Shaun T. Dy's Business & Economics Perspective Blog

I was thinking about what to write next. Right now, after reaching the minimum that I intended to invest for the Philippine Equity Smart Index Fund--I decided to do an update on the ATRAM Global Technology Feeder Fund. This is part of the feeder funds that I'm starting to invest in right now to broaden my investment spectrum (read here ). A bit of the report from April 2022 and May 2022 would be as follows: April 2022 May 2022 The figures for April 2022 and May 2022 show the companies where the money gets invested during two months as well as the regional exposures. I guess most of the regional exposure is based in the USA for this reason--the funds are American-based. Yet, it has slowly diversified by adding into other countries. For example, Samsung Electronics is from South Korea . Although not listed, having a 4.6% exposure to the People's Republic of China means that there's the possibility that the feeder fund may have picked Xiaomi Inc. but it's not in the top te

I'm amazed at all the gossip that I've been reading on Facebook . I guess social media gossipers really do what they do best--spread gossip . The comments that I read on Facebook are anything but sound. I'm afraid financial and economic illiteracy is rather high in the Philippines. Hopefully, economic reforms will help solve it but there are some social media gossipers who speak against it with blatantly stupid statements. These social media gossipers make terrible financial advisers (read here ) and terrible economists (read here ). I could care less even if these social media gossipers have a prestigious degree or graduated from a prestigious school--they're just like the educated but not learned scholars of the Indian folk tale, The Scholars and the Lion .  The wise old man you need to listen to Instead, I decided to think about taking advice not just from any old person but the wise old person . Just because one is older doesn't mean one is wiser. A youth who li

I must admit that I'm getting tired of all the misrepresentations of foreign direct investment (FDI) on Facebook. Such misrepresentations can come from "think-tanks" such as IBON Foundation, Bayan Muna, and the Philippine Anti-Fascist League. That's why I wrote a couple of posts such as (1) how we need to focus on environmentally-friendly business practices (read here ), (2) that FDIs don't always lead to environmental degradation (read here ), and (3) asking the question if you're willing to support local businesses that destroy the environment (read here ). Besides, economic protectionism isn't a guarantee that environment will be friendly. Both North Korea and Venezuela are known to have very bad environmental practices. Just reading about them can make you dizzy. Protectionism ended up destroying agriculture than protecting it Mao Zedong's "great leap forward" was evidence In contrast to what those "think tanks" want us to belie

The Dollar Stretcher I admit I used to overspend as a teenager. Eventually, I started helping out in our family business, made some bad decisions typical of young people, and I admit I've got the tendency to overspend . I started to invest in time deposits and invested in treasury bond (which is loans for government and retail companies), and I was initially discouraged from stocks because of the volatility. My first bond was sold and I decided to reinvest the money. Right now, I wonder what I'd do with the money when it matures plus I still have a long-term negotiable certificate of deposit (LTNCD) due two years from now. I thought about the bear market and realized Warren Buffett  would advise buying the dip with an index fund. Before that, I decided to get into AXA's Chinese Tycoon Fund which invests in blue-chip companies by Filipino-Chinese businessmen (read here ). I wanted to increase my coverage but found out my short attention span can be a real killer. Before the

As an investor, I tend to be rather impulsive. So, I decided to do more studying about the NAVPU. NAVPU means Net Asset Value Per Unit . So, how do we get the NAVPU? My first understanding of NAVPU is the amount per unit to make up one unit. For example, if the NAVPU is at least PHP 100.00 per unit then spending PHP 1,000.00 will give me 10 units of that certain Unit Investment Trust Fund (UITF). However, how do we fully understand the NAVPU? As a Metrobank client, I decided to look into Metrobank to further understand what NAVPU means than just the amount of units I can get depending on the price per unit. Here's what Metrobank says about how to understand NAVPU when investing: Understanding the Net Asset Value per Unit Net Asset Value per Unit, or NAVPU, on the other hand, is the underlying value of each unit. NAVPU is important because it allows you to compare how different schemes are trading, even though they may have very different prices. A large difference between price and

I think one of the things I want to write about education right now is the problem of too much homework . It almost didn't matter which school you went to in the Philippines or in some area--there's hardly a policy that discourages regulation of homework. I'm not saying that homework should be abolished altogether compared to class ranking. I still that regulated homework is the key.  The benefits of homework are told by the Global Indian Internationa School from Singapore: What is the Purpose of Homework?   Homework is an essential part of every student's education. The purpose of homework for students is to practice what they have learned in class . It also gives students an opportunity to practice time management skills . Homework can also help build character by teaching children how to cope with frustration and how to manage their stress levels when they encounter difficulties or setbacks . Homework is a part of the school day, but it's also a huge part of a ch

Soft Icons I guess my frustrations today aren't so easily vented, right? Some time ago, I wrote about how social media gossipers make terrible financial advisers . Just reading comments on Facebook about the Philippine stock market makes me cringe. That's why if you want to listen to someone for financial advice--make sure that person knows finance better than you such as Lucio Tan Sr., Tony Tancaktiong, the late Henry Sy Sr., and the late John Gokongwei Jr. If there's another area worth thinking about--it's about how social media gossipers also make terrible economists. I guess the two blue birds that are gossiping above this paragraph should tell you how much I can't take IBON Foundation seriously (read here ). I could remember reading social media posts on Facebook when it came to several economic reforms. Similar gossip was written during the terms of two former Philippine presidents--the late Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III and Rodrigo R. Duterte. Aquino III had i