China buys gold, challenges US dollar

WikiLeaks cables allege that China is buying gold to weaken the US dollar's supremacy as the world's reserve currency.

China plans to let its currency trade freely on international markets by 2015 [EPA] China is shifting some of its massive foreign holdings into gold and away from the US dollar, undermining the dollar's role as the world's reserve currency, accoding to a recently released WikiLeaks cable. "They [the US and Europe] intend to weaken gold's function as an international reserve currency. They don’t want to see other countries turning to gold reserves instead of the US dollar or Euro," stated the 2009 cable, quoting Chinese Radio International. "China's increased gold reserves will thus act as a model and lead other countries towards reserving more gold." The cable is titled "China increases its gold reserves in order to kill two birds with one stone". Taken together with recent policy announcements from Chinese banking officials, it may signal moves by China to eventually replace the US dollar as the world's reserve currency. Last week, European business officials announced that China plans to make its currency, the yuan, fully convertible for trading on international markets by 2015. Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of China's central bank, said the offshore market for the yuan is "developing faster than we had imagined" but there is no definitive timetable for making the currency fully convertible. Presently, the yuan cannot be easily converted into other currencies, because of government restrictions. China's gold holdings are small compared to other major economies. It has 1,054 tonnes, the sixth-largest reserves in the world, according to data from the World Gold Council. Dollar's dilemma Buying gold and allowing the yuan to be traded freely would weaken the US dollar's dominance as the international reserve currency. The move would have major implications, making it more expensive for the US government to borrow money and to run perpetual trade and budget deficits. "The US is used to having the position of having the key reserve currency, but others are eager to replace it," said Josh Aizenman, a professor of economics at the University of California and president of the International Economics and Finance Society. As a reserve currency, the US dollar is the default for international transactions. If, for example, a South Korean company wants to buy wine from Chile, chances are they will carry out the transaction in dollars. Both companies must then purchase dollars to conduct their business, leading to greater demand. The value of global commodities, such as oil, is also generally demarcated in US dollars. Being a reserve currency allows the US to borrow at low interest rates, as central banks around the world are eager to buy US government debt. "Any country that can finance its expenditures by printing money or selling bonds is essentially getting a free lunch," Aizenman told Al Jazeera. With China's apparent change of heart, that "free lunch" now might come with a hefty tab. Given the massive US trade deficit, average Americans might be sent to the restaurant's kitchen to wash dishes if the dollar loses its status as the world's reserve currency. "China, until recently, was focusing on buying the US dollar through bonds," Aizeman said. Since the economic crisis, the US dollar has dropped compared to other major currencies, particularly the Swiss franc, Canadian dollar and Brazilian real. This leaves China in a bind, analysts said. Currency reserves In March 2011, China held $3.04tn US dollars in reserves, Xinhua news agenecy reported. It is the largest holder of US treasuries, or government debt, with $1.166tn as of June 30, 2011, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Thus, major devaluation of the dollar would hurt China, as it would be left holding wads of worthless paper. "If you owe the bank $100, that's your problem. If you owe the bank $100m, that's the bank's problem," American industrialist Jean Paul Getty once remarked, in a parable that sums up China's predicament. "China is locked into a position where they cannot sell a big portion of their dollar reserves overnight without hurting themselves," Aizenman said. "It is too late for now to diversify rapidly the stock they have already accumulated." The answer: Buy gold. Everyone seems to be doing it. The value of the glistening commodity, useless for most practical purposes, increased almost 400 per cent, from less than $500 an ounce in 2005 to about $1,900 in September. "Gold has risen in value because of uncertainty in the world economy," said Mark Weisbrot, the co-director of the Centre for Economic and Policy Research, a think-tank in Washington. "Normally, gold would rise due to high inflation. It is a store of value that increases if there is inflation. But in this case it is going up because nobody knows where else to put their money." In the WikiLeaks cable, China alleged that "the US and Europe have always suppressed the rising price of gold", but neither Weisbrot or Aizenman think such a policy is taking place or even possible. Presently, China places strict controls on its currency, limiting foreigners from doing business in the yuan or trading it on foreign exchange markets. That could change in the next five years, according to governor Xiaochuan's recent announcement. By owning such large reserves of US currency, and through controlling the yuan, China can keep its currency lower than it would be if it floated freely. This makes Chinese exports cheaper. The relationship, in which Chinese investment in US government bonds allows low interest rates for Americans to buy Chinese products, has worked well for the last 15 years. In 2010, the US ran a $273.1bn trade deficit with China. "We pay our debts in dollars so we can print money to pay our international debts," Weisbrot told Al Jazeera. Because of the dollar's status as a reserve currency, the US "can run trade deficits indefinitely" while borrowing internationally without serious repercussions, giving the world's largest economy a "big advantage", he said. If gold, the yuan, or a combination of other currencies replaced the dollar, the US would lose that advantage. Without a replacement in the near term, nothing will replace the dollar as the world's reserve currency in the next five years at least. But nothing lasts forever. "When they [China] want the dollar to fall, they will let it," Weisbrot said. "The dollar will fall eventually but that could be a long time away." The fate of the dollar notwithstanding, a separate WikiLeaks cable outlines some of the broader ambiguities of the world's most important economic relationship, or "ChinAmerica", as it has been dubbed by historian Niall Ferguson. "No one in 1979 would have predicted that China would become the United States' most important relationship in thirty years," the cable stated. "No one today can predict with certainty where our relations with Beijing will be thirty years hence." http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/09/201199175046520396.html

Soros: Three steps to resolving the eurozone crisis

Written by Geroge Soros
Tuesday, 16 August 2011 09:49


A comprehensive solution to the euro crisis must have three major components:
- reform and recapitalisation of the banking system; 
- a eurobond regime; and 
- an exit mechanism.

First, the banking system. The European Union’s Maastricht treaty was designed to deal only with imbalances in the public sector; but excesses in the banking sector have been far worse. The euro’s introduction led to housing booms in countries such as Spain and Ireland. Eurozone banks became among the world’s most over-leveraged, and they remain in need of protection from counterparty risks.

The first step was taken by authorising the European financial stability facility to rescue banks. Now banks’ equity capital levels need to be greatly increased. If an agency is to guarantee banks’ solvency, it must oversee them too. A powerful European banking agency could end the incestuous relationship between banks and regulators, while interfering much less with nations’ sovereignty than dictating their fiscal policies.

Second, Europe needs eurobonds. The introduction of the euro was supposed to reinforce convergence; in fact it created divergences, with widely differing levels of indebtedness and competitiveness. If heavily indebted countries have to pay heavy risk premiums, their debt becomes unsustainable. That is now happening. The solution is obvious: deficit countries must be allowed to refinance their debt on the same terms as surplus countries.

This is best accomplished through eurobonds, which would be jointly guaranteed by all the member states. While the principle is clear, the details will require a lot of work. Which agency would be in charge of issuing, and what rules would it follow? Presumably the eurobonds would be under eurozone finance ministers’ control. The board would constitute the fiscal counterpart of the European Central Bank; it would also be the European counterpart of the International Monetary Fund.

Debate will therefore revolve around voting rights. The ECB operates on the principle of one vote per country; the IMF assigns rights according to capital contributions. Which should prevail? The former could give carte blanche to debtors to run up deficits; the latter might perpetuate a two-speed Europe. Compromise will be necessary.

Because the fate of Europe depends on Germany, and because eurobonds will put Germany’s credit standing at risk, any compromise must put Germany in the driver’s seat. Sadly, Germany has unsound ideas about macroeconomic policy, and it wants Europe to follow its example. But what works for Germany cannot work for the rest of Europe: no country can run a chronic trade surplus without others running deficits. Germany must agree to rules by which others can also abide.

These rules must provide for a gradual reduction in indebtedness. They must also allow countries with high unemployment, such as Spain, to run budget deficits. Rules involving targets for cyclically adjusted deficits can accomplish both goals. Importantly, they must remain open to review and improvement.

Bruegel, the Brussels-based think-tank, has proposed that eurobonds constitute 60 per cent of eurozone members’ outstanding external debt. But given the high risk premiums prevailing in Europe, this percentage is too low for a level playing field. In my view, new issues should be entirely in eurobonds, up to a limit set by the board. The higher the volume of eurobonds a country seeks to issue, the more severe the conditions the board would impose. The board should be able to impose its will, because denying the right to issue additional eurobonds ought to be a powerful deterrent.

This leads directly to the third unsolved problem: what happens if a country is unwilling or unable to keep within agreed conditions? Inability to issue eurobonds could then result in a disorderly default or devaluation. In the absence of an exit mechanism, this could be catastrophic. A deterrent that is too dangerous to invoke lacks credibility.

Greece constitutes a cautionary example, and much depends on how its crisis plays out. It might be possible to devise an orderly exit for a small country like Greece that would not be applicable to a large one like Italy. In the absence of an orderly exit, the regime would have to carry sanctions from which there is no escape – something like a European finance ministry that has political as well as financial legitimacy. That could emerge only from a profound rethinking of the euro that is so badly needed (particularly in Germany).

Financial markets might not offer the respite necessary to put the new arrangements in place. Under continued market pressure, the European Council might have to find a stopgap arrangement to avoid a calamity. It could authorise the ECB to lend to governments that cannot borrow until a eurobond regime is introduced. But only one thing is certain: these three problems must be resolved if the euro is to be a viable currency.

How free cash flow is calculated

http://www.investopedia.com/university/dcf/dcf2.asp#axzz1XYvbUdkN

ROA

A visual glossary of corporate finance

http://glossary.income-outcome.com/

Discount Cash Flow to determine Intrinsic Value

http://www.credittrends.com/blog/page/2/

Free Cash Flow and Return on Equity

http://roanyong.com/2008/08/19/analyzing-a-company-the-basic/

ROE and ROIC

 Management is concerned about return on invested capital and return onshareholder equity and that's the focus. Everything else takes a backseat to that. 

Portfolio Management Process

       Our objective is to discover outstanding companies with sustainable, high returns on capital and open-ended growth, then to buy them at a “value” price. Although our investment process is relatively uncommon, it is the same process practiced by all of the portfolio managers at Lateef throughout their careers, and now polished by our collective experience.



       We actively monitor a Lateef universe of about 60 companies that have met our quality criteria, and we assess them daily for attractively priced entry points. A company is purchased only after each portfolio manager agrees that the company has met at least two-thirds (or 17) of our 25 investment criteria. Our investment candidates come from a variety of sources, including discussions with company executives about their respected competitors, suppliers, distributors, and customers. They may come from industry periodicals, industry trade shows, Wall Street investment conferences, Wall Street research, and our colleagues in the industry. We also frequently check the new low lists, and we review data-rich publications such as Value Line. We don’t use a “black box”computer to screen for ideas, as our experience has shown this to be a “rearview mirror” method of discovering companies that are often at their cyclical peak. We have mentally screened hundreds of companies in our careers and have ruled out those which have cut throat competition, are heavily regulated, have a principal product subject to commodity pricing, are capital intensive, or have a short product life cycle. In today’s world, where data is only a few clicks away, the challenge is not in obtaining information, but in transforming information into insights and knowledge that meet our criteria.







       The heart of our investment process is the initial evaluation and ongoing monitoring process of investments. It is the lifeblood of what we do. The following Pyramid of Growth illustrates the essence of our core criteria. Although we have 25 specific investment criteria, they boil down to finding a company with a sustainable competitive advantage and high return on invested capital (ROIC), led by an owner-oriented management team of high integrity, and a track record of success, whose stock is trading at a reasonable or bargain price.

                                                        

        We rely heavily on our own intensive fundamental research. We visit with the management of the companies in which we invest on their home turf and build relationships with them over the years. We enjoy the “tire kicking” process, and believe the time and effort is worth the reward of a better understanding and deeper conviction in the company and its people. Once managements meet us and realize that we are interested in longer-term strategic and competitive positioning issues, they are often open, responsive and communicative with us. We prefer managements that are accessible, especially when the inevitable rumors or specious analyst downgrades affect the stock price. We need a direct and expedient line of communication to discern truth from misconception to be most effective for our clients.



       Our accounts are separately managed and our focus is on absolute returns. Consequently, we will only invest when we believe the company’s market price is attractive compared to its intrinsic value. For new clients, this process may take just a few days – if there are many opportunities in a bear market – or several months, in a bull market. We would rather take our time in making the right choices to limit downside risk than have to apologize later for losses because we responded to an urge to get invested right away. Risk, in our view, is the risk of losing money. We do not define risk as potentially falling behind a bull market benchmark for a few months while the cash is getting invested.
       We invest each account individually and do not manage on a “model.” Managing accounts on a model means that every account is fully invested on the first day and holds the same stocks. Lateef does not manage accounts in this way because we feel that it is imperative to not only buy outstanding companies, but it is equally important to buy those companies at the right price. Therefore, we invest accounts one stock at a time, and we will only purchase when a company is trading at or below our buy target price. When a company drops into our buy range, it is added to each portfolio with cash at approximately a 6% weight. Due to this strict purchase criteria, each account under Lateef’s management may not hold all of the same securities, depending on the inception date of each account. While this process creates a higher dispersion between accounts, we think it makes the most investment sense, ultimately resulting in better performance.




       The businesses that interest us are those that have a sustainable high return on invested capital (ROIC). With all else being equal, the most valuable businesses are those that deliver more cash flow and income with fewer assets. Return on invested capital is a financial measure that quantifies how much income a business earns relative to the capital contributed by both equity shareholders and lenders. Our composite top 25 holdings have a return on invested capital in excess of 20% – nearly double what the average company earns on capital, and more than double the cost of capital for most companies. For companies with no debt, return on invested capital is simply return on equity, which is defined simply as net income divided by net worth (or equity).
Most investors define a company’s growth rate as the rate at which it increases its earnings per share (EPS). We think this is not only overly simplistic, but sometimes wrong. EPS is a result of many accrual assumptions, which may not correlate to the actual cash generated by the business.
       The true growth of a business is measured by its return on capital. For example, a business that is funded with $1,000 on January 1st and earns $200 in cash for the year has a 20% return on its $1,000 original capital. At the end of the first year, it has $1,200 of retained capital, assuming no dividend payouts. If it earns another 20% on its $1,200 retained capital in year two, it will have earned $240, making its capital at the end of year two $1,440. Extending this 20% compounding forward for 3.8 years will result in total capital of $2,000, or double its original investment.
       We have observed that over time, a company usually trades at a Price-Earnings ratio (PE) in line with its sustainable return on capital. Assume, for instance, that we invest in a company with a sustainable return on capital of 20%, whose stock is depressed for some temporary, nonstructural reason, and has a PE ratio of 15x. The investment should benefit from a “double play” effect. The stock should benefit from a rebound to its normalized PE of 20 as the cloud overhanging the stock evaporates, and then, the stock should benefit from the compounding of the company’s return on capital, thereby increasing its intrinsic value. We limit price risk by patiently waiting for terrific companies (those with sustainable high ROICs) whose stock prices are temporarily out of favor, offering an opportunity for us to pay a PE at a discount to its intrinsic value along with a “double play” opportunity. Well executed “double plays” in a portfolio of 15–20 investments can contribute significantly to investment performance with minimal business and price risk.
       We also measure a company’s return on capital exclusive of any excess cash it may have on its balance sheet, indicating a more robust business profitability. Many of our companies have little or no debt on the balance sheet and have significant cash not needed to run the business.
       Our portfolio companies generate excess cash over and above needed capital spending. We use other valuation metrics as a “sanity check”, such as comparing a company’s cash flow yield to the 10 year treasury bond. We also value companies by comparing a company’s PE ratio relative to its historic ROIC for clues to better estimate the intrinsic value of the company. We might also incorporate a sum-of-the-parts analysis to value companies. After estimating the intrinsic value using these methods, we apply at least a 10% discount to the value to derive our “buy point”, there- by enhancing our margin of safety. For example, if we believe a company is fairly priced at $50, we will not buy it until it drops below $45.
       We take a practical business approach to investing. This approach applies equally whether we’re valuing a neighborhood lemonade stand, the corner grocery store, or General Electric. We believe we are unique in our emphasis on ROIC and, in particular, in using the ratio of PE to ROIC as a guide to valuing companies. Combining this approach with our due diligence to give us the conviction that a company’s competitive advantage is sustainable, along with the discipline to wait for the right market price, gives us the edge to outperform.




       Our bias is not to sell. If we must, we reinvest the proceeds only when it makes sense to do so. There are, however, five conditions under which we feel that selling a stock is necessary:

       When a position exceeds 15% of a portfolio. If an investment that typically starts with a 6% weight
       appreciates to 15% of the portfolio, we will consider gradually trimming the position for the sake
       of prudence.

       Overvaluation. If the stock price is egregiously overvalued and discounts earnings excessively into the
       future, we will sell. This was key to our success in preserving capital in the years 2000–2002. We are
       content to hold a modestly overvalued stock if we are confident that future years’ earnings growth will
       justify the valuation.

       Deteriorating fundamentals. For each company we buy, we document our rationale for investing in the
       company. If subsequent events erode its competitive advantage and violate our original rationale,
       we will sell.

       When there’s a better idea with more conviction. If we find a much better business that is attractively
       priced, we will sell to generate cash for the new purchase.When we recognize a mistake. Despite our
       rigorous due diligence process, we do occasionally make mistakes in assessing the management or
       competitive dynamics of a company. When this happens, we immediately sell to limit losses and move
       on to a better opportunity.

       When we recognize a mistake. Despite our rigorous due diligence process, we do occasionally make
       mistakes in assessing the management or competitive dynamics of a company. When this happens,
       we immediately sell to limit losses and move on to a better opportunity.

Quality, Value and Management Approach (QVM approach)

http://www.lateef.com/our_process.htm

What is the correct company value? Value versus Price

S@R | 15/02/2009

Nobel Prize winner in Economics, Milton Friedman, has said; “the only concept/theory which has gained universal acceptance by economists is that the value of an asset is determined by the expected benefits it will generate”.

Value is not the same as price. Price is what the market is willing to pay. Even if the value is high, most want to pay as little as possible. One basic relationship will be the investor’s demand for return on capital – investor’s expected return rate. There will always be alternative investments, and in a free market, investor will compare the investment alternatives attractiveness against his demand for return on invested capital. If the expected return on invested capital exceeds the investments future capital proceeds, the investment is considered less attractive.

One critical issue is therefore to estimate and fix the correct company value that reflects the real values in the company. In its simplest form this can be achieved through:

Budget a simple cash flow for the forecast period with fixed interest cost throughout the period, and ad the value to the booked balance.

This evaluation will be an indicator, but implies a series of simplifications that can distort the reality considerably. For instance, real balance value differs generally from book value. Proceeds/dividends are paid out according to legislation; also the level of debt will normally vary throughout the prognosis period. These are some factors that suggest that the mentioned premises opens for the possibility of substantial deviation compared to an integral and detailed evaluation of the company’s real values.

A more correct value can be provided through:

• Correcting the opening balance, forecast and budget operations, estimate complete result and balance sheets for the whole forecast period. Incorporate market weighted average cost of capital when discounting.

The last method is considerably more demanding, but will give an evaluation result that can be tested and that also can take into consideration qualitative values that implicitly are part of the forecast.
The result is then used as input in a risk analysis such that the probability distribution for the value of the chosen evaluation method will appear. With this method a more correct picture will appear of what the expected value is given the set of assumption and input.

The better the value is explained, the more likely it is that the price will be “right”.

The chart below illustrates the method.

http://www.strategy-at-risk.com/2009/02/15/what-is-the-correct-company-value/

Return on Equity

http://amgstr.blogspot.com/

Return on Equity (RoE) = Net Income (NI) / Equity

or
Return on Equity = Return on Assets (RoA) x Financial Leverage (FLA)
and
RoA = NI / Assets
and FLA = Assets / Equity

At each stage, the formula can be further decomposed. For instance, Return on Assets can be decomposed to:

RoA = Net profit margin (NPM) x Total Asset Turnover

This formula captures the essence of operational efficiency in terms most lay people can understand. How [efficiently] are we selling (Total Asset Turnover - TAT) [with respect to the assets we use to produce our product - directly related to revenue and number of products sold at a constant price]?

The DuPont model goes on to further decompose NPM as gross product margin, tax burden and effect of 'non-operating items' etc, but even at this stage, this formula gives a good basis for common size comparison with other companies in the industry.

Let's look at each component and see if we can describe them in layman's terms:

• Return on Equity - How much income are we making relative to the equity we put in?
• Financial leverage - How much debt have we applied relative to our equity?
• Return on Assets - How much income are we making relative to all the capital we put it (including debt)?
• Total Asset Turnover - How [efficiently are we using our assets]?
• Net Profit Margin - For each unit of good or service we sell, after the costs, how much do we keep?
• Gross Profit Margin - Before we do accounting and pay tax, how much of each good or service do we keep for each sale?
• Tax burden - After accounting practices, what is the effect of our current tax rate?
• Non-operating items - Can we use depreciation and amortization to affect our tax burden?

It can quickly tell you the status of the leverage, operational efficiency and sales to identify if there are problems from a high level to determine if certain areas warrant a deeper investigation. No calculus required.

Where are you leading to in your life?

Sometimes, when we look back on the things we had done previously, we will ask ourselves, whether it is worth to do so. There are too many things need to be done in our lives and how should we do?

At the age of 29 years old, I realize that I have spent majority of my time in studying and working. While my hobby is traveling and investing, I recognized that I have long time never touch on piano, table tennis, religion studies, as well as Chinese chess. Those were the activities I often did when I was in my school lives. Now, I have reached another step, where I am going to be a husband. What are the steps I should do? Where am I leading to?

My gf gave me a gift - a cup with the title 'You Never Too Old to Dream'. Until recently, I just realized that the person who can give you most encouragement is nobody but yourself. You must think out of box to achieve what you want in your life.

As my goal, I want to achieve financial freedom, setup a charity trusts and travel around the world. Of course, I already set a dateline to myself. I must be a millionaire before 35 years old.
After that, I will use that 1M to generate more 1M. But How?

Some of my ideas here:

Marry to a rich girl - Looks impossible, as I already engaged. Haha. :)

Win a lottery - Too bad, my luck is always not that good. So I give up on this. :)

Work hard and climb in the corporate ladder - Given my character, I hate to fight with other colleague but I love working with them peacefully. So, I don't think I can be a CEO within 5 working years. :)

Be own boss - setup a new company. Given my current experience and capital, it is a bit hard to do it right now. But I believe I can do it soon after my capital reaches 1M. I always believe that I can be a rich man. There is no doubt in it.

Through Investing - I have about 10 years experience in investing in shares in year 1998. Year 1998 and 2008 was a bad year to me. Since then, I achieve reasonable returns through investing via High Growth Company. ROE is the key indicator that I use for investment. However, due to the small capital and reinvested capital (I am not a high paid guy, so my initial invested capital was very small. Thankfully, my current invested capital reached 6 figures and I definitely believe that I can be millionaire in my 30s.

Of course, I definitely believe that you have your own way to go. Share with us your ideas on where are you leading to in your life in below comments.

Good luck!

http://www.jackphanginvestment.com/2011/05/where-are-you-leading-to-in-your-life.html

ROE - Key Performance Indicator for Company Management

Introduction of ROE

Return on Equity (ROE) is a term important in shares/equity investment. The simple formula for ROE is Net Profit / Shareholdings. In short, it is measured by how strong is the top management to produce profit based on current shareholdings. In DuPont formula, it is calculated as Net Profit Margin * Asset Turnover * Equity Multiplier. I will explain to you the components one by one:


Simple DuPont Formula Explanation  

1. Net Profit Margin (Net Profit / Revenue) - This is one of the very key indicators to measure company performance. A good company with 'Monopoly' status always have a better profit margin as compared to the peer companies. It can be achieved by Economy of Scales or through operation efficiencies. When you notice that the company's profit margin is increasing, perhaps you can check whether it is due to a new product launched or operation efficiencies or due to cost control improvement etc. 
2. Asset Turnover (Revenue / Asset) - It is an indicator to show whether the company is capable to have a better turnover by selling more products with limited asset available. A low non-current asset based company can perform better than a high non-current asset based company due to its bargaining power against customer.
3. Equity Multiplier (Asset / Equity) - Sometimes a good ROE can be due to high equity multiplier. It means that the company has bigger borrowing from bank/payable/bond holders to achieve higher asset. In finance industry, the leverage can be as high as 10 times and above. You must compare the equity multiplier with its peer companies. Normally if company can achieve optimal capital structure, the WACC can be the lowest. Thus, investor can achieve higher returns.

Things to take note



It does not necessary mean that you can achieve a good returns by investing in high ROE company. However, if you can find out a company is having higher and consistent ROE as compared to
its peer company in same sector, it means that this company's management is better to produce better returns as compared to rest. You must also take into considerations the other figures such as Price per Earning ratio, Dividend yield etc.

Conclusion


By comparing ROE with peer companies, you also must take note that whether the company manipulate its annual report.  It is also good that you can do a relative comparison on P/E ratio and Dividend Yield while making investment decisions.  With a good and consistent ROE, the longer you hold the investment the better the profit you can forsee in the long run.


http://www.jackphanginvestment.com/2011/04/roe-key-performance-indicator-for.html

Your emotion controls how many returns you can get

Your emotion controls how many returns you can get

Over the period of investing, common mistakes which I think the investor made can be categorized into few:

1. Data Analysis

2. Emotion

Data analysis can be also sub-categorized to Fundamental / Technical perspective or even Macroeconomic perspective. You can learn from many ways to improve your analytic skills before you made a very good investment. However, emotion plays a bigger part to determine how many returns you can get.

There are various theories which teach investors to buy at a lower point and sell at the higher point. However, due to the greed and fear factor, investors require a very strong self discipline to follow the framework they have set and not to 'Buy High' and 'Sell Low' due to market crash.

There are few players which I conclude as Institutional Investors, Retail Investors & Speculators in this market. When market crash, we will see a huge outflow from the market due to the panic sell. Even fund managers or institutional investors are also forced to liquidate their portions in the markets due to redemption made by the retail investors and caused that their performance will follow the benchmark. Speculators will start "Short"ing the market and tried to earn a huge profits from there and make the situations become worse.


How to control your emotions depends on how your investment strategy/asset allocation works. Most people will reserve an emergency funds for the panic sells purchase. There are also short term investors who just trade during the boom markets and tries to earn a quick profit. There are also long term investors who are fully invested in the market regardless how the market moves upwards or heading south. If you have an asset allocation and portfolio rebalancing plan, you must exercise your plan regardless how your emotion tried to control you to do the other way round.

People who are afraid to see unrealized losses are the one who are also afraid to see unrealized gain. Their mentality is still "Investing = Gambling". If you have this mindset, you will just run away when you earn a bit profit but will quickly cut lose if you see your purchase price is lower than market price.

So, try to control your emotion and learn from the mistake you made earlier. Find a proper asset allocation plan as well as develop your stocks picking skills so that you can avoid to be controlled by your emotion.

Good Luck!

http://www.jackphanginvestment.com/2011/03/your-emotion-controls-how-many-returns.html

Long Term Investment Applies to 'Good' 'Business' 'Company'

Over a period of investment, I met with different types of friends. We are all searching for a Low Risk yet High Return investment which is in contrast with the classic 'Modern Portfolio Theory' written by Harry Markowitz.

Some are learning Technical Analysis. A number of theories have been developed in term of the searching of a good stock which has a upward movement or downward movement which they can predict and make use of. However, the cons of this analysis is you are hard to master it and there is still a risk involved which encourage you to 'Cut Lost' if the wind turns another way round.

Some are learning Fundamental Analysis. CFA is a good post graduation course allowing you to learn how to perform fundamental analysis from Global, Sector, and Industry to specific company by annual report. However, there is too many manipulation from the company which hinders you from making a great profit. Instead, some of the companies are trying to cheat the investors by creating a better outlook. So, which one is the best strategy to beat the overall market while enjoying lower risk?

In my previous post Margin of Safety, First thing in Investment, I always emphasize the margin of safety. One of the way we can find out the margin of safety is through searching a good company operates in a good industry and invest it in a good time.

While we try not to time the investment as we can reduce the timing risk by 'Dollar Cost Averaging', I always search for a well managed company in a good industry. ROE (a.k.a Returns On Equity) is the most important key performance indicator which I judge a good company compared against its peers. However, we also must look at its optimal corporate finance structure so that we can know the optimal debt levels it can operates at.

If you want to stay investing in long term, try to find out a good industry too. There is different industry performance in different countries. While Singapore is performing excellently in finance industry, Malaysia is good at the Agriculture & plantation and Islamic Finance. Of course, there are some industries which is less reflect during recession period such consumer industry as well as low cost leadership companies.

If you a serious investor, try to do your homework before invest in any company. Try to make the investment like invest in a business which you think it is the best company you can ever invest in. Of course, some diversification will allow you to sleep well without having worry too much in particular stock.

Long term investment does not necessarily means you have to hold the company for more than 10 years. However, this concept will keep you in mind that while investing a longer period of time in a good business company, you will enjoy a better returns as compared to other lower risk investment such as Fix Deposit, as the more homework and steadiness you performs, the better result you will get. In long run.

http://www.jackphanginvestment.com/2011/05/long-term-investment-applies-to-good.html

Why should I need to sell if my investment horizon is 50 years and above?

My friend asked me on the current market view. My answer to him is 'Why should I sell if my investment horizon is 50 years and above?'

Consider the following scenarios:

You are the business owner of a small business that co-own with Mr. Market. Everyday, Mr. Market will ask you to sell or buy according to his mood. Sometime, he is very optimistic of the future, and he is willing to buy at a higher price for your stake. Sometime, he is very pessimistic of the future, and he is willing to sell you at lower price for his stake.

We should always make use of Mr. Market's mood to gain the arbitrage profit from there.


http://www.jackphanginvestment.com/2011/07/why-should-i-need-to-sell-if-my.html

Treat your investment as your own business

For those who are in business, they typically know that it is very hard to compete with others with exceptional result by doing a normal job. Their business profits will eventually gone down or up depending on the environment.

Hence, please treat your investment as your own business. Before you make any decision of investing, please ask yourself few questions:

1) Is this a good business? 

2) How reliable of the top management? 

3) Can I hold this investment for long term?

4) Can I buy more if the price goes down further?


If the answers for above questions are positive, what you can do is just wait for the opportunites to invest in to it.

And, please remember to hold it for long term. It is not easy to find a good monopoly business in this world. If you are doing a business, you will understand it.




http://www.jackphanginvestment.com/2011/04/treat-your-investment-as-your-own.html

Personal Portfolio Management

http://www.jackphanginvestment.com/2011/07/demo-of-personal-portfolio-management.html

1. Demo of Personal Portfolio Management - Part 1
2. Demo of Personal Portfolio Management - Part 2
3. Demo of Personal Portfolio Management - Part 3
4. Demo of Personal Portfolio Management - Part 4
5. You can be your own fund manager
6. My Equity Portfolio Construction Process
7. Risk Management - Important to Married Couples
8. What makes you still stick to your investment strategy when market condition changes?
9. My Portfolio Ratio Analysis
10. 6 Questions Every Investors should ask before starting an investment

RSI Indicator