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Showing posts from September, 2018

BCIP: Banks in a rising interest rate environment, US-China trade wars

I started building my child's college fund when she was 6 months old. All her 红包's are channeled straight into this OCBC account, and I registered for their Blue Chip Investment Plan (BCIP). It's a monthly investment scheme into a blue chip stock of choice. Both Ms EOR and myself contribute monthly to this BCIP account, which is an excellent way to force us to invest. The rule is, do not sell anything from this account. In a rising interest rate environment, defensive stocks and REITs are to be de-prioritized. In such an environment, the spread between interest rates and dividend yields narrows, causing selling pressure on such asset classes. Banking stocks do well in rising interest rate environments, so now is the time double down and load up. Current sector allocation. It's time to add financials in. DBS The biggest and strongest bank in Singapore. They are leading the pack in digitization and building a digital bank presence. Just read their recent earnings...

Hotel Review: The Athenee Hotel Bangkok, a Luxury Collection

As I travel quite often for work, I’m going to keep a record of all the hotels I’ve stayed in, to serve as a reminder of what works and what doesn’t. It’ll make future bookings much easier. I forgot to take photos, so i've taken some of them from their website http://www.starwoodhotels.com/luxury/property/photos/index.html?propertyID=1846. Location: Near Ploenchit BTS station downtown, about a 5min unsheltered walk away. Room: New and plush room, although the decor makes the room abit dim. The bed is soft and comfortable, although i prefer the Westin bed. Gym: The treadmills and ellipticals overlook a beautiful pool. There are so many weight machines here, upper and lower and core. Free weights as well. The perfect gym. Breakfast: This has the widest spread and has got to be one of the best hotel breakfasts I've ever had.They have a local spin on omelettes, hot soy milk (oh yes!), pancakes/waffles, local flair and Chinese food, a wide selection of cheeses, fresh...

Hotel Review: Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral

As I travel quite often for work, I'm going to keep a record of all the hotels I've stayed in, to serve as a reminder of what works and what doesn't.  It'll make future bookings much easier.  Forgot to take photos of the place, so I took them from their website. http://www.aloftkualalumpursentral.com/en/gallery/guest Location:   Connected right to the KL Sentral main station, with easy access to the KLIA. There's a NU Sentral mall also connected with the hotel. Room:   Deluxe room is a very basic room with a small work desk.  There's a cool walk in waredrobe that's integrated with the shower and sink area. The decor is hip but I find the overall ambiance abit too dim.  I'd prefer something brighter.  Although faint, you can hear the road noise through the windows.  The bed is so so, although I didn't have a very good sleep here. Gym: Small but functional, like a condo gym.  Freeweights, treadmills, ellipticals, limited weight m...