The Largest Forex Trading Markets in the World

The foreign currency exchange market is a global financial phenomenon. Global forex trading sessions are split into three main geographic regions: the London session (European), the US session, and the Asian session.

Each of these centres has its own particularities and unique traits. Because of this reason, traders have the opportunity to adapt their strategies and trading approaches, depending on what trading session is open at the time they exchange currencies. Getting a better understanding of these trading sessions allows traders to anticipate which the volatility and stagnation periods will appear.

best forex CFD brokers

The main forex trading sessions

Traditionally, the largest forex trading markets of the world establish the trading sessions. This way, we and differentiate between the Asian session, the European session, and the US session. Because these sessions take place at different times of the day, they are dynamic and change a lot in those intervals. And so, traders can adapt their strategies, depending on the hours of the day.

  • The Asian Session, with the hot spot in Tokyo, is open between 00:00 and 09:00 GMT.
  • The European Session, with the trading capital in London is active between 08:00 and 17:00 GMT.
  • The American Session, with headquarters in New York, thrives between 13:00 and 22:00 GMT.
Read more

Capitamall Trust (CMT) share price in berserk form!

Can anything stop Capitamall Trust (CMT)? CMT share price is simply irresistible as it went on a rampage multi-years bull run. From IPO price of $0.96 to the current $2.60, CMT share price had defied gravity as it consistently rose through the years. Nevertheless, the supreme form of the unit price has somewhat dimmed the yield, which has fallen to 3.7%. Is it the right time to enter CMT?

CapitaLand Mall Trust in explosive form!

While the surging CMT share price is a happy news for existing unitholders, new investors who are keen to invest in Capitamall Trust must be put off at the increasing unit price. In my view, at Price/Book Value of 1.26, I do not think that this counter is overvalued at the moment. In fact, based on my research, Capitamall Trust is considered a low risk counter based on several factors. In this article, I will share my insights on why Capitamall Trust should be a good investment despite the low yield.

CMT share price

CMT share price

The top three major shareholders are Temasek Holdings (29%), BlackRock (8%) and NTUC Enterprise Co-operative (2.5%). With such a stellar group of institutional investors, investing in CapitaLand Mall Trust seems like absolute no-brainer.

Read more

Q&M Dental share price is ripe for rights issue?

From $0.42 to $0.94, Q&M Dental share price enjoyed a breath-taking form back in early 2015. That magical run earned Q&M Dental the second best performing stock by SGX in 2015. Those good old days must be surreal to investors as Q&M Dental share price subsequently went on an awful run that saw the counter falling by 46% in value. Sentimental investors who did not exit in time would have lost their pants if they held on to Q&M Dental shares till now.

In investing, there are many variables or factors that can influence the share price of a company. Even though Q&M Dental operates in an evergreen field of healthcare, it does not mean that Q&M Dental share price will be stable or keep rising. Investors must be aware of the state of play and enter at appropriate levels or they may risk getting caught with their pants down.

Q&M Dental share price

Is Q&M Dental share price in the mode of falling knife? To be fair to management, Q&M Dental had been consistently profitable since its listing in 2009. In fact, net profits surged from $3.8 million in FY2009 to a record $33 million in FY2016. However, net profit dropped to $23 million in FY2017 and then tanked to $13 million in FY2018.

Read more

UOB share price fought back after bizarre plunge

In the month of May, all three local bank stocks suffered carnage. UOB share price suffered the worst, with correction of 16% while OCBC share price retreated 13% and DBS share price fell 15%. For OCBC and DBS, the correction was understandable because data revealed that both banks were starting to feel the chilling effect of 2018’s housing cooling measures. However, the correction for UOB share price was considered strange because financial data revealed that the bank had not been affected so far.

Demolition of UOB share price left investors scratching heads

In fact, building and construction loans increased from $54.9 billion in March 2018 to $67.1 billion in March 2019. Housing loans increased from $66.5 billion to $68.7 billion in the same corresponding period. Singapore market still formed the lion share of its loan portfolio (51%) while China constituted only 15.9% of its loans. Based on these data, it is not right to attribute the sharp fall in UOB share price to either the property cooling measure or the on-going US-China trade dispute.

UOB share price

Needless to say, the big boys were the culprits behind the meltdown of UOB share price. This counter topped the most net sell list among fund institutions in May 2019, with $110 million worth of UOB shares being net sold.

Read more

DBS share price mauled by violent forces

What a brutal decline! DBS share price suffered a devastating 15% decline in the month of May. For sure, investors would love to see the back of May as DBS share price had one of the most terrible forms. Nonetheless, it should be highlighted that DBS share price is not alone in the carnage. Fellow competitors, OCBC and UOB suffered the same fate as well.

Apparently, the big boys decided to show hand after the release of a stellar Q1FY2019. On the surface, this is considered puzzling because DBS had actually produced a good financial performance. In view of this, it is only logically that DBS share price continued to climb. It is not unreasonable to assume that the solid results would fuel the bullish form of the DBS share price, which surged from $24 in January 2019 to $28.40 in end of April 2019. However, as the saying goes, Man proposes, God disposes.

DBS Group Holdings share price ready to hit $50?

DBS share price

Needless to say, the big boys were the ones extinguishing the fiery form of DBS share price. What is the intriguing reason(s) behind the sell-offs? Should investors hang on for their dear lives or throw in the towel?

Read more

The Hour Glass stormed back in style!

What a fightback! It has been a long while since I last covered luxury watch retailer, The Hour Glass. And boy, this counter recently rose from the tomb to stage a magnificent recovery after posting a stunning full-year financial result. Is this really the light at end of tunnel for The Hour Glass?

Can The Hour Glass roll back the time?

The Hour Glass Limited

Back in 2017, co-founder cum Chairman Henry Tay had warned of a severe winter ahead for The Hour Glass because of oversupply issue and a slow-down in the Hong Kong market. On the basis of the latest financial results, it appears to me that the management may have successfully turned. Revenue increased 5% to $727 million but net profits exploded by 41% to reach a whopping $71 million. To achieve this feat, the management had exercised cost discipline and pushed up top-line. No wonder The Hour Glass share price surged from $0.65 in March to the recent $0.80 mark.

Hour Glass

Indeed, investors of The Hour Glass must have that bitter-sweet feeling. Chairman Henry Tay’s warning proved to be proverbial as revenue had previously slowed from $707 million in FY2016 to reach $691 million in FY2018. Profit after tax dropped from $53 million to $50 million in the corresponding period.

Read more

Singtel dividends as passive income stream?

On 15 May 2019, Singtel announced a set of disappointing full year FY2019 results that saw  the telco recording sixth consecutive quarter of declining profits. However, the market did not react adversely. Instead, Singtel share price had been creeping upward in recent weeks. No prize for guessing but investors must be biting the bait of Singtel dividends and buy into this counter.

Can Singtel dividends really be your ticket to financial freedom? With an operating history of 140 years, Singtel dividends track record is certainly impressive. But in this blog, I have always advocated readers not to judge a stock solely by its dividend yield. Thus, in this article, I will examine not just the quality of Singtel dividends, but its overall business fundamentals and growth outlook.

Singtel share in turmoil

Singtel share in for terrifying ride

Singtel dividends

Obviously, investors must have heaved a sigh of relief as Singtel share price recovered 14% from a low of $2.88 in the start of the year. However, it had not been a smooth ride as the recovery was tempered with several pull-backs. The recent announcement of Singtel dividends of 10.7 cents per share must have led to the bullish form as investors are finding Singtel shares attractive again.

Read more

Biggest regrets in life

It is often said that regret is the most terrible thing that can happen to anyone. When we talk about regrets, images of unfulfilled dreams and results of inactions may flash across your mind. Indeed, people tend to have the most clarity of mind in their dying moments. After all, there is a saying that goes “a healthy person can have many wishes but a sick person will have only one wish”. In one of the most poignant moment, a former nurse (Bronnie Ware) revealed in her blog the biggest regrets of the dying.

Bronnie spent several years caring for the dying and her job was to counsel terminally ill patients in their final moments. Her article on the biggest regrets of the dying is considered to be thought provocative and holds profound impacts for many. We can gain valuable insights from those are near the end of their life journey and make meaningful changes to our lives before it’s too late. In this article, I will share my thoughts on the top 3 biggest regrets of the dying.

  1. I wish I had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
Read more

SingPost share price stunned by bombshell revelation

Good grief! SingPost share price is expected to encounter plenty of headwinds following the release of a set of disastrous full-year financial results on 7 May 2019. Net profit collapsed by a whopping 86% to reach $18.9 million. In the previous quarter, the management had dropped hints of massive impairment for the latest quarter but nobody would have predicted that the impairment amounted to $98.7 million.  No wonder all hell broke loose for SingPost share price.

SingPost share price set to roil big time again?

Horror show of SingPost shares

In the aftermath of the revelation, SingPost share price slumped from $1.05 to the current $0.93. What riled investors is the impairment charges of the U.S businesses – TradeGlobal and Jagged Peak. The last time that SingPost recorded significant impairments was in FY2017 which saw SingPost suffered impairment charges of a massive $208.6 million for TradeGlobal. The huge impairment charges walloped SingPost share price upside down back then. The U.S businesses turned out to be black holes for SingPost, wrecking havocs to its business fundamentals and subsequently led to overhaul of the management and dividend policy.

SingPost share price

If investors are intending to buy on the dip, they must be mindful that SingPost share price could be in for a harsh winter for the rest of the year.

Read more

Hyflux saga stinks to the high heaven

In the end, PUB did take over the Tuaspring desalination plant. In theory, that would be the final nail in the coffin for the ongoing Hyflux saga. But like a broken record that refused to go away, the unfolding Hyflux saga took on a life of its own with United Arab Emirates utility company Utico emerging as potential white knight. And yet again, Hyflux debt moratorium got extended for a few months.

Hyflux in dark final chapter

Hyflux saga is so bad its good

Does Hyflux deserve a comeback like OSIM?

SembCorp Industries should invest in Hyflux

The holy water of Hyflux Perpetual Securities

To be frank, I am not sure whether the prolonged Hyflux saga is a good thing for investors. It is not the first time that white knight had emerged and vowed to bring investors to the promised land. Indonesia’s SM Investments appeared out of nowhere to dangle a $530 million rescue mission in late last year. But more than a year later, the whole Hyflux saga remains in a shambolic mess and getting nowhere near the end of the tunnel. There were plenty of interest parties and talks of cash injections. But none of them were legal binding yet.

Read more