Committing Financial Harakiri and the ICBC Travel Mastercard

I will be going overseas to splurge on luxury watches (looking for Pateks and Audemars Piguet) hence committing financial harakiri. Sweat.... Actually, its a gift to people special so damn it, better make it bang for the buck. Save on the taxes. I can't possibly be carrying more than ten thousands of cash overseas. Fortunately, a special shoutout to a forumner called BBCwatcher who alerted the public on the ICBC Travel Mastercard. No link nor picture, as i am not advertising for them nor paid by them.

My motive of this post is for constructive feedback in case i did my calculations improperly or for any alerts if there is a better card out there for overseas foreign transaction because every cent counts.

The ICBC Travel Mastercard has a bank fee of 2.5% and an unlimited cashback of 3% on foreign transactions.

I used the following 2 websites.
1) The official Mastercard website that lists the indicative forex rates. We can input the bank fee which i inputted as 2.5%.
2) A money exchange website that lists the exchange rates that one can find in Singapore ( i am not being paid so no link).

Official Mastercard Website

Money exchange website

Nett cashbacks for transactions in stated currencies after bank fees 

(done on 25/10/2018 11.10am)

YEN = 0.41%

USD = 0.53%

AUD = 0.22%

MYR = 0.43%

NZD = 0.74%

EUR = 0.46%

KRW = 1.4%

The KRW and NZD are aberrations. I will need to observe them again as what Mastercard does is to convert foreign currencies to USD before converting to SGD. Since all foreign currencies have to be converted to USD first before being converted to SGD, it is unlikely that the nett cashback on any foreign currency to be higher than the nett cashback on USD. Perhaps the money exchange website isn't showing correctly for these rates. 

Unsatisfactory reply from SGX Regarding SIAEC - Part 2

Oh boy, i sound like the mad dog who refuses to let go.

Actually, if they have read my blog, they would have realised i already checked the annual reports and also checked the funds JP Morgan holds.

Curious case of SIA Engineering

Sia Engineering - trying to make sense JP Morgan's sale

SIA Engineering and JP Morgan Asset Management

Unsatisfactory reply from SGX regarding SIAEC

The annual report reflects many nominee accounts who hold shares for people and one of these nominee accounts could be holding shares for JP Morgan. Most likely DBS Nominees or Citbank Nominees since they are the only ones who hold more than 38.8 million shares. 

I understand the rule that a shareholder, holding less than 5%, do not need to issue notifications as they are not substantial shareholders. 

This reply email from SGX doesn't tell me anything i don't already know. Perhaps, it adds to my curiousity only.

What i am curious is:

1) How come SGX through their stockfacts service is aware that Matthews own 22 million and Seafarer owns 10 million but not aware that JP Morgan owns 38.8 million shares?

2) Is there some form of market manipulation going on where major news are allowed to broadcast news but no one knows what's happening and no one questions? I mean if im a big  boy and just releasing such unverified facts to move a share price without any cost, wow, easy money.

3) Can SGX stockfacts be relied upon and trusted? 

Which points me to another question. Why does SIA not want to privatise SIA engineering since it already owns 77% and save on listing fees?

Lots to learn..lots to learn

Unsatisfactory reply from SGX regarding SIAEC

Alamak. What kind of reply is this? Why is SGX asking me to clarify with the source of the information when it is already published publicly in Reuters and SPH Business Times .Unless they are implying the above news is unverified. 

SIA Engineering and JP Morgan Asset Sale

SIA Engineering - Trying to make sense of JP Morgan sale

Curious case of SIA Engineering

Reply by SGX

Anyway,  for the sake of continous learning and curiousity, i have emailed back.

SIA Engineering and JP Morgan Asset Management

I understand that SIA Engineering was dropped as a STI Component on 1 Sep 2017 and this remains the most possible explanation for now, though lingering doubts remain.

The Curious Case of SIA Engineering
SIA Engineering and try to make sense of JP Morgan's sale

Based on SGX website, the Edge Singapore mentioned JP Morgan Asset Management Real Assets (Singapore) Pte Ltd, so i went to google and it brought me to a list of funds managed by JP Morgan Asset Management.

The most likely place a stake such as SIA Engineering would be hiding in would be in the following 3 funds.

JP Morgan Funds - Singapore Fund (Total fund size of USD63 Million)

JP Morgan Funds - Singapore Fund

JP Morgan Funds - Asean Equity ( Total fund size of USD433.9 Million)

JP Morgan Funds - ASEAN Equity

JP Morgan Funds - Asia Pacific Equity (Total fund size of USD 919 Million)

JP Morgan Funds - Asia Pacific

Based on the total fund size and top ten holdings, it is impossible for SIA Engineering to be among the list of funds above, unless they bought it after July 2017. The traded volume, however, does not correspond to this hypothesis.

Maybe, it is in the other entities of JP Morgan. Anyhow, let's see what SGX emails back with.

Sia Engineering - trying to make sense JP Morgan's sale

SIA Engineering's response to SGX queries still sheds no light on why JP Morgan offered to sell 28 million shares. Looking at the volume traded on 4 october, about 5.5 million shares changed hands through SGX. The past 2-3 months total volume also don't add up to 28 million which mean they haven't sold it yet. Could they have done it through a married deal and who is the counterparty? According to SGX rulebook, married deal needs to be reported.

8.7.4

Direct Business must be reported through the married trade reporting system of the Trading System under Rule 8.7.5.

I need to be educated on this.

How did Reuters or Bloomberg know about this? And why would JP Morgan make it a public news? Very curious.

Actually, people tend to focus on the bad news but every sale has a buyer and what if the buyer who is not known is warren buffet? Anyway, just some due diligence  before i decide to plonk in more money if it goes down further.

Comparing the 767 (old model ) vs 787(new model), indeed, SIA engineering, like Comfortdelgro, Singpost, SPH is facing the disruption due to new technologies. Using the above comparision, if every old plane is replaced with a new one and assuming the total number of planes serviced does not increase, SIA engineering will be facing with a 65% reduction in total man-hours.
We are indeed entering a new era of technology disrupting our lifes!