As unfortunate as it is, Russia has decided to attack Ukraine. While it seems to be a geographic conflict, it is actually a financial war in disguise. As I have explained in this article, there is an invisible financial hand behind most of the geo-conflicts, and the Russia-Ukraine war is no different. If you are […]
What Is China Evergrande Debt Crisis and Why It Rocks The Global Market
The biggest worry in the financial market now is not the US tapering or China tech crackdown, but the possibility of default of China Evergrande Group (中国恒大集团). The report of China Evergrande’s situation is on the news every day, but many Singapore investors are not even familiar with the name. This article gives you a […]
How Will Inflation Affect Your Investment Returns?
Believe it or not, inflation is the most important factor driving the financial markets right now, and yet there are vastly different views on what we can expect. While some investors believe that inflationary pressure will prove transient, others believe we are on the verge of a structural shift in the financial markets. I belong […]
Optimism is The Virtue of Capitalism – Ivan’s Investment Reflections for May 2021
Lately, stock markets have been getting jittery. Asian markets continued trading sideways while the US and European stock markets struggled to move higher in a zigzag manner. It seems to me that the stock markets have less concern over the resurgence of the number of Covid cases globally than the recent US policy initiatives. “Ivan’s […]
Astrea VI Bond IPO: Why You Should Have Applied Via Private Placement
On March 8, I have alerted readers of the latest Astrea VI Bond issuance through my blog and Telegram Channel. Astrea has just announced its Astrea VI allocation result today. The final coupon for the retail S$ tranche is 3%. It is not fantastic, but good enough for many, especially the retirement income seekers. But […]
Astrea VI Bonds – New issuance of Azalea PE-backed Bonds
I wrote an article in 2019 when Astrea V was launched, I was not thrilled with PE bond offering such a low yield of 3.8% back then. But since the pandemic last year, the broad market interest rate has dropped to an even more ridiculous level. So PE-Backed Astrea Bond does appeal to some investors […]