Monday, August 2, 2010

Traders see property upside

DATA released by the Urban Redevelopment Authority and the Housing Board last week showed price increases had accelerated across the property sector, from resale flats and private housing to industrial and retail properties.

Rentals are also spiking, as the economy forges ahead strongly.

For the second quarter, private residential rentals registered a 5.9 per cent quarterly growth, while demand for office space rose about 71 per cent to 441,320 sq ft, from 258,334 sq ft in the first quarter.

Traders hope the rental increases mean bumper earnings for property counters going ahead.

In a report, Deutsche Bank said property companies are trading at an average discount of 18 per cent to their revalued net asset value.

'With rising risks for residential, we continue to prefer the office and integrated players and Reits (real estate investment trusts),' the report said last week.

But risks include an economic growth trend reversal and further government tightening measures.

Traders can get exposure to property counters by trading the covered warrants issued by foreign banks. For CapitaLand, Macquarie Bank will list two call warrants and one put warrant today.

One of the new call warrants offers investors the option to buy the mother share at $4.20 till next January, while the other call gives them till next June to buy at $4.30. This will enable a profit if the warrant moves in tandem with any gains made by CapitaLand.

For the put warrant, investors can sell the counter at $4 until next February. Investors stand to gain from any rise in the warrant, if CapitaLand falls in price.

Source: Straits Times, 2 Aug 2010

No comments:

Post a Comment