Athena Trader

I've not blogged for a while because I've been busy with other stuff and nothing came to mind and since this is not a job, I don't see why I've to push out articles for the sake of it. The year is coming to a close so I thought of reviewing how the stocks that I blogged about performed thus far and for simplicity, I'll just take the stock's closing price on the day that I wrote about them (as close as possible) and last Friday's price.                     Then             Now ASX BAL           A$2.80           A$12.64 IVC            A$13.26         A$11.80 SGX C09            S$10.21           S$7.16 C31            S$3.53             S$3.23 U14           ...

Source: K01 website Another blogger wrote about k1 Ventures Ltd (K01) recently and that caught my eye so I went to take a look as I was rather interested to find out more. When I told ACCICB about this stock, his first question was the daily trading volume and the current price. I think it being a penny stock didn't interest him but I think it could be a good stock to hold as after all, not everybody, myself included, has that much money to invest in stocks.  K01 is an investment company and their current investments are in the sectors of education (Knowledge Universe Holdings, LLC and K12 Inc)  and financial services (Guggenheim Capital, LLC and ChrysCapital, LLC) as they have recently divested their automotive retail investment (China Auto) via an IPO on the HKSE. For a company that makes it's revenue through investments, it would be key to scrutinize their track record as that would be a good gauge for the potential of their continued success. However, their rev...

Source: CDI website I thought that Kering was bad but then Christian Dior SA ("CDI") is just as heavy going! I was saved from reading Kering as ACCICB told me that he had read it partially and decided to give it a miss. The recent news about the change of top executives at Gucci did not help matters as it seems that Gucci sales is lagging behind its fellow brands such as Bottega Veneta. I wish that companies can cap their annual reports to 200 pages or lesser. Any longer becomes madness for the reader I feel.  CDI was brought to my attention by ACCICB who was looking at LVMH for the longest time. For CDI, there are a few things that I like as well as a few things that gave me cause for concern. I also realized that many companies I researched on happen to fall into the category of family owned and managed companies. The risks and rewards of investing in such companies are widely written about so I shall not go into detail in this post. I was pleasantly surprised ...

Source: RB website I started looking around the house and realized that I've quite a few items from Reckitt Benckiser ("RB"). I've also been buying lots of Dettol wipes due to an ever exuberant puppy who salivates way too much and thinks that slathering you with his saliva is love. He is by far the happiest dog I've ever met which probably explains why his mouth is open most of the time.  Well it was also down to either reading RB's annual report or Kering's annual report and honestly I wasn't dying to read >300 pages anytime soon. Although, sadly for me I would have to read Kering sooner or later as ACCICB is semi keen on it. I have my preconceived perceptions on luxury stocks which may or may not be right but I guess I can explore that later. Reckitt Benckiser is a brand powerhouse it seems and it concentrates mainly on the 3 Hs, namely Health, Hygiene and Home although they do have revenue coming in from Food and Pharmaceuticals too. T...

Source: Kuka website When ACCICB told me about Kuka, I was like ok I can look into it as I did the same with Fanuc Corp earlier on. Since ACCICB is big on robots, we made some $$$ with Fanuc. But I didn't plan on writing about it since technical imdustries are not my strong suit and I struggle with these boy gadgets called robots. I remembered I had to do a piece on Vishay Intertechnology Inc previously and I ended up with a headache and much knowledge. That's what happens when you work with an engineer, he thinks in logical steps while my thought process resembles a mind map. Kuka has 2 divisions namely Systems and Robotics with the former posting better numbers in terms of orders received, sales revenues and EBIT. The past few years post 2009 have seen the stock price shoot to the roof when they had a major shareholder Grezenbach Group step in and sort things out. The results have been positive, so much so that Grezenbach Group have recently sold off their stake in Ku...

Source: RI website I am back after a travel hiatus and this post is dedicated to the readers who are following my blog since I do get pangs of guilt that I am not posting often enough. I hesitated doing analysis of Pernod Ricard SA ("RI") as I have already covered Diageo ("DGE") previously. I picked DGE instead of RI simply because the price of DGE was irresistibly low and I was confident that we can make some happy money out of it. We did thus I decided that RI was worth a look as well since they are the 2nd largest global distiller and our fees would be lower too. With a new CEO and Chairman Alexandre Ricard starting in early 2015, I was not too sure what changes he would bring to RI. Although he is part of the Ricard family and has been in the company since 2003, yet I hesitate as it is human nature to want to put your stamp on how things are done when you are in charge. It also bothers me that he will take up both the CEO and Chairman role which basic...

Source: DFIHL website As promised, here's my view on Dairy Farm International Holdings Ltd ("DFIHL"). Which I am  doing because I said I will, although I am sure nobody is going to hold it against me if I don't. I will be doing a comparison between Sheng Siong Group Ltd ("SSGL") food business against DFIHL in Singapore since that's the only thing they have in common. Later on, I'll take a look at DFIHL on it own to see what it has going for it. If we were to compare SSGL and DFIHL it is clear that industry competition is intense and market conditions are less than ideal. That could be why Shop N Save stores were rebranded to Giant as the latter has a stronger brand awareness and the former has nothing special going for it. Cold Storage has been doing well given it's more premium branding and wider array of product offerings. I do however think that they need to re look at their self service counters at Cold Storage. A much more efficien...

Source: SSGL website I decided to cover Sheng Siong Group Ltd ("SSGL") since I am considering it although there is not much action on the stock price. I used to patronize Sheng Siong as it was close to my workplace. After we shifted back to HQ, I forgot all about it until it's 2011 IPO which ACCICB was recommending a buy to his customers.  I realized that it has been a while since I covered a local stock and I suspect my current followers are probably more interested in SSGL than say Pernod Ricard SA which I am also working on. Personally, we shop at NTUC and Cold Storage so I took a look at Dairy Farm International Holdings  Ltd ("DFIHL") which I should cover in a later post. SSGL is very well covered by analysts and local bloggers alike so here goes my take on SSGL.  SSGL is ranked third in terms of number of supermarket outlets after rivals NTUC and Dairy Farm Group which owns supermarket chains like Giant, Cold Storage, Jasons Marketplace in Si...

Source: Kewpie website I have been looking at food manufacturers for a while and Kewpie Corp. ("Kewpie") caught my eye. Not because of the logo which is a doll created by artist and illustrator Rose O'Neill but because this is by far the most delicious mayonnaise I've ever had. Apparently many people agree as this is one of the most popular brands in the market and when you google japanese mayonnaise, the search result gives you Kewpie!  We have to thank Toichiro Nakashima for this wonderful mayonnaise and it is heartening to know that the family still remains as the majority shareholder with 21.8%. I spotted Amane Nakashima who is a senior MD, Head of Compliance and Internal Audit and wonder whether he's part of the family.   I believe in continutity in family businesses except in cases where you can no longer bring the company to the next level and professional hires are required.  Kewpie operates in various business segments and the condiments pr...

Source: JTI website I did some pretty intensive and detailed research on the tobacco industry and was pretty impressed with the stock performance of the big boys such as British American Tobacco ("BAT"), Philip Morris  International ("PMI") and last but not least Japan Tobacco Inc ("JTI"). Among the three, PMI was out as its on NYSE and the hours are totally opposite from ours. BAT was also considered but the charges are absolutely exorbitant and ACCICB has been going on and on about how much we spent on charges and how we should never do UK stocks anymore. I don't mind since it means one less exchange to monitor and I don't have to comb through it to find suitable stocks. Seriously, you need a lot of money to make a little money on the stock market, assuming that you don't screw things up. Thus, I don't advocate quitting your day job to do this full time unless you have some serious experience to do so. ACCICB had major concern...

Source: Sanrio Co Ltd website The allure of Hello Kitty cannot be denied as it captures the hearts of young and old, male and female alike and it transcends across generations. Sanrio doesn't need any introductions and the company is making new changes to its strategies which I believe would be beneficial in the long term. It is changing its business model as it moves away from product licensing to space licensing. Increasingly it is going to manufacture its own products rather than through licensing which is a good move, as we can all remember what happened to Pierre Cardin which ultimately undermined its brand value.  However the latest earnings release did not hit the mark as sales in North American and Europe were blah, domestic sales went on a plateau and Asian sales while good did not lift the company. That surprised me as Sanrio is celebrating its 40th year anniversary this year and yet it did not do wonders for its sales. Is it because there are so many n...

Source: Unicharm Corp website As Christmas approaches in less than 2 months away, I start thinking of how my year has been and what the next year will hold for me. It also makes me lazy as I always felt that Christmas is a time to rest and enjoy thus I think I will be writing lesser in the months to come. I don't think I'll be missed except maybe for my 1 and only follower on Google+! Meanwhile, research continues as ACCICB and I continue to search and identify suitable stocks that would be added to our portfolio and this is where I chanced upon Unicharm Corp, a manufacturer of baby care products, feminine care products and pet care products. They own brands such as Moony and Mamy Poko (baby diapers), Sofy (sanitary napkins) and Hartz (pet food, toys and toiletry products).  The 1 year stock chart looks amazing and their financials show that they have recorded increased net sales for the past consecutive 12 years and record operating income for the past 7 years. The...

Image credits Yakult website I grew up with Yakult as did most kids and visiting the Yakult factory was one of my favorite memories of all time. Needless to say, we drink Yakult whenever we are overseas on holiday and have problems digesting our food. I didn't know until ACCICB told me that Vitagen is only sold in Singapore and Malaysia whereas Yakult is sold in 33 countries and regions. Strangely though, we drink Vitagen at home for many years but have recently switched to Yakult as it tastes better despite it being of a lesser amount. I've also tested Yakult Ace Light which has 30% lesser calories, a lighter taste and costs about 80 cents more and concluded that we'll stick to the original Yakult.  Yakult operations in Japan though include a pharmaceuticals business as well as a cosmetics business, which represent a small % of their business and is loss making at the moment. The interesting thing about Japanese companies is that they have a business plan for ...

With the markets behaving as it is, I've been super busy watching the market and making my moves to ensure that we can pocket the gains and happily go on our holiday. Today, I shall delve into BreadTalk Group Ltd (BreadTalk) and how I am watching this stock like a hawk. Source: BreadTalk Group Ltd website I've always been keen to invest in the F&B sector and BreadTalk was one of those stocks that caught my eye due to its sheer ever growing presence in Singapore. I read its 2013 annual report and the key facts that caught my attention are: 1. Their current liabilities are greater than their current assets over the past few years 2. Gearing policy is between 60% to 80% 3. Many of their top twenty shareholders are financial institutions 4. They partially owned some properties in Singapore (Chijmes, Tripleone Somerset and 112 Katong) and China (Beijing Tongzhou) and 5. The key star (Din Tai Fung) in their restaurant business is a franchise which they have held ...

Source: Champion REIT website With the ongoing Hong Kong protests which is slightly over a month, it reminded me of Champion REIT and how it must be suffering right now. Champion REIT's portfolio consists of two properties, my favorite Langham Place, a super bustling shopping centre, office and hotel that is connected to the Mongkok MRT station. They don't own the hotel which I heard is really comfortable from ACCICB who stayed there on a company trip. Champion REIT however owns part of the office tower and the entire shopping mall.They also own 95.7% of Citibank Plaza and when I asked ACCICB where this is in Hong Kong, he gave me a blank I'm not sure look and quips with a 'It's definitely not at IFC mall where all the major financial bigwigs are!' Both of us went to take a look at Citibank Plaza's location and found that the major bugbear must be it's not as connected as IFC. Interestingly, I read in June this year was of Citi HK that would be...

Source: Jimmy Choo website I read all 202 pages of the Jimmy Choo PLC prospectus over a few days and was pretty hyped up over the IPO. But with the market reacting badly in the days running up to its IPO launch, we cancelled our order to buy the shares. Boy, was I glad we did as the shares hardly moved on its first day of trading! It started at 140 pence which was the lower of the guiding price range of 140 to 160 pence. I figured that if ACCICB wasn't working on Friday, he could monitor the stock and who knows we can make some money at the peak of 146 pence and then run away! But of course that didn't happen as work gets in the way so we just tracked the stock instead. As I am writing this, the current price is at 145 pence. Jimmy Choo if you haven't already know is a accessories brand with products ranging from women and men shoes, women handbags, small leather goods, sunglasses, eyewear, fragrance and soft accessories. It operates in the global luxury good...

Source: Pilot Corp website I've taken up drawing lessons of late and this somehow led me to investigate which companies that sell drawing materials are listed. This is because the cost of drawing materials cost a pretty penny and the art and creative industry will never die regardless of the state of the world economy. Creating art is in our blood as after all it has probably been around since the beginning of time. Creating art also means that even if you are a master, you will still need to draw and paint the same subject a few times before you are pleased with it. From paper to markers to paint, I came to pens which is where I found Pilot Corp and the 1 year stock chart was like it was reaching for the stars! I was shocked that the humble pen that we use daily and carelessly sometimes is like a powerhouse in the stock market. ACCICB was so impressed with the stock chart that he went to read its annual report. I also started doing research as this is a potential stock...

Image credits CPI website Capita PLC is a rather interesting company and as I was doing the research and slides ( Capita PLC Profile ) on it, I thought to myself that maybe this is the way going forward. By the way, there are other ppt slides posted on my Slideshare account so please ignore it! Of late, the share price has been heading south after a very strong up up and away for many months. Which was why it piqued my interest given that ACCICB asked me to look at stocks on LSE when I was reading the Jimmy Choo IPO which is set to start today. I'll be watching the market today to see whether any gains can be made! Woo hoo! CPI has been acquiring companies for many years and this trend seems set to continue. Being a business process outsourcing and professional services firm, their revenue is rather evenly spilt between private and public sectors which I particularly like as it means that there's no over-reliance on 1 sector. However its core weakness as described ...

Source: CDCHL website Ah... just seeing this sign means that I'm in HK and in for a few days of eating and shopping! When ACCICB told me that we've to look at Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and European stocks for the next few months due to the time zone factor. I told him why not look at Cafe de Coral Holdings Limited (CDCHL) which we patronised every single time we visit HK which is at least once a year.  I am in love with consumer stocks (B2C)... maybe because I am so not a technical person and consumer stocks allow me to judge and see with my eyes whether a company is doing well. B2B stocks are good I'm sure, just that it's more subtle and I think works really well if you are in the know /& am from that industry. That's my take after being a SME banker in Singapore and you do hear a lot from customers on their competitors/suppliers/customers within their industry. First hand news reached my ears that my ex client was going to do their IPO. One of the...

I've been away so long due to the Hong Kong protests which is affecting the Hong Kong and China stocks that are in air-con city ice-cream boy's ("ACCICB") portfolio. I just spent the last few days reading the prospectus of Jimmy Choo's IPO so I'm super looking forward to its debut on LSE. Fingers crossed on getting some allocation! I've also been spending time on my hobbies which are artistically/creatively inclined which I've many and surprisingly also contributes to investment ideas. I think its how my brain works... enjoying my hobbies but at the same time thinking of how this can make me $$$. More on that in one of the later posts. Source:  SPH REIT website SPH REIT is one of those low key REITS that is flying under the radar since the volume traded and price movements is rather non-existent as compared to the other REITS. It either stays at it's price for a couple of days or moves up or down by 0.01 to 0.02. This REIT was brought to m...