SGX Market Strategist, Equity & Fixed Income, Singapore Exchange Ltd (SGX)

Geoff Howie

SGX Market Strategist, Equity & Fixed Income

Asia’s leading multi-asset exchange

Singapore Exchange Ltd (SGX)

Singapore Exchange is Asia’s leading and trusted market infrastructure, facilitating the exchange of capital and ideas to create value for people, businesses and economies. As a multi-asset exchange operating equity, fixed income and derivatives markets to the highest regulatory standards, SGX is a vertically integrated business that provides listing, trading, clearing, settlement, depository and data services.

With about 40% of listed companies and over 80% of listed bonds originating outside of Singapore as well as established linkages across the region and in Europe, SGX is Asia’s most international and connected exchange. Offering a full suite of derivatives products across Asian equity indices, commodities and currencies, SGX is the world’s most liquid international market for the benchmark equity indices of China, India, Japan and ASEAN.

As Asia’s pioneering central counterparty, SGX is globally recognised for its risk management and clearing capabilities, and was one of the first globally to adopt the Principles for Financial Market Infrastructure.

Headquartered in AAA-rated Singapore, SGX has over 800 employees including offices in Beijing, Chicago, Hong Kong, London, New York, Mumbai, San Francisco, Shanghai and Tokyo.

Equity Bottom-Up

Far East Hospitality Trust / Equity Bottom-Up

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Singapore announced the easing of Covid-19 measures on March 24 as the country takes a "decisive but measured step forward" towards living with Covid-19.

With the risk of outdoor transmission significantly lower, it will soon be optional to wear masks outdoors in Singapore while the maximum group size for social gatherings as well as dining in will double from 5 to 10. Certain large-scale social gatherings are also permitted to resume.

Office spaces are expected to be filled up again, as up to 75 per cent of those who can work from home are now allowed to return to their workplaces, up from 50 per cent previously. 
Cross-border travel is also expected to ease substantially from Apr 1, as travellers no longer have to take designated vaccinated travel lanes (VTL) to enter Singapore quarantine-free. 
Such moves will help to "reconnect Singapore with the world" and "give a much-needed boost to businesses, particularly the tourism sector, and help Singapore reclaim its position as a business and aviation hub" said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during his speech. 
Following the announcement, the Straits Times Index (STI) gained 1.1 per cent during Thursday's (Mar 24) trading session, driven by a rally in aviation, transport, tourism and retail-related stocks. 
Similarly, S-Reits recorded gains, with the iEdge S-Reit Index increasing 1 per cent in the trading session, led by trusts with significant exposure to Singapore related retail, hospitality, and office assets.

Hospitality S-Reits gained 3.5 per cent while retail S-Reits gained 1.5 per cent. More notably, hospitality and retail S-Reits saw a surge in trading activities on Thursday with S$27.4 million and S$21.4 million in traded value respectively.

This represents over 211 per cent and 58 per cent increases respectively, against their 3-month average daily traded value. 
Diversified S-REITs also gained an average of 1.8 per cent over Thursday, led by trusts (Lendlease Global Commercial REIT, OUE Commercial REIT and Suntec REIT) with substantial exposure to the retail and office segments in Singapore. 
Lendlease Global Commercial Reit (LReit), which owns prime retail properties in Singapore and grade-A office buildings in Milan, was the top performer for the day with over 7 per cent gains. 
In February, LReit proposed to acquire the remaining interest in JEM mall for close to S$2 billion. 
LReit expects the acquisition to further boost the Reit's portfolio income diversification and provide approximately 10.5 per cent distribution per unit (DPU) accretion upon completion. 
Post-acquisition, LReit's exposure to the resilient suburban retail sector is expected to increase from 16.3 per cent to 46.8 per cent and its Singapore-centric asset base to be close to 88 per cent of its total portfolio value. 
CDL Hospitality Trusts (CDLHT), which owns hotel properties across Asia Pacific and Europe, rose 6 per cent over the trading day following the announcement of easing travel restrictions. 
CDLHT's Singapore portfolio (approximately 64.9 per cent by total portfolio valuation) continued to be impacted by the absence of major meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) events, large wedding banquets and social functions in FY 2021.

The trust remains optimistic in Singapore's commitment to reopening and returning to normalcy. REIT Watch is a weekly column on The Business Times,<a href="https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/green-shoots-for-retail-and-hospitality-s-reits-amid-new-pandemic-phase"> </a><a href="https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/retail-hotel-office-s-reits-gain-with-relaxed-covid-rules-0">read</a><a href="https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/pure-play-china-s-reits-record-strong-2021-growth-0"> </a>the original version.
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    Top 10 performing SREITs


Singapore announced the easing of Covid-19 measures on March 24 as the country takes a "decisive but measured step forward" towards living with Covid-19.

With the risk of outdoor transmission significantly lower, it will soon be optional to wear masks outdoors in Singapore while the maximum group size for social gatherings as well as dining in will double from 5 to 10. Certain large-scale social gatherings are also permitted to resume.

Office spaces are expected to be filled up again, as up to 75 per cent of those who can work from home are now allowed to return to their workplaces, up from 50 per cent previously.  
Cross-border travel is also expected to ease substantially from Apr 1, as travellers no longer have to take designated vaccinated travel lanes (VTL) to enter Singapore quarantine-free.  
Such moves will help to "reconnect Singapore with the world" and "give a much-needed boost to businesses, particularly the tourism sector, and help Singapore reclaim its position as a business and aviation hub" said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during his speech.  
Following the announcement, the Straits Times Index (STI) gained 1.1 per cent during Thursday's (Mar 24) trading session, driven by a rally in aviation, transport, tourism and retail-related stocks.  
Similarly, S-Reits recorded gains, with the iEdge S-Reit Index increasing 1 per cent in the trading session, led by trusts with significant exposure to Singapore related retail, hospitality, and office assets.

Hospitality S-Reits gained 3.5 per cent while retail S-Reits gained 1.5 per cent. More notably, hospitality and retail S-Reits saw a surge in trading activities on Thursday with S$27.4 million and S$21.4 million in traded value respectively.

This represents over 211 per cent and 58 per cent increases respectively, against their 3-month average daily traded value.  
Diversified S-REITs also gained an average of 1.8 per cent over Thursday, led by trusts (Lendlease Global Commercial REIT, OUE Commercial REIT and Suntec REIT) with substantial exposure to the retail and office segments in Singapore.  
Lendlease Global Commercial Reit (LReit), which owns prime retail properties in Singapore and grade-A office buildings in Milan, was the top performer for the day with over 7 per cent gains.  
In February, LReit proposed to acquire the remaining interest in JEM mall for close to S$2 billion.  
LReit expects the acquisition to further boost the Reit's portfolio income diversification and provide approximately 10.5 per cent distribution per unit (DPU) accretion upon completion.  
Post-acquisition, LReit's exposure to the resilient suburban retail sector is expected to increase from 16.3 per cent to 46.8 per cent and its Singapore-centric asset base to be close to 88 per cent of its total portfolio value.  
CDL Hospitality Trusts (CDLHT), which owns hotel properties across Asia Pacific and Europe, rose 6 per cent over the trading day following the announcement of easing travel restrictions.  
CDLHT's Singapore portfolio (approximately 64.9 per cent by total portfolio valuation) continued to be impacted by the absence of major meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) events, large wedding banquets and social functions in FY 2021.

The trust remains optimistic in Singapore's commitment to reopening and returning to normalcy.  REIT Watch is a weekly column on The Business Times, read the original version.



REIT Watch - Retail, hotel, office S-Reits gain with relaxed Covid rules

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events, Quiddity Advisors

Travis Lundy

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events

Quiddity Advisors

Equity Capital Markets

Lendlease Global Commercial REIT / Equity Capital Markets

<ul>
<li>In mid-February, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/lendlease-global-commercial-reit" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:28292:1" rel="noopener">Lendlease Global Commercial REIT (LREIT SP)</a> which owned 31.8% of the Jurong East MRT Station "Jem" complex announced it would buy the rest. </li>
<li>They announced they would issue new equity to pay for some of it. Predictably, the units fell, and fell vs Office/Retail Mixed-Use SREIT peers. </li>
<li>Now you can buy units of Singapore asset quality, acceptable leverage, high divi and something well cheap of peer-measured fair. </li>
</ul>


In mid-February, Lendlease Global Commercial REIT (LREIT SP) which owned 31.8% of the Jurong East MRT Station "Jem" complex announced it would buy the rest. 
They announced they would issue new equity to pay for some of it. Predictably, the units fell, and fell vs Office/Retail Mixed-Use SREIT peers. 
Now you can buy units of Singapore asset quality, acceptable leverage, high divi and something well cheap of peer-measured fair. 


Lendlease Global Offering to Buy the Rest of JEM - Big Deal, Cheap, Cheaper Than Peers

Head of Research, IPOs & Placements, Aequitas Research

Sumeet Singh

Head of Research, IPOs & Placements

IPOs and Placements coverage across Asia Pacific

Aequitas Research

We cover all listing across the Asia Pacific along with follow-up placements. As of Dec 2020, our team had covered 539 IPOs with a hit rate of 73.5% and 685 placements with a hit rate of 66.8%.

We combine fundamental bottom-up views with our proprietary quantitative framework to provide a holistic coverage across new listings and placements. Our coverage includes pre-IPO notes before the deal is launched, follow-up analysis once the deal is live and post-listing trading analysis as well.

<ul>
<li>Lendlease REIT is looking to raise up to US$427m via a private placement and a preferential offering.</li>
<li>The deal is very well flagged as the acquisition was announced in Feb 2022 and the EGM approval for the same was received earlier this month.</li>
<li>In this note, we will run the deal through our ECM framework and talk about the recent updates.</li>
</ul>


Lendlease REIT is looking to raise up to US$427m via a private placement and a preferential offering.
The deal is very well flagged as the acquisition was announced in Feb 2022 and the EGM approval for the same was received earlier this month.
In this note, we will run the deal through our ECM framework and talk about the recent updates.


Lendlease Global REIT Placement - Very Well Flagged but Still Quite a Large One to Digest

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The iEdge S-Reit Index declined 3 per cent in total returns in 2022 year to date (YTD), amid geopolitical escalations, macro uncertainty and increasing expectations of a potential rate hike.

Despite the decline, it remained one of the most defensive Reit indices globally, with the FTSE EPRA Nareit Developed Index declining 7 per cent during the same period.

Interest rates have always been a key driver for the sector, given the impact on yield spreads and borrowing costs. 
S-Reits have been actively managing their interest rate exposures.

On average, close to 75 per cent of S-Reits' current debts are entered directly in fixed rates or hedged through floating-to-fixed interest rate swaps.

S-Reits currently have an average gearing ratio of 37.4 per cent, based on latest company filings, well below the regulatory threshold of 50 per cent. 
This translates into approximately S$24.6 billion (based on Bloomberg data for total assets multiplied by company-reported gearing ratio) of potential debt headroom for the sector, to fund capital-intensive acquisitions. 
The five S-REITs that maintain the lowest gearing ratios are Sasseur REIT, Digital Core REIT, SPH REIT, IREIT Global and Lendlease Global Commercial REIT. Sasseur REIT reported a gearing of 26.1 per cent as of 31 Dec 2021, lowest amongst all S-REITs. 
The Reit noted that this demonstrated strong fundamentals of the portfolio as well as prudent capital management, with an expanded debt headroom to pursue potential acquisition opportunities.

With an average debt maturity of 1.2 years as at Dec 31, 2021, the Reit is actively exploring refinancing opportunities with a view to de-risk the current debt profile by staggering its debt maturity and amount.

Sasseur Reit posted FY2021 distribution per unit (DPU) of 7.104 Singapore cents, up 8.5 per cent year on year. The Reit's 4 outlets in China recorded total sales of almost 4.2 billion yuan in FY2021, representing a growth of 12.3 per cent year on year.

The Reit also observed continued robust consumption trends in the cities where its outlets are located, coupled with intensive promotional efforts in close collaboration with tenants which led to the higher sales.

Listed in 2021, Digital Core Reit is a pure-play data centre Reit with an initial public offering (IPO) portfolio of 10 quality freehold data centres located across the United States and Canada.

The Reit reported a gearing of 27 per cent as at IPO, noting ample debt headroom and potential to fuel outsized growth prospects.

In its FY2021 financial release, SPH Reit reported a gearing of 30.3 per cent with revolving credit facility lines of S$225 million undrawn as at Aug 31, 2021, providing ample debt headroom and additional liquidity if needed.

The Reit noted that its loans were refinanced in FY2021 at a lower interest rate, resulting in lower average cost of debt of 1.84 per cent, compared to 2.66 per cent in FY2020.

As at Nov 30, 2022, the Reit's average cost of debt is at 1.68 per cent and has a weighted average term to maturity of 2.7 years.  REIT Watch is a weekly column on The Business Times,<a href="https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/green-shoots-for-retail-and-hospitality-s-reits-amid-new-pandemic-phase"> </a><a href="https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/s-reits-hedge-against-rising-interest-rates-0">read </a>the original version.
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    5 sreits with lower gearing ratios


The iEdge S-Reit Index declined 3 per cent in total returns in 2022 year to date (YTD), amid geopolitical escalations, macro uncertainty and increasing expectations of a potential rate hike.

Despite the decline, it remained one of the most defensive Reit indices globally, with the FTSE EPRA Nareit Developed Index declining 7 per cent during the same period.

Interest rates have always been a key driver for the sector, given the impact on yield spreads and borrowing costs.  
S-Reits have been actively managing their interest rate exposures.

On average, close to 75 per cent of S-Reits' current debts are entered directly in fixed rates or hedged through floating-to-fixed interest rate swaps.

S-Reits currently have an average gearing ratio of 37.4 per cent, based on latest company filings, well below the regulatory threshold of 50 per cent.  
This translates into approximately S$24.6 billion (based on Bloomberg data for total assets multiplied by company-reported gearing ratio) of potential debt headroom for the sector, to fund capital-intensive acquisitions.  
The five S-REITs that maintain the lowest gearing ratios are Sasseur REIT, Digital Core REIT, SPH REIT, IREIT Global and Lendlease Global Commercial REIT. Sasseur REIT reported a gearing of 26.1 per cent as of 31 Dec 2021, lowest amongst all S-REITs.  
The Reit noted that this demonstrated strong fundamentals of the portfolio as well as prudent capital management, with an expanded debt headroom to pursue potential acquisition opportunities.

With an average debt maturity of 1.2 years as at Dec 31, 2021, the Reit is actively exploring refinancing opportunities with a view to de-risk the current debt profile by staggering its debt maturity and amount.

Sasseur Reit posted FY2021 distribution per unit (DPU) of 7.104 Singapore cents, up 8.5 per cent year on year. The Reit's 4 outlets in China recorded total sales of almost 4.2 billion yuan in FY2021, representing a growth of 12.3 per cent year on year.

The Reit also observed continued robust consumption trends in the cities where its outlets are located, coupled with intensive promotional efforts in close collaboration with tenants which led to the higher sales.

Listed in 2021, Digital Core Reit is a pure-play data centre Reit with an initial public offering (IPO) portfolio of 10 quality freehold data centres located across the United States and Canada.

The Reit reported a gearing of 27 per cent as at IPO, noting ample debt headroom and potential to fuel outsized growth prospects.

In its FY2021 financial release, SPH Reit reported a gearing of 30.3 per cent with revolving credit facility lines of S$225 million undrawn as at Aug 31, 2021, providing ample debt headroom and additional liquidity if needed.

The Reit noted that its loans were refinanced in FY2021 at a lower interest rate, resulting in lower average cost of debt of 1.84 per cent, compared to 2.66 per cent in FY2020.

As at Nov 30, 2022, the Reit's average cost of debt is at 1.68 per cent and has a weighted average term to maturity of 2.7 years.   REIT Watch is a weekly column on The Business Times, read the original version.



REIT Watch - S-Reits hedge against rising interest rates

Research from SooChow CSSD Capital Markets (Asia), SCCM Asia Research

SCCM Asia Research

Research from SooChow CSSD Capital Markets (Asia)

Headquartered in Singapore, SooChow CSSD Capital Markets (Asia) is an investment bank focusing on emerging growth companies across Asia, providing a full suite of investment banking services, including corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions advisory, equity capital markets, institutional equities sales and trading and equities research.

SooChow CSSD Capital Markets (Asia)

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

Far East Hospitality Trust (FEHT SP) 2H21 DPU +10.9% YoY; Encouraging signs of recovery on RevPAR and RevPAU QoQLendlease Global Commercial REIT (LREIT SP) to acquire remaining stake at JEM; DPU accretive by ~10%Real estate blockchain firm Fraxtor receives capital markets services (CMS) licence from MAS

Far East Hospitality Trust (FEHT SP) 2H21 DPU +10.9% YoY; Encouraging signs of recovery on RevPAR and RevPAU QoQLendlease Global Commercial REIT (LREIT SP) to acquire remaining stake at JEM; DPU accretive by ~10%Real estate blockchain firm Fraxtor receives capital markets services (CMS) licence from MAS

ASEAN Builder's Scoop (15Feb22) - FEHT Encouraging Signs of Recovery QoQ

Singapore

Lendlease Global Commercial REIT operates as a real estate investment trust. The Company invests in diversified portfolio of real estate assets. Lendlease Global Commercial REIT serves customers worldwide.

Lendlease Global Commercial REIT (LREIT SP)

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Lendlease Global Commercial REIT (LREIT SP)

REIT Watch - Retail, hotel, office S-Reits gain with relaxed Covid rules

Singapore announced the easing of Covid-19 measures on March 24 as the country takes a "decisive but measured step forward"...

Singapore Exchange Ltd (SGX)

Lendlease Global Offering to Buy the Rest of JEM - Big Deal, Cheap, Cheaper Than Peers

Well-signalled and well-prepared equity placement takes place at a 10+% discount to peers and more if you count the div uplift. Buy the deal, or...

Travis Lundy

Lendlease Global REIT Placement - Very Well Flagged but Still Quite a Large One to Digest

Lendlease REIT is looking to raise up to US$427m via a private placement and a preferential offering. The deal is very well flagged.

Sumeet Singh

REIT Watch - S-Reits hedge against rising interest rates

The iEdge S-Reit Index declined 3 per cent in total returns in 2022 year to date (YTD), amid geopolitical escalations, macro...

Singapore Exchange Ltd (SGX)

ASEAN Builder's Scoop (15Feb22) - FEHT Encouraging Signs of Recovery QoQ

LREIT buys remaining JEM stake; RE blockchain Fraxtor obtains CMS license; DD Hotel to expand outside Phils; LLC acquires another plot at TRX City KL

SCCM Asia Research

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