STI ETF

If you believe in the future outlook of the top 30 companies in Singapore then it doesn't matter when you enter the market. However, the STI has not rebounded from its highs pre 2008 recession. Its been extremely flat since. And not many people are confident of its future performance even without the recession warning. I personally wouldn't invest in our country's equities. Our bonds are great though. So I suggest looking elsewhere. And even if you're worried about a global recession, go in slow. As long as you're not investing everything today, you can split it over 12 months. And invest every quarter.

Why don't you consider buying bank shares instead? As the 3 banks have around 40% to 50% weightage in STI. It indirectly means that when the bank stock move, STI is expected to move in the same direction as them. Next is that STI currently is still below 2008 high, but all the 3 bank stocks had already crossed their 2008 peak. Furthermore, bank stocks give better dividend than STI ETF. One of the reasons why STI underperform banks stock could be that STI comprise of several non-performance stock that drag down its performance. Thus if you would to look at risk and return perspective, bank shares may be a better option than STI in the longer term.

The high point of STI ETF before the crash in 2008 was at 3800. After 11 years, STI ETF seats at 3100+ range. Which means if you hold the ETF till now and bought at 3800 you will still making a loss. STI ETF is an index that you can invest in. But don't just focus on one instrument. Put your eggs in different basket.

POSB InvestSaver is meant for dollar cost averaging. I would be happy to continue to buy more of it because this will lower my average price.

You may want to look into REITs which have slightly better returns then STI-ETF or maybe get yourself expose to global ETFs with robo-advisor like Smartly , stashaway or AutoWealth.

Hey there, fellow NSF here. It's great that you are investing! I too have invested some of my service allowance into the products you have mentioned. First of all, amazing job in having a solid emergency fund. Always keep yourself covered; the peace of mind in having liquid cash at your disposal if something goes wrong is a feel-good factor as we learn the ropes in our personal finance journey. With Stashaway 18% risk index, a sizeable portion of your portfolio is already invested in bonds. Given the fact that you are still young (lord, I sound old), I believe parking more funds into SSBs might not be the most optimal if you are looking for (stable) growth. I would say investing into the STI via POSB Invest saver might be a good idea. Considering your investment portfolio, which has little/no diversification into the domestic market, having some G3B in your portfolio can be ideal. However, fees are pretty high (0.82%) and returns might be less than what is offered by Stashaway. Try to reduce your spending if possible too! Club/siamdiu less and go easy on the canteen food :P

Hi as what Jansen mentioned, i dont think its a good choice to sell Nikko AM and buy OCBC. And as others have mentioned, Nikko AM is a ETF which contains OCBC and other stocks thus its more diversified and 'safer' per say. You didnt really mentioned how much you invested in Nikko AM and how much of 'unrealised loss' you are facing now so it'll be a bit hard for me to advise. However I feel that it's a high chance that it'll bounce back on track and your loss should be minimized (with regular dividends). Here's my personal story/encounter. I started Nikko AM STI ETF as my first Investment thru POSB invest saver program. After the first few months the share price dropped quite a bit (about 5% loss in 2018) but I continued on as I feel that I could buy it at lower price (DCA to average down my cost/share). Lucky it rises back slowly and earlier this month I sold it off at a 2% profit on share value (excluding the 2 dividend payouts profit) Lesson learnt over here is that you need to trust and believe in your decisions. Dont let market noise affect you. If I was affected previously by the drop I would have an REALISED LOSS of 5% instead of having a profit of 2%. Even though i wont say 2% is alot but its still better than making a loss. In short, HOLD whatever you have till it bounce back. Dont make UNREALISED LOSS into REALISED LOSS.

Hmm...are you parents helping you to pay off your tuition fees/have a scholarship? Do you have additional income/allowance monthly? Do you have a confirmed job offer? Which year student are you currently? This are some factors you have to take into account first before proceeding on. Assuming your tuition fees are fully paid, no additional cash inflow and have a confirmed job offer/Y1or 2, I suggest you can invest in bonds to diversify your portfolio. If you havent enter into the STI ETF for too long, you may want to consider robo-advisors (stashaway, autowealth, etc) since those invest in overseas markets too and may have higher rates of return compared to domestic market. If you do not have a confirmed job offer and you're in the last 2 years of uni, I would suggest keeping the 20k in CIMB (~6 month's worth of salary) as emergency funds and the chance you are unable to find a job quickly (touch wood)

Yes. It is already in negative, if you sell, you not only lose capital but also incur transaction costs. This puts you further in the red. Why are you considering to sell it? If possible, just hold it till it breaks even at least.