Too bad, we don\'t have a Singapore Warren Buffett! Somebody whom we admire. When he goes into the market to buy, the retail investors will follow. Sigh, we only have 1 Oei Hong Leong and he originates from Indonesia!! Singapore ta boleh!!
Singapore boleh...jaguh kampung...he/she is there but he/she will only emerge from the dust years from now telling how he/she made his fortune from the darkness of the financial meltdown of 2008. Who knows it may just be one of us...bet all on S-chips and go pray at \"tua pek kong\" temple...
Only on hindsight will we know who bought the right companies at the right prices. During such a market carnage, it\'s very difficult (but not impossible) to sift out the gems from the rubbish as all prices and valuations are severely depressed. The same goes for a raging bull market in which all boats are lifted by the tide - one will assume one is a super investor through no skill of his other than the irrational exuberance of other market participants, who are willing to pay a high price for a cheery consensus. I think a time horizon of at least 4-5 years would be deemed appropriate to survey if companies can pull through this crisis and recover. Some of the current blue chips may not even regain their former glory, so do not be too eager to snap up blue chips. It\'s more important to survey and study the underlying business model and if it works in the aftermath of the recession/downturn.
My broker advises me to buy 5 lots of 10 REITs. He said even if 1-2 go bust, the upside and dividends collected from the remaining 8 REITs will ensure a good return for myself in the next 5 years. Is that a sound advice?