Wednesday, December 30, 2009

2009年12月28日 投资者笔记 曹仁超

2009年12月28日 投资者笔记 曹仁超 美衰退第二波开始

12 月27日,周日。3月开始嘅美股反弹应响今年12月份结束,因為机构投资者买左十个月股票后,手上现金已冇乜,而标普五百指数由今年3月至今已反弹 50%。美滙指数已发出买入讯号,油价则发出卖出讯号;金矿股今年虽然上升唔少,但无法升穿去年高位(反之金价再创新高),两者并唔协调,不利后市金价。

十年期美债孳息升至3.72厘嘅四个月高点,同二年期利率差距由年初1.45厘扩阔到2.85厘,估计美国明年6月前加息0.25厘嘅机会升至 46%(11 月份只有32%)。美国政府财赤不断扩大,令政府必须不断拍卖债券去支付赤字,令中长期利率上升。另一方面,美国贸赤在收窄,令流出国外嘅美元减少,无法 进一步推跌美元滙价,令欧罗可见1.37美元。上述乃2010年大趋势!

恒指大方向未明确

展望2010年,美元转弱為强,美国经济情况开始温和改善,低利率政策保持;恒指仍在21000点至23000点之间上落。最终恒指必升穿上阻力或跌破下支持,到时大方向才会明确。

过去两年贝南奇令美国政府负债上升一倍,至2.2万亿美元,以阻止三十年代式大萧条出现。相信美国经济已可避免萧条,但「On-again, off-again」式衰退则无法避过。2007年10月开始嘅大跌市,跌幅之急及跌幅之大,甚至超过1929年9月至11月。去年11月中国政府推出4 万亿元人民币刺激经济方案,加上今年3月美国政府批准7000亿美元量化宽鬆政策下,全球股市出现大反弹。

不过,至今為止实体经济复苏仍十分脆弱,尤其欧洲。明年各国政府嘅努力目标系点样响现水平将经济稳定下来。呢次经济衰退和以前唔同,今次元气大伤嘅 系已发展国家,令已发展国家不能再做全球经济火车头。至於发展中国家,虽然已佔全球总GDP 34%及全球人口85%,但股票总市值加起来只佔全球股票总市值13%。今年印尼股市上升120%、印度股市升80%、内地股市升70%、澳洲股市升 57%、香港股市升47%,仍未能令OECD国家经济兴旺起来。

《机构投资者》杂誌质疑股票胜过债券论,并认為「股票派对」已於2000年结束。2000年至2009年11月止金价平均每年升15%,债券平均每 年升 8%,但标普五百平均年损失3.3%。2000年股票O由四十四倍回落到 2009年嘅二十倍;派息方面,自1926年起,上市公司股息每年平均约9.5厘,但到左2000年只有1.8厘。

美国今年第三季GDP增长率最先公布系3.5%,然后修订為2.8%,最后只有2.2%。上述GDP增长率,系依赖财赤达GDP 10%及美元滙价大跌造成。2010年又点?

铁路成中国未来十年增长点

2008 年中国在经济低潮宣布投资2万亿元人民币兴建(或改善)高速铁路网络。今天由北京到天津只需三十分鐘,2012年北京到上海只需五小时(目前十小时)。整 个系统在2020年完成,共一万六千公里(九千九百四十四英里),较2008年增加三分一。受惠机构包括加拿大Bombardier(获合约建八十辆高速 火车)及德国西门子(获合约一百辆高速火车),其次系内地建筑公司,兴建一千三百一十八公里路轨(其中十六公里系隧道),聘用一万二千七百名建筑工人,并 令内地钢铁厂获大量订单,同时推动2009年GDP增长(其中45%来自火车兴建项目),成為未来十年中国经济嘅新增长项目。如香港在铁路网络上唔同内地 接轨,将系港人未来一项大损失,因為香港已变成内地人嘅购物天堂。

2009年年初嘅投资策略系以资源股為主(包括黄金),另加金融股、房地產股及小量消费股。2010年又如何?2010年投资应避开资源、房地產、 金融同酒店项目,因為今年升幅已大。时光一去不复还,例如纽约时报在2002年美股熊市低潮时每股市值53美元,2009年2月却只值4.68美元,依家 反弹至 10.8美元;最近更用总部作抵押,借入2.25亿美元……。请记住,2010年应拣股唔炒市。

最近Barclays Capital加入推介亚洲科技股行列。赚大钱者都系嗰啲有胆买入冇人要嘅股份、后来却变成热门股者,而非追潮流者。2008年年底投资界一致睇淡内房股 及金融股,今年第三季却睇淡工业股(最近工业股已回升唔少)。逆市而行乃发达之道,例如2000年年初好少人睇好黄金,今天却差唔多人人睇好。去年唔少人 讲石油短缺问题,今年唔少人讲黄金供应不足,但美滙指数自今年12月已止跌回升,欧罗从十六个月高位1.52美元跌到三个半月低位1.42美元。明年上半 年美元相信仍属强势,因明年2月份开始联储局唔再提供紧急贷款畀其他银行。今年12月起美元进入上升周期,背后理由系美元滙价已完成十年回落期,而且今年 第三季美国GDP升3.5%。反之,由十六个国家组成嘅欧罗区加起来的GDP只升1.5%,英国GDP更负增长,日本政府在负债达GDP 172%下仍宣布量化宽鬆政策。如要在美元、欧罗、英镑、日圆之间作选择,投资者只有选择美元。估计美元兑欧罗可升20%、兑日圆升15%。目前美元只升 5%,即仍可再升5%-10%。影响之下,加元同澳元一样受压。

奥巴马明年毋须再增量化宽鬆

经过今年之后,希望我地冇变成投机分子。2007年10月开始嘅「防衰退心态」有冇因2009年股市大幅反弹而扭转?各位信唔信由1982年到 2007年美国所建立嘅巨额负债,可因2009年量化宽鬆政策而清理掉?今年嘅日本人中,每五个便有一个超过六十五岁,2010年起美国六十五岁嘅退休人 士亦进入急增期,一直到 2030年。换言之,未来二十年美国将步上日本过去二十年嘅命运。美国经济衰退第二波2010年又开始【图】!

战后出生嘅美国婴儿潮自明年起陆续踏入六十五岁退休年龄,对社会福利需求有增无减,更要面对人力资源减少所造成嘅种种压力,何以应付?此乃2007 年10 月起美国进入去槓桿化嘅理由,情况同1990年1月日本接近。今次衰退唔系因為存货太多,而是因為信贷太多。至今為止去槓桿化仍在持续中,今年股市反弹只 因美国政府增加借贷去抵销美国企业同家庭减少借贷嘅影响,此法2001年日本政府曾採用,但成绩有目共睹。美国住宅中有三分一系冇借贷嘅,其餘三分二则 有;2009年年底美国住宅总市值16.53万亿美元,扣除三分一冇借贷嘅住宅,即餘下11万亿美元住宅,而负债為10.3万亿美元,即三分二住宅净值十 分接近零(部分已系负资產)!响咁情况下,美国家庭明年如何透过增加借贷去增加消费?何况政治层面上,明年奥巴马已经冇增加量化宽鬆政策嘅需要,不然如何 在2011年刺激经济繁荣,以便在2012年赢得连任?

明年利率相信仍将人為地偏低,直到有一天通胀率回升為止。但美国 ARM(Adjustable Rate Mortgage)重整由2009年12月起回升,另一高潮在2010年9月。换言之,明年因存款利率太低而引发嘅股市、原材料甚至内地楼价上升潮,明年 将会再面对调整。

1997年香港主权回归后,有20%港人收入响过去十二年升60%左右,但有80%人口收入却跌10%。贫者愈贫、富者愈富现象自1997年起恶 化,令过去十二年香港中產阶级进入「失落世纪」年代。佢地嘅身家(主要系住宅楼)在首六年大跌65%,最近六年又回升100%,形成穷人愈来愈穷、富人愈 来愈富,但特区政府至今仍无意纠正上述趋势。

一、1997年前在香港嘅大学毕业或专科毕业生,好快便成為企业内嘅中坚分子,收入足够享受中產阶级生活。今天香港大学毕业生能搵到一份好工嘅机会愈来愈细,因為过去十二年香港除左金融业外,其他行业并冇扩充业务的机会。

二、本港楼价由1997年第三季起跌至2003年第二季,只付楼价首期30%嘅有楼人士早已变成负资產,因楼价跌70%。2003年第三季开始香港 楼价不断上升,至今已回升100%,年轻打工一族如冇父母帮助根本无法置业。良好嘅土地政策应系楼价每年稳步上升(例如每年上升5%-10%左右),而非 好似香港咁,楼价唔系狂升就系暴跌。

三、中產阶级一向热中投资股票。不过1997年、2000年、2007年过去十多年内港股出现三落三上。超级富豪嘅财富因此增加唔少,但中產阶级嘅 财富却水瓜打狗。在联繫滙率制度下,港元滙价及利率必须追随美元滙价及利率,形成香港股市大上大落,而令财富大量转移到超级富豪手中,造成今天香港社会贫 富两极化。2009年香港坚尼系数為全球最高!不患寡而患不均,自有人类社会以来,分配财富与创造财富之间嘅矛盾一直存在。

输一次就一无所有

Richard Norris Williams II系边位?大家可能木宰羊。1912年佢先至二十一岁,系铁达尼号沉没时嘅少数生还者之一。大难不死必有后福,翌年佢赢左美国网球混合赛冠军,1924 年更在温布顿赢左奥运金牌,之后连续五次赢得美国网球冠军。其后佢加入左一间投资公司C. Clothier Jones & Co.,该公司在1929年股灾前出售大量投资,拥有500万美元现金。幸运之神一直眷顾佢,1929年11月美国股灾后,该年12月佢决定大举入市,美 股果然反弹,因此响1930年4月投资界称佢為「股神」,当年其家财已超过100万美元(以1930年美元购买力计,相当於今天6000万美元)。 1930年佢事业爱情两得意,与爱人去左欧洲,并决定在1930年10月结婚……可惜美股自1930年4月起开始回落,佢由於身在欧洲享受爱情生活,并冇 理会,佢认為只系短期现象,更决定借钱买股票。1931年,佢同公司四个僱员及一位大投资者一齐结束自己生命。

在金融市场,无论你赢几多次,只要最后一次投资系失败嘅话,结果仍系一无所有!希望大家从Richard Norris Williams II嘅一生中获得警惕。

1969 年我老曹开始在报章上写财经文章,当年认识唔少香港百万富翁,当时他们存钱入银行收息,但佢地嘅退休生活并唔好过,因為过去四十年通胀将佢地100万元存 款嘅购买力蚕食左95%。1997年唔少朋友退休时拥有两个住宅单位,一个自住一个收租,两个单位1997年市值过千万元;今天佢地却要节衣缩食,因為香 港楼价过去十二年虽呈V形走势,但至今仍未重返1997年水平。2007年又听到唔少朋友打算买股票作為未来退休之用……。过去四十年金融市场变化之快及 之大令人咋舌。恒指由1970年1月的100点到2007年10月32000点,上升三百二十倍,金价过去四十年上升三十三倍、楼价上升六十倍;而大学生 月薪由1970年1500元到今天12000元,只上升八倍。

美国中產高峰期一去不返

在美国由1966至82 年投资股票者系大输家,1982至2000年却系大赢家,2000年至今又再次成為输家。至於日本1964至89年投资股票者系大赢家,1990年至今系 大输家。黄金由1980到2000年都系大输家,2001年至今则系大赢家。1967到97年在香港揸楼系大赢家,由1997年至今揸楼面对大上大落。咁 大波动,如何是好?

美国调查显示︰年收入少於10万美元嘅家庭在退休之时,除拥有自住物业外,餘下财富十分有限;香港情况亦好唔到几多。累积财富同储蓄及节俭无关,主要由你系咪懂得理财去决定。

理财第一步:支出永远少於收入。第二步:时间、精力及金钱都用於建立财富上,而非社会形象上(例如参加无谓宴会)。第三步:精於捕捉市场出现嘅投资 机会。呢方面既唔使系天才,亦毋须精明过人。第四步:為兴趣而工作,因為行行出状元。第五步:对华衣、名车、游艇甚至长假期兴趣都唔大,因為上述行為都系 浪费时间嘅玩意,只有赚钱才是最大兴趣。退休时富有并唔在乎你系咪努力工作,而在於投资方面系咪成功。Barbara Ehrenreich(Nickel and Dimed一书作者)认為,美国中產阶级高峰期已一去不返。过去二十年中產嘅地位日渐低落,更已形成趋势,无法再扭转。

圆周率投资法

一个经济周期通常可维持五十五至六十五年。呢个大循环又可分為五个中循环(每个九至十一年),再分為两个小循环(每个四点二五年至六年)。

研究循环理论者先行找出上升或下降扭力(Torque):

公式為:价格移动/成交额差=扭力

价格移动=上升股份-下降股份

成交额差=买入成交额-卖出成交额

找出扭力(Torque)后再乘半径(Radius),就系最简单嘅「圆周率投资法」(任何趋势都系以球形状进行,而非直线上升或下降。如以欖形状 进行,另一个浪顶应系前浪顶嘅一点六一八倍。如以蛋形状进行,另一个浪顶為前一个浪顶的二点六一八倍。如以圆形进行,另一个浪顶為前浪顶的三点一四一六 倍。如进入回落期,最小反弹幅度是前跌幅的零点一一八倍或零点三二倍,一般可达零点五倍,最高可反弹前跌幅零点六一八倍)。上述理论响Willicam C Garrett在Investing for Profit with Torque Analysis of Stock Market Cycles一书(1973年出版)有详细解释,从略。由於上述理论较深奥难明,故好少人应用,11月份行止兄曾提及圆周率投资法,因此我老曹在这里略作 简介。

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Bolt – ‘I didn’t think I would run 19.19’. I just go and run and try to do my best at all times.”

Friday, 21 August 2009

Bolt – ‘I didn’t think I would run 19.19’

Usain Bolt leaves the rest of the world in his wake on his way to securing his fifth individual World Record (Getty Images)

Usain Bolt leaves the rest of the world in his wake on his way to securing his fifth individual World Record (Getty Images)
relnews

* Bolt again, and again! 19.19 World record in Berlin

* Usain Bolt of Jamaica with the clock showing the new 200m World Record in the Berlin Olympic Stadium

* Usain Bolt of Jamaica runs a World Record of 19.19 seconds in the men's 200m in the Berlin Olympic Stadium

* Usain Bolt of Jamaica on his way to setting the quickest 200m time in history in the Berlin Olympic Stadium during the IAAF World Championships in 2009

* Jamaica's Usain Bolt points at the clock showing the new 200m World Record of 19.19 seconds at the 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Berlin

Berlin, Germany - He must be human. There was sweat dripping from his brow as he signed autographs on his lap of honour. Yet Usain Bolt continues to challenge the limits of what was thought humanly possible.

The World Record for the men’s 200m is now 19.19sec. What happened to 19.2? The Bolt bullet train flew straight past that station last night. Straight from 19.3 to 19.1.

Bolt did to the 200m what Bob Beamon had done to the Long Jump in 1968 when, at the Mexico City Olympics, the American didn’t bother with 28ft and took the World record straight from 27ft 4¾in to 29ft 2½in. The record that Bolt beat here was his own 19.30, set at the Beijing Olympics last year.

So that makes Bolt the first man to break the 100m and 200m World Records more than once. His margin of victory – 0.62sec – is greater than the sum total of winning margins of the five previous winners of the title.

No less extraordinary is his World Record sequence. That’s five now in his last five Olympic and World Championship finals – the 100m (9.69), 200m (19.30) and 4x100m (37.10) in Beijing and his 100m (9.58) and 200 (19.19) here.

So who’s the lucky young fan with the signed shoe? Bolt was seen throwing one such spectator trophy into the stands.

On the Berlin Olympic Stadium track five men ran under 20 seconds in one race for the first time but Bolt made four of them look as though they were competitors in a B race. Sub 20 would have taken the gold medal at seven of the previous 11 World Championships but suddenly all the talk is about sub 19.

Bolt’s time was achieved into a headwind (-0.3 m/s) and after less than ideal preparation. Had he enjoyed the maximum permitted +2.0 m/s would we have been talking 18 point something? “I don’t know,” Bolt said. “I guess, maybe.”

Wallace Spearmon, the American who finished third, had asked Bolt before they were warming up which way is the wind was blowing. “I’m like, I don’t know, and I started thinking about that, like we’ve got a headwind,” Bolt said. “But it’s just a part of life and I just go and run and try to do my best at all times.”

And his imperfect preparation? Bolt’s foot injury from his car accident in April, when his new BMW M3 skidded off the road and overturned, prevented him running the bend in training for several weeks. Not a problem for his 100m final four days earlier but a possible limiting factor for the half lap.

As he said last night: “The only thing really affected was my 200m training because I didn’t do much on the corner, which I wanted to. I’m not in the condition I was in last year.”

Michael Johnson once said of the 200m: ‘The 100 and 400 are the marquee events but the 200m is just stuck in between.” He was referring to the comparative public and media interest in the three events but that was long before he set a breathtaking World Record of 19.32 at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

After Johnson’s retirement the 200m slipped back into the subconscious as Asafa Powell (100m) and Jeremy Wariner (400m) returned the spotlight to their events. But Bolt has returned the 200m to centre stage .

Speaking once again to a packed medallists’ press conference, Bolt was probably the only one in the vast tent who thought he still had to do more to achieve legendary status. “I keep telling people that my main aim is to become a legend,” Bolt said. “That’s the aim for me and that’s what I’m working on.”

Speaking specifically about his latest run, the 100 and 200m World champion added: “What can I say? It’s just a great feeling for me to have broken my World Record. I didn’t know I was going to break it that bad. I was just trying my heart out and I got it right so I’m just happy.

“I don’t put myself under pressure. When I go out there I know what to do so I just go out and execute pretty much.”

Describing his coach, Glen Mills, as “the greatest coach ever”, Bolt said that his trainer would be the only one who might convince him to have a serious attempt at the 400m. “Everybody knows that I’m not going to run the 400m unless my coach gives me a really good reason,” Bolt said. “I’m just trying to stay as far away from that as possible.”

Bolt was keen to set the record straight over reported comments about the 100m World Record. “I did not say I could run 9.4, I said 9.4 would be the limit,” he stated. “Somebody quoted me saying that I said I could run 9.4 – I did not say that. I said that 9.4 is possible, I don’t know if I can do it. 9.4 is going to be the limit for the 100m – that is what I think.”

And the 200m? “I don’t know what is the limit for 200m,” Bolt said. “Anything is possible – I doubt people thought I would run 19.19. I didn’t think I would run 19.19.”

As he turns 23 today, Bolt said he would celebrate with “a long sleep”, adding that he was “really, really tired right now.”

In a wide-ranging press conference, Bolt was asked about a knighthood, Manchester United and the Jamaican team effort here.

On the possibility of a knighthood, of becoming Sir Usain Bolt, he said: “That would be a great thing for the Queen to dub me Sir Usain Bolt. That would be wonderful.”

On the embarrassing defeat suffered by his favourite football team against English Premiership newcomers Burnley on Wednesday night, he said: “Why you gotta bring that up? I don’t want to think about a new side coming up into the Premier League – it was embarrassing for me. But I know my side will bounce back, so there will be no worries.”

And on the Jamaican team. Over the course of history Olympic and World Championships medals tables have been topped by the sport’s superpowers – the United States, Russia and the GDR. Could an island nation take that honour for the first time? Jamaica lead on five gold medals with every chance of at least four more.

Bolt was asked about the Jamaican team performance. “I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t even know the count right now. I just come out and run. That’s the main aim for me – I just come out and perform. I don’t think about the medal rankings.”

The birthday boy and double World champion has enough to celebrate for now.

David Powell for the IAAF

Saturday, August 8, 2009

OCBC: Rotary Engineering - Priming David for Goliath’s world

Rotary Engineering: Priming David for Goliath’s world

By Kelly Chia Wed, 5 Aug 2009, 14:58:01 SGT

Summary: Rotary Engineering (Rotary) reported 2Q09 this morning with revenue of S$164.2m (+22% YoY, +24.5% QoQ) and bottomline of S$13m (+11%YoY, +200% QoQ).

2Q results were inline with our expectations with a final wind-down of its previous tranche of projects.

We do not expect Rotary to require significant debt financing as its projects are cash flow positive.

While M&As are an option with a net cash horde of S$110m, we think that Rotary will explore JVs/alliances first to evaluate the partner and market it intends to penetrate into.

We opine that soon-to-be listed competitor, PEC Group (Not Rated), would not currently pose a threat to Rotary’s market in the Middle East.

With the anticipated surge in earnings, we have doubled our dividend forecasts upwards for FY10F to 4 S cents (prev. 2 S cents).

With better clarity on SATORP, more regional-based projects slated to come online and improved equity risk appetite, we have re-pegged our valuation to 12x FY10F EPS (prev. 8x). Iterate BUY for Rotary with a fair value of S$1.26 (prev. S$0.81).

Better sequential performance.

Rotary Engineering (Rotary) posted 2Q09 results with revenue of S$164.2m (+22% YoY, +24.5% QoQ) and bottomline of S$13m (+11%YoY, +200% QoQ); 2Q results were inline with our bottomline estimates but a final phase wind-down of its previous tranche of projects bettered our topline forecasts.

Gross margins were at the lower end of its guided 18-22% range as revenue are recognised from current projects that were secured in 2008’s “cost conscious environment”.Good balance sheet. Historically, Rotary’s projects have largely been self-financing, even for its previous mega project of the Universal Terminal.

As such, we do not expect Rotary to require additional significant amounts of debt except for trade financing for intermittent gaps.

While M&As are an option with a net cash horde of S$110m, we think that Rotary will explore JVs/alliances first to evaluate the partner and market it intends to penetrate into.Competitor listing. PEC Group (Not Rated) – soon to be listed on the SGX mainboard (priced at 4x FY09F PER) - intends to have a fabrication facility in the Middle East by 2010 to compete for projects.

Currently, we think that PEC’s presence should not pose a significant challenge until it firmly establishes its working relationship with its JV partners and facility.

(prev. 2 S cents). This brings the yield to 3.5%, a respectable return for an industrial-based company.

Calculated expansion pays off; Maintain BUY. Rotary arrived at this stage with much foresight in its manpower training and calculated Middle East investment.

We have adjusted our estimates to cater to the US$745m contract value (prev. US$700m) along with increased variation orders for its current tranche of projects.

Our previous concerns on the dilutive effects of the JV have been alleviated with half of the US$745m to be performed directly by Rotary instead of its JV.

Accretion of SATORP earnings is now modelled over 3.5 years (prev. 4 years). With better clarity on SATORP, more regional-based projects slated to come online and improved equity risk appetite, we have re-pegged our valuation to 12x FY10F EPS (prev. 8x).

Iterate BUY for Rotary with a fair value of S$1.26 (prev. S$0.81).

BT: Rotary Engineering Q2 gain up 11% to $13m

Published August 6, 2009

Rotary Engineering Q2 gain up 11% to $13m

By VEN SREENIVASAN

ROTARY Engineering, whose stock has soared in recent weeks after the company unveiled some $1.1 billion worth of new projects, yesterday unveiled an 11 per cent rise in April-June second quarter earnings to $13 million.

This came on the back of a 22 per cent rise in quarterly revenue to $164.2 million. The Q2 results brought net profit for the first half ended June 30 to $17.4 million, a decrease of 21 per cent from the $21.9 million seen for the previous corresponding period.

First-half revenue was up 18 per cent at $296 million. The H1 profit decline was due partly to higher operating costs, the company said. But Rotary's gross profit margin remained stable at about 20 per cent, and earnings per share stood at 3.1 cents for the first half, compared with 3.9 cents a year earlier.

For the second quarter, the lion's share of the company's revenue - about 71 per cent - came from Singapore with the rest coming from other Asean countries and other markets.

Going forward, Rotary's operations in Saudi Arabia are likely to contribute significantly to its revenues, due to its recent win and its intention to capitalise on its presence in that market.

Last month, it inked a US$745 million engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to build a refinery tank farm in Jubail, Saudi Arabia.

The contract was awarded to Rotary and its joint venture company Petrol Steel Co Ltd by Saudi Aramco Total Refining and Petrochemical Company, a joint venture between Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) and Total SA.

With this contract and a few other recently-sealed deals, Rotary's order book now stands at a record $1.41 billion with projects lasting up to the end of 2012.

The company's chairman and managing director, Chia Kim Piow, said Rotary was mobilising to execute and deliver on recently-won contracts.

'In securing this win, we have raised the bar for ourselves,' he said. 'This achievement propels us onto another level and it helps to build our confidence as well as reinforce our presence in the broader Middle Eastern market.' In a strategic response to changing market conditions, Rotary has been progressively placing more resources into bigger construction-based projects.

The repositioning has widened its revenue source as it increasingly becomes a service provider to process plants. The company expects the EPC-construction revenue ratio to change further in favour of construction-based projects.

In the past, EPC made up 70 per cent of Rotary's income stream. The company's had net tangible assets of $217.0 million and a net cash position of $110.9 million.

The recent developments have prompted analysts to upgrade the stock. OCBC Investment Research has placed a 'buy' call on Rotary with a fair value of $1.26, up from its previous target of 81 cents.

'We do not expect Rotary to require significant debt financing as its projects are cash flow positive,' it noted. 'While M&As are an option with a net cash horde of $110 million, we think that Rotary will explore JVs/alliances first to evaluate the partner and market it intends to penetrate into.'

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Finding real value in beaten-down markets

Finding real value in beaten-down markets

Indeed, it is during bearish times like these that investors who believe in the value proposition come out hunting for bargains.

-ST Tue, Feb 10, 2009The Straits Times

By Lorna Tan

With stocks hitting new lows, the share market is like another Singapore sale but minus the crowds, given that only a few brave souls are putting their cash down.

While investors may have misgivings about the uncertain and volatile markets, the assets are just too cheap to ignore.

Valuations of many stocks are at attractive levels, so it is no wonder that financial experts are pointing to 'value' as a key theme for this year.

Indeed, it is during bearish times like these that investors who believe in the value proposition come out hunting for bargains.

What value investing is

Essentially, value investing means buying at good value and holding for the long term to reap capital appreciation and dividend yields. It is the investing style that made Mr Warren Buffett and his mentor, value-investing pioneer Benjamin Graham, kings of the share markets.

It contrasts with the strategy known as growth investing. This involves investing in companies deemed to have good growth potential, even if the share price appears expensive.

A growth stock is typically defined as a company whose earnings are expected to grow at an above-average rate compared with that of its industry peers or the overall market.

In value investing, buying something for less than its worth is a fundamental principle.

This was an important concept used by Mr Graham, who believed that investors should buy only firms that are selling lower than the value of their net current assets. That is, their value after deducting their liabilities.

Doing this ensures that even if one is wrong, there is a margin of safety. Your downside is protected to a certain extent if the stock price falls further.

For example, if your perceived value of stock A is $3, you may want to buy in only at around $2.70. This gives a margin of safety of 10 per cent to protect you from any fall.

Many investors have trouble deciding if a stock is cheap or expensive. There are several factors to consider to accurately determine a share's worth.

How to pick value stocks

First, never look at the stock price in isolation. To see how it is faring, it must be compared with other stocks in the same industry. You also need to know how the industry and overall market are performing.

For instance, if you are considering buying a property stock, do not sink your money in just because it seems cheap on the surface.

Compare it with other property stocks in the same region, say, the Asia-Pacific, or in the same business segment, such as residential mass-market developers.

If you are value investing, do not rely just on prices to determine how cheap or expensive a firm is. In the long term, price and intrinsic value are likely to be similar but this is not so in the short term, when prices usually reflect investor emotion.

So low prices do not necessarily mean low values. Instead, use an appropriate valuation measure to help determine the value.

A common measure for comparative purposes is the firm's earnings. In this case, buy stocks selling at a low multiple of their earnings - what the company has left after expenses are paid. It follows that a firm selling at a low earnings multiple is usually a better value pick than one with a high earnings multiple.

You should also compare the price-earnings multiple to that of its competitors in the same industry and also the broader indexes to determine if the company is a value buy.

Another common measure is a firm's price-to-book ratio, which is derived by dividing its share price by the book value of the firm. The book value provides an estimate of how much the firm would be worth if it had to be liquidated.

Investors should also check if a firm passes the following criteria: Does it have sound businesses with good earnings and revenue growth? Is it run by competent managers?

Be wary of 'value traps'

Some stocks and markets could turn out to be 'value traps'. This means that despite being attractively valued, they could still prove disappointing and remain cheap for a prolonged period.

This could happen when a particular market is suffering from political uncertainty, for example, or the company is facing depressed earnings without any prospects of a near-term turnaround.

This is the first of a three-part series on value investing brought to you by DWS Investments.
This article was first published in The Straits Times on February 08, 2009.

Monday, February 2, 2009

COSCO - Fully valued : DBS

FULLY VALUED: DBS Group ResearchJan 13, 2009 The Business Times

Cosco Corporation

Jan 12 close: S$0.815

DBS Group Research, Jan 12

COSCO Corporation announced that its subsidiary, Cosco (Zhoushan) Shipyard, has entered into an agreement with an Asian shipowner pertaining to order cancellation and rescheduling. Out of the four units of 57,000-deadweight-tonne bulk carriers placed in 2007, two will be cancelled. The delivery of the remaining two vessels will also be postponed.

The cancellations are estimated to be worth about US$90 million, representing only 1.2 per cent of Cosco's total orderbook of US$7 billion. We believe no major cost has been incurred, as the construction works for the two cancelled vessels have not commenced. As part of the agreement to cancel the orders, the shipowner has paid compensation to Cosco; no details were disclosed as to the amount paid.

We are retaining our forecast for Cosco as we have already imputed 40 per cent cancellations/delays in our earnings model. Maintain 'fully valued' and TP of S$0.76, based on 4 times its shipbuilding profits and 8 times its shiprepair profits.FULLY VALUED

Compiled by Lynette Khoo

COSCO - Underperform : CIMB

UNDERPERFORM: CIMB-GK SecuritiesJan 06, 2009 The Business Times

Cosco Corporation

Jan 5 close: $0.99

CIMB-GK SECURITIES, Jan 5

COSCO recently warned that its FY08 earnings will be lower than FY07. We estimate a loss of about $16 million for fourth quarter 2008 with FY08 net profit of $310 million, down 8 per cent year-on-year.

We believe that customer credit risk has heightened as more ship owners are negotiating for delays in progressive payments due to the credit financing drought. The deteriorating shipping industry with near break-even freight rates could also cause ship owners to delay taking delivery of new vessels to avoid operating at a loss. In Q4 alone, Cosco has announced pushing back deliveries of 21 vessels by six to 26 months.

Cosco's problems have been worsened by operational woes as shipbuilding margins have been hit by higher steel and ancillary outsourcing, tighter pre-delivery inspection procedures costs and additional development cost to vacate residential properties originally planned for yard expansion. The inconsistent disclosure of the number of ships under construction and delivery schedule also added to our negative view on the stock.

Our earnings estimates have been cut by 15 to 30 per cent for FY08-FY10. We have also cut our target price to $0.58 from $0.80.UNDERPERFORM

COSCO - HOLD: Kim Eng

HOLD: Kim Eng ResearchJan 02, 2009 The Business Times

COSCO has issued a profit warning, stating that 2008 earnings will be lower than 2007. The bulk of the lowered earnings will be caused by provisions of doubtful debts.

Cosco recorded a net profit of $336.6 million for 2007, and had already posted net earnings of $326.5 million for the first nine months of 2008. This profit guidance therefore deviates significantly from the consensus estimate of $425 million for 2008 earnings and our own forecast of $465 million.

We are downgrading Cosco to a 'hold', while we re-assess our earnings forecast and target price. Specifically, Cosco says it has recently received requests for delays in making payment by several ship owners.

Accordingly, provisions will have to be made for doubtful debts. While increased operational costs such as higher steel and sub-contracting costs and additional development costs at Zhoushan are also being cited, these issues were already well-known and have been addressed by the market.

However, Cosco says that these operational issues have also contributed to further delivery delays, and Cosco said that it is assessing the various causes of delay and considering the need for further provisions for penalties under these contracts.

In addition, Cosco has also announced that it has been asked to reschedule the delivery dates of a total of seven units of 57,000-deadweight-tonne (dwt) bulk carriers by these ship owners.
The delivery dates of four of these vessels have been rescheduled from between February 2010 and June 2010 to between February 2011 and November 2011, and the delivery dates of the other three vessels have been rescheduled from between August 2009 and November 2009 to January 2012.

We are also in the process of factoring in these delays to our forward earnings forecasts.HOLD
Cosco CorporationDec 31 close: $0.95Kim Eng Research, Dec 31

COSCO - SELL : DMG

Cosco: Sell: DMG & Partners Securities

Dec 05, 2008 The Business Times

COSCO Corporation (Cosco) announced that its 51 per cent owned subsidiary, Cosco Shipyard, has entered into a variation agreement for five units of its 57,000 dwt bulk carrier newbuilds.
This variation agreement includes cancellation of two vessels and deliveries rescheduling of the three remaining bulk carriers. The cancellation would be conditional upon an advance payment of up to 80 per cent of the total contract price (of the remaining three bulk carriers) received from the shipowner.

We are keeping our forecasts intact as we have previously factored in 20 per cent cancellation orders in our estimates. Our target price remains at $0.68. We believe Cosco's share price would be negatively affected due to concerns over further possible cancellations in the near term.

Maintain SELL.SELL

COSCO - SELL: DMG

SELL: DMG & Partners Securities

Nov 01, 2008 The Business Times

ON a year-on-year comparison, Cosco Corporation's revenue surged 80.7 per cent to $987.7 million in Q3 2008 as order backlog for shipbuilding and marine engineering was recognised.
Revenue from this segment contributed 92.1 per cent (an increase of 87 per cent) or $909.9 million. Dry bulk shipping turnover grew 36 per cent to $72.5 million, lifted by more favourable charter rates renewed in the earlier part of the year. Though gross margin was lower at 23.4 per cent (compared to 37.9 per cent in Q3 2007) as a result of higher material costs and a shift in revenue contribution mix towards lower margin shipbuilding business, Cosco still managed to improve its bottom line by 16.5 per cent to $113.9 million.

But as compared to Q2 2008, Cosco's revenue declined 5.7 per cent. Turnover from ship building fell 10.7 per cent while marine engineering dropped 24.4 per cent, bringing the overall top-line contribution from ship repair, shipbuilding and marine engineering down by 6 per cent. Coupled with a lower gross profit margin of 23.4 per cent (a decline of 260 basis points), Cosco's profit after tax and minority interests fell by 11.5 per cent.

Only one of the first 10 dry bulk carriers would be delivered this year. The remaining nine carriers, which are currently being built in Zhoushan shipyard, would be delivered progressively in 2009. The management attributed the delay to several reasons:

1. Zhoushan shipyard was not operating at optimal capacity as the yard was undergoing expansion works concurrently.

2. Over-ambitious vessel delivery schedule, overlooking the fact that Cosco only ventured into the newbuilding business segment in 2007. Going forward, we remain concerned on the tight schedule and further possible delay in vessel deliveries as the management hinted that not all 40 vessels scheduled for delivery in FY 2009 have commenced construction work. A typical bulk carrier newbuild takes 12-15 months to build.

The Baltic Dry Index (BDI) plunged below 1,000 recently (This is a fraction of the 10,000 a year ago). While Cosco would not expect any material negative impact from this falling BDI in the short term as the current charter contracts had been locked in based on higher freight rates previously, we believe the protracted low BDI rates would impact Cosco's shipping contribution in FY 2009 significantly.

The management guided that Cosco's shipping business division would be loss making should its bulk carriers be chartered at the current spot rate.

Cosco has always been a relatively high-beta stock, and this is especially evident in today's volatile market environment. As we continue to take a cautious stance on our sector outlook pertaining to the shipping industry, we are lowering our price-to-book valuation parameter to 1.0 times (from 1.2 times previously), deriving a target price of $0.680 (from $0.860 previously). Maintain SELL.

Cosco Corporation
Sell
DMG & Partners Securities
Oct 31 close: $0.775

Thursday, January 29, 2009

SGX Q2-0809 Results - OCBC

Singapore Exchange Ltd

Cutting fair value to S$4.50

SINGAPORE Company Update

Carmen Lee
(65) 6531 9802
e-mail: carmen@ocbc-research.com

16 January 2009

Maintain
HOLD

Previous Rating: HOLD
S$4.99

Fair Value: S$4.50

General Data
Issued Capital (m) 1,069
Mkt Cap (S$m/US$m) 5,334/3,569
Major Shareholder SEL Hldgs (24%)
Free Float (%) 51
NAV per share (S$) 0.62
Daily Vol 3-mth (‘000) 8,383
52Wk High (S$) 10.960
52Wk Low (S$) 4.150

Year to Turnover EBIT PAT EPS PER Net DPS Net Div Yield
30 Jun (S$m) (S$m) (S$m) (cents) (x) (cents) (%)
FY 07* 576.2 365.2 421.8 40.8 12.2 36.0 7.2
FY 08* 768.6 529.0 478.3 44.7 11.2 38.0 7.6
FY 09F 556.0 341.7 280.4 26.2 19.0 22.0 4.4
FY 10F 600.1 384.3 315.5 29.5 16.9 25.0 5.0

* Note: Included one-off from SGX Centre in FY07 and distribution from SGX-DT Compensation Fund in FY08

Severe market decline dragged down 2Q performance.
Singapore Exchange Ltd (SGX) posted a 52% YoY or 12% QoQ decline in 2QFY09 earnings to S$74.7m, dragged down by adverse market conditions, but in line with market expectation of S$73m. For 1H, earnings fell 44% to S$159.2m, or down 37% if S$34m distribution in previous period was excluded. All segments posted QoQ decline, resulting in a 7% QoQ or 28% YoY decline in operating revenue to S$146.7m in 2QFY09. It came as no surprise that Securities Market revenue fell 7% QoQ or 43% YoY to S$69.6m, while Derivatives was down 7% QoQ but up 11% YoY to S$42.8m. Even Stable Revenue fell 9% QoQ and 20% YoY to S$34.3m. Refer to
Exhibit 1 for more details. SGX has declared a 2Q dividend of 3.5 S cents, payable on 18 Feb 2009.

Uncertainty remains.
Volatility in the market is likely to stay for a while, and this cautious environment could curtail trading activities, affecting Securities Market revenue. Management emphasized that it will look at cost containment. The decline in the global equity market has also taken a toll on capital raising exercises, IPOs and derivatives trading activity, which were clearly seen in SGX's 2Q results. The launch of the Extended Settlement contacts (single stock contracts) has been pushed back to 3Q FY09.

Retain HOLD,
cutting fair value to S$4.50. With cautious market sentiment, corporates are finding it hard to raise funds. This has led to the sharp decline in capital raising activities, which now look likely to persist into 4QFY09, and could impact SGX's corporate and listing fees. Management has indicated that it will continue to develop its Derivatives business, but we expect the slump in the equity market to be the present over-riding concern for the stock. Internally, we expect management to keep a close watch on costs in line with other corporates dealing with the present market uncertainty. In view of the unresolved turmoil in the market, we are cutting our 2HFY09 earnings, resulting in a decline in FY09 earnings from S$327.9m to S$280.4m. We have also cut our FY10 earnings from S$362.3m to S$315.5m. As a result of this, but still maintaining our valuation parameter of 16x, our fair value estimate is now S$4.50 (previous: S$5.80).

We retain our HOLD rating.

Keppel Corp FY08 Results - Cautiously forward :OCBC

Keppel Corporation

Cautiously forward

SINGAPORE Company Update
23 January 2009

Maintain
HOLD

Previous Rating: HOLD
S$4.04

Fair Value: S$4.40

General Data
Issued Capital (m) 1,593
Mkt Cap (S$m/US$m) 6,436 / 4,296
Major Shareholder Temasek Holdings (21.2%)
Free Float (%) 78
NAV per share (S$) 2.81
Daily Vol 3-mth (‘000) 9,680
52Wk High (S$) 12.500
52Wk Low (S$) 3.350

Kelly Chia
(65) 6531 9817
e-mail: kelly@ocbc-research.com

Offshore surprises.
Keppel Corporation (KepCorp) reported topline growth of 13.2% YoY to S$11.8b for FY08 while net profits inched ahead 6.9% YoY to S$1.09b. The results exceeded our expectations in view of a S$3b revenue spurt from the Offshore and Marine business in the final quarter. KepCorp's order book of S$10.8b consists of deliveries stretching till 2012.

Upwards, but cautiously.
We have revised our previously bearish FY09F estimates to cater for better guidance from management that KepCorp's "yards will be busier in 2009 than 2008" and its plan to deliver up to 14 rigs will load its coffers with delivery payments. KepCorp's Infrastructure division will become a major revenue contributor (~30%) in FY09F and this has also aided in bumping up our forecasts. However, our enthusiasm is tempered by the possibility of delays in payments and rig deliveries. Overall, our FY09F revenue and bottomline estimates are revised 18% and 21%
higher.

Property drags.
Keppel Land's (KepLand) revenue for 4Q08 plunged 46.8% YoY to S$197.4m due to completion of projects in previous quarters and a slowdown in property sales. No provisions were made but we reckon that there is still looming risk over write-downs of its investment properties. KepLand's high earnings concentration towards the residential and office sectors puts it at high earnings risks. As such, we have incorporated lower forecasts and decided to peg a higher effective group discount rate of 50% to our valuation.

Possible positive surprises.
KepCorp also announced that its Sino-Tianjin venture has entered into an MOU with Sembawang Engineers and Constructors for feasibility study for the development of a US$1b solar polysilicon production plant. While details are not available yet, we are hopeful that this could translate to an EPC contract. On the M&A front, management updated that it is on the prowl for good companies that are currently heavily geared and have become cash strapped due to an aggressive expansion drive in the last 2 bull years.

Maintain HOLD.
Since our last report that iterated our cautious stance, KepCorp fell ~11%. However, our SOTP fair value has been bumped up to S$4.40 (prev. S$4.00) as we work in less bearish estimates. We are maintaining our HOLD rating as we take a wait-and-watch stance for the time being to let any residual delays and cancellations be flushed out of the system. We will become buyers at its recent lows of ~S$3.95.

Keppel Corp Full Year 08 Results

Keppel Corp

Jan 28 close: $4.18

DMG & Partners Securities, Jan 23

FY08 earnings in line with market expectation:
Keppel Corporation reported record FY08 revenue of $11.8 billion (+13.2 per cent year-on-year) aided by higher contributions from O&M and Infrastructure divisions. Core recurring FY08 profit after tax and minority interest (Patmi) of $1.1 billion (+6.9 per cent y-o-y) was in line with the market consensus' estimates of $1.07 billion. While Keppel's FY08 results were credible, total distribution of 35 cents/share declared was slightly disappointing. This implied a gross dividend payout of 51 per cent - the lowest in five years - and at the lower end of management's guidance of 50-60 per cent.

O&M to face headwinds:
O&M's FY08 revenue of $8.6 billion (+18 per cent y-o-y) accounted for 73 per cent of Keppel's revenue, while O&M's FY08 Patmi of $705 million (+35 per cent y-o-y) contributed to 64 per cent of Keppel's Patmi as the division saw the successful completion of 13 jack-ups and three semis. Having current backlog orders of $10.8 billion, the management maintained that the yards would still be busy, with 10 jack-ups and six semis stipulated for delivery in FY09. However, we reiterate our cautious stance on the O&M sector, and opine any significant newbuild contract to occur only in H209 soonest. Our FY09 and FY10 new order estimates stay at $2.2 billion and $2.6 billion respectively.

Not time for a 'buy' yet, downside risks persist:
We advocate that it is still too early to turn buyers on this counter. Downside risks persist, including potential orderbook cancellations and sustained period of depressed oil price. However, we are comforted that Keppel's improved ROE of 22.4 per cent, strong free cash flow of $1.9 billion and net cash position of 0.04x will strengthen Keppel's ability to weather through this crisis.

Our recommendation stays at 'neutral', with a revised TP of $4.48 (from $4.53 previously) due to DMG's revised TP of $1.80 (from $2 previously) for Keppel Land and updated market values for the listed entities. NEUTRAL

Saturday, January 17, 2009

MONEY MATTERS 2009: A year of two halves

Business Times - 14 Jan 2009

MONEY MATTERS 2009: A year of two halves

Market volatility likely to persist, yet opportunities may surface in second half

By NORMAN VILLAMIN

AS unprecedented stress struck the core of the global financial system last year, it was clear to many observers that a worldwide recession was on the way. Citi analysts expect major industrial economies to contract well into 2009 as adjustments occur to raise the level of savings in these economies. And while the pace of contraction in global growth is expected to ease moving into the second half of the year, next year's expected economic recovery is forecast to be modest, with growth likely to remain below trends seen before the current crisis.

From a market perspective, this backdrop suggests investors should continue to expect 2008-style volatility in the early part of this year. Looking further ahead, though, downside risks to economic growth are expected to dissipate as global fiscal stimulus efforts gather speed and de-leveraging pressures ease. When this happens, the extreme valuations in equity and credit markets seen today should provide attractive opportunities for investors. For more tactically oriented investors, as we observed in our December column, a global recession does not preclude bear market rallies, even as markets continue on an underlying trend of decline. Such rallies, as seen in previous downturns, may be big, providing opportunities for more trading-oriented investors.

The Japanese experience of the 1990s has served us well so far in navigating the current crisis, and our experience with the latest global equity rally has been no different. During the 1990s when the Japanese market declined to below 1.5x book value, sizeable fiscal stimulus proposals tended to coincide with bear market rallies. On three occasions, prices rose as much as 45 per cent.

Likewise, after global equities fell to 1.2x book value in mid-November last year, and sizeable fiscal stimulus plans were announced around the same time, global markets rallied 25 per cent at their peaks last week. Fiscal stimulus proposals to date have come up relatively short of the stimulus delivered by Japan in the 1990s, which came up to 4-10 per cent of GDP. As a result, it is no surprise then that the recent rally was less robust.

Looking forward and with this sizeable rally behind us, investment returns are expected to shift from a focus on valuation and fiscal stimulus back towards the trends of economic contraction and earnings risk, as seen last September to October. Once again, drawing on Japan's experience in the 1990s, investors should find that, just as signs signalling the start of bear market rallies existed, a similar set of signs signalling their end existed. In particular, the Japanese bear market rallies of the 1990s tended to end near valuation peaks before the start of the valuation bubble years, or near 2.3x book value. Going back to the 1970s, Japanese equities tended to trade in a relatively stable range between 1.5x and 2.3x book value before they were dramatically re-rated during the Japanese asset bubble in the late-1980s. So, coincidentally or not, as the Japanese asset bubble burst, valuations proceeded to return to their pre-bubble valuation ranges of 1.5x to 2.3x book value. Putting the Japanese framework into the context of global equities, the equivalent pre-bubble range was about 1.0x to 1.6x book value. At last week's highs, global valuations, as measured through the MSCI World index, stood at near 1.5x to 1.6x book value, close to the high end of their pre-bubble range. This suggests that the supportive backdrop for a bear market rally, prospective fiscal stimulus notwithstanding, has eroded with the market rally.

For longer-term investors, Citi analysts believe further progress in the current downcycle is needed to create attractive opportunities to enter the accumulation phase for long-term equity exposure. In particular, moderation in expectations for global equity markets, such as 14 per cent year-on-year consensus earnings growth for global equities in 2010, is likely necessary before markets begin to bottom out in coming quarters.

Driving this troughing process, we anticipate, should be an easing of de-leveraging pressures in the global financial system. While large-scale capital raisings took place among global financials in the fourth quarter of 2008, to a large extent these fund-raisings have served only to stabilise balance sheets following losses earlier in the year. In 2009, we anticipate further capital-raisings and asset sales to drive the needed de-leveraging. Only as these catalysts emerge do we expect to see an increase in the historically extreme valuations and a sustained rally in equity and credit markets.

Norman Villamin is head of investment analysis & advice, global wealth management & global consumer group, Citi, Asia Pacific.