Wolf Review(Boardroom Knock Out by Aaron Low)
The book, BOARDROOM KNOCK OUT, HOW SINGAPORE’s INVESTOR WATCHDOG FIGHTS FOR MINORITY SHAREHOLDERS, was launched in conjunction with SIAS’s 25th anniversary. The book documented SIAS’s history and achievements over the past 25 years. It was a book befitting SIAS’s silver jubilee celebration.
SIAS was founded by Mr. David Gerald under very difficult circumstances. It was born in the aftermath of the CLOB saga which 172,000 Singaporean investors faced the prospect of losing their life savings due to the Malaysia government outlawing CLOB shares traded on the Singapore exchange. Some investors couldn’t take the sudden shock which resulted in heart failure. Some investors were weeping their hearts out as the situation turned dire. Then came Mr. Gerald’s calling. He was emotionally drawn by the noble cause of helping retail investors to get back their hard-earned money. As I quoted the legend, “If no one comes forward to help the victims, there will be no one to help them”. Mr. Gerald always has that fire in him fighting against the unjust and supporting the underdogs. After the long battle, SIAS was successful in negotiating a positive outcome with Malaysian government to release funds held in Malaysia to retail investors in Singapore.
The case studies listed in the book rolled back the years of my time as a broker. Many corporate actions happened during my days in the stock brokering industry. Some takeover tussles had the make of a Hollywood movie. One such case was Natsteel. Natsteel was the first listed company on the Singapore Stock Exchange. The takeover tussle was triggered by the management buyout led by Ang Kong Hua, the company President. Others corporate eagles joined in the fight. With 98 Holdings led by Ong Beng Seng, coming up against Oei Hong Leong of the Widjaja family. It was one of the most exciting takeover episodes in my opinion. Readers will be amused by the corporate movement. It was like a game of badminton characterise by very long rally and foxy drop shots with no winner in sight. Both parties came up with different takeover strategies to outsmart the other parties. Ang was the first to fall out, but he eventually joined hands with 98 holdings to defeat Oei in this takeover. The ultimate victory was sealed with DBS selling their stake to 98 Holdings. There is more to the Natsteel story. I will recommend readers to get a copy of the book to find out more.
The failure of China Aviation Oil on 1st Dec 2004 took our market by a nasty surprise. It was one of the biggest corporate failures in Singapore history which sent shockwaves to investors and regulators of both countries(Singapore and China). Mr. Gerald once described it as an earthquake on the Richter scale of 8. It was definitely an eye opener as a new broker who was barely 6 months into my job. This failure was significantly damaging as S-Chips were the favour of the day with many investors chasing Chinese listings one after another. CAO was no exception. The stock traded 3 times higher of its IPO price. Then came the bombshell of the company’s debt distress due to US $550m trading losses in oil derivatives. In the end, SIAS was able to gather all parties necessary for a successful restructuring which resulted in the company shares resuming trading after 18 months of suspension.
Some lessons derived from the CAO crisis. Investors should watch out for red flags when they invest. CAO’s high receivable was one such tell tale sign. Investors should also be proactive with their investments. Going to AGM to ask tough questions helps make better decision. In the case of CAO, even the most dire situation can have a win-win compromise without destroying the company. CAO remains listed and earned a net profit of USD $58 in 2023.
Who could forget the Citiraya fraud? Another market darling which bites the dust with its founder still on the run. They were once described as the modern version of the alchemist, recycling e-waste into shining gold bar and precious metal. In truth, it was an elaborate fraud conceived by the fugitive boss. He sold secondhand semiconductors chips from his customers which were supposed to be recycled and pocketed the money with fake invoices. Many investors lost huge amounts in the company.
There were well known saga involving Olam and Muddy Water. The Hyflux bankruptcy created a crisis for 34,000 retail investors that lost a staggering $1b combined. It remains Mr. Gerald’s greatest regret despite SIAS upmost effort to savage the situation. There were many interesting examples listed in the book.
I am strongly recommending this book. For the young investor, reading the book gives you a strong reason why shareholders’ activism is so important in Singapore. For old timers like myself, the book bought back memories of the vibrancy we once had in our stock market. Having lived through those era of uncertainty, one will appreciate an association like SIAS for championing the cause of the minority effectively. It just proves a small group of seemingly powerless retail investors can make a difference if we unite.
SIAS’s Membership
I would like to encourage my readers to join SIAS as a member. Membership is as low as $12 a year. That is $1 a month to have SIAS advocating and protecting your rights as a local investor. The membership comes with free investors’ education courses. I have enclosed the link below for those who are interested.
https://sias.org.sg/membership/
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All investments is highly speculative in nature and involves substantial risk of loss. We encourage our reader to invest very carefully. We also encourage reader to get personal advice from your professional investment advisor and to make independent investigations before acting on information that we publish. Much of our information is derived directly from information published by companies or submitted to governmental agencies on which we believe are reliable but are without our independent verification. Therefore, we cannot assure you that the information is accurate or complete. We do not in any way whatsoever warrant or guarantee the success of any action you take in reliance on our statements. All information provided are for education only. Buyer beware,do you own due diligence.
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