Noble Group needs USD$2b for its survival. Let's see which bank(s) will loan to noble.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/noble-group-lifeline-depends-bank-041457093.html

Commodity prices won't recover in the short time and the commodities markets will still be in the doldrum because China is reducing its commodities demands.

If Noble cannot get this USD$2b loan, it will be in serious trouble.  This will be like those oil&gas companies going bankrupt.  USD$2b is not a small sum and Noble won't get this from a single bank but from multiple banks if these banks still have confidence in Noble's repayment abilities.

As Noble is currently generating negative cash flows, I would say that the banks have little confidence in Noble.

Singapore stock calls for 17 May 2017

The fight for KL-SG HSR is not over yet.

The Malaysian government awarded the KL-SG HSR to 3 consortiums which have limited knowledge and experience in building the HSR and excluded China from the HSR project bidding.  This exclusion angered China and China withdrew from the Bandar Malaysia deal.

I believe China will be able to win the HSR main construction deal because Malaysia has repented and learnt from its mistake.  Malaysia government has also signed some deals during the one-belt-one-road summit and made some promises to the China government too.

Let's see how this will pan out.

http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2094370/hong-kongs-mtr-corp-plans-joint-bid-mainland-rail-giant-build

http://sg-stock.blogspot.sg/2017/05/malaysia-is-first-to-regret-for.html

Fearmongering by USA again.

https://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/35539728/north-korea-poses-threat-to-china-russia-us-admiral/#page1

If North Korea is really a threat to China and Russia, they won't just sit by without taking further action.  China and Russia have very good radars to defend themselves.  Therefore, there is no need for USA to remind China and Russia that NK is a threat to them.

Singapore non-oil domestic exports (NODX) - Part 2

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/16/singapores-trade-data-contract-in-april-snapping-growth-streak.html?__source=yahoo%7Cfinance%7Cheadline%7Cheadline%7Cstory&par=yahoo&doc=104474225&yptr=yahoo

Singapore NODX is declining in April 2017 significantly.

Year on year changes denote marginal diminishing growth.

Apr 2017: -0.7%
Mar 2017: 16.5%
Feb 2017: 21.1%
Jan 2017: 8.6%
Dec 2016: 9.1%
Nov 2016: 15.6%

http://sg-stock.blogspot.sg/2017/02/singapore-non-oil-domestic-exports-nodx.html

OMG! GIC made a huge investment loss in UBS!

https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/singapore-sovereign-fund-gic-pares-ubs-stake-loss-012021119--sector.html

Our GIC has to console itself by indulging in self-deception with the inclusion of investment gains from Citibank so that its investment record won't look so bad.

Sigh!

Singapore stock calls for 16 May 2017

Europe-Singapore FTA has suffered a setback!

http://www.euractiv.com/section/economy-jobs/news/singapore-trade-deal-cannot-be-concluded-by-eu-alone-ecj-rules/

This will just drag on for a long time as this FTA requires all EU countries to ratify.  Some EU countries are very slow to endorse FTA.  This definitely doesn't bode well for SG.

Sino-Europe freight train business is flourishing.

http://en.people.cn/n3/2017/0514/c90000-9215085.html

The frequency of the Sino-Europe railway will definitely increase as the trading of goods increases.  Therefore, the new longer sea freight between SG & China looks dodgy.

Wow! China will be developing more advanced artificial intelligence.

http://en.people.cn/n3/2017/0514/c90000-9215395.html

A brain-like AI is definitely more advanced than any other current AIs which are just using retrospective algorithms.

Hopefully, this brain-link AI will be our saviour for mankind survival because the world will end in 100 years time.

Singapore stock calls for 15 May 2017

China slowdown is a bane for the world.

https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/chinas-economy-shows-signs-slowing-april-024807973.html

China contributes 1/3 of global growth and its slowdown will reverberate around the globe causing a global downturn as well.

http://sg-stock.blogspot.sg/2017/04/china-1st-quarter-gdp-growth-is-69.html

Stop using microsoft windows and you won't be hacked!

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/microsoft-says-cyberattack-wake-call-governments-234854168.html

NSA is part of the problem for the microsoft hacking.  Therefore, it's wiser to stop using microsoft windows.

I've switched to linux and mac OS for my office and personal usages.  Therefore, this hacking doesn't concern me at all.  Yeah!

Is North Korea trying to antagonize Russia now?

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/north-korea-fires-missile-lands-183827492.html

Is North Korea trying to threaten Russia now with this missile?  Look like NK is trying to antagonize every country around it.

UFOs have invisible mode that we don't have.

Just look at how the UFOs can go invisible in a split second.

China's one-belt-one-road initiatives' result!

The one-belt-one-road initiatives had generated 1T of trading for China per year and China's investments in its partnering countries had exceeded $50b.  What an amazing result!  Kudos to China!

Malaysia has learnt a painful lesson after excluding China from KL-SG hsr.

http://en.people.cn/n3/2017/0514/c90000-9215022.html

Malaysia has repented and will continue to support and promote China in ASEAN.  It has signed more deals and cooperations with China.

At least Malaysia is smarter than SG and its economic growth will continue to outpace SG.

http://sg-stock.blogspot.sg/2017/05/malaysia-is-first-to-regret-for.html

The world is going to end in 100 years time - Stephen Hawking.

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/05/stephen-hawking-human-extinction-colonize-planet.html

Cambridge professor, Stephen Hawking, is predicting that the world will end in 100 years time instead of 1000 years which he predicted previously.

Baltic dry index - 1014

Today, Friday, May 12 2017, the Baltic Dry Index climbed by 2 points, reaching 1014 points.

Baltic Dry Index is compiled by the London-based Baltic Exchange and covers prices for transported cargo such as coal, grain and iron ore. The index is based on a daily survey of agents all over the world. Baltic Dry hit a temporary peak on May 20, 2008, when the index hit 11,793. The lowest level ever reached was on Wednesday the 10th of February 2016, when the index dropped to 290 points.

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Related stocks: Sembcorp Marine, Cosco & Pan Ocean.

US rig count - 885

HOUSTON (AP) — The number of rigs exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. rose by eight this week to 885.

A year ago, only 406 rigs were active amid a slump in energy prices.

Houston oilfield services company Baker Hughes Inc. said Friday that 712 rigs sought oil and 172 explored for natural gas this week. One was listed as miscellaneous.

Texas added eight rigs while Colorado, North Dakota, Ohio and Wyoming each added one.

Oklahoma declined by two rigs while Alaska and New Mexico each lost one.

Arkansas, California, Kansas, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Utah and West Virginia were unchanged.

The U.S. rig count peaked at 4,530 in 1981. It bottomed out last May at 404.

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Related stocks: Keppel Corp, Sembcorp Marine & Cosco.