A sea of red as the bear awakens from hibernation

A sea of red once again. It's not every day that we see stocks like CSE Global dropping 13%, or the likes of OCBC, SATS and QAF by more than 6% IN A SINGLE DAY?

STI is now at 2782, a far cry from 3,300 plus at a recent peak.

For somebody holding a portfolio of $10,000, a 20% drop is $2,000 difference.  If you have a portfolio of $1,000,000, that 20% is $200,000. 100x difference. Bearable?

Now's where the rubber hit the tarmac. For those who say they can tolerate a 40% drop and will not sell down in panic, here's validation time.

What's your reaction like so far?  Are you flinching yet?  A twitch maybe?

And by the way, it's tax season. Have you filed your Income Tax yet?

Age of Disruptions

Nothing lasts forever when change is a constant. Oh wait, that's a lot of cliche in one sentence. Overdose of it perhaps? Getting back to the subject ...

ComfortDelgro is being disrupted by the likes of Uber and Grab.

SPH's print media is being disrupted by digital media, even as it plays catch up while diversifying into retail malls and community care facilities.

SingPost snail mail is being disrupted by e-mail, while its eCommerce offers patchy slivers of opportunities.

Singtel is shifting from a pure play telco into a digital technology company.

It's hard for an incumbent business to adopt digital technology as it has to be accompanied by new business models. It's not just about bringing the traditional medium to a digital platform. The shift is hard.

Plus, there will be a lot of irrelevant work force that is ill suited for the digital age. Does the company stick to the past, or build for the future? With the workforce that is being displaced, what should it do? Should it listen to the heart or listen to the mind? Is there a place where both can coincide? There is too much at stake.

Will traditional consumer staples remain relevant? Can companies like QAF maintain its relevance in food if there is a changing pattern in food consumption? The fight against diabetes could have repercussions.

Will retail malls remain relevant with the increasing shift to eCommerce? Do consumers still shop?

Marine, oil and gas industries need no saying. While some may argue it's all about what Saudi Arabia chooses to do and that it's cyclical, long as it may lasts, perhaps it's also about disruptions from renewable energy?

Disruptions all over. Kodak moments, if you are even old enough to still remember Kodak.

Traditional Blue Chips start to look pretty blue ...

But it is in times of doubts and uncertainties that opportunities exist. Who will survive?