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Tag: value

  • DBS, Singapores Largest Lender, Hits Record Market Value of $155B – A Milestone for Citys Stock Market

    DBS, Singapores Largest Lender, Hits Record Market Value of $155B – A Milestone for Citys Stock Market

    DBS Group, Singapore’s dominant bank, has reached a new milestone with its market value surpassing SGD200 billion (US$154.8 billion) as of Monday. This achievement marks a key moment for DBS, known for being the largest bank in Singapore in terms of asset size, and underscores the strength of the city-state’s stock market. The bank’s shares climbed almost 0.5%, closing at SGD70.79, following their peak at SGD70.80 in the session. To date, the bank’s gains this year total approximately 26%.

    Anticipation of Q2 Results Fuels Rally

    DBS’ increase in market valuation comes ahead of its second-quarter results announcement, scheduled for August 6th. The bank’s net profit for the first quarter had seen a 1% increase to reach SGD2.93 billion, largely driven by record income and robust wealth management fees. Experts believe that the share price surge is likely due to the improving clarity of earnings and a more favorable interest rate outlook. Future growth is anticipated if the banks present an optimistic outlook during their results release.

    Analyst Jayden Vantarakis, the head of Asean equity research at Macquarie Capital, stated, “We are entering an environment where we believe Singdollar rates will be supportive of improving net interest income alongside continued strength in non-interest income.”

    Singapore Banks Propel Straits Times Index

    The collective rally of DBS, OCBC, and UOB, the top three Singapore banks by market value, has boosted the Straits Times Index to all-time highs. Together, these banks make up over half of the index’s total weight.

    According to Vantarakis, the strengthening of the U.S. dollar, due to high U.S. interest rates, will have a positive influence on Singapore dollar rates. Moderate rate increases, he suggests, will encourage wealth inflows and improved asset quality.

    Vantarakis also anticipates a possible further re-rating of the sector, supported by growth in both net interest and non-interest income. He maintains that the Singapore dollar will remain a preferred currency due to the broad strength of the U.S. dollar.

    Lastly, Thilan Wickramasinghe, head of Singapore research and regional head of financials at Maybank Securities, added that the banks are well-positioned to gain from robust credit growth and wealth management fees. He also indicated that ongoing uncertainty in certain regional markets and conflicts in the Middle East, have likely directed safe-haven liquidity towards Singapore banks over the past week.

    Questions & Answers

    What factors have contributed to DBS’ market value surge?
    The bank’s rising market value has been attributed to a combination of an upcoming second-quarter results announcement, improving clarity of earnings, and a more favorable interest rate outlook.

    How have the top three Singapore banks impacted the Straits Times Index?
    The collective rally of DBS, OCBC, and UOB, which constitute over half of the Straits Times Index’s total weight, has propelled the index to all-time highs.

    What is the potential future outlook for the sector?
    There is a potential for further re-rating of the sector supported by growth in both net interest income and non-interest income. Moreover, the Singapore dollar is expected to remain a preferred currency due to the broad strength of the U.S. dollar.

  • Aldi Crowned Australia’s Top Supermarket For 13th Year In Canstar Survey

    Aldi Crowned Australia’s Top Supermarket For 13th Year In Canstar Survey

    In a recent survey conducted by Canstar, Aldi has emerged as Australia’s most popular supermarket for the thirteenth consecutive year. The supermarket chain outperformed its competitors, receiving the top rankings for providing excellent value for money, superior product quality, and outstanding service.

    Survey Rankings

    According to the rankings, Coles secured the second position, with IGA and Woolworths following closely. Aldi distinguished itself by receiving a perfect five-star rating in key categories, including value for money, freshness of fruits, vegetables and meats, quality of supermarket-owned branded products, as well as store and website layout and presentation.

    Canstar Blue spokesperson Eden Radford pointed out that customers prioritize low prices across all in-store products, not just those on special offers. Radford added that consumers are becoming more price-savvy, frequently checking unit prices and opting for in-season produce in order to maximize value.

    Comparison With Other Supermarkets

    Coles, however, fell short in terms of customer service and checkout experience, receiving only three stars in these categories. IGA, on the other hand, surpassed Aldi in terms of customer service and checkout experience. However, it could not match Aldi’s ratings in terms of value for money, freshness of produce, and product range.

    Woolworths managed to outshine all competitors in terms of product range, earning a five-star rating in this category. However, they lagged behind in customer service and checkout experience.

    Commenting on the results, Simon Padovani-Ginies, group director at Aldi Australia, stated that customers trust Aldi to consistently offer low prices and good value for their money. He went on to say that customers, both long-term loyalists and newcomers, continue to choose Aldi for their familiar staples as well as the unexpected but delightful finds in their aisles.

    Questions & Answers

    Which supermarket was ranked as Australia’s most popular by Canstar?
    Aldi was ranked as Australia’s most popular supermarket by Canstar.

    What factors led to Aldi’s high ratings?
    Aldi received high ratings due to its value for money, product quality, freshness of its fruits, vegetables and meats, and its store and website layout and presentation.

    How did Coles and Woolworths perform in the survey?
    Coles secured the second position overall, but fell short in terms of customer service and checkout experience. Woolworths outshone all competitors in terms of product range, but lagged behind in customer service and checkout experience.

  • Kraft Heinz is mulling the sale of brands to ‘unlock shareholder value’

    Kraft Heinz is mulling the sale of brands to ‘unlock shareholder value’

    Kraft Heinz, a leading food and beverage corporation, recently disclosed that it’s considering “potential strategic transactions” as a measure to boost shareholder value.

    Strategic Moves for Value Creation

    According to Kraft Heinz’s CEO, Carlos Abrams-Rivera, the company lays significant emphasis on delivering high-quality, great-tasting food to its consumers. This commitment, he believes, is vital to driving sustainable profitability, growth, and value creation.

    Potential Brand Transactions

    While Kraft Heinz is considering strategic transactions, the company has made it clear that it will not offer a timeline for any such potential deals, nor does it guarantee the sale of any of its brands.

    Kraft Heinz is a global powerhouse with more than 80 brands under its belt. In Australia, it owns Greenseas and Golden Circle; in New Zealand, it owns Watties, Cats Prefer Chef, Food in a Minute, and the Good Taste Company. The company hasn’t specified which markets may be targeted for potential brand transactions.

    Board Reorganization

    In related news, Kraft Heinz also announced that Berkshire Hathaway would no longer maintain its seats on the Heinz board, a decision that aligns with its other non-controlled investments. Consequently, Timothy Kenesey and Alicia Knapp have resigned from the Heinz board due to their affiliations with Berkshire Hathaway as executives, reducing the board’s size to 10 members.

    Questions & Answers

    What strategic transactions is Kraft Heinz considering?
    The specifics of the potential strategic transactions that Kraft Heinz is considering have not been disclosed. However, they are aimed at enhancing shareholder value.

    Will Kraft Heinz sell any of its brands?
    As of now, Kraft Heinz has not guaranteed the sale of any of its brands, nor has it provided a timeline for potential transactions.

    Why have Timothy Kenesey and Alicia Knapp stepped down from the Heinz board?
    Timothy Kenesey and Alicia Knapp have resigned from the Heinz board due to their executive associations with Berkshire Hathaway, which has relinquished its seats on the board.

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  • VN-Index gains with plunging trading value

    VN-Index gains with plunging trading value

    Vietnam’s benchmark VN-Index rose 0.93 percent to 1,353.77 points Wednesday but with trading value lowest in nine months as investors’ sentiment remain low after recent plunges. The index stayed in the red throughout the day but strong buying pressure in the last hour of trading pushed it up over 12 points.

    Together with the Tuesday session, VN-Index has risen nearly 43 points after losing 68 points on Monday in one of the worst trading sessions in Vietnam’s stock market history.

    Trading on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), on which the index is based, fell nearly 31 percent to VND14.54 trillion ($633.09 million), lowest since the end of July.

    The VN30 basket, comprising the 30 largest capped stocks, saw 14 tickers gained, led by HPG of steelmaker Hoa Phat Group with a 3.2 percent rise.

    It was followed by STB of Ho Chi Minh City-based lender Sacombank, up 2.9 percent, and MSN of conglomerate Masan Group, up 2.6 percent.

    CTG of state-owned lender VietinBank rose 2.4 percent, and GVR of Vietnam Rubber Group gained 2.1 percent.

    Eleven blue chips fell, with VRE of retail real estate arm Vincom Retail falling 1.8 percent.

    FPT of IT giant FPT Corporation, VNM of dairy giant Vinamilk and VPB of private lender VPBank all fell 1.2 percent.

    Foreign investors were net sellers to the tune of VND261 billion, mainly selling VND of brokerage VNDirect and DXG of real estate developer Dat Xanh Group.

    The HNX-Index for stocks on the Hanoi Stock Exchange, home to mid and small caps, rose 3.45 percent while the UPCoM-Index for the Unlisted Public Companies Market gained 0.22 percent.

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  • New report says increasing number of iOS users seeing the value in being tracked

    New report says increasing number of iOS users seeing the value in being tracked

    With last year’s iOS 14.5 came Apple’s App Tracking Transparency feature that asks people whether they would like to be tracked by apps. Companies like Facebook which rely on this sort of tracking to serve personalized ads vehemently criticized the Cupertino giant for introducing this feature, but it’s not all doom and gloom, suggests a new report.
    Apple assigns a random device identifier called Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA) to devices like iPhones and iPads that let app makers track user activity across apps for targeted advertising. IDFA has now been made an opt-in feature, meaning users will have to consent to being tracked.
    Facebook has been a vocal critic of the feature and a recent report estimates that the company could lose $12.8 billion in revenue this year because of ATT. Snapchat, Twitter, and YouTube are also expected to be impacted, though they are projected to take smaller hits.
    The situation looks to be improving, per analytics platform Adjust. In May 2021, 16 percent of the users had opted-in to being tracked, and the number has now grown to 25 percent. The study is based on the 2,000 most popular apps in the firm’s database.
    The stats are even more promising for gaming apps, with an estimated 30 percent of users allowing businesses to track their activities for personalized ads. For some popular games, opt-in rates were as high as 75 percent.
    The outlet notes that a month after the launch of the ATT feature, only 4 percent of the users in the US had opted-in to it, so the latest report could be a beacon of hope for the likes of Facebook.
    Apple allows app developers to explain why users should allow tracking and it looks like many businesses have found ways to convince users to opt in to tracking. For instance, an app may say that personalized ads help the developer keep the app free or that it can help users save money.
    Adjust thinks that more users now “understand the value of opting in and receiving personalized advertisements” and expects the upward trend in consent rates to continue.
    Apple meanwhile continues to advocate for stronger privacy protections and is fighting hard to prevent legislation that would let users download third-party apps outside of the App Store.
  • Comviva’s customer value management platform drives breakthrough growth for Indosat Ooredoo

    Comviva’s customer value management platform drives breakthrough growth for Indosat Ooredoo

    Fueled by an intensely competitive operating environment in Indonesia’s mobile sector, Indosat Ooredoo partnered with Comviva in delivering a front-to-end real-time marketing management platform, as well as subscribers’ loyalty and rewards program to yield increased customer retention and revenue within months from implementation.

    In a country where 98% of mobile phone users fall back on prepaid subscriptions, telecommunications operators in Indonesia’s competitive mobile market face the gargantuan challenge of retaining customers. In a heterogeneous market already characterized by low loyalty and high churn rates, matters are made worst when high costs deter telecommunications operators from reaching out to and acquiring new subscribers in under-served populations in far-flung areas.Indosat Ooredoo taps on Comviva’s expertise in innovation-driven growth marketing

    It is costlier to replace churned customers than retaining them. Amid intense competition and dismal financials, Indosat Ooredoo recognized that the path to profitable growth is an improved customer value management (CVM) platform that manages customer lifecycle holistically to uncover customer insights and drive meaningful engagements.

    Having collaborated on other deployments with much success, Indosat appointed Comviva, a global leader in mobile solutions for telecommunication operators, as a strategic partner to spearhead its Big Data CVM 2.0 program in April 2019.

    Aimed at improving customer lifetime value to achieve incremental revenue, Comviva developed a three year digital roadmap with front-to-end digital strategies. The suite of solutions spans different stages from implementing, operating, optimizing and providing timely, in-depth post-implementation analysis to transforming customer experiences critical to the success of the program.

    Overcoming key challenges with technology

    Before partnering with Comviva, Indosat Ooredoo was missing out on opportunities to influence customers’ micro-moments at critical junctures in the customer journey. To maximize the value of individual customers and micro-moments of interactions, Comviva’s first step was adding real-time capabilities to the operator’s CVM platform.

    A machine learning (ML), real-time interaction management platform, Comviva’s MobiLytixTM Real Time Marketing capitalizes on actionable analytics to steer CVM excellence. It integrates data across multiple sources to build intelligence and act on real-time events to orchestrate engagements with customers.

    Adding complexity to critical decision-making was the lack of federated data across Indosat Ooredoo’s various departments. To get to the root of this problem, Comviva developed a big data Hadoop-based centralized management system that effectively captures over 800 attributes about Indosat Ooredoo’s prepaid and post-paid subscribers to create a single view of its subscribers. This system brings focus to descriptive, predictive and prescriptive attributes of subscribers to serve as a unified customer data system accessible to the operator’s campaign management, business and applications teams.

    Comviva also identified the absence of a pervasive artificial intelligence (AI) technology to measure campaign effectiveness as another shortfall. To this end, Comviva developed models founded on AI and ML to accurately predict customers’ behaviors.

    Finally, Indosat introduced imPoin, a loyalty and rewards program to extend instant gratification to loyal customers and reward loyal customers preferentially. Powered by Comiva’s MobiLytixTM Loyalty and Rewards Platform, this program allows Indosat Ooredoo to predict customer engagement activities and positively influence customer behavior through reward-based engagements. To yield the best outcomes, a framework was developed to measure, monitor, and optimize the program.

    Comprising a 4-tier membership model – namely Red, Silver, Gold and Platinum, with Platinum being the highest tier – better benefits are rolled out for higher tiers. Members are motivated to earn benefits for all their engagements, which can be accumulated and redeemed via the myIM3 mobile app. Members can look forward to receiving a mix of lifestyle and experiential rewards such as fuel, shopping, dining as well as gaming vouchers.  

  • Apple again the most valuable US company

    Apple again the most valuable US company

    Apple won back its crown as the most valuable publicly listed US company on Wednesday, ending the session with a market capitalization above recent leaders Microsoft and Amazon.com. Apple edged up 0.03%, putting its market value at $821.5 billion. Microsoft’s market capitalization ended at $813.4 billion after its stock dipped 1.11%, while Amazon’s stock market value finished the day at $805.7 billion, in third place, after its shares slid 1.12%.

    Apple’s stock has risen about 13% since its quarterly earnings report on Jan 29, with investors betting it was oversold following months of concern about a slowdown in iPhone demand and the company’s rare revenue warning on Jan 2 related to soft demand in China.

    But slowing iPhone sales have led to lower expectations for Apple’s stock. The average analyst price target for Apple has fallen from $240 three months ago to $175, less than a dollar more than its current stock price of $174.24.

    After touching a record $1.1 trillion last October, Apple’s market capitalization fell gradually, and it was overtaken in December by Amazon and Microsoft, which have taken turns in the top position since then.

    Apple’s stock market value hit a low of $675 billion on Jan 3 after its revenue warning, but then steadily recovered, helped in part by a quarterly report that was better than feared by investors.

    While Apple has gained in recent sessions, Microsoft and Amazon’s shares fell after their quarterly reports. Amazon has declined almost 5% since Thursday, when it forecast first-quarter sales below Wall Street estimates and said it would step up investments in 2019.

    “That has raised some eyebrows, it’s a perception that Amazon may be settling into a more mature phase in terms of growth,” said Dan Morgan, a senior portfolio manager at Synovus Trust in Atlanta.

    Morgan owns shares in Apple, Amazon and Microsoft, but he said that if forced to choose, he would favor Amazon because of its lead in cloud-computing market share.

    Microsoft’s stock is about flat from last Wednesday, when the software maker met targets for its quarterly results and forecast.

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  • Vietnam’s top five brands increase value by $2.3 billion

    Vietnam’s top five brands increase value by $2.3 billion

    Vietnam’s five most valuable brands were worth a combined $8.1 billion in 2018, up $2.3 billion or 39 percent against 2017, Brand Finance estimated. The most valuable brand was military-owned mobile network Viettel at $2.8 billion last year, up 9 percent from $2.57 billion 2017, said the UK brand valuation company. The 47th most valuable telecom brand in the world has operations in Laos, Cambodia, Haiti, Mozambique and Peru.

    In second place was Vinamilk, the country’s largest dairy company by far, which was worth $1.9 billion, up 39 percent. State-owned Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) was in third place after increasing its brand value by 84 percent to $1.34 billion.

    In fourth and fifth places were Vinhomes, the real estate subsidiary of Vietnam’s largest private conglomerate Vingroup, and Sabeco, Vietnam’s biggest brewer, at $1.18 billion and $950 million respectively.

    Samir Dixit, CEO, Asia-Pacific of Brand Finance, said: “Branding is the most critical asset of every business. It is difficult to predict the performance and behavior of customers, but the only thing that remains a constant is the brand.”

    Brand Finance’s valuation criteria uses several metrics. The value accorded to each brand is a summary of its financial strength. Each brand also gets a brand rating, which indicates its strength, risk and future potential relative to its competitors.

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  • The Golden Rules to Buying the Best Resale Value Condo

    The Golden Rules to Buying the Best Resale Value Condo

    As you look into the condo market in Malaysia, always keep in mind that you should exercise utmost care. Remember, that although a condominium may appear aesthetically stunning and neat from the outside, some condo buildings are dens of problems arising from poor construction to mismanagement and unexpected repairs left unattended due to a lack of reserve funds. To avoid buying into such a property, here are a few golden rules if you are looking to invest in a condo as an investment vehicle or residence.

    Do Not be Rushed to Buy a Condo

    Buying on impulse is part of human nature, especially when people see something that look good. They will usually make a purchase before making a thorough inspection of the item they are buying, later to discover defects the seller was not aware of or failed to mention. Likewise, if you are an overeager condo buyer, you are likely to run into problems when you rush to complete the transaction without thoroughly examining the unit.

    People rushing to buy a condo are more likely tempted by:

    • The allure of becoming homeowners
    • Sales pitches pressure and developer promises that are too lofty
    • Not realizing that owning an apartment does have its problems
    • Not understanding what communal ownership entails

    Beware; There are Condo Bargains that Come With High Fees 

    If you find a condo unit selling at rock bottom price, but with unusually high fees, think twice before negotiations start. Some troubled condo complexes will sell their units for cheap rates due to poor construction or mismanagement, often also due to real-estate market drop. Such complexes deplete their reserve fund to cover repairs and maintenance. They will compensate for their low selling prices by charging higher than usual monthly maintenance fees.

    Avoid Low Down Payments

    To enjoy lower mortgage and associated monthly payments and enjoy greater chances of refinancing in the future, put more money in as down payment. Avoid advertisements that allow you to make down payments as low as 3 percent. Low down payments require that borrowers pay an extra fee for mortgage insurance which can add up to thousands of ringgits making the purchase that much more expensive.

    The best down payment should be of about 25 percent the value of the condo, and this will not attract private insurance fees. In addition, this will protect you from mortgage renewal should interest rates increase or your unit’s value decreases on the market. If a unit value drop during mortgage renewal, your only choice is to apply for a high-ratio mortgage using equity in your property – your initial down payment.

    No matter the size of your down payment, make sure it is not borrowed. Ideally, it should be from your savings. Borrowing cash for a down payment is risky since it create inequity in your budget and can place you in a risky position, much like those buying condos at low down payments. Remember the following:

    • If you do not have a solid down payment, do not commit to buy
    • Money should not be borrowed for down payment
    • A solid down payment should be from your savings, wait till you have enough
    • There are always great opportunities to own property at Property Guru. The longer you wait, the better you choice will be

    Verify the Physical Facts 

    Inspect your prospective condo unit carefully, especially the well-being of the complex. Each complex is different depending on its builder and developer. Construction quality also varies. Verify the reputation and experience of the complex builder. When buying into an existing property at Property Guru, find out from the residents if there have been any unexpected repair problems recently and whether they anticipate future repairs.

    Take note of utility billing. If each unit is billed separately, you will have more control over the energy you consume and monthly expenses. While some complexes are self-managed, others are run by contracted management companies. If the latter is true in your case, investigate the management company to establish their reputation.

    To conduct checks, hire a qualified home inspector and an attorney. If the complex is poorly constructed or managed, you will be glad that you spent the money.

    You have to consider all the facts carefully before you make any form of commitment in what may be the biggest investment you make. Take a deep breath, if necessary; sleep over your decision for a few days. Otherwise, you might succumb to developer or real estate broker pressure as they seek to make a sale for a commission.

    In addition, do not let others make the decision for you. Read the rules above for days and even weeks. When you adhere to them, you will develop the buying skills that will enable you make educated decisions before putting your signature to paper.

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