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akwl88

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SINGAPORE: As a small country, Singapore needs to expect the worst possible scenarios to navigate the year ahead, say observers – especially if 2017 turns out to be anything like 2016, where many failed to predict several momentous and world-rocking developments.

“The failure to see what was happening worries me quite deeply,” said Dr Shashi Jayakumar, Head of the Centre of Excellence for National Security at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

“Because if you look at the Singapore point of view, we are a small country and we are vulnerable. We cannot afford to be consistently and strategically surprised in that way.”

Dr Jayakumar was speaking at Channel NewsAsia’s World Review 2016 panel discussion (telecast Thursday, Dec 29 at 8pm), which looked back on events such as Brexit and the United States Presidential Election. The outcomes – Britons voting to leave the European Union, and Americans electing tycoon Donald Trump – had blindsided pollsters, academics and the media.

These are a reminder that “anything is possible”, said fellow panelist Dr Tim Huxley, executive director of the International Institute of Strategic Studies. “The lesson we should learn from this is that the parameters as what see as expectable are much wider.

“There are dangerous possibilities out there that may well come to pass.”



(Photo: AFP)

Some of those “dangerous possibilities” were addressed by the panel, which included Singapore Ambassador at Large Chan Heng Chee, Dr Ooi Kee Beng, deputy director of the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute, and Dr Li Nan, senior research fellow at the East Asian Institute.

One is the situation in the South China Sea, and the growing nervousness in the US-China relationship since Mr Trump’s victory.

The possibility of a serious misstep is a real worry, said Dr Jayakumar. “With a hawkish and, by and large, untested (Trump administration) team, you can foresee a situation where a few months in, or a year into a Trump presidency, there is a grave tactical miscalculation on either side.”

He added: “(From) the Singapore angle, diplomatically, it seems quite clear that there is some unhappiness on the part of the Chinese... and Singapore was just told by China, ‘Look, you cannot maintain this equilibrium between the US and China anymore’.”



(Photo: AFP)

Jakarta’s gubernatorial campaign may be another important turning point for Indonesia, and by extension, the region. Dr Huxley observed: “Does it continue to be a country that is characterised by secular governance or Pancasila - or is it a country that is dominated by Islamism and becomes gradually, over time, less tolerant?”

Jakarta’s incumbent governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, known by his Chinese nickname Ahok, is on trial for allegations of blasphemy. Said Dr Jayakumar: “If (the hard-liners) succeed in downing Ahok it does say something about the long-term direction of Indonesian politics… perhaps down the line, more intolerant.”



Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (left) is on trial for blasphemy following his remark about a passage in the Quran. (Photo: AP)

These are changing winds that Singapore should pay heed to, said Ambassador Chan. “We are going to look into the next few years where religion, my guess, is going to play a much bigger role in the political process in our neighbouring countries,” she said.

“That is important to note… because it would impact Singapore.”

REAL WORLD, NOT FANTASY WORLD

In a separate interview on the sidelines of the discussion, she emphasised the need for Singaporeans to “really understand the world we live in and the world as it operates, not to be lulled into a kind of ‘la la land’ - but also not to be too cynical and suspicious”.

Watch: Chan Heng Chee on the challenge for Singapore diplomacy



But Dr Jayakumar sounded the alert for insidious cyberattacks in the form of misinformation and fake news, such as Russia’s alleged meddling in the US elections.

Noting that Singapore should not think itself immune no matter how improbable it may seem, he said: “The mistake we make in this part of the world is to assume that these are Western-Russian issues and could never happen here.

“But if you think about it, if a larger power wants to influence the state of play within the Singapore polity itself - and we should not rule this out - to convince or sway a certain segment of the population… this become a serious cyber-resilience issue.”

“Sometimes we are too occupied looking for the big cyber strike or the big terrorist attack that we do not realise that the things that bring us down in a lot more underhanded fashion are actually these insidious types of subversions,” he said.

More on globalisation, terrorism and events in Malaysia, on World Review 2016. It airs Dec 29, 8pm (SG/HK), with an encore telecast on Dec 30, 6pm.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news...eep-being-surprised-a-warning-as/3400874.html
 
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lewissac

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MBKE 2017 OUTLOOK: 2 STRATEGIES TO COUNTER A MEDIOCRE 2017
Lim Si Jie December 29, 2016 Market Outlook, Stock Market, Strategy/Education

Amidst the festive cheers, investors have to be prepared for a tough 2017, warns Maybank Kim Eng (MBKE). Against the backdrop of tepid global growth, near-term fundamental growth challenges to key financial services, property and energy-related sectors, Singapore’s forecasted growth for 2017 has been reduced to a range of merely one to three percent.

To gauge an economy’s outlook, MBKE considers four important factors: economic growth, index valuations, earnings recovery expectations and political factors. According to MBKE, these four factors point to a mediocre year for Singapore in 2017. Economic growth will continue to be sluggish while index valuations remain uncompelling. Earnings recovery expectations are also weak with downside risk.

Politically, there are rising risks of protectionism in the west and possible cooling-off in China relations following the recent seizure of Singapore’s military vehicles en-route Hong Kong. Central banks in the region are taking measures to restrict capital flight. MBKE opines that this could have a bearing in the medium-term for Singapore housing sales to foreigners, tourism and direct investments. As such, Singapore stands to lose the most as an open economy.

SG Consumers Pessimism Reflects Mediocre Year Ahead

Various consumer confidence monitors also suggests that Singapore’s consumers are increasingly tightening their consumption. Referencing the Mastercard Index of Consumer Confidence, MBKE reasoned that the outlook for consumer spending remains ‘Pessimistic’ with a ‘Significant Deterioration’. The study also indicated that Singapore ranked second-lowest on the index in the Asia-Pacific region in terms of overall consumer confidence.

STI Valuations Deceptively Cheap

While the Straits Times Index (STI) trailing PE valuations look attractive relative to both its three and five-year historical, MBKE thinks that this is largely due to the de-rating of the financial sector. Excluding the financial sector, STI valuation appears to be moderately rich.

But STI Is Still A Good Dividend Play

That being said, STI stands out as one of the highest dividend yielding indices in ASEAN. This is partly attributable to STI’s REITs components and proactive payout policies. On top of that, a number of corporates have also linked management KPI to various balance sheet capital efficiency measures, prompting these corporates to increase their dividend payout.

Investors Takeaway: 2 Investment Strategies For 2017

With a one-year investment time frame in mind, MBKE prefers steady, relatively high cash flow resilience sectors, especially stocks with low or declining CAPEX requirements and ones that benefit from secular growth trends. MBKE believes that investors should be overweighting Property REITS and Healthcare stocks.

Another strategy that MBKE recommends is a bottom-up strategy with a focus on companies with a strong business model in sectors that are driven by secular growth. MBKE highlights that stocks with (1) low earnings cyclicality, (2) cashflow stability and low balance sheet risk within a preference framework of secular growth drivers and (3) businesses models with demonstrated track record will provide potential upside for investors in a year of uncertainty.

Source:
http://aspire.sharesinv.com/38241/m...017/?utm_source=si_home&utm_medium=si_desktop
Click to expand...
 
Layers

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akwl88 said:
SINGAPORE: As a small country, Singapore needs to expect the worst possible scenarios to navigate the year ahead, say observers – especially if 2017 turns out to be anything like 2016, where many failed to predict several momentous and world-rocking developments.

“The failure to see what was happening worries me quite deeply,” said Dr Shashi Jayakumar, Head of the Centre of Excellence for National Security at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

“Because if you look at the Singapore point of view, we are a small country and we are vulnerable. We cannot afford to be consistently and strategically surprised in that way.”

Dr Jayakumar was speaking at Channel NewsAsia’s World Review 2016 panel discussion (telecast Thursday, Dec 29 at 8pm), which looked back on events such as Brexit and the United States Presidential Election. The outcomes – Britons voting to leave the European Union, and Americans electing tycoon Donald Trump – had blindsided pollsters, academics and the media.

These are a reminder that “anything is possible”, said fellow panelist Dr Tim Huxley, executive director of the International Institute of Strategic Studies. “The lesson we should learn from this is that the parameters as what see as expectable are much wider.

“There are dangerous possibilities out there that may well come to pass.”



(Photo: AFP)

Some of those “dangerous possibilities” were addressed by the panel, which included Singapore Ambassador at Large Chan Heng Chee, Dr Ooi Kee Beng, deputy director of the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute, and Dr Li Nan, senior research fellow at the East Asian Institute.

One is the situation in the South China Sea, and the growing nervousness in the US-China relationship since Mr Trump’s victory.

The possibility of a serious misstep is a real worry, said Dr Jayakumar. “With a hawkish and, by and large, untested (Trump administration) team, you can foresee a situation where a few months in, or a year into a Trump presidency, there is a grave tactical miscalculation on either side.”

He added: “(From) the Singapore angle, diplomatically, it seems quite clear that there is some unhappiness on the part of the Chinese... and Singapore was just told by China, ‘Look, you cannot maintain this equilibrium between the US and China anymore’.”



(Photo: AFP)

Jakarta’s gubernatorial campaign may be another important turning point for Indonesia, and by extension, the region. Dr Huxley observed: “Does it continue to be a country that is characterised by secular governance or Pancasila - or is it a country that is dominated by Islamism and becomes gradually, over time, less tolerant?”

Jakarta’s incumbent governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, known by his Chinese nickname Ahok, is on trial for allegations of blasphemy. Said Dr Jayakumar: “If (the hard-liners) succeed in downing Ahok it does say something about the long-term direction of Indonesian politics… perhaps down the line, more intolerant.”



Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (left) is on trial for blasphemy following his remark about a passage in the Quran. (Photo: AP)

These are changing winds that Singapore should pay heed to, said Ambassador Chan. “We are going to look into the next few years where religion, my guess, is going to play a much bigger role in the political process in our neighbouring countries,” she said.

“That is important to note… because it would impact Singapore.”

REAL WORLD, NOT FANTASY WORLD

In a separate interview on the sidelines of the discussion, she emphasised the need for Singaporeans to “really understand the world we live in and the world as it operates, not to be lulled into a kind of ‘la la land’ - but also not to be too cynical and suspicious”.

Watch: Chan Heng Chee on the challenge for Singapore diplomacy



But Dr Jayakumar sounded the alert for insidious cyberattacks in the form of misinformation and fake news, such as Russia’s alleged meddling in the US elections.

Noting that Singapore should not think itself immune no matter how improbable it may seem, he said: “The mistake we make in this part of the world is to assume that these are Western-Russian issues and could never happen here.

“But if you think about it, if a larger power wants to influence the state of play within the Singapore polity itself - and we should not rule this out - to convince or sway a certain segment of the population… this become a serious cyber-resilience issue.”

“Sometimes we are too occupied looking for the big cyber strike or the big terrorist attack that we do not realise that the things that bring us down in a lot more underhanded fashion are actually these insidious types of subversions,” he said.

More on globalisation, terrorism and events in Malaysia, on World Review 2016. It airs Dec 29, 8pm (SG/HK), with an encore telecast on Dec 30, 6pm.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news...eep-being-surprised-a-warning-as/3400874.html
Click to expand...
When I read stories between China n USA. Remind me of gundam.

Then Singapore will be the party that is neutal kena crossfire like orb.

Sent from Sony E6853 using GAGT
 
Android user

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Genosis said:
When Starbucks first entered Singapore during my younger days, I initially thought.....

'I am quite satisfied with kopitiam kopi already. Starbucks cuppucino is definitely gonna cost more for that miniscular oomph in taste. Think I will stick with low cost kopi.....'

But in the end......:s22:=:p I am guilty of lifestyle inflation :(
Click to expand...
MasterLeong said:
1.jpg


I nowadays drinking this one... kopi and also teh both not bad
Click to expand...
https://www.owl.com.sg/our-brands/owl/white-coffee-peppermint/

QJrsn0nl.jpg

Try this 1, affordable Christmas peppermint coffee drink. Cheaper than starbuck or coffeebean too.

Sent from Xiaomi REDMI NOTE 3 using GAGT
 
MasterLeong

MasterLeong

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my CMT and FCT 4.5% paper losses

guess 2016 my reits and telcos all ending red

must go temple pray hard for 2017 riao
 
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