HK’s ESR Cayman to buy ARA Asset for US$5.2b (Business Times)

Shared my thoughts with Business Times on ESR Cayman’s US$5.2b deal to acquire real estate fund manager ARA Asset Management. Don’t think it is cheap, but founder John Lim – Singapore’s latest billionaire – has a knack for delivering value. Its AUM has doubled to S$120b since its delisting in 2017, and it currently manages … Read more

Investors’ watchdog, analysts positive on proposed deal (Straits Times)

https://www.straitstimes.com/business/companies-markets/keppels-privatisation-offer-for-sph-viewed-positively-by-analysts SINGAPORE – Keppel Corp’s bid to take Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) private has been described as a win-win solution by some analysts and the investor watchdog. The Securities Investors Association (Singapore), or Sias, said the acquisition will “open up synergistic opportunities for Keppel, given the good fit between the two businesses”. The deal values SPH at … Read more

Facelift of Hang Seng Index (Business Times)

SINGAPORE MARKET HSI’s facelift sparks calls to revamp STI to include key growth sectors NEWS of the Hang Seng Index’s (HSI) soon-to-be facelift has led market watchers to voice support for a similar revamp of the Straits Times Index (STI) to include more representation in other key growth sectors, while easing its heavy bias towards … Read more

VCC: The Right Structure at the Right Place, Right Time (The Edge)

In recent months, there has been considerable media attention on Variable Capital Companies (VCC), a flexible corporate structure for funds that was introduced in Jan 2020 by the government. The Edge write-up this week is the most comprehensive. Catch it if you are keen to know more about VCCs. In my view, it is a … Read more

SPH booted out of the STI (Straits Times)

Read Article Here SPH dropping out of STI shows how yield-driven S’pore stock market is, say analysts SINGAPORE — The replacement of Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) with Mapletree Industrial Trust on the Straits Times Index (STI) underlines how the Singapore stock market is very much yield-driven, a reflection of investor sentiment here, analysts said. They … Read more