Monday 22 August 2016

Super-Forecasting - The Art & Science Of Prediction

Gonna try my hand at improving my forecasting skills.

This seems like an interesting read.


Saturday 20 August 2016

Covered Calls

Recently getting in to this low risk strategy with better success on a personal level.

There is enough information on covered call strategies online so I won't bore you with the fundamentals with this post.

What I do realise, however, is that the covered call strategy works not on with stocks as an asset class, but also FX.

Trading this with Saxo is possible because they are one of the few brokers who offer FX Options. These are OTC European options which are very liquid and full of Greek information.

One concern has always been leverage, so it is very important when doing FX covered calls or covered puts, to manage your trade size. Be wary that FX moves can be huge in a single day.

As compared to stock covered calls which I normally buy monthly, FX ones I normally buy weekly or fortnightly.


Saturday 6 August 2016

Pokemon Go And Nintendo

Pokemon Go was just launched in Singapore today! And look at the response! Most downloads of any app ever!

And having downloaded it and playing it since morning, it is no wonder why this augmented reality (AR) game is such a game changer.

Without going into specifics of the game, there are very addictive aspects that draw people of all tech savviness to this game.


From a business standpoint, this game is phenomenal. Earning revenue from in-game purchases, there's no reason why this game cannot surpass Supercell's Clash Of Clans.

Its development company is Niantic while owner of Pokemon rights is Nintendo. And look at how much Nintendo's price has skyrocketed since the launch of Polemon Go!


Yet from a social behaviourial standpoint, this is where the game is a true game changer. When reflected upon business metrics, the possibilities become mind boggling. 

Firstly, people will be very active and on the move because of the requirements of the game. They will be glued to their phones without looking at where they're walking. Sooner or later, someone will develop technology to help save lives.

Secondly, the reliance of phone location services, camera and battery is particularly acute. Phone data usage will surge through the roof. Probably a great time to buy telco stocks.

Thirdly, demand for phones will increase even further as the need to change to newer more powerful handsets become more fundamental. People will be changing phone more regularly due to wear of use. Probably a great time to buy stocks of phone producing companies and it's entirely supply chain.

Lastly, this is the beginning of a new reality. Augmented Reality. AR will redefine the way we play games, interact, use our phones and many other ways. Expect more technology companies to roll out even more AR-related games and utilities which may be even bigger and more popular.

Will AR ever come into the FinTech space? You betcha! I bet AR could be used for a myriad of uses in finance, from simulating a retail banking branch environment, streaming prices against reality, to verification of documentation and many other uses.

Meanwhile let's just sit back, download Pokemon Go from the App Store and stay in touch with the latest advancement in the tech space!