Bravo, Britain. Nicely Done!

Don't rock the boat? What's the excitement in that! Despite bookies' odds favouring Bremain, the common British people made their voices heard around the world by making Brexit come true. Obviously, those bankers and executives of MNCs largely opposed Brexit as it will affect their fat bonuses. I guess the masses in Britain are frustrated of the status quo and being ruled by greedy corporate overlords.

When Singapore was separated from Malaysia, people doubt we could even survive. But we have proven those doubters wrong! We transformed from a third-world country to a developed nation within 5 decades. We built a strong and free nation with undying grit and wit from our pioneer generation. So, I have this message for the British youth - Your country will prevail. Do not use Brexit as an excuse for your problems. If Switzerland can prosper without being a member of the EU, you can do it too. Time to man up and show that famed bulldog spirit!

Kites rise highest against the wind, not with it.

Winston Churchill

Singtel Group - The SoftBank Corp of Singapore?

SoftBank Corp, one of the largest company in Japan, started as a traditional telecom in 1981. Over the years, SoftBank grew under the visionary leadership of Masayoshi Son through acquisitions and investing in start-ups. Gradually, it evolved from a boring 'old economy' telecom into a multinational internet company, with operations in mobile broadband, e-commerce, technology, media and marketing, finance services, robotics and other businesses. SoftBank successfully channelled resources from its core telecom business into new growth drivers. Example, it is one of the earliest investors in Alibaba and still remains the largest shareholder of the Chinese e-commerce giant.

Singtel can take a leaf out of SoftBank's playbook seeing that the impending 4th Telco is about to take a slice of its domestic pie. Singtel has been outperforming its two smaller local rivals this year, thanks to its vastly diversified earnings base. Core earnings from its overseas mobile associates such as Telkomsel, Advanced Info Service, Globe Telecom and Bharti Airtel increased 12% to $699 million. Singtel is also building ancillary services around its core business. For instance, Singtel re-launched its mobile payment app, Dash. Customers can use the app on their smartphones to pay for rides on trains & buses, ComfortDelgro & Prime taxis, and for purchases at merchants such as NTUC Fairprice, BreadTalk, Cheers, Food Republic, KFC, Pizza Hut & Watsons.

Another new revenue stream is coming from the cyber security division. The global cyber security market is growing at 9.8% a year. Hackers are becoming more sophisticated and daring as shown by recent cyber attacks on SWIFT, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Panama Papers data leak. For every lock, there's someone out there trying to pick it.

I was originally sceptical of SingTel's ambitious foray into the cyber security business in 2015, but watching the drama series 'Mr Robot' truly opened my eyes. This show is a masterpiece on the dangers of hacking. There is a huge shadowy world out there in cyberspace! Nerve Wrecking!

PwC estimates there are about 100 million cyber attacks every year, including data theft, leakage of intellectual property, corporate sabotage & denial-of-service attacks. That's 200 new cyber crimes committed every minute. The Singapore government wants to build a 'Smart Nation'. However, with greater use of connected devices like smartphones & tablets, comes greater vulnerability. Can a 'Smart Nation' be a 'Safe Nation' too? Will we be sufficiently protected from cyber terrorists? Singtel is poised to exploit opportunities in this rising and urgent demand for cyber security.

The pursuit of new growth engines requires substantial resources. This challenge could be solved soon. There are strong rumours of Singtel planning an IPO for NetLink Trust by 2H2017. If successful, the deal could raise as much as US$2 billion. Singtel will be armed with a huge warchest for pursuing new revenue streams as well as fight against the 4th Telco.

How to stay the course on your investing journey? Be less human......

Over the long run, patience is a virtue when it comes to investing. That's why financial advisors always advocate the benefits of starting young in one's investing journey. This will allow wealth to be accumulated and compounded over decades.

Unfortunately, humans are emotional beings and we tend to interact with one another more than ever before, thank to the widespread use of social media these days. As a result of high frequency trading, algorithm bots and easy access to international market news flow, fear and euphoria can perpetuate at an alarming speed around the world. Hasty decisions made in heat of the moment are rarely right.

Volatility is a fact of life. Investors tend to over-react in either direction. Therefore, we must perform thorough due diligence on our targeted companies and tune out the 'noises'. This will help us avoid making emotionally-driven decisions. With absolute clarity on our investment objectives, we reduce our chances of getting caught on the wrong side of an irreversible shift.

Warren Buffett and his trusted partner Charlie Munger do not panic despite the turbulent markets over numerous crisis because they know exactly what characteristics they want in a company before they decide to fire their 'elephant gun' and they stick to their investment principles come rain or shine. They do not take frequent pot shots indiscriminately with a gambler's mentality. Bershire Hathaway always go for big brands which enjoy a strong moat and protected by sustainable competitive advantage, stable cashflow and run by a competent management. Naturally, when these breed of companies become undervalued due to irrational short-term market forces, Warren Buffett will have the conviction to buy more instead of panic selling as he already understood them inside out. He know their fundamentals will remain robust. On the other hand, if you know the company so well, you will also divest with conviction once you see the fundamentals facing a terminal decline. Either way, there is no panic and fear involved. Just effective decision making.



Be a robot when making investment decisions
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