Any sgx stocks to recommend for long term investment? Please exclude dbs, ocbc, uob, singtel
3/15/2026 05:34pm
For long‑term SGX exposure (excluding DBS, OCBC, UOB and Singtel), a solid core can be built around: **Singapore Exchange, ST Engineering, CapitaLand Investment, 1–2 quality REITs (Mapletree / CapitaLand), plus defensive names like Sheng Siong and Venture**—using SG as your **income & stability** sleeve while keeping high‑growth AI/tech in the US. 📈
Below is a curated list, then a suggestion on how to combine them.
---
## 1. “Core” quality compounders
### 1.1 Singapore Exchange (SGX, ticker: **S68**)
**Why it works for long term:**
- **Natural monopoly**: Only full‑service securities & derivatives exchange in Singapore, with strong regional derivatives franchise (equity, FX, commodities).
- **Structural tailwinds**:
- Growth in **index/derivatives trading** and risk management demand in Asia.
- Higher interest rates boost **interest income** on collateral & margin balances.
- **Balance sheet & dividends**: Typically runs a **net‑cash, asset‑light model**, enabling consistent dividends and opportunistic buybacks.
The 5‑year, dividend‑adjusted performance (indexing 5 years ago = 100) shows SGX roughly **doubling** over the period, despite being a conservative, income‑oriented name.
```reference
[{"id":1,"type":"plotly-json"}]
```
*(In the chart above, SGX is the blue line; ST Engineering is orange.)*
**Key risks:**
- Cycles in trading/IPO activity.
- Competitive pressure from other regional exchanges over the long run.
---
### 1.2 ST Engineering (ticker: **S63**)
**Business & moat:**
- Diversified **defence, aerospace, and smart city solutions** group.
- Large order backlog, much of it from government/defence contracts → **high visibility of cash flows**.
- Increasing exposure to **smart city / urban solutions, cybersecurity, and mobility**, which have secular growth drivers.
From the same 5‑year, dividend‑adjusted chart, **ST Engineering has substantially outperformed SGX**, with the index level rising to roughly **3–4x** the starting level, versus ~2x for SGX. That’s impressive for what many view as a “boring” GLC‑linked stock.
**Why it fits long term:**
- Defensive earnings profile (defence, long‑term contracts).
- Sensible way to have some **“real economy” industrial/tech exposure** in SG.
- Historically offers a **decent yield plus moderate growth**, rather than high‑beta swings.
**Key risks:**
- Execution risk on large engineering projects.
- Defence sentiment/politics (though SG’s defence budgets tend to be steady).
---
### 1.3 CapitaLand Investment (CLI, ticker: **9CI**)
**Investment story:**
- Asset‑light **real estate investment manager** and owner, spun from the old CapitaLand structure.
- Earns **recurring fee income** from managing REITs and private funds, plus capital recycling from its own balance sheet assets.
- Leverages Singapore’s credibility to attract capital into **Asian real estate** (office, retail, lodging, new economy).
**Why it’s interesting long term:**
- More **scalable, higher‑ROE model** vs. pure brick‑and‑mortar property owners.
- Benefits from growth in **assets under management (AUM)** rather than just property prices.
- Tends to pay a **reasonable dividend** while still having room to grow AUM, especially in new‑economy segments (logistics, data centres, etc.).
**Key risks:**
- Property cycles and cap‑rate movements (interest‑rate sensitivity).
- China exposure through parts of its portfolio/fund platform.
---
## 2. Income‑focused REITs (if you’re OK with REITs)
If you’re comfortable treating **REITs as part of your “stock” bucket**, SGX is actually strongest here. For long‑term, income‑oriented exposure:
### 2.1 Mapletree Logistics Trust (MLT, ticker: **M44U**)
- Specialises in **logistics / warehouse assets** across Asia‑Pacific.
- Beneficiary of **e‑commerce, supply chain diversification, and onshoring/near‑shoring** trends.
- Geographically diversified beyond Singapore (HK, China, Japan, South Korea, etc.), which reduces single‑country risk but introduces FX/geo risk.
**Why it fits long term:**
- Logistics REITs often have **better structural demand** than traditional office.
- Balanced profile of **yield + moderate growth** from acquisitions and AEIs (asset enhancement).
**Key risks:**
- Interest‑rate sensitivity (leverage & refinancing).
- FX exposure and country‑specific regulatory risks.
---
### 2.2 CapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust (CICT, ticker: **C38U**)
- Flagship SG commercial REIT with **prime retail malls and offices** (Raffles City, Plaza Singapura, etc.).
- Anchored in Singapore’s CBD & key suburban hubs → relatively resilient footfall and tenant demand.
**Long‑term case:**
- Core play on **Singapore’s status as a regional business and shopping hub**.
- Reasonable yield, backed by relatively high‑quality assets and a sponsor (CapitaLand) with a long track record.
**Key risks:**
- Office oversupply and work‑from‑home trends can pressure office occupancy/rents.
- Consumer cycles impacting retail rents and turnover.
---
## 3. Defensive consumer & tech manufacturing
### 3.1 Sheng Siong (ticker: **OV8**)
- One of Singapore’s major **supermarket chains**, skewed more mass‑market (value focused) than premium.
- Non‑discretionary demand → relatively **recession‑resistant** revenue.
- Generally runs with good cost control and cash generation.
**Why it’s useful in a portfolio:**
- Provides **defensive, staples‑like exposure** within SG.
- Earnings tend to be stable; growth comes from gradual store expansion and productivity improvements.
- Commonly offers a **modest but consistent dividend**.
**Key risks:**
- Limited runway within Singapore’s small market; overseas expansion brings its own risks.
- Competition from other grocers & e‑commerce.
---
### 3.2 Venture Corporation (ticker: **V03**)
- High‑end **electronics manufacturing services (EMS)** and technology design partner for global customers.
- Exposure to **instrumentation, life sciences, semiconductor equipment, networking, and some consumer/industrial tech**.
- Operates more as a **solutions/partner** than a pure low‑cost manufacturer, which supports margins.
**Why it may fit you (given your tech tilt):**
- While SGX lacks true “AI hyperscalers”, Venture gives you **indirect exposure to global tech hardware** cycles from a Singapore base.
- Long track record of profitability and dividends, though earnings are **cyclical** with global tech demand.
**Key risks:**
- Customer concentration and order volatility.
- Tech downcycles can hit earnings and sentiment hard.
---
## 4. Putting it together – how you might use SGX
Given your existing focus on **US tech/AI** and the roughly **$500k portfolio** you’ve mentioned before, SGX can reasonably play the role of **stability + income**, not high‑growth:
Example allocation *within your SGX sleeve* (purely illustrative):
- **Core quality (40–50%)**
- SGX
- ST Engineering
- CapitaLand Investment
- **REIT income (30–40%)**
- Mapletree Logistics Trust
- CICT (or another Mapletree/CapitaLand REIT you prefer)
- **Defensive & tech‑cyclical (20–30%)**
- Sheng Siong
- Venture Corp
Then, keep **higher‑growth AI / semis / US tech** in your existing US book, using SGX as the “steady compounder + dividend” anchor.
---
## 5. How to proceed from here
1. **Narrow the list** to 3–5 names that best match what you want SGX to do for you (income vs. some growth vs. defensiveness).
2. For each, check:
- Latest **dividend yield & payout ratio**
- **Net debt / EBITDA** (especially for REITs)
- 5–10 year track record of earnings / DPU.
3. Decide roughly **what % of your total $500k** you want in SG versus US/others, then size positions accordingly.
---
Would you like to **prioritise income stability or growth** from your SGX sleeve? That will change whether we lean more into REITs and SGX, or tilt more toward Venture / CapitaLand Investment / other growth‑oriented names.