Market Snapshot
Singapore stocks opened higher on Thursday. STI rose 0.4%, DBS rose 2.3%; NIO rose 10.2%; OCBC rose 1.1%; UOB rose 0.6%; SIA fell 0.6%; Sheng Siong rose 1.3%; Seatrium fell 2%; Keppel fell 1%.
Stocks to Watch
DBS (D05): The lender on Thursday announced a 15 per cent year-on-year rise in first quarter net profit to S$2.96 billion, marking a new high. It declared an interim dividend of S$0.54 for each ordinary share. Additional shares arising from its proposed 1-for-10 bonus issue will also qualify for this dividend.
On Tuesday, the Monetary Authority of Singapore said it will not extend the six-month restriction on DBS’ non-essential activities, but the 1.8 times multiplier on its risk-weighted assets for operational risk remains. Shares of DBS ended Tuesday at S$34.90, up S$0.12 or 0.4 per cent.
Olam (VC2): The agri-business group’s indirect subsidiary, Olam Agri, has proposed an off-market takeover to acquire all shares in Australian-listed cotton ginning company Namoi Cotton, in response to a new takeover bid by its rival Louis Dreyfus Company Asia. Olam Agri said on Thursday that it offered A$0.66 cash per Namoi share, subject to obtaining at least 50.1 per cent of Namoi. It proposed increasing its offer value to A$0.70 cash per share if it obtains at least 90 per cent of shares before the end of the offer period. Olam’s shares closed Tuesday down 2.5 per cent or S$0.03 to S$1.18 on a cum dividend basis.
Parkway Life Reit (C2PU): The healthcare real estate investment trust (Reit) posted a distribution per unit of S$0.0379 for the first quarter of 2024, up 4 per cent from S$0.0365 a year ago. Overall, gross revenue declined 2.7 per cent to S$36.3 million, from S$37.3 million, its manager said on Tuesday. Meanwhile, net property income slipped 2.8 per cent to S$34.3 million, from S$35.3 million. Units of the Reit ended S$0.05 or 1.4 per cent higher at S$3.59, before the business update.
Japfa (UD2): The agri-food company recorded a profit of US$12.4 million for the first quarter ended Mar 31, a reversal from a US$43 million loss in the year-ago period. The improvement was driven by its businesses in Indonesia and Vietnam, the company said on Tuesday. Japfa’s revenue for the quarter grew 11.6 per cent year on year to US$1.1 billion, from US$1 billion. Shares of Japfa closed S$0.01 or 3.2 per cent lower at S$0.30, before the results.
CSE Global (544): The systems integrator secured S$186.2 million worth of new orders in Q1 ended Mar 31, up 16.7 per cent from a year ago. The growth was “driven by stronger demand for electrification and automation solutions in the infrastructure and energy industries”, CSE said on Tuesday. Its automation segment saw the greatest growth, with orders rising 65.4 per cent to S$51.8 million. The counter closed flat at S$0.425, before the announcement.
SG Local News
DBS Profit Beats Estimates on Higher Lending, Wealth Fees Growth
DBS Group Holdings Ltd.’s first-quarter profit rose as Singapore’s biggest lender continued to benefit from higher lending income and strong wealth management fees.
Net income, excluding one-time items, expanded 15% to S$2.96 billion ($2.2 billion) in the three months ended March 31, DBS said in a statement Thursday. That surpassed the S$2.48 billion average estimate by analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News.
DBS is the first among major Singapore banks to report results against the backdrop of the city-state’s slower-than-forecast economic growth in the first three months. Its outlook signals how tailwinds that buoyed global lenders’ income in recent years could be sustained as expectations turn to a higher-for-longer rates environment.
Political Stability, Trust in Government Critical for Singapore: PM Lee in Final Major Speech As Prime Minister
Political stability and trust in the government are critical for Singapore in the years ahead, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in his last major speech before handing the reins to Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
Delivering the keynote address at the May Day Rally on Wednesday (May 1), Mr Lee said Singapore’s next chapter was off to a strong start.
But a "very challenging" period lay ahead, with great power rivalry, deglobalisation, technological advances, climate change and the threat of war.
Against this backdrop, Mr Lee, who will step down as Prime Minister on May 15, said some "hard truths" had not changed for Singapore.
Singapore's system is anchored on a strong base of trust, with the People's Action Party (PAP) government working hard to maintain it, he said.
More Than S$370,000 Recovered After Banks, Singapore and Hong Kong Police Foil Scam
More than S$370,000 (US$271,000) have been recovered after the Singapore Police Force (SPF), together with two banks and the Hong Kong police, foiled a scam targeting a 70-year-old victim.
On Apr 18, DBS detected suspicious transactions of about S$180,000 transferred from the man's account to a bank account in Hong Kong, SPF said in a news release on Wednesday (May 1).
The bank immediately blocked further transactions from the victim’s account and notified SPF’s Anti-Scam Centre (ASC).
ASC then "swiftly notified" Hong Kong's Anti-Deception Coordination Centre (ADDC) about the beneficiary account.