Is the commodity boom over?

I took a look at my portfolio as was not happy with what I saw. Despite a strong run up on the Straits Times Index to close to 3,500, my stocks have not been moving likewise, particularly Noble Group and Wilmar International, which are down more than 10 per cent since I bought. My urge to sell stocks in the commodity sector is driven by the negative academic readings on the sector as a result of me preparing for my school essay. I guess the commodity super cycle has to end some where than continue in perpetuity. Perhaps I will also sell those stocks which are worth less than SGD 3,000 in total, to make the portfolio efficient. But I will have to come back to the issue of what stock I should buy, and this perplexes me a lot. Stay tuned.

Thoughts on the Singapore HDB market

The new house will only come at the end of 2016 although the date of legal possession is the end of 2017 based on advice gathered from the Internet forums on the HDB Singapore market.  So far, I have put down 5% in down payment and some stamp duty totaling about $50,000 and that is a material interest in the market.

Should you reveal your pay at the initial job interview?

I was having drinks with my colleagues and one of them shared the experience of a interview at a local statutory board. At the first interview, one of the two interviewers asked for my colleague's current salary. My colleague was very annoyed given that it was just the first round of interview and refused to reveal any figures. Although he felt good vibe coming from the non-probing interviewer due to his technical fit, my colleague was not offered the job.

Why do HR-types and recruitment consultants always ask about your pay? This is because they want to collect data to find out about the market rate (especially recruiters!) so they that the company can manage budgets as well as show their own bosses that they are not overpaying for their hires.

How to use up your old Singapore coins

In case you have not heard, the MAS will be phasing out the old coins and replacing them with the ones shown above. While depositing them into the bank would be one option, I think there might be a small charge on the total amount deposited (I could be wrong). I did think of giving away to kids on flag day but I realise this sight of physical money makes me more attached to it and reluctant to give it away. Perhaps I should withdraw my salary and pay everything in cash, I would save more.

As such, I have brought about SGD 80 worth of coins to the office, hoping to use them when possible. The dollar and 50 cents coin will be easy to use up but less so the 20, 10 and 5 cents denominations. Tentatively, my strategy to deal with this would be to pair every 2 dollar note with up to 1 dollar worth of coin. I know this sounds a bit crazy, but when you do realise how much coins you can accumulate, you will start becoming more conscious. 

Adsense income of SGD 131.25

After close to two years since the last payment, I received a SGD 131.25 from Google for the blog. I am not in this for the money but I think for all the things that I have written, that amount sure is pathetic compared to other bloggers! Perhaps, that is a reason why I am blogging less frequently.

Anyway, AGM season is coming to a close, meaning no more free food. More importantly, resolutions concerning dividend payment will be passed and most of us should be receiving payment later in May.

The portfolio fell close to 7 per cent month-on-month and on a year-to-date basis, I am flat. The way I am monitoring my portfolio, I cannot be sure which individual stocks have performed on a month-to-month basis. I guess I have to scout around the net for such an application.