Pages

SURVEY

panel.sg

Friday, December 30, 2011

Happy 3+65 Countdown Show @ Marina Promontory

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

Happy 3+65 Countdown Show @ Marina Promontory

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Block B in Singapore!

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

Sunday, December 25, 2011

CHILLOGY on Christmas Day (25 DEC) at Powerhouse!

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!



Saturday, December 24, 2011

SGX Expands GlobalQuote Footprint with New ADRs


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.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

SIAS Urges China Sky to Comply with SGX Directive


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.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Global Logistic Properties - Beachhead for asset management

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.

Friday, December 16, 2011

家輝新加坡簽唱會!!! 期待與大家見面!!

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


Wednesday, December 14, 2011

吴建豪 C'EST LA V 签名会

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!



Tuesday, December 13, 2011

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

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.

Thursday, December 08, 2011

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

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.

Tuesday, December 06, 2011

Singapore Exchange Strengthens Regulation with New Appointments

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.

Sunday, December 04, 2011

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

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.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

SGX Introduces Clearing of New OTC Coal and Naphtha Swaps

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.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

ASEAN Exchanges Roll Out ASEAN Trading Link

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.

Thursday, November 03, 2011

SGX Derivatives and OTC Clearing Volumes Increase in October

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.

Tuesday, November 01, 2011

SGX to Attract Listings from India with New Appointment

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.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Flaunt It! 晚晴园

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!

Friday, October 28, 2011

《美味人生》

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)

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

SGX Clears First Asian FX Forwards

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.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

WILD ABOUT WINGS REVIEW

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 !
 

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

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

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.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

LIVERPOOL VS MAN UTD - LIVE AT THE COLISEUM @ RWS

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 !

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

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

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.

Friday, October 07, 2011

Party at Holland Village Circle Line station

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.

Saturday, October 01, 2011

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

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.

Friday, September 23, 2011

SGX Offers New Features to Enhance Market Transparency

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.”



Wednesday, September 21, 2011

NTT Singapore, SGX Collaborate to Give Customers Fast Trading Access

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.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

SGX Amends Listing Rules to Strengthen Corporate Governance Practices

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.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

WCS and friends Meet & Greet Session

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

Friday, September 09, 2011

샤이니(SHINee) FLIGHT INFORMATION IS OUT

Arrival Date: 10 September 2011, Saturday

Arrival Time: 6:00AM

Flight: JL035 (Japan Airlines)

Terminal 1 Changi Airport

Saturday, September 03, 2011

Strong SGX Trading Volume Growth in August

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.

Friday, September 02, 2011

SingPost Opens Second Regional Airfreight Hub

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.



Thursday, September 01, 2011

Manchester United Picks Two-tier Singapore Listing

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.”

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Sheng Siong Lists on SGX, Gains on Trading Debut

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.

Saturday, July 30, 2011

IL VOLO AUTOGRAPH SESSION

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
 

Friday, July 22, 2011

SGX Launches New Enhanced Website for Investors

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

Friday, July 15, 2011

StarHub TVB Awards 2011

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.

Saturday, July 09, 2011

Rachel Liang Wen Yin Singapore Promo Trip

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 ***

Wednesday, July 06, 2011

SGX Securities and Derivatives Trade Increases in June

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.

Friday, July 01, 2011

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

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.

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Dot Commodity Joins SGX Derivatives Market

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.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Banks to Facilitate Trading of Government Bonds on SGX

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.

Monday, June 27, 2011

SGX-listed firms to get sustainability guide

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.


Friday, June 24, 2011

Rainie & Joseph Meet-And-Greet session

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

Monday, June 20, 2011

SGX Improves Product Disclosure for Structured Warrants, Debentures and Funds

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.

Thursday, June 09, 2011

SGX offers trading of Singapore government bonds

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.


Tuesday, June 07, 2011

SingPost to acquire stake in Indo Trans Logistics

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.

Translate