1st Blog post:- Almost 14 years high, Singapore's core inflation rises to 5.1% in August 2022！

READ:- Latest inflation figures from CNA > Singapore's core inflation rises to 5.1% in August, inching towards 14-year high (channelnewsasia.com)

Photo/Chart credit: Courtesy of Business Times, 24 Sep 2022

On Friday, 23 Sep 2022, various media outlets reported news that Singapore's latest inflation figures had rose to 5.1%! Within a whisker from the 5.5% back in Nov 2008.

As my first blog post, I figure I could start off by penning some thoughts on this and the recent global and regional trends in the financial scene:

1) As a retail investor who started in 2014/2015, it used to be sufficient when small timer investors bought into solid Singapore REITs/blue chip stocks that yielded us ~5% to 6% in dividends to beat the inflation. To recap, those were the days when interest rates were generally low, inflation was ~2% to 3% and the World had not known a virus know as Covid-19 and nobody had anticipated Russia to attack Ukraine etc. How times has changed!

2) Fast forward to today, interest rates are rising, war (or armed conflict in Russian's words) had been waged, supply chains are disrupted, China is clinging onto its zero Covid policy, food nationalism are on the rise, soaring oil prices, all these means a sea of uncertainties facing us.

3) As a result of the above, there's a Chinese saying that goes:- 头我赢，花你输! (loosely translated as - heads I win, tails you lose when one tosses a coin), i.e. we are faced with dilemma: - Damned if you do, damned if you don't! ==> How Now? If we do not invest, we risk our hard-earned monies being eroded by rising inflation. But if we do wish to invest, how do we start or proceed in these uncertain times when there's a sea of red (my portfolio included!) and in the midst of a bear run in the US/global stock market, with a risk of the big R moving into 2023!

4) Notwithstanding the above, although I am but a small-time retail investor, I personally believe we must continue to invest, or at least stay invested. Over the past many 7 or 8 decades, the world has seen many wars, pandemics, depressions, recessions, crises and whatnot, but the market does ultimately recover! Remember this - Tough times don't last but tough pple do! In my next posts, I would share how I would personally steer my little sampan during the on-going storm ;)

In any case, as the first blog, I would like to share more on my own personal investing philosophy using my 4 pots of "gold" below:

Pot 1) I am primarily an income investor, so have invested in various dividend producing stocks/REITs/bonds in Singapore;

Pot 2) A leveraged portfolio using margin to invest in (mainly Spore stocks/REITs + some HK stocks) from an on-going investing course/subscription, deploying leverage to up my dividend income;

Pot 3) Robo-advisors - deploying my CPF OA and Cash in recurring monthly amounts to buy into both developed markets and emerging markets equities/bonds (which I will share more along the way);

Pot 4) A small trading portfolio (trading in US/HK stocks) for capital gains via position daily/weekly trades. This was started during the Covid pandemic [details akan datang) but temporary KIV amidst the volatility in the US market;

Lastly, what better way to show skin in the game than by sharing my CDP portfolio-from Pot (1) above. But of course, there are 🍋 and 🍒 amongst the pot and when the opportunities arises, I shall share more lessons learnt/best buys along the way, so stayed tuned =)

Thank you for reading. If you like what you have read or wishes to receive more updates in future, do click on the subscribe button at the bottom of the blog, thanks! :)

Yours truly,

Mr MoneyandHealth (Mr MH)

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