue: High Society @ B2, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands

*IL VOLO will only autograph on their self-titled album which comes with DW Mastering, sold exclusively at all That CD Shop outlets

SGX Launches New Enhanced Website for Investors

2011-07-22T15:55:00.001+08:00

As part of its drive to enable investors to make informed investment decisions, the Singapore Exchange (SGX) has re-launched its website with a number of new, enhanced features.

Starting July 25, investors, companies, members, regulators and other regular users and visitors of sgx.com will experience the website’s new look and navigation designed to create a single, user-friendly platform for all capital market related information.

Timely information on important developments such as real time market trading, prices, company disclosures are just one click away. The new website will also include the industry benchmark STI chart for the first time.

“Sgx.com is created to meet customers’ demand for high-quality market information. Together with our range of products, sgx.com further strengthens our offering to customers seeking access to Asian growth and international capital,” said Mr Magnus Bocker, CEO of SGX.

Aside from the enhanced interface and content, the new website also aims to capture a wider audience as it will be delivered in both English and Chinese versions. And for those on the go, SGX also developed a mobile version of the website, SGX Lite, for all web-enabled mobile phones.

“We are pleased with the improvements made to sgx.com and the introduction of a mobile version of the website. We hope these enhancements will encourage more individuals to consider including SGX – traded securities as part of their investment portfolios,” said Mr David Gerald, CEO of Securities Investors Association (Singapore).

Sgx.com is already one of the most popular web resources for private investors, receiving an average of 1.4 million unique visitors per month

StarHub TVB Awards 2011

2011-07-15T09:24:00.001+08:00

16 July 2011, Sands Grand Ballroom

Experience the highly-anticipated StarHub TVB Awards 2011 in person. See exciting stars like Moses Chan, Tavia Yeung, Ron Ng, Linda Cheung, Wayne Lau, Raymond Lam and Fala Chen, live. And be the first to find out who takes home the coveted ‘My Favorite TVB Actress’, ‘My Favorite TVB Actor’ and ‘My Favorite Onscreen Couple’ awards.

This year’s event—organized by StarHub and Hong Kong’s top broadcaster TVB—promises to be a bigger and better event with more compelling performances, heart-felt speeches and star appeal.

Rachel Liang Wen Yin Singapore Promo Trip

2011-07-09T09:47:00.001+08:00

Liang Wen Yin [Soul_Mate 情人。知己]　Autograph Session

10th JULY 2011
Time : 4.00pm
Venue : Bugis Junction Bugis Square Level 1

*** BUY her latest album and get A AUTOGRAPH COUPON, only available at all CD RAMA OUTLETS ***

SGX Securities and Derivatives Trade Increases in June

2011-07-06T08:56:00.001+08:00

Securities and derivatives trade at the Singapore Exchange (SGX) increased in June from a year earlier.

SGX said on Tuesday that for the securities market, total turnover rose 8 per cent year-on-year to S$28.1 billion, with the daily average value registering S$1.3 billion.

Exchange traded fund turnover increased 68 per cent to S$795 million, compared with the same period last year.

The total trading volume of derivatives grew 17 per cent year-on-year to 6.1 million contracts, while the derivatives daily average volume was 281,252 contracts.

China A50 futures trading rose 21 per cent from May to 223,079 contracts, while MSCI Taiwan futures volume increased 25 per cent year-on-year to 1.6 million contracts.

Nifty futures volume grew 48 per cent from a year ago to 1.3 million contracts.

Agricultural commodity futures volume also increased 48 per cent year-on-year to 20,912 contracts, following the consolidation of SICOM contracts onto the SGX platform.

SGX said clearing of OTC Interest Rate Swaps (IRS) continued to grow, with a notional US$11.6 billion of IRS cleared in June.

SGX Securities Market to Start Continuous All-day Trading in August 2011

2011-07-01T08:51:00.001+08:00

Singapore Exchange’s (SGX) securities market will trade continuously all day between 9 am and 5 pm from August 1.

In a statement on Thursday, SGX said the move, which drops the exchange’s 90-minute lunch break, will allow investors trading pan-Asian securities to respond to regional market movements and the news flow.

The move will also boost SGX’s competitiveness against its regional rivals. Korea Exchange, India’s National Stock Exchange and Australian Securities Exchange already trade non-stop all day.

Earlier this year, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited increased its trading hours, while Tokyo Stock Exchange plans to do so in the near future, as both seek to attract more investors.

Other international exchanges such as New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ and London Stock Exchange also operate continuous trading sessions.

“Continuous all-day trading will offer all investors more opportunities to trade and manage their risks,” Magnus Bocker, CEO of SGX, said.

He added that by embracing trading hours that are aligned with those of other key markets, Singapore will make further progress as an international financial hub.

Mr David Gerald, President and CEO of Securities Investors Association (Singapore), welcomed the move by SGX.

“We welcome continuous trading, giving investors the ability to respond to regional market movements, and flexibility to execute orders any time during the trading day,” Mr Gerald said.

Once continuous trading starts on SGX’s securities market, brokerage firms will offer retail investors various ways to execute orders, such as the use of central dealing desks or the appointment of back-up trading representatives.

Investors will also be able to use other channels, such as on-line internet trading services to directly execute orders.

Dot Commodity Joins SGX Derivatives Market

2011-06-30T09:43:00.001+08:00

Singapore Exchange (SGX) has welcomed Dot Commodity of Japan to its derivatives market as a Trading Member.

Rama Pillai, Head of Sales and Distribution at SGX, said: “We are pleased that Dot Commodity, Japan’s top commodity futures broker by volume, has joined our derivatives market. With Dot Commodity as a SGX member, we look forward to wider distribution of our commodity futures products in Japan.”

The addition of Dot Commodity brings the number of Trading Members in the derivatives market to 33. SGX’s derivatives market also has 36 Clearing Members.

In addition, the securities market has 30 Trading Members and 29 Clearing Members.

“Dot Commodity is excited to become a Trading Member of (the) SGX derivatives market as we expand our product offerings and look forward to building a stronger presence in Asia,” said Jin Funada, President of Dot Commodity.

Banks to Facilitate Trading of Government Bonds on SGX

2011-06-28T10:25:00.003+08:00

Individual investors can expect transparency in price discovery and competitive trading costs of Singapore government bonds (SGS bonds) when they start trading on the Singapore Exchange (SGX) from July 8, SGX said Monday.

According to the exchange, market makers will be available to increase liquidity and make it easier for individual investors to buy and sell SGS bonds. The liquidity providers include seven out of 13 Singapore Government Securities (SGS) Primary Dealers, which have committed to provide two-way prices for the 19 SGS bonds traded on SGX. They are DBS, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, OCBC Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, The Royal Bank of Scotland and United Overseas Bank Limited.

With the participation of these SGS Primary Dealers, who are specialist intermediaries in the SGS and Singapore dollar money markets, investors can be assured of competitive and transparent SGS bond prices on SGX, the exchange said.

Investors will be able to check the prices of all SGS bonds traded on SGX from July 8 via “Live Prices” on www.sgx.com/fixedincome/sgs.

In addition, the majority of retail brokers, who support trading activities by individual investors, have committed to offer competitive brokerage rates on SGS bonds traded on SGX, the exchange said.

SGX is also organising educational seminars for investors who are interested to know more about how to buy and sell SGS bonds or fixed income securities on the exchange. Investors may visit www.sgx.com/academy to register for these free seminars.

SGX-listed firms to get sustainability guide

2011-06-27T22:13:00.000+08:00

In a bid to boost transparency and stay ahead, the Singapore Exchange (SGX) has launched a sustainability guide for its listed companies.

This guide outlines best practices for companies with regard to sustainability reporting.

In 1992, there were only 26 sustainability reports world wide, compared to the more than 5,000 today.

While sustainability reporting within Asia is at a very early stage, in Malaysia, there is already mandatory requirements for companies to produce some form of sustainability reports.

The move by Singapore to launch a guide for sustainability reporting is seen as a necessary stepping stone.

At the launch of the guide on Monday, SGX CEO Magnus Bocker highlighted the importance of sustainability reporting to stay ahead.

"Hong Kong has said, and intends to do a consult on its reporting guide. I assume it will be later this year," Mr Bocker said.

"Our neighbour Bursa Malaysia instituted four years ago for their CSR as part of listed companies reporting.

"We will never be leaders as a global exchange, unless our companies are global leaders in the way they report, in the way they do business."

SGX said it is the company's board that should guide such initiatives.

But it added it will take time for such a move to become mandatory.

SGX has however added that it is open to suggestions on how to improve the guide.

Analysts say that education is key.

KPMG Singapore head of climate change & sustainability services Sharad Somani said: "Rather than changing the guidelines, I would say they have to do more market education exercise.

"You have to teach the market what they need to do.

"If you ask the industries, I think majority of them are convinced about it, but... don't know what to do."

SGX said the Policy Statement and Sustainability Reporting Guide are applicable to Mainboard and Catalist companies listed on SGX.

Rainie & Joseph Meet-And-Greet session

2011-06-24T09:19:00.001+08:00

Flight details

Arrival: 25 June
BR225 – reach Singapore at 12 noon
Departure: 26 June
BR226 – depart Singapore at 1.10pm.

Event details

Date: 25 June 2011, Saturday
Venue: The Cathay, Level 1
(Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station)
Time: 6pm
日期： 2011年6月25日（星期六）
地点：国泰电影城, 一楼广场 (多美歌地铁站)
时间：傍晚6点

Date: 25 June 2011, Saturday
Venue: Golden Village, VivoCity (Harbourfront MRT Station)
Time: 7pm
日期： 2011年6月25日（星期六）
地点：嘉华院线, 怡丰城 (港湾地铁站)
时间：晚上7点

SGX Improves Product Disclosure for Structured Warrants, Debentures and Funds

2011-06-20T23:10:00.001+08:00

Singapore Exchange (SGX) Monday announced that it has introduced new product disclosure templates to enhance the readability of term sheets for structured warrants, debentures and funds.

“SGX is of the view that consistent presentation of product features and risks will facilitate clear and efficient comparison of competing product offerings by market participants,” it said in a statement.

The disclosure templates will apply to the term sheets for debentures in the form of asset-backed securities, exchange traded notes and structured notes; funds, including collective investment schemes and exchange traded funds; and structured warrants.

Issuers are required to apply the guidelines and term sheet formats with effect from August 1.

SGX offers trading of Singapore government bonds

2011-06-09T09:23:00.000+08:00

Singapore government bonds (SGS bonds) can be traded on Singapore Exchange (SGX) from 8 July 2011. This initiative is expected to improve price transparency and liquidity in SGS bonds, and provide investors with a safe investment alternative that can give both capital protection and steady returns.

With the new offering by SGX, investors will be able to access SGS bond prices on SGX’s website or through their brokers, and trade SGS bonds through their brokers in a manner similar to the way stocks are traded. Currently, investors can only buy and/or sell SGS bonds through dealer banks.

A total of 19 SGS bond issues with maturities of two years or more totalling S$74 billion will be available for trading, enhancing the suite of fixed income products offered on SGX and providing greater diversity of fixed income products to match investors’ risk appetites. SGX’s fixed income market currently comprises corporate bonds and preference shares, some of them approved for investment using Central Provident Fund and Supplementary Retirement Scheme pension savings.

Ms Tng Kwee Lian, Head of Fixed Income at SGX said, “Trading of SGS bonds on SGX will make the price discovery process more efficient and transparent, thereby reducing trading cost for investors. Market makers will also be present, increasing liquidity and making it easier for individual investors to buy and/or sell SGS bonds at any time during the trading day.”

As with securities traded on SGX, SGS bonds must be held by SGX’s Central Depository (CDP) as custodian before they can be traded. With CDP as custodian of an investor’s securities and fixed income investments, investors will be able to view all their holdings via a single statement from CDP.

SingPost to acquire stake in Indo Trans Logistics

2011-06-07T22:05:00.000+08:00

Singapore Post has said it will acquire a 30 per cent stake in Indo Trans Logistics Corporation (ITL) for US$10.8 million.

The deal will be made through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Singapore Post Enterprise, and the acquisition is expected to help the firm gain a foothold in the Vietnam and the Indo-China region.

ITL is a Vietnamese firm that offers integrated logistics solutions. It has air and sea freight forwarding, third-party logistics solutions and distribution, and a general sales agency for airlines.

It started operations in 1999 and has offices in key cities in Vietnam.

"SingPost has stepped up its efforts to transform and grow, and we have been actively pursuing growth beyond our mail business and expanding into the region," said Dr Wolfgang Baier, SingPost's chief executive officer (International).

He added: "We want to grow our overseas revenue and achieve a more balanced portfolio with bigger contributions from non-mail businesses. Clearly, our key growth drivers will be in the areas of logistics and e-commerce."

SingPost has so far made several acquisitions to diversify its revenue base and expand its business beyond Singapore's shores.

It has also set up two wholly-owned subsidiaries - Quantium Solutions, a mail-logistics solutions provider and DataPost, a hybrid mail business - which generate businesses outside Singapore.

SingPost's other investments include a 27 per cent stake in a Malaysian express carrier service and a 30 per cent stake in Postea Inc, a US incorporated technology company.

ANUGERAH MEET AND GREET

2011-06-03T10:25:00.000+08:00

Meet the Top 6, Sat 4/6, 3-6pm, nex @ Srgn Central, B2 Event Plaza. Feat. Komrad, Maiya Rahman & Faizal Isa -

Singapore Exchange to Start Clearing Asian FX Forwards by September

2011-06-02T09:35:00.001+08:00

Singapore Exchange (SGX) will start clearing Asian Foreign Exchange Forwards (non-deliverable) by September this year.

The clearing of Asian Foreign Exchange (FX) Forwards will include non-deliverable currencies traded in the region, namely the Chinese yuan, Indonesian rupiah, Indian rupee, Korean won, Malaysian ringgit, Philippine peso and Taiwanese dollar.

SGX said in a statement on Wednesday that this initiative, the first of its kind in the world, is aligned with recent global regulations on mandatory clearing for non-deliverable FX forwards and FX options via a Central Counter Party.

The clearing of FX Forwards is the next over-the-counter (OTC) clearing offering following the clearing of Interest Rate Swaps denominated in Singapore dollars that started on 15 November 2010. SGX has cleared nearly US$80 billion notional of Interest Rate Swaps since the launch.

SGX said this clearing service will enhance Singapore’s global standing as a market for trading of interest rate derivatives and foreign exchange. Singapore was ranked the second-largest interest rate derivatives and foreign exchange centre in Asia and the fourth-largest foreign exchange centre globally in a survey by Bank for International Settlements.

“Demand for OTC traded financial derivatives clearing will grow rapidly and we are pleased to be able to extend the service to cover Foreign Exchange Forwards for Asian currencies. Asia is the world’s fastest-growing region and this service will benefit our members as they grow their businesses here,” SGX CEO Magnus Bocker said.

The 11 SGX Clearing Members eligible to clear FX Forwards are: Barclays Bank Plc, Citibank N.A., Credit Suisse AG, DBS Bank Limited, Deutsche Bank AG, Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd, Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Ltd, Standard Chartered Bank, Royal Bank of Scotland Plc, UBS AG, and United Overseas Bank Ltd.

SGX said it expects the membership to grow in the months to come with membership interest from all banks active in these products.

Singapore Exchange to Cut Minimum Bid Size for Securities

2011-06-01T09:01:00.001+08:00

Singapore Exchange (SGX) will reduce the minimum bid size for securities on 4 July 2011, leading to lower trading costs for investors, it said on Tuesday.

The initiative is expected to lead to a tightening of bid-ask spreads by as much as 80 per cent.

As a result, Singapore will offer one of Asia’s most cost-competitive trading environments with an estimated S$1.7 billion in annual savings, based on 2010 market turnover, SGX said.

Chew Sutat, Head of Securities at SGX, said: “This initiative addresses our customers’ need for more cost-efficiency and trading opportunities. Tighter spreads will encourage investors to increase their participation in SGX, the best market for accessing fast-growing Asia. This will in turn enhance liquidity here in Singapore.”

To cater to the narrowing of the bid sizes, SGX will widen the Forced Order Range for all securities to +/- 20 bids from +/- 10 bids across all price ranges. Forced Order Range is a pre-execution mechanism that helps investors to avoid error trades when entering prices of orders. Any orders outside the Forced Order Range must be confirmed by the use of the Forced Key function before those orders can be submitted.

The revised minimum bid size and wider Forced Order Range will apply to all securities traded on SGX except exchange traded funds, loan stocks and bonds.

Licence2Play

2011-05-26T11:06:00.001+08:00

27 - 29 May 2011
11am - 9pm
Suntec Hall 401
FREE ADMISSION

Licence2Play is The event for gaming fans and enthusiasts in the region. The 3rd L2P raises the ante through amping up its gaming experience promise by eliminating all other non game related peripherals. This event will be a pure gaming zone!

L2P 2011 has under its arsenal of planned activities various programmes that focus exclusively on gaming. Cyber wellness roadshows are geared and ready to roll out a few weeks before L2P weekend. On the event itself, the first ever (in the world!) gaming cosplay competition, CosGames, where cosplayers can only wear gaming related costumes will battle it out on an East vs. West challenge. Visitors can also have their own Cosplay Experience and bring home their photos in our Cosplay Make-over studio. The gaming arena will feature live competition to determine the best of players. East and West table top gaming is another important addition to our gaming zone this year. Collectible gaming merchandise will be made available for all the kids in the family, both young and old to enjoy. All in all, L2P has from concept the makings of being the marquee gaming event of 2011!

DIVA WAKIN CHAU 2011 LIVE CONCERT SINGAPORE

2011-05-25T19:38:00.001+08:00

Catch Diva Wakin Chau at nex on May 26 (Thursday), 8pm at Event Plaza, basement 2, near Wendy's

Wakin will autograph on Diva Wakin Chau 2011 Live Concert Singapore ticket or his latest album
≪花旦≫

“Till We Meet Again”

2011-05-20T10:20:00.002+08:00

Kim Ki Bum will be arriving in Singapore on the 20th of May 2011 at 9:25PM via OZ751

SGX will Add Eight More ADRs to GlobalQuote

2011-05-12T10:50:00.000+08:00

Singapore Exchange (SGX) will add eight more American Depository Receipts (ADR) to its GlobalQuote board on May 18.

All the ADRs are fungible with those listed in the US and allow investors, for the first time, to manage their exposure to these companies around the clock.

Five of these ADRs are of major Japanese companies including Toyota Motor Corporation, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Mizuho Financial Group, NTT DoCoMo, and Wacoal Holdings.

Two of the new ADRs are from Chinese companies Focus Media Holdings Ltd and JA Solar Holdings Ltd.

South Korean steelmaking giant POSCO has also been added.

“Our increasingly diverse ADR suite enables customers to manage risk and trade across several time zones with ease and at competitive cost,” Chew Sutat, Head of Securities at SGX, said in a statement.

“Recent market events underline the importance of this flexibility and SGX looks forward to bringing more of such products to customers,” he added.

Singapore Exchange Derivatives Market to Add Rubber Futures

2011-05-08T17:43:00.001+08:00

Starting May 16, Singapore Exchange’s (SGX) derivatives market will add rubber futures to its commodities suite with the migration of SICOM rubber contracts onto the SGX trading platform, the exchange said on Friday.

The addition of SICOM TSR 20 and SICOM RSS 3 rubber futures will enable more international traders to participate in the contracts, thereby enhancing liquidity, SGX said.

The rubber contracts have a history that dates back to the 1920s and are pricing benchmarks for regional and global rubber producers, manufacturers, traders and consumers.

From May 16, TSR 20 rubber contracts traded over-the-counter will also be cleared by SGX AsiaClear.

SGX Securities Trading Falls, Derivatives Up in April

2011-05-05T09:18:00.001+08:00

Singapore Exchange (SGX) on Wednesday announced that the daily average value of its securities in April fell 4 per cent from a year ago to S$1.6 billion due to continued market uncertainties, but derivatives volume grew.

Total securities turnover was down 8 per cent in April to S$32.3 billion. Meanwhile, exchange traded fund turnover grew 43 per cent year on year to S$696 million.

On the other hand, derivatives daily average volume for the same month was up 12 per cent from a year earlier at 252,401 contracts while total volume rose 3 per cent to 4.9 million contracts.

Nifty futures trading increased 37 per cent to 1.1 million contracts while FTSE China A50 futures volume was 193,884 contracts in April.

Clearing of OTC interest rate swaps continued to grow with April volume at a notional US$33.6 billion and cumulative volume since the November 2010 launch at a notional US$70.5 billion.

『魅力4色男主角』新加坡演唱会 Your Favourite Male Leads Live In Singapore

2011-04-28T11:24:00.001+08:00

『魅力4色男主角』 - 陈豪、吴卓羲、郑嘉颖和黄宗泽将在4月29日, 中午12点30分，乘搭CX 759抵达新加坡！

"Your Favourite Hong Kong Male Leads" - Moses, Ron, Kevin, and Bosco will arrive in Singapore on 29th April 2011, 12.30pm via CX 759, Terminal 1.

‎4位魅力男主角与你有约！

4月29日、晚上8点 @ City Square Mall, Lvl 1 Atrium
请携带 "魅力4色男主角新加坡演唱会" 门票、到场换取限量海报，就有机会索取他们的亲笔签名。
换取活动从晚上7点开始。
*海报有限、送完为止。一张入门票只能换取一张海报
Get up-close and personal with your favourite Hong Kong male leads!

29/4, 8pm @ City Square Mall, Lvl 1 Atrium
Simply bring along your "Your Favourite Male Leads Live In Singapore" tic in exchange for exclusive poster to get their autograph.
Redemption of concert poster starts from 7pm onwards.
*While stocks last. 1 concert tic is entitled to 1 concert poster only.

Red Bull Speed Street Singapore

2011-04-24T09:18:00.001+08:00

Location - Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza, Orchard Road

Start24-APR-2011 at 4:00 PM
End24-APR-2011 at 6:00 PM

Come 24 April, Formula 1 legend and former Red Bull Racing driver David Coulthard who will give a demonstration of the awesome power of a Formula 1 car along one of the world's most famous thoroughfares - Orchard Road, which is better known as a shoppers' paradise around the globe.

The event will be organised by Spectrum Worldwide, the event management company responsible for organising iconic events such as the massively successful OCBC Cycle Singapore and the 2010 Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore.

The last time that a Red Bull Racing showcar performed in Singapore was back in February 2008 as a special item in that year's Chingay Parade. It was the first time that the Singapore public had experienced the thunderous engine note of a F1 car, months before the inaugural Singapore night race took place in Marina Bay. But even then, it was a mere sneak peek as the F1 car segment lasted barely five minutes before the Chingay Parade proper.

This time round, the Red Bull Speed Street event will be a full fledged standalone showcar event lasting about an hour, in which the public can expect manoeuvres such as short sprints, burnouts, engine breaks and donuts, which one won't get to see in actual F1 races.

The Singapore event will cover an 800m stretch from the ION Orchard/Marriott Hotel, Scotts Road/Orchard Road junction to the Heeren and Mandarin Gallery.

The Austrian energy drink company, which is fast gaining in popularity amongst F1 aficionados thanks to the double championship winning feat of Red Bull Racing in 2010, is expecting crowds of up to 100,000 spectators to line this stretch of Orchard Road, which is rarely opened to such mega sporting events, especially on a peak Sunday afternoon.

Red Bull is also working closely with Singapore Grand Prix, Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Orchard Road Business Association (ORBA) to make the event a reality.

Fans in Singapore can also expect a host of motor racing related activities over at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza where the main VIP area and pit garage will be situated. Red Bull has roped in partners like Sony Computer Entertainment and Audi to engage motor sports enthusiasts, who can get up close to a rare Audi R8 LMS as well as the gorgeous Audi TT RS on display.

Gaming fans can attempt to break Sebastian Vettel’s record in the Red Bull X2010 supercar within the Sony PlayStation 3 GT5 gaming zone or experience what it is like to drive an F1 car on the Singapore night race circuit on four SGP simulators. There will also be Red Bull Racing merchandises on sale and a photo exhibition featuring past show car events around the world.

QUEEN'S NIGHT

2011-04-20T13:28:00.003+08:00

Location: Harry's @ Boat Quay

Time: Wednesday, 20 April 2011 18:00

Party at Harry's @ Boat Quay tonight!! Don't forget to dress in ORANGE!!

CapitaMalls Asia Signs MOU with Japan’s PARCO

2011-04-14T17:32:00.003+08:00

CapitaMalls Asia Limited Wednesday announced that it has signed

a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with PARCO Co Ltd to

explore business collaborations in China and Japan.

PARCO is a major shopping mall owner and manager in Japan with

20 malls in key cities in the country, including Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya,

Fukuoka and Sapporo. Outside Japan, PARCO manages one

property in Singapore’s Marina Bay area.

CapitaMalls Asia has been bringing Japanese retailers to its other

markets outside Japan. It said the proposed collaboration with

PARCO will further strengthen this effort by tapping on PARCO’s

extensive network of retailers in Japan.

CapitaMalls Asia and PARCO will also explore new investment

opportunities in Japan. The company said it will be able to tap on

PARCO’s extensive network to identify new opportunities to grow its

business in Japan.

CapitaMalls Asia has seven shopping malls in Japan.

Singapore Exchange Ranks Third in Global IPO Update: Ernst & Young

2011-04-12T09:04:00.001+08:00

US private equity-backed listings drove global IPO activity in the

first quarter, with the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) taking the

lead, according to Ernst & Young’s first-quarter 2011 global IPO

update.

However, Asia still dominated the listings, with the Shenzhen Stock

Exchange and Singapore Exchange (SGX) ranking second and

third respectively in terms of total capital raised globally.

Ernst & Young said the last few weeks of the quarter saw choppy

stock markets spiked by the Japanese disaster and Middle Eastern

political unrest. This slowed down the overall pace of global IPO

activity, particularly in Europe, Middle East, India and Africa, it said.

However, the professional services giant said in a statement that

there is still a healthy pipeline of companies wanting to tap into the

capital markets.

In the first three months of the year, global IPO activity saw 290

deals worth US$46.1 billion, down 14 per cent compared with the

same period last year.

For the first time since 2008, the NYSE took the lead among the

world’s exchanges, raising US$13.8 billion of the total capital,

followed by the US$11.2 billion raised on the Shenzhen Stock

Exchange and US$5.6 billion raised by the Singapore Exchange.

SGX’s figure was mainly due to Hutchison Port Holdings’ initial

public offering that raised US$5.5 billion.

Ernst & Young said the listing of Hutchison Port Holdings has

boosted SGX’s standing, and reflects the exchange’s strength in

sectors such as shipping and maritime, commodities, REITs and

business trusts.

Australian Treasurer Officially Rejects ASX-SGX Merger Proposal

2011-04-09T09:27:00.001+08:00

Australian Treasurer Wayne Swan Friday officially rejected the

proposed merger of the Singapore Exchange (SGX) and the

Australian Securities Exchange (ASX).

SGX said in a statement that under the circumstances, both parties

“have agreed to mutually terminate the merger implementation

agreement entered into on 25 October 2010.”

“As Asia’s most international exchange, we will continue to pursue

organic as well as other strategic growth opportunities, including

further dialogue with ASX on other forms of cooperation,” it added.

In strongly-worded language, Swan said the proposal was not a

merger but “a takeover that would see Australia’s financial sector

become a subsidiary to a competitor in Asia.”

He said Australia’s “economic and regulatory sovereignty over the

ASX would be at risk” if the deal succeeded, adding that “given the

size and nature of the SGX, the opportunities that were offered

under the proposal were clearly not sufficient to justify this loss of

sovereignty.”

Still, Swan maintained that the Australian government’s longstanding

policy has been to welcome foreign investment.

SGX rose 2.8 per cent to close at S$8.38 on Friday following the

announcement of Australia’s official rejection of the deal.

Speaking to Biz Daily by phone on Friday, Ng Kian Teck, Investment

Analyst at SIAS Research, said: “This rejection is not necessarily

a bad thing because SGX can put its money to better use

such as possible mergers and collaborations with other ASEAN

(Association of Southeast Asian Nations) exchanges.”

According to analysts, Australia’s attitude could result in ASX

falling behind its peers at a time when other exchanges are

consolidating.

Recent cases include the Deutsche Boerse AG-NYSE Euronext

merger and the proposed tie-up between the London Stock

Exchange and TMX Group, operator of the Toronto Stock

Exchange.

Despite Swan’s decision, ASX reiterated in a statement on Friday

its “ongoing belief in the need for ASX participation in regional and

global exchange consolidation.”

“ASX will continue to evaluate strategic growth opportunities,

including further dialogue with SGX on other forms of combination

and cooperation,” the statement added.

Swan’s official rejection confirmed the sentiments of the majority of

readers who were polled by Biz Daily since October 27 last year,

soon after the merger proposal was announced.

When asked whether they thought the proposed SGX-ASX merger

would succeed, 61 per cent of Biz Daily readers who responded

said “No”, while 31 per cent said “Yes”. Only 8 per cent said they

were uncertain.

SGX’s Derivatives Volume Hits All-time High in March

2011-04-05T23:35:00.001+08:00

Singapore Exchange’s (SGX) derivatives daily average volume

reached an all-time high in March, while securities and clearing activities

grew from a year earlier, the exchange said on Tuesday.

For the securities market, turnover rose 22 per cent year-on-year to

S$37.2 billion, with a securities daily average volume of S$1.6 billion.

ETF trading more than doubled to S$1.08 billion from a year earlier.

SGX said its volume for the derivatives market was 8.5 million

contracts, up 79 per cent from the previous year. The daily average

volume was a record-high 381,451 contracts, 19 per cent higher than

the previous peak of 320,022 in October 2008.

Nikkei 225 Index futures volume more than doubled year-on-year to

4.9 million contracts, while S&P CNX Nifty futures volume increased

68 per cent to 1.2 million contracts. FTSE A50 futures continued to be

active with 203,586 contracts traded and open interest of 37,353.

LME-SGX metal futures trading increased in March, with a total

volume of 38,922 contracts.

Clearing of Iron Ore Swaps rose 54 per cent to 4,257 contracts from

a year earlier.

Clearing of OTC financial derivatives continued to gain momentum

with a notional US$12.7 billion of interest rate swaps cleared in

March.

HIM AUTOGRAPH SESSION

2011-04-02T09:35:00.001+08:00

Attention to all Anthony Neely, SIGMA and Jesseca Liu fans out there! These artistes will be on Singapore’s stage to meet you!

Event Details
Date: 3 April 2011 (Sunday)
Time: 4pm
Venue: Illuma Central Atrium

Don’t forget your date with your favourite HIM artistes!

来临4月3，Sigma (華研國際) + 倪安東 Anthony + 刘子绚JessecaLiu 邀你一起庆祝华研10周年！

新加坡e乐大赏造势活动之华研10周年签唱会详情：

日期：4月3日（星期天）
时间：4pm
地点：ILLUMA 中央舞台

**歌迷凭以下的物品就能换取签名卡，上台索取簽名:
- [SIGMA] 专辑
- [倪安东] 专辑
- [华研创意笔记本]
- [新加坡e乐大赏2011] 庆功派对票根
- 第277期的 [优一周]
- 最新一期（3/4月）的Starhub账单

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机会难逢，千万不要错过啦！

SEB Joins SGX Derivatives Market as First Nordic Member

2011-04-01T08:18:00.003+08:00

Singapore Exchange (SGX) Thursday welcomed SEB

(Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB) to its derivatives market as a

Clearing and Trading member.

“We are pleased that SEB has joined our derivatives market as our

first Nordic member,” Gan Seow Ann, President of SGX, said. “This is

the first Asian exchange membership for SEB.”

Commenting on the new membership, Fredrik Barnekow, Head of

SEB Enskilda Equities, said: “This is an important step for SEB as we

seek to offer our customers increased direct access to the major

global derivative exchanges. Asia is becoming more important to both

our core corporate and institutional clients. This membership clearly

demonstrates our ambitions to provide services in support of our

clients when they expand abroad, while at the same time enhancing

our existing offering.”

SEB’s admission brings the number of Clearing Members for SGX’s

derivatives market to 36 and the number of Trading Members to 32.

The securities market has 30 Trading Members and 29 Clearing

Members.

Sarin Opens Service Centre in Russia

2011-03-29T08:34:00.001+08:00

Mainboard-listed Sarin Technologies Limited, a global player in the

development, manufacturing and sale of precision technology

products for diamonds and gems, Monday announced that it has

opened its service centre in Moscow to serve the rough diamond

trade and diamond manufacturers in Russia.

The new Moscow service centre is the group’s fourth worldwide,

following those serving the Indian, Israeli and Belgian industry

centres.

Uzi Levami, Chief Executive Officer of Sarin, said: “We expect the

opening of the service centre in Russia to be followed shortly by

additional new service centres (that will) open in southern Africa to

address demand there.”

Heavenly King Andy Lau coming back to Singapore!

2011-03-23T23:18:00.001+08:00

OSIM uDivine & Andy Lau

Press Conference

Date: 26 March 2011

Time: 2.30pm – 4.00pm

Venue: VivoCity Central Court B

Australia’s Treasurer Dismisses Reports on Possible Veto of ASX-SGX Merger

2011-03-22T14:06:00.001+08:00

Australia’s Treasurer Wayne Swan on Monday dismissed reports that

the proposed A$8.4-billion (about S$10.6 billion) merger between the

Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) and Singapore Exchange (SGX)

is likely to be rejected.

In October last year, ASX and SGX announced plans to create one of

the world’s largest listed exchange groups with a broad international

shareholder base.

However, the proposal has faced political obstacles in Australia

due to concerns over issues such as the extent of foreign ownership.

The Australian Financial Review cited government sources on

Monday predicting the deal would not pass through parliament

after the proposal was submitted to Australia’s Foreign Investment

Review Board (FIRB) on March 11.

However, Swan dismissed such reports, telling ABC Radio he

had “no idea” where they came from.

He was quoted as saying that his decision would be based on

the FIRB’s recommendation, a thorough consideration of all

issues concerned, and national interest.

A key issue is whether to lift the 15-per cent cap on foreign

ownership for ASX.

In a bid to overcome the political obstacles, the exchanges

adjusted their merger proposal last month, promising an equal

number of directors from each country on the proposed ASXSGX

board.

Additionally, both sides pledged that all physical assets required

for the operation of ASX’s businesses would continue to be

developed and located in Australia. They also agreed to develop

new products.

Japan’s Earthquake May Raise Insurance Premiums for Singaporeans

2011-03-18T08:06:00.000+08:00

Japan’s recent earthquake might result in higher insurance premiums

for Singaporeans.

According to the General Insurance Association of Singapore (GIA),

the disaster is expected to seriously impact many global insurers,

leading to an increase in the cost of insurance protection for consumers.

In particular, motor insurance premiums in Singapore are expected to

continue increasing this year as insurers seek to recoup underwriting

losses, GIA said.

The motor insurance segment’s underwriting losses widened to

S$48.9 million last year from S$44.5 million in 2009. This was partly

attributed to the impact of major local flooding incidents.

GIA said that the major floods last year resulted in 428 motor insurance

claims totalling S$11.6 million.

The number of reported accidents involving motor vehicles in Singapore

also remained high at about 162,500 last year.

SGX Lodges Application with Australia’s FIRB for Proposed ASX Merger

2011-03-12T08:04:00.001+08:00

The Singapore Exchange (SGX) on Friday lodged a formal application

with Australia’s Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) for its

proposed merger with the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX).

This move came after both exchanges announced on February

15 amendments to the proposed merger implementation agreement

that also included new governance arrangements.

Under the revamped merger proposal, both sides pledged to

have an equal number of directors from each country on the

board of the merged entity in a bid to overcome political obstacles

in Australia.

While the FIRB has 30 days to decide on the merger, the deadline

may be extended if necessary.

Should the FIRB give its nod, the merger proposal will then go to

the Australian Treasurer, Wayne Swan, for final approval.

Swan will have to decide whether to lift the 15-per cent cap on

foreign ownership for ASX.

SGX said it will make announcements and update shareholders

as approval processes are cleared.

CLEAVAGE = CAREER LINE

2011-03-08T12:38:00.000+08:00

Today is international women's day !

In chinese "SAN BA" means a bitch !

Recently , cleavage is being linked to a woman's career line !

The deeper the cleavage a woman has , the better the career for her !

So for a man to have a great career , what must he have ?

Can we also have a international men's day ?

SGX Securities and Derivatives Trading Improves in February

2011-03-02T22:24:00.001+08:00

Singapore Exchange (SGX) on Wednesday said its securities and

derivatives trading grew strongly in February from a year earlier, as

funds continue to pour in Singapore and the region.

The securities market was healthy with total market turnover of

S$31.5 billion, up 32 per cent year on year. This translates into daily

average value of S$1.7 billion for February.

Trading of exchange traded funds (ETFs) also recorded strong

growth as it tripled to S$628 million in February from a year earlier.

Five Asian sectoral ETFs were added last month, offering customers

the region's most comprehensive suite of sectoral ETFs. This brings

to 80 the total number of ETFs on SGX.

Meanwhile, overall derivatives trading volume rose 39 per cent year-

on-year to 5.2 million contracts in February. The average daily volume

was 300,493 contracts.

Nifty index futures volume grew 55 per cent year-on-year to 1.1

million contracts while FTSE A50 futures activity continued to

increase with volume of 221,729 contracts in February.

The OTC (over-the-counter) financial derivatives clearing business,

which began in November, showed good traction with a notional

US$24.2 billion of interest rate swaps cleared from the launch to

end-February. For last month alone, a notional US$10.2 billion of

swaps were cleared.

New data in the February monthly statistics report include data on

securities on loan under the CDP (The Central Depository) Securities

Borrowing and Lending programme and trading statistics for LMESGX

metal futures.

SGX Completes Disposal of New Industrial Road Property

2011-03-01T09:47:00.002+08:00

Singapore Exchange Limited (SGX) announced that the sale of its

building at 18 New Industrial Road was completed on Monday at an

aggregate value of S$23.6 million.

SGX said the book value of the asset on disposal is S$21.7 million

and the latest available open market value of the asset as at 15

October 2010 is S$22 million.

After accounting for related costs, SGX said that it will make a gain

from the sale of approximately S$1.7 million.

Sarin’s Bottom Line Up Sevenfold in FY2010

2011-02-25T09:22:00.001+08:00

Mainboard-listed Sarin Technologies Limited, a maker of precision

technology products for measurement of diamonds and gems, more

than doubled its revenue to US$45.7 million (S$58.4 million) in the

12 months ending 31 December 2010 (FY2010), a significant

increase of 114 per cent over FY2009’s US$21.4 million.

The company said its strong growth was underpinned by a rebound

in capital equipment expenditures across all geographical segments

early in the year as the diamond industry recovered from the global

financial crisis.

The big leap in revenue resulted in a sevenfold increase in bottom

line to US$11.1 million, compared with US$1.5 million in FY2009.

Taiwanese Celebrity He Jun Xiang Appearance

2011-02-21T09:10:00.003+08:00

Level 3 Garden Plaza

22 Feb (Tue)

5pm

Courage Marine Earns US$9 million Net Profit in FY2010

2011-02-19T09:19:00.003+08:00

Courage Marine Group Limited, a dry-bulk shipping company that

transports raw materials for Asia’s growing energy needs, recorded

a net profit of US$9 million (S$11.5 million) in the twelve months

ending 31 December 2010 (FY2010), from only US$75,000 in the

previous year.

The group’s turnover last year increased 67 per cent to US$46.5

million compared with US$27.9 million in FY2009.

“The weak market conditions have led to losses in many dry bulk

shipping companies. Fortunately, the group remains profitable, led

by the management’s years of experience. We effectively utilise the

strategy of using pre-owned vessels and minimal operating costs to

achieve over five consecutive years of profitability,” said Mr Hsu

Chih Chien, Chairman of Courage Marine.

CapitaMalls Asia’s FY2010 Net Profit Grows 9 Per cent to S$421.9 million

2011-02-18T08:20:00.001+08:00

CapitaMalls Asia Limited on Thursday announced that it achieved

profit after tax and minority interests (PATMI) of S$421.9 million for

FY2010, up 9 per cent from the S$388.1 million recorded in FY2009.

Revenue under management was S$1.36 billion for the same

period, up 6 per cent from S$1.29 billion in the previous year.

Liew Mun Leong, Chairman of CapitaMalls Asia, said: “CapitaMalls

Asia recorded a strong set of results in our first full year of operations

since listing, tracking the robust economic growth in Asia, and

capitalising on our proactive asset enhancement initiatives and

capital management strategy. Our business is in this region, and we

are well-positioned to ride on this growth.”

Last year, the group committed a total investment of S$2.0 billion in

six new projects and recycled about S$500 million of capital through

the monetisation of Clarke Quay to CapitaMall Trust and the listing

of CapitaMalls Malaysia Trust.

The group also won the Bedok Town Centre site last September,

adding that it will put the site up for tender this year.

It also opened five malls in China last year and acquired four more,

giving it a total of 53 shopping malls across 34 cities in China, of

which 38 are operational. It said it is targeting to open another five

malls in China this year.

SGX Expands American Depositary Receipts Suite

2011-02-17T13:30:00.001+08:00

Singapore Exchange (SGX) is enhancing its suite of American Depositary

Receipts (ADRs) by adding new companies from other Asian countries

and partnering a second depositary bank, SGX said on Wednesday.

Initially, the new ADRs to be added are from Focus Media Holdings

(China), JA Solar (China) and POSCO (South Korea). They will trade

on SGX GlobalQuote from this quarter, joining 19 other ADRs from

Chinese companies that debuted on GlobalQuote in October 2010.

Citigroup is the latest depositary bank bringing ADRs onto GlobalQuote,

joining BNY Mellon, which acted for the pioneer batch of 19 ADRs.

Since the ADRs’ launch, GlobalQuote has achieved a total turnover of

S$3.4 billion, SGX said.

Magnus Bocker, CEO of SGX, said: “We are offering (a) wider investment

selection to our investors who have responded positively to the

successful launch last October. By the end of the first quarter, Global-

Quote will offer a pool of the largest and most liquid securities in Asia,

equivalent to more than a third of the companies in the benchmark

MSCI Asia APEX Index which tracks Asia’s top 50 companies.”

ASX, SGX Strengthen Merger Proposal with New Arrangements

2011-02-16T00:07:00.000+08:00

Australia’s ASX Limited (ASX) and Singapore Exchange Limited (SGX)

have agreed to adjust their merger proposal as they seek to overcome

political obstacles that stand in the way of the major deal.

In a joint statement posted Tuesday on ASX’s website, both sides promised

an equal number of directors from each country on the proposed

ASX-SGX board.

Chew Choon Seng, SGX’s chairman, will head the combined board,

which has been cut to 13 members. Of these, Australian and Singaporean

citizens will account for five members each respectively. The board

will also include three international directors, including ASX-SGX

Managing Director and CEO-designate Magnus Bocker.

All physical assets required for the operation of ASX’s businesses,

including listing, trade execution, clearing and settlement, and all

dedicated data and data recovery centres will continue to be developed

and located in Australia.

Both sides also pledged to build centres of excellence in Australia and

Singapore to drive product innovation, leverage on relationships with

intermediaries and liquidity providers, and develop new international

products and services to be distributed to the Asia-Pacific marketplace.

“These commitments demonstrate SGX’s belief in the merits and

benefits of the merger, address concerns that have been expressed,

and provide further clarity as to how the merged entity will operate in the

future to create growth and deliver value for shareholders and all stakeholders,”

SGX’s Chew said.

David Gonski, current chairman of ASX, will be the combined group’s

deputy chairman, as well as Chair of the ASX-SGX Integration Committee

tasked with overseeing a successful merger.

“The changes and commitments announced today, combined with

existing regulatory protections, strengthen our belief that the ASX-SGX

merger proposal is in the best interests of shareholders and in the

national interest of Australia,” ASX’s Gonski said.

In October last year, ASX and SGX announced plans for a merger that

would form one of the world’s largest listed exchange group with a broad

international shareholder base.

SGX’s CEO Magnus Bocker said Tuesday that both exchanges expect

to submit their revised merger proposal with Australia’s Foreign Investment

Review Board (FIRB) in the “next few weeks.”

Exchange Tie-ups Put Focus on Asia

2011-02-12T09:42:00.000+08:00

A wave of stock exchange consolidation globally has thrown the
spotlight on Asia's bourses, sparking a rally in shares of Australia's
ASX, which is trying to convince politicians to support a US$7.9 billion
takeover bid from Singapore Exchange.
Deutsche Boerse's advanced talks to buy NYSE Euronext to create
the world's biggest trading powerhouse was a wake-up call for Asian
bourses which face increasing competition in equity trading from new
platforms.
The deal came just hours after the London Stock Exchange
announced a bid for Canada's TMX.
The latest consolidation mounts pressure on Southeast Asian
exchanges, which have avoided mergers because of tight ownerships
and political obstacles, although these bourses are taking steps to
promote cross-border trading.
"The competitive threat from the alternative trading pools makes
strategic sense for traditional exchanges to combine resources so
they can compete better," said Neo Chiu Yen, vice president of equity
research at ABN AMRO Private Bank in Asia.
SGX's US$7.9 billion bid for the ASX faces major political and regulatory
hurdles in Australia but investors said the latest deals appeared
to strengthen the case for a tie-up.
Shares in both companies outperformed their wider markets on
Thursday. ASX shares were trading 4.5 per cent higher, while SGX
shares were up 1.3 per cent in Singapore.
"That whole game's moving very fast now. Maybe it gives the ASXSingapore
Exchange (deal) a bit of a kick along," said John Sevior,
head of equities at Perpetual Investments, ASX's biggest shareholder.
"It just depends on how broad the government's horizons are. At the
moment, it's mired very much in domestic political issues."
Sources close to the deal said there had been informal dialogue in
recent weeks between SGX-ASX and Australian politicians and the
country's Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB), which has the
power to block any deal. However, SGX had not yet formally submitted
its application to FIRB.
While many analysts said the deals should bolster the case for a
SGX-ASX merger, one analyst said the LSE could now be seen as an
alternative partner for ASX.
"LSE is clearly making a play on the mining-resources side of things
and Asia is in general very resource hungry, so if Australia wasn't
potentially tied-up with SGX, which isn't a done deal yet, that would
be one option," said Niki Beattie, managing director of trading consultancy
Market Structure Partners.
Many smaller Asian exchanges were not yet feeling the pressure from
alternative equity trading, although Hong Kong and Malaysia's
bourses could be candidates for deals, analysts said.
"Looking at the other stock exchanges, it is a bit too early to say that
we are going to see a wave of consolidation in Asia, unless those
markets open up, show aggression in terms of attracting listings
beyond their domestic companies and liberalize the exchanges a lot
more in terms of ownership," said Harsha Basnayake, head of Transaction
Advisory Services in Southeast Asia for Ernst & Young.
"Certainly the HK exchange is there and then there is Bursa Malaysia
as potential candidates," Basnayake added.

SGX’s Securities Market Turnover Value Hits S$37.18 billion in January

2011-02-09T12:06:00.000+08:00

Volumes achieved by Singapore Exchange’s (SGX) derivatives market
and Over-the-Counter (OTC) clearing business increased in January
from the same period last year, SGX said in a statement on Tuesday.
Securities market turnover value totalled S$37.18 billion in January, up
from S$28.37 billion in December, but down from S$38.21 billion a year
earlier.
Securities daily average value (SDAV) rose from S$1.23 billion in
December to S$1.77 billion in January. On a year-on-year basis
however, the SDAV was lower than the S$1.91 billion recorded in January
2010.
The value of exchange traded funds registered S$789 million, more
than double the S$345 million recorded in the same period last year.
SGX said the derivatives market volume in January was about 5.11
million contracts, up 2 per cent year-on-year and with an average daily
volume of 260,233.
Nifty futures (SGX S&P CNX Nifty Index futures) achieved a volume of
about 1.19 million contracts, up 42 per cent from a year earlier.
FTSE China A50 Index futures volume soared 62 per cent from December
to reach 214,648 contracts.
Total options volume registered 115,486, more than six times that
recorded a year earlier.
AsiaClear volume in January jumped 42 per cent year-on-year to 16,765
contracts, with OTC iron ore swaps volume up 57 per cent at 4,441
contracts.

SGX Consults Public on Proposed New Metals Futures Contracts

2011-02-01T17:12:00.000+08:00

Singapore Exchange (SGX) is consulting the public on the proposed

introduction of new metals futures contracts, namely lead, tin and

steel billet, for trading on SGX’s derivatives market.

The proposed new contracts will expand SGX’s current suite of

commodities contracts, in addition to the first three metal contracts

(copper, aluminium and zinc) to be launched on February 15.

With Asia becoming a hub for commodities, these new contracts will

cater to increasing investor interest in metals trading and provide

market participants additional investment opportunities during the

Asian trading hours, SGX said.

The introduction of new futures contracts arises from SGX’s partnership

with the London Metal Exchange (LME). These new contracts

are standard, cash-settled metals futures contracts based on settlement

prices from LME.

Market participants and members of the public can send in their

comments and suggestions on the proposed contracts to SGX from

Monday until 9 February 2011.

Singapore Post: HOLD S$1.17; Price Target : S$ 1.17

2011-01-31T16:04:00.000+08:00

· Net profit of S$43.8m (-0.7% yoy, +10.0% qoq) and quarterly DPS of 1.25 Scents were in line.

· The appointment of new CEO for international business shows regional focus. Regional M&A and share buybacks cannot be ruled out.

· Maintain HOLD with DDM-based S$1.17 TP (cost of equity 7.7%, growth rate 2%). We have assumed that dividends can grow by 2% p.a. in the long term.

星光魔王倪安東2011年1月魅力佔領獅城來“踢館”和你分享全新專輯《第一課》

2011-01-28T19:24:00.001+08:00

28 Jan:9.30pm - YES 933 LIVE 訪問

29 Jan:5.00pm - YES933倪安東 [第一課] 簽唱會 @ Bugis Junction 5pm

30 Jan:3.00pm - [廣播75周年] 站台@ Orchard Central
9.00pm - [繽紛万千在升松] 電視LIVE錄影