Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events, Quiddity Advisors

David Blennerhassett

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events

Quiddity Advisors

Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>For the better part of two decades, Singaporean real estate investment trusts (REITs) have provided an efficient and popular exposure to quality large-scale commercial properties. </li>
<li>Yet as global central banks hike interest rates to address inflationary pressures, can REITs retain their attractiveness?</li>
<li>SREITs have corrected as Singaporean interest rates have increased. The question is whether higher interest rates are baked in, and which SREITs will hold up; and which ones will not?</li>
</ul>


For the better part of two decades, Singaporean real estate investment trusts (REITs) have provided an efficient and popular exposure to quality large-scale commercial properties. 
Yet as global central banks hike interest rates to address inflationary pressures, can REITs retain their attractiveness?
SREITs have corrected as Singaporean interest rates have increased. The question is whether higher interest rates are baked in, and which SREITs will hold up; and which ones will not?


S-REITs: Investing In An Inflationary Environment

SGX Market Strategist, Equity & Fixed Income, Singapore Exchange Ltd (SGX)

Geoff Howie

SGX Market Strategist, Equity & Fixed Income

Asia’s leading multi-asset exchange

Singapore Exchange Ltd (SGX)

Singapore Exchange is Asia’s leading and trusted market infrastructure, facilitating the exchange of capital and ideas to create value for people, businesses and economies. As a multi-asset exchange operating equity, fixed income and derivatives markets to the highest regulatory standards, SGX is a vertically integrated business that provides listing, trading, clearing, settlement, depository and data services.

With about 40% of listed companies and over 80% of listed bonds originating outside of Singapore as well as established linkages across the region and in Europe, SGX is Asia’s most international and connected exchange. Offering a full suite of derivatives products across Asian equity indices, commodities and currencies, SGX is the world’s most liquid international market for the benchmark equity indices of China, India, Japan and ASEAN.

As Asia’s pioneering central counterparty, SGX is globally recognised for its risk management and clearing capabilities, and was one of the first globally to adopt the Principles for Financial Market Infrastructure.

Headquartered in AAA-rated Singapore, SGX has over 800 employees including offices in Beijing, Chicago, Hong Kong, London, New York, Mumbai, San Francisco, Shanghai and Tokyo.

<ul><li>Schedule of S-Reits earnings or business update Lendlease Global Commercial REIT 1-Feb Frasers Centrepoint Trust (FCT) will kick off the current financial reporting season for S-Reits with the release of its first quarter (ended Dec 31, 2023) business update after the close of trading on Jan 22, 2024.</li></ul>

Schedule of S-Reits earnings or business update Lendlease Global Commercial REIT 1-Feb  Frasers Centrepoint Trust (FCT) will kick off the current financial reporting season for S-Reits with the release of its first quarter (ended Dec 31, 2023) business update after the close of trading on Jan 22, 2024.

REIT Watch - 26 S-Reits confirm schedule for upcoming earnings season

<ul><li>Retail investors continued to be a key driver in S-REITs fund flow activities in H1 2023, accumulating net retail inflows of S$389 million, while institutional investors saw net outflows of S$485 million.</li><li>A similar trend was seen a year ago during H1 2022 when the sector booked S$443 million of net retail inflows and S$360 million net institutional outflows.</li><li>By sub-segments, data centre S-REITs received the most institutional net inflows and retail net outflows in H1 2023, at S$26 million and S$43 million respectively.</li></ul>

Retail investors continued to be a key driver in S-REITs fund flow activities in H1 2023, accumulating net retail inflows of S$389 million, while institutional investors saw net outflows of S$485 million.A similar trend was seen a year ago during H1 2022 when the sector booked S$443 million of net retail inflows and S$360 million net institutional outflows.By sub-segments, data centre S-REITs received the most institutional net inflows and retail net outflows in H1 2023, at S$26 million and S$43 million respectively.

REIT Watch - Retail investors net bought S$390m of S-REITs in 1H2023

Event-Driven

<div>
Back on the 17 May, after ARA Asset Management <a href="https://ara.listedcompany.com/newsroom/ARAPress_Release_SMBC0Joins-ARAasStrategicShareholder_17052021.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> a $500mn round of equity financing from Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, I reiterated a BUY on <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/straits-trading-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:15745:1" rel="noopener">Straits Trading (STRTR SP)</a> in <a href="https://skr.ma/TcDY5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Straits Trading: ARA's Pre-IPO Funding From SMBC</a>.
Based on the <a href="https://ara.listedcompany.com/misc/circulars/ARA-Scheme_Document_FINAL.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Scheme</a> value of ARA in 2017 when it was taken private, and its then-AUM, ARA was potentially worth upwards of S$6bn. This in turn assigned a value of S$1.3bn for STR's stake in ARA, ~30% above its then-current market cap.
That was pretty close to the mark.
As discussed in <a href="https://skr.ma/fJECF" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESR Cayman (1821 HK) Takes Out ARA Asset Management</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/esr-cayman-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27983:1" rel="noopener">ESR Cayman (1821 HK)</a> has now all but sealed the takeover of ARA in a US$5.2bn deal.
For its part, STR will pocket US$845.3mn (S$1.14bn) - in cash &amp; ESR scrip - from the transaction.
STR's shares have gained 13% as I type. 
More below the fold. 
</div>


Back on the 17 May, after ARA Asset Management announced a $500mn round of equity financing from Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, I reiterated a BUY on Straits Trading (STRTR SP) in Straits Trading: ARA's Pre-IPO Funding From SMBC.
Based on the Scheme value of ARA in 2017 when it was taken private, and its then-AUM, ARA was potentially worth upwards of S$6bn. This in turn assigned a value of S$1.3bn for STR's stake in ARA, ~30% above its then-current market cap.
That was pretty close to the mark.
As discussed in ESR Cayman (1821 HK) Takes Out ARA Asset Management, ESR Cayman (1821 HK) has now all but sealed the takeover of ARA in a US$5.2bn deal.
For its part, STR will pocket US$845.3mn (S$1.14bn) - in cash &amp; ESR scrip - from the transaction.
STR's shares have gained 13% as I type. 
More below the fold. 


Straits Trading Cheap As ARA Asset Exposure Monetized

Alpha-Centric ESG Research

Kyle Rudden

<ul>
<li>The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) recently launched a public consultation regarding a Code of Conduct for ESG ratings providers and ESG data product providers in Singapore.</li>
<li>It is the right approach for Singapore – a voluntary best-practices framework furthering one of the world's most credible "green" economies, not a regulatory force-fix of something broken.</li>
<li>No surprise ratings methodology changes. No en masse upgrades/downgrades. No acute shocks to the system. Just slow and steady progress for ESG investing and finance in Singapore.</li>
</ul>


The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) recently launched a public consultation regarding a Code of Conduct for ESG ratings providers and ESG data product providers in Singapore.
It is the right approach for Singapore – a voluntary best-practices framework furthering one of the world's most credible "green" economies, not a regulatory force-fix of something broken.
No surprise ratings methodology changes. No en masse upgrades/downgrades. No acute shocks to the system. Just slow and steady progress for ESG investing and finance in Singapore.


Singapore Code of Conduct for ESG Ratings Is Less Risk and More Reward

Singapore

Suntec Real Estate Investment Trust is a commercial real estate investment trust. The Trust invests in income-producing real estate that is primarily used for retail and/or office purposes.

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Suntec REIT (SUN SP)

S-REITs: Investing In An Inflationary Environment

Suntec, with one of the highest gearings in the office subsector, may need to go to the market cap in hand. That or divest some assets - in what is...

David Blennerhassett

REIT Watch - 26 S-Reits confirm schedule for upcoming earnings season

Schedule of S-Reits earnings or business update Lendlease Global Commercial REIT 1-Feb Frasers Centrepoint Trust (FCT) will kick off the current...

Singapore Exchange Ltd (SGX)

REIT Watch - Retail investors net bought S$390m of S-REITs in 1H2023

Retail investors continued to be a key driver in S-REITs fund flow activities in H1 2023, accumulating net retail inflows of S$389 million, while...

Singapore Exchange Ltd (SGX)

Straits Trading Cheap As ARA Asset Exposure Monetized

After my insight - Ripe For Privatisation - in October 2020, Straits Trading nicely gained ~130% over 12 months. STR then realised a ~S$685.6mn...

David Blennerhassett

Singapore Code of Conduct for ESG Ratings Is Less Risk and More Reward

Singapore's Code of Conduct for ESG ratings is more light-handed than other regulation-based approaches, but therein lies the "less risk and more...

Kyle Rudden

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