In today’s briefing:
- Arta Finance: Accelerating B2B Strategy Under New Executive Leadership (Update)
- STI Hits Record as Focus Shifts to Earnings
- Bears Build Into Earnings Season: Short Interest Spikes Across Small Caps
- LC Capital Extends PC Partner Position; Rich Placement
Arta Finance: Accelerating B2B Strategy Under New Executive Leadership (Update)
- Accelerating B2B Momentum and Sustained Operational Leverage: The firm’s transition toward a Wealth-as-a-Service model continues to gain traction, outsourcing customer acquisition costs while supporting a structural shift in unit economics that underpins its US$154k positive EBIT trajectory in FY24.
- Strategic Leadership Transition and B2B Market Validation: The February 2026 appointment of Felix Lin as Chief Executive Officer signals a pivot from initial product development to global operational scaling and institutional integration.
- Strong Enterprise Momentum Meets Consumer Adoption Headwinds: Arta Finance’s overall rating held steady as structural operational gains offset minor dips in online brand engagement.
STI Hits Record as Focus Shifts to Earnings
- STI constituents are expected to deliver around 10% earnings growth in their current FYs, with similar growth implied for the following FY.
- Retail flows concentrated in DBS, Singapore Telecommunications, CapitaLand Ascendas REIT, Genting Singapore, and Sembcorp Industries, with OCBC recording both net institutional and retail inflows.
- SATS reported FY26 EPS of 19.2 cents, with current consensus forecast for FY27F EPS at 21.825 cents, illustrating evolving earnings expectations.
Bears Build Into Earnings Season: Short Interest Spikes Across Small Caps
- Short sellers were active the week of July 13.
- Borrow costs exploded on several names, led by a leveraged ETF tracking Micron hitting 441% of float.
- Earnings season drove positioning on both sides – bears loaded up on some names while covering hard on others.
LC Capital Extends PC Partner Position; Rich Placement
- Over five sessions, directors and substantial shareholders filed 50 interests for 20 stocks, including acquisitions and disposals.
- Kopernik Global Investors increased its stake in Golden Agri-Resources to 7.07% through acquisitions, reflecting institutional conviction.
- HealthBank Holdings raised S$2.67 million through a share placement to finance new businesses and strategic investments.
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