T.U.B Investing

Originally intended as a paid article, circumstances led me to publish it for free on my blog instead. As a result, I kindly request your support by sharing this article and clicking on the Google Ad on the side. Your gesture would be greatly appreciated! Why I Remain Invested  I was asked to share my thoughts on Digital Turbine (APPS) in light of ongoing discussions on X . As a long-term shareholder who has closely followed the company, I feel compelled to explain my rationale for persisting as an investor despite challenges.  I initially purchased APPS shares around $30, witnessing the stock rise above $90 before helplessly watching it plummet to just $5 over three years. While I sold a small portion in the $8-10 range, the bulk of my position remains deeply unrealized. It once comprised a sizable allocation that has now dwindled considerably due to further declines rather than averaging down. Chart of Digital Turbine over last 5 Years. From SeekingAlpha Thus, given the neg...

I was going through some old documents and found my receipt showing that I had previously paid Corvyiva's services. As a new dad, Corvyiva provided an alternative form of insurance for my loved ones. Cost was not the primary concern, but when competition exists price war inevitably follow. Fundamentally, I chose Corvyiva at that time due to their offering the same service at a lower price point. It is worth noting that there is also a publicly traded company that provided similar services in the commercial storage of umbilical cord blood stem cells. Cordlife Group Ltd (CGL) lists on the SGX. I recall placing the company on my watch list when I began blogging in 2015, though I ultimately did not invest.  Cordlife Logo As the company's share price has noted better periods in the past, I was fortunate in my decision. From Google Finance Moving forward, it may be interesting to analyze CGL current business model to determine whether re-adding the firm to my portfolio watchlist is m...

This is a follow-up to my initial write-up on Fundflicks regarding Trivago (TRVG) . Alongside the release of the latest financial results, there have been changes to the ex-date and payment date. The payment date has been revised to November 13, 2023, instead of November 3, 2023. Similarly, the ex-date has been shifted to November 14, 2023, instead of November 2, 2023. Furthermore, the consolidation of the ADS from 5 to 1 will occur on November 17, 2023. During this period, the ADSs will be traded with a "due bill" that includes the assignment of the right to receive the dividend. This arrangement will continue until the ex-date of November 14, 2023, which is the first business day after the payment date. The most significant information to note is that the dividend remains unchanged at €$0.5298 , and withholding tax still applies to foreign investors. Additionally, TRVG has announced its latest Q3 FY23 financials: During this quarter, the company incurred a substantial los...

Recently, my friend and I had a discussion about retirement planning. We are both approaching our 40s and have a young toddler. The scary part was that we will probably be in our 60s when our daughter start to have a stable job. Image taken from Investopedia One topic we discussed was estate taxes on custodial accounts for non-U.S. citizens. It is important to be aware that there is a 40% estate tax on foreign nationals with over $60,000 in U.S. assets. This tax could potentially deplete any gains we accumulate over time. Therefore, we understood the need to devise a sound plan to ensure we maintain our wealth in retirement.  While long-term investing generally has positive outcomes, I believe it will be necessary to withdraw funds from those accounts at a certain stage. However, after withdrawing those funds, where else should the money be directed? The next destination should meet three criteria: (1) be suitable for average joe, (2) provide future cash flow for retirement needs,...

I've previously analyzed GHY Culture and Media (GHY)(SGX: XJB) given their close ties to renowned artist Jay Chou. As the production house behind many of Jay's highly lucrative concerts, GHY has demonstrated expertise in large-scale live entertainment events. However, I was also curious about their business model in production of Chinese dramas, which tend to involve substantial financial risks compared to concerts. The heavy costs associated with drama production led me to question how GHY could turn a profit in this competitive industry. Fortunately, further research provided useful insights into China's drama financing models. A detailed write up explained that most projects nowadays are co-produced or already purchased with major streaming platforms from the very beginning.  As quoted from the website: “…The majority of dramas now are either co-produced by one of the major streaming platforms or are purchased by the streaming platform before filming even starts, meani...

Netflix (NFLX) reported strong third quarter results that saw its share price increase significantly. Prior to the earnings announcement, I had planned to initiate a position in Netflix but was anticipating weaker performance given recent headwinds facing the company. Unfortunately, as often happens, the market surprised me and I missed an opportunity to invest. And to make matters worse, on the same day I decided to sell put option on Tesla, which in hindsight proved poorly timed. It seems my market intuition left much to be desired. Regardless of missing this particular opportunity, I think it's prudent not to hastily FOMO into Netflix merely due to recent share price momentum. There are ongoing labor disputes that meaningfully will impact Netflix's cost structure in 2023 and 2024.  Specifically, the Writers Guild of America strike from May 2023 to September 2023. Significant changes have taken place in the realm of High Budget Subscription Video on Demand where there has ...

With fixed deposit rates currently ranging from 2.7% to over 3.6% , there are smarter strategies for passive investors to generate higher returns.  One approach is to sell cash-secured put options against your fixed deposits. Cash Secure Put Option Selling put options requires the cash be held in reserve in case the stock price falls below the option's strike price at expiration. However, by treating your fixed deposit cash as collateral, you can generate additional income from option premiums while keeping your principal aside earning an extra yield as well. Some key considerations for this strategy: Thoroughly understand options and their risk-reward mechanics before trading. Options derive value from expected stock price movements based on a company's fundamentals. Only write put options on companies you wouldn't mind owning long-term if assigned the shares. Carefully research businesses to ensure solid fundamentals and prospects. Target options with minimum 6 month expi...

It has been a turbulent year so far. I have not followed through on my May resolution to restart regular blogging. Instead, my blogging endeavors have been sporadic and far from the original plan. The demands of my startup job, often keeping me at work past 7pm exhausted, have delayed my writing plans. Still, I've tried to keep providing updates through other platforms like X , my Telegram group and to a lesser extent, Facebook and InvestingNote. Though my full-time work schedule is hectic, I've contributed articles to an intriguing new platform called Fundflicks . I managed to produce a minimum of two articles per month in August and September. These articles primarily revolve around companies in which I have ownership, either through equity or options. This site, currently in beta testing, allows me to share research on specific companies. Check it out and register for free if you're interested. With limited time, I've had to prioritize. For now, I've halted my p...

For many credit card holders like myself, it can be challenging to keep track of multiple cards offering a variety of rewards programs. Frequent flyer miles, cash back, rewards – the landscape of credit card perks is vast and ever-changing. In the past, I found myself holding onto cards long past their usefulness simply due to their rewards program. However, as I took time to analyze my recent card usage patterns, I realized a more strategic approach was needed. Rather than accumulating a disorganized collection of cards with modest, scattered rewards, I decided to consolidate my spending onto a single card optimized for my regular expenses. This would allow me to maximize the rewards I earn in a way that provides tangible value. Previously, accumulating rewards slowly through small cash back amounts or occasional bonus categories didn't give me a strong sense of return on investment. I wanted rewards that could be redeemed for experiential goals, like overseas travel. SCB Journey ...

Still Vested I have previously covered Beng Kuang Marine in several articles, and I'm excited to share the latest update on their financials. On August 11, 2023, the company released its six-month financial report, highlighting two crucial points: (1) Remarkably, the company has achieved a turnaround and generated a profit without relying on gains from shipyard sales. This outcome exceeded my expectations. The thriving FPSO and FSO market during the period of high oil prices, surpassing $100 per barrel, undoubtedly contributed to this success. Source: HY2023 Financials As quoted from the press release, "The Group’s IE continues to be its core revenue generator with revenue growth of 7.5% in 1H2023, with its 51%-owned subsidiary, Asian Sealand Offshore and Marine Pte Ltd (“ASOM”), being the main revenue contributor of IE’s 1H2023 sales as a result of increased business volume from higher demand for FPSO and FSO contracting services...ASOM has diversified its geographical sco...

It's been quite some time since my last article, but I'm excited to share that I've been working on a new collaboration which is currently in progress. I appreciate your patience, and I promise that the details will be revealed in due time. In recent discussions with colleagues, the topic of recession has resurfaced. It can be challenging to express contrarian ideas, especially when working in the finance sector, as it's not always easy for people to believe alternative viewpoints. However, I firmly believe that we won't experience a recession on a global scale, similar to the one we faced in 2008/2009. I say this because I've personally experienced the depths of that economic downturn. I've dedicated a significant amount of my writing to explain why I hold this perspective, and I want to take this opportunity to remind everyone of my opinions on why a recession is unlikely: We are prepared: The fact that everyone is talking about a potential recession ind...

Vested. I have previously written about Beng Kuang Marine (BKM) on two occasions. Following my February 2023 article , I stated that the industry outlook would be favorable for BKM. Subsequently BKM's share price rose from $0.049 to $0.072, a gain of 46%. BKM Share Price. Source: Yahoo Finance I also wrote a series of tweets on my Twitter account (follow me!) about oil prices, which I believe will remain at least flat until December 2024. This will further benefit BKM's business as more FPSOs will be brought to them for maintenance. However, after the article, the full year results were released and showed significant losses from operations. Equity fell from $18 million to $4 million. The current ratio was less than 1. BKM FY2022 Income Statement BKM FY2022 Balance Sheet But if we focus on the positives, net cash from operations was actually positive. Liabilities reduced, especially borrowings. And revenue increased. BKM FY2022 Cashflow Statement On April 12, 2023, BKM sold...

In the course of my work, I have seen a sudden new strength and demand in the solar industry around late March to April of this year. This new demand is highly likely a realization after the Russia-Ukraine war. I still remember, after that realization, I checked the silver price. Technically, it was up year-to-date. Silver Price. Source: Investing.com This was the same scenario for the silver mining companies. The previously undervalued ones had also gone up along with the silver price. Oh...If you still don’t know, silver is one of the main raw materials for solar panels. In fact, one of the main industrial uses for silver is in solar panels. Thus, I moved on from them and started looking at solar panel manufacturers and related companies in the industry. To be honest, their year-to-date charts did not show that they had risen significantly. But I remembered finding them too expensive from a valuation perspective. Basically, none of them had shown a significant fall from grace. Solar ...

It has been some time since I last posted here, but rest assured that I have not been idle. For those who have been following my social media, you are likely aware that I recently authored a few articles on Seeking Alpha (Shared within this post) . If you haven't already, I invite you to follow me on my Seeking Alpha profile . Moving forward, my focus will be primarily on writing for Seeking Alpha, as it presents a fantastic opportunity for me to aim for the highest possible return in the shortest amount of time. However, I do plan to keep TUBInvesting alive and active. After all, it is where I began my journey . Going forward, I will be publishing 2 articles on TUBInvesting each month as part of two new series. The first series will be a monthly update, TUB Path To 100%.  It will document my journey towards recovering back to portfolio of 100%. The second series, TUB Assert , will feature special write-ups on companies, industries, or views that I find particularly compelling. As ...

If you are an investor interested in the media industry, you should consider GHY Culture and Media (SGX: XJB), which produces numerous dramas and films in countries like China, Singapore, and Malaysia. GHY's content is also featured on major video streaming platforms and TV networks in China. Additionally, the group has organized concerts for international artists in Singapore, Malaysia, and Australia. GHY's business comprises three main segments: TV Program and Film Production Costumes, Props, and Make-up Services and Talent Management Services Concert Production The most profitable and revenue-generating segment in 2022 was concert production. The company co-produced concerts for Power Station and Guns N' Roses in Singapore, and organized Jay Chou's Carnival World Tour (Singapore) concerts at the Singapore National Stadium on December 17 and 18, 2022.  Jay's Concert Poster. Source: GHY Website These events alone brought in S$20 million in revenue and over S$8 mill...