Mutual Fund Performance Report: April 2011

Below is the performance of the Mutual Funds of the Philippines as of end of April, 2011.

Growth or Equity Fund
Mutual Funds	NAVPS	1 Yr. Return	3 Yr. Return		5 Yr. Return	YTD Return
Primarily invested in Peso securities
ATR KimEng Equity Opportunity Fund, Inc.	2.8238	30.7%	16.68%	12.75%		1.32%
First Metro Save & Learn Equity Fund, Inc.	3.5294	42.95%	26.55%	19%		0.95%
Philam Strategic Growth Fund, Inc.	392.73	39.36%	22.84%	17.81%		3.83%
Philequity Fund, Inc.	21.0092	42.2%	25.09%	19.14%		4.02%
Philequity PSE Index Fund Inc.	2.8189	31.88%	18.58%	17.93%		4.24%
Philippine Stock Index Fund Corp.*	467.02	30.27%	15.82%	13.51%		1.89%
Sun Life Prosperity Phil. Equity Fund, Inc.	2.7631	35.16%	17.79%	16%		5.81%
United Fund, Inc.	2.8901	17.56%	14.01%	11.33%		1.11%
Primarily invested in foreign currency securities
ATR KimEng AsiaPlus Recovery Fund, Inc.	$1.1909	19.94%	n.a.	n.a.		5.5%

Balanced Funds
Mutual Funds	NAVPS	1 Yr. Return	3 Yr.Return	5 Yr. Return	YTD Return
Primarily invested in Peso securities
ALFM Growth Fund, Inc*	186.12	37.65%	n.a.	n.a.	-0.4%
Bahay Pari Solidritas Fund, Inc.*	1.4485	36.19%	n.a.	n.a.	2.63%
First Metro Save & Learn Balanced Fund Inc.	1.9873	39.58%	29.84%	n.a.	-0.16%
GSIS Mutual Fund, Inc.	3.0277	36.72%	20.54%	17.81%	3.56%
MFCP Kabuhayan Fund, Inc.	1.6076	23.42%	12.6%	10.61%	-1.23%
NCM Mutual Fund of the Phils., Inc.	1.4644	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	2.21%
Optima Balanced Fund, Inc.	1.2446	23.79%	12%	n.a.	2.74%
Philam Fund, Inc.	13.0492	35.77%	20.13%	16.02%	3.08%
Sun Life Prosperity Balanced Bund, Inc.	2.7564	27.11%	13.83%	12.88%	4.83%
Primarily invested in foreign currency securities
Cocolife Dollar Fund Builder, Inc.	0.030397	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	2.11%
PAMI Asia Balanced Fund, Inc.	$1.0581	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.
Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Advantage Fund, Inc.	$2.7334	5.21%	2.06%	3.7%	1.71%

  

Bond Funds
Mutual Funds	NAVPS	1 Yr. Return		3 Yr. Return		5 Yr. Return	YTD Return
Primarily invested in Peso securities
ALFM Peso Bond Fund, Inc.*	266.05	7.9%		5.91%		6.29%	0.28%
Cocolife Fixed Income Fund, Inc.	1.923	13.06%		9.98%		8.63%	1.66%
Ekklesia Mutual Fund Inc.*	1.5662	4.59%		4.25%		5.08%	-0.31%
First Metro Save &Learn Fixed Income Fund, Inc.	1.4767	10.64%		6.78%		5.71%	0.44%
Grepalife Bond Fund Corporation	N.S.	N.S.		N.S.		N.S.	N.S.
Philam Bond Fund, Inc.	3.1571	6.23%		6.23%		5.53%	0.5%
Philequity Peso Bond Fund, Inc.	2.6165	8.5%		6.79%		7.89%	1.05%
Prudentialife Fixed Income Fund, Inc.	1.5682	3.73%		2.66%		2.6%	-0.88%
Sun Life Prosperity Bond Fund, Inc.	2.2434	7.6%		6.09%		4.67%	1.15%
Sun Life Prosperity GS Fund, Inc.	1.3157	8.66%		7.9%		5.63%	-0.27%
Primarily invested in foreign currency securities
ALFM Dollar Bond Fund, Inc.*	$351.85	4.98%	4.25%		4.82%			0.98%
ALFM Euro Bond Fund, Inc.	€175.42	0.06%	2.76%		2.79%			-1.97%
ATR KimEng Total Return Bond Fund Inc.**	$0.9974	0%	n.a.		n.a.			-0.79%
Grepalife Dollar Bond Fund Corp.	N.S.	N.S.	N.S.		N.S.			N.S.
Grepalife Fixed Income Fund Corp.	P 1.4012	4.33%	4.38%		5.05%			0.67%
MAA Privilege Dollar Fixed Income Fund, Inc.	$1.25586	-2.26%	-0.51%		1.71%			-5.32%
MAA Privilege Euro Fixed Income Fund, Inc.	€0.02796	n.a.	n.a.		n.a.			-4.57%
PAMI Dollar Bond Fund, Inc.	$1.2234	8.81%	3.26%		n.a.			3.56%
Philam Dollar Bond Fund, Inc.	$1.8075	5.74%	5.28%		6.17%			-0.31%
Philequity Dollar Income Fund Inc.	$0.0464838	5.97%	7%		7.09%			0.59%
Sun Life Prosperity Dollar Abundance Fund, Inc.	$2.525	4.48%	5.12%		4.97%			-0.26%

Money Market Fund
Primarily invested in Peso securities
Mutual Funds	NAVPS	1 Yr. Return	3 Yr. Return	5 Yr. Return	YTD Return
ALFM Money Market Fund, Inc.*	103.85	3.29%	n.a.	n.a.	0.79%
ATR KimEng Money Market Fund, Inc.	1.1046	0.7%	0%	-1.82%	0.22%
First Metro Save and Learn Money Market Fund, Inc.	1.0327	1.67%	n.a.	n.a.	0.43%
Philam Managed Income Fund, Inc.	1.1067	1.53%	1.63%	n.a.	0.11%
Sun Life Prosperity Money Market Fund Inc.	1.1234	0.55%	1.21%	1.76%	0.05%

* - NAVPS as of the previous banking day   
** - NAVPS as of two banking days ago
NAVPS - Net Asset Value Per Share

Source: ICAP

BPI Asset Management Now Online

Good news for Filipino mutual fund investors. Below is an article I’ve copied from Malaya Business Insight, a newspaper circulated in the Philippines dated April 28, 2011 and written by Jimmy Calapati & Jennifer Ambata, which talk about a new services offered by Bank of the Philippine Island Asset Management. It is about their new online Mutual Fund services which website is patterned from BPI Express Online. Please read on,

"People wanting to place their extra money under bank management can now do so via the internet with the launch by Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) of an online investment facility.

Dubbed Investment 3.0, the online facility allows clients to maximize the use of the internet to manage their assets, transact and access their investment portfolio.

Aurelio Montinola, BPI president and chief executive, said the company already has a few thousand users but is gearing up for more.

"We’ve got a few thousand. Our target is 500,000 users, but we’re not going to stop there," said Montinola.

As of end-2010, BPI Asset Management has P485 billion assets under management (AUM).

Montinola said the new asset management facility, patterned after BPI Express Online, enables clients to access mutual funds, money market and trust funds, among other investments instruments.

Special deposit accounts, however, are not covered.

Montinola said the project is part of the bank’s commitment to "educate and empower Filipinos on how they could build wealth through investments, thereby converting savers into savvy investors."

New features were added on the original website to give it a fresher look and to make it easier to navigate.

On the website, tabs such as investment research and other investment-related articles are available to both first-time users and more experienced ones.

Also, there are specific tabs for specific clients which mean that only relevant tabs will be visible on the screen depending on the kind of service the client is after.

To gain access to the service, a client should have a BPI account and must enroll in it on the BPI express online database.

The user will have to choose among the array of services and continue with the rest of the steps, all available on the website.

According to Theresa Javier, senior vice-president and chief investment officer, BPI is also planning to further expand online services.

"We have plans to incorporate later on an interactive site which will allow a client to speak with an investment counselor," said Javier. She added that the bank has migrated its investment facility online to take advantage of the pervasive internet technology.

"This frees up more of (our clients’) precious time that could be spent on other important business agenda or with their families," Javier said.

With BPI, clients can invest in mutual funds for as low as P10,000 for its unit investment trust funds (UITFs) and a minimum of P50,000 for its mutual fund products.

BPI has 11 UITFs and seven mutual funds.

Investments can be returned as early as seven days or as late as three years depending on the product availed."

Online Banking Made Easy

Here is an article about Online Banking. This is a very helpful information on having a new option to do bank transactions at home.  For  me, I’m using BPIExpress website to do some of my bank transaction especially transfer of funds to my brokerage account.  Also another helpful website that is easily accessible for online transaction here in the Philippines is the Unionbank EON which is advantageous because it could be used when purchasing using your paypal account  and its very easy to apply if you don’t have one. So, just continue reading the article below it might be useful in your hectic schedules.

 

You can still use all the services you used before. It's just another option -- and who doesn't want another option?

— Brad Blue, spokesman for Denver Community Credit Union

Even if you don't know the difference between a fishing net and the Internet, or you think a web is something you clean out of the attic, you can still be a pro at online banking. It's easy, convenient and, best of all, safe -- maybe even safer than the traditional banking that has served you for so many years.

Bank from Your Living Room

Forget about "bankers' hours." With a few clicks and keystrokes, you can have all your accounts and up-to-the-minute financial information on the screen in front of you, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Transfer funds, pay bills, balance your accounts or apply for a loan -- all from your sofa, your SUV or Sydney, Australia.

Online banking has come of age, thanks to the ease of the Internet, and most banks -- and even local credit unions -- now offer the option of transacting your financial business from the comfort of your living room.

"It's a no-brainer, really," said Tracey Weber, managing director of Internet and mobile for Citi, one of the largest full-service financial institutions in the world. "There is an education process and an awareness process, but each day, more people are switching over."

Creating a Powerful Password

Most financial institutions have multiple layers of protection, as you will discover when you enroll in online banking. But you can help by adding an extra layer yourself, which starts with a powerful password.

Paul Tichy, president of Appaloosa Business Services in Lake Oswego, Oregon, has these suggestions:

1. Don't make your password something that is easily guessable by both friends and strangers, such as your mother's maiden name, your birth date or parts of your Social Security number.

2. Include at least one number and one capital letter in your password, if possible. Some sites do not distinguish between capital and lower-case letters.

3. Make your password at least six characters long.

4. Try to make your password as random as possible, using combinations of letters and numbers that do not spell out words or use known sequences.

5. Pick a different password for each site you use.

6. Don't keep your banking password with your banking information in your home or on your person. Memorize your password and shred any papers that contain it.

Just Follow the Prompts

First, contact your financial institution to find out whether it offers online banking services. Or do a search online to find the website. Have your account number handy.

"Any Citibank customer can enroll online with their account number," Weber said.

Most other financial institutions that offer online services provide the same ease of enrollment. When you get to the website, just follow the prompts. Different institutions will use different language, but look for words and phrases such as "enroll," "get an online account" or "get a user ID."

When you click on the prompt, you'll be taken through several simple steps to create your online "account," complete with a password that only you and your bank will know. In just a few minutes, you'll have access to your bank accounts, credit card accounts, loans and any other services you access through your bricks-and-mortar bank.

Don't worry about entering your personal information -- just look for the letters "https" in the navigation bar and a padlock at the bottom of the Web page. These features indicate that your information is secure, usually through the use of encryption, which encodes your information so that unauthorized parties cannot access it. You can also click on the padlock to view the site's security information.

If you do not see one or both of these features, do not enter any personal information onto the page. Click "log out" or "sign out" and call your financial institution for help.

Your Money at Your Fingertips

Now that you have online access, you can take care of business in minutes from your own home, rather than spend hours driving to your bank, completing transfer forms, writing checks to pay bills and completing loan paperwork.

"Through online banking, customers can review account balances and transactions, transfer funds, as well as receive and pay bills electronically," said Tara Burke, a spokeswoman for Bank of America.

Most banking websites are designed to allow you to move easily between accounts or see all your balances at once. Take some time to become familiar with all that your institution has to offer online.

Transfer features let you move money quickly from one account to another, to cover that errant check you wrote, or from one bank to another, so your money is right where you want it.

Bill-pay features allow you to set up automatic payments for car loans, utility bills, phone bills and other monthly expenses, ensuring that your bills are paid on time. You can also choose to sign on whenever you want and pay your bills then. You can even sign up to have your credit card bill automatically paid from your checking or savings account every month.

Some financial institutions allow you to set up alerts through text messaging or email. Alerts can notify you when your bank and credit card statements are ready, when your bills are due or when you want timely information about your account.

"I have an alert for when my checking account drops below $1,000," Weber said. "That way, I can make sure that I maintain a certain balance at all times."

Peruse the site to find the various features you want and then follow the prompts to sign up for them. If you need help, or if you have a question or concern about your account, many of the larger institutions offer online chat services, which allow you to communicate with a bank representative right there on the website. Just click on the online chat feature to access this service.

Save Time, Money and the Environment

Establishing an online account saves time and money, allowing you to limit or eliminate paper checks and mailing expenses.

"Online bill pay is less time-consuming because you're not writing out paper checks," Weber said. "And you're not using stamps -- saving 44 cents a bill -- which can add up substantially when people are paying 30 to 40 bills."

Not only that, but the environment also benefits through the use of less paper. You'll write fewer checks and can opt out of paper bank statements and paper bills. In addition, since you aren't driving to the bank, you aren't burning fossil fuel.

And these electronic functions keep you safer as well. "A great deal of identity theft actually occurs with traditional forms of payment," said Brad Blue, a spokesman for Denver Community Credit Union. "Statements and bills are taken straight out of the mail. If you're going to do electronic banking, sign up for an e-statement (electronic statement), and you've taken the ability away from someone to take your statement out of the mail."

The Human Touch

Electronic banking doesn't eliminate human interaction. You can still walk into your bank at any time and talk to a real person, face to face.

"We don't call it a 'switch' to online banking," Blue said. "We call it 'adding a service.' They can still come in and talk to a person."

Weber agrees. "Electronic banking is just one of the ways you can work with us," she said. "It's part of the suite of offerings we have available. People shouldn't view it as an 'either/or' -- it's just an 'and.' "

"Nothing is lost," Blue said. "You can still use all the services you used before. It's just another option -- and who doesn't want another option?"

So, head to your financial institution's website and explore your options. Financial freedom might be just a click away.

Philippines Retail Report for First Quarter of 2011: Forecasted That the Country's Retail Sales Will Grow From a Forecast PHP1.40 Trillion (US$31.42 billion) In 2011

The report below is from Business Monitor International


"The Philippines Retail Report provides industry professionals and strategists, corporate analysts, retail associations, government departments and regulatory bodies with independent forecasts and competitive intelligence on the Philippines' retail industry.

The First Quarter of 2011 forecasts for Philippines Retail Report indicates that the country's retail sales will grow from a forecast PHP1.40 trillion (US$31.42 billion) in 2011 to PHP1.65 trillion (US$37.06 billion) by 2014. Strong underlying economic growth, an expanding population (especially in urban areas), rising consumer spending and the continued development of organized retail infrastructure are the key factors behind the forecast growth in the Philippines retail sales.

The Philippines nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is forecasted to reach US$193.0 billion in 2011. Average annual GDP growth of 4.5% is predicted by Business Monitor International (BMI) through the year 2014, reaching US$275.65 billion. With the population expected to increase from an estimated 95.5 million in 2011 to 100.9 million by 2014, GDP per capita is forecasted to rise by more than 35% by the end of the forecast period, reaching US$2,732. Our forecast for consumer spending per capita is for an increase from US$1,439 in 2011 to US$1,931 by 2014.

Although salaries in the Philippines remain low, the report forecasts the 2011 average annual wage at US$1,924, Household incomes are substantially bolstered by contributions from family members working overseas. Total remittances into the country rose by 7.1% year-on-year (y-o-y) over the first seven months of 2010, bringing the total to US$10.68 billion, up from US$9.97 billion in the same period of 2009. The government forecasts remittances to grow by an annualized 6-8% for the full year. With the majority of remittances going into consumption rather than investments, the retail industry is one of the beneficiaries. In urban areas in particular there are also increasing numbers of dual-income, middle-class families and young professionals who are boosting retail sales.

The country's growing youth population represents a key element of future retail spending.  According to UN data, 36.7% of the Philippine population was in the 20-44 age range in 2005. This is forecast to increase to nearly 39% by 2015. The proportion of the population classified by the UN as economically active was 60.9% in 2005 and should rise to almost 63% by 2015. The urban population, which accounted for 62.6% of the total in 2005, is predicted to reach nearly 70% by 2015. About 50% of the country's total retail sales are concentrated in the Manila metropolitan area.

Consumer electronic sales are forecast to be worth US$4.35 billion in 2011, according to BMI data, rising to US$5.05 billion by 2014 (16.2%). This sub-sector has significant growth potential, with BMI projecting a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 9% between 2010 and 2014, one of the highest in the region. There is a relative lack of penetration in key product categories, with PC penetration of less than 10% and LCD TV penetration of less than 1%."

How To Start Investing?

Blogger: Stock Market Investment In The Philippines - Create Post




How an ordinary Filipino can start investing even without sufficient knowledge or education about economics or business? By conscientiously following the five basic steps enumerated below, an average person can start his journey to financial freedom easily.

The Rat Race
Why many people with regular job doesn’t seem to get ahead in life? Its like every bit of money they have are just about right to survive. It is the rat race or going around in circles. How would an average Filipino prepare himself in becoming an investor to become worry free from financial struggles?

1. Live Below Your Means - It means, not spending money on things you don’t need.
If you can stay at home instead of partying on a Friday night with colleagues you’ll be way ahead of the game. Because the money you save can be used for investing. If you can postpone your kids who planned to get married, it’s the better. There’s no faster way to destroy ones financial future than to marry and have kids at a very young age. If you are financially free already, having kids and marrying the one you love can bring more joy than having to fight over money every month with your spouse.

2. Pay Yourself First - Your pay check every month is not your money. The electricity bill has part of it, food has part of it, your transportation has part of it and the government has part of it in a form of tax. Unless you save or pay yourself, you don’t have anything.

3. Pay off Your Debts - What’s the use of being free if you owe somebody? If you have credit cards, personal loans or salary loans, pay them first. You don’t want interest rates to be piling up every month. If you can, you may delay paying the others who doesn’t have interest in it. The idea is to be debt free as soon as possible.

4. Invest - The money you saved on #1 and #2 will be used for fighting inflation. As you know, money loses its value over time, what you want to do is to protect your money so it will beat inflation and brings about a decent amount of appreciation. Start investing in instruments and securities in the stock market and in mutual funds.

5. Read Books About Investing - If you have some money to spare, it is good to invest in knowledge first. Read about investing, money management and personal finance. Nothing can get you faster than knowing how to get there. If you can’t buy good books, then the best way to research is the internet. It costs less than a cup of coffee to have an hour of internet access.

Buy more shares on different stocks until you can see that the return of your money with your investments every month far exceeds your monthly income. By this time, you are financially free. Your dedication, patience and discipline have rewarded you with financial freedom. Now you have your money working for you and you are free to do anything. But don’t be overconfident. It takes a lot of patience to get to this stage and if you really want to be free you should know that only you can change your future. Not the government or God. I wouldn’t think God would waste a miracle on me or us ordinary people. So its up to us to make things happen, don’t you think?

REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT IN THE PHILIPPINES

Real estate investment in the Philippines is so young unlike other countries where their investors had relied the way how real estate companies run the said investment in a way that will provide greater advantage to the masses.

Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) was introduced in the Philippines in 2009 as it was embodied in Republic Act No. 9856 better known as REIT Act of 2009. This is very new to the Philippines but this was already present in the United States since 1800’s and in other countries such as Australia, Canada, Hongkong, Japan and Malaysia wherein their investing public has freely invests real estate investments in publicly traded companies.

REITs were introduced into the Philippines in order to democratize wealth by broadening the participation of Filipinos in the ownership of real estate. Engaging in real estate business requires a lot of capital(I am not talking here on selling real estate for gaining commission basis). Owning REITs helps you become a part of the Real Estate Business without investing out so much capital because buying shares in REIT is owning a fractional share or becoming part-owner of the Real Estate Investment Trust. REITs maybe a great concept but the problem again lies with information dissemination. The Philippine stock exchange has been around for more than 80 years and yet only less than 1 % of the Filipinos invests in stocks. If democratization of wealth is the goal then the Philippine Stock Exchange, its market education department has to do more ways in order to educating the public about stocks and REITs.

Anyway, let me introduce you to REITs and why you should invest in them. This is not a comprehensive guide but just an introductory one. I have personally invested in REITs even it is in a process of being introduced in the country. But following developments, I believe it is a very promising alternative vehicle of investment.
A Real Estate Investment Trust is a stock corporation created for the purpose of owning and managing income-generating real estate such as office buildings, residential condominiums, shopping centers, hotels, warehouses, hospitals, airports and tollways.

The reason why you should invest in REITS is because REITs it has both the characteristics of both a fixed income instrument and a variable income instrument. This gives the investor an advantage, especially the investors who are not so aggressive but are also not so conservative.
Fixed income from REITs is gained through regular dividends. The REIT Act of 2009 requires REITs to distribute 90% of its distributable income to investors.

Variable income comes from Market Volatility. This is just like capital appreciation in stocks. Holders of REIT shares may expect an increase in his REIT share price whenever there is increased demand for it. A decrease demand may of course have the negative effect.

At present, Ayala Land, Robinson’s Land and SM Prime Holdings are seriously considering in offering REITs. For me I have bought shares at Ayala Land because it was foreseen that this company will boom in the coming years. Other real estate companies listed in the Philippine Stock Exchange such as Belle Corporation, Mega World Corporation and Shang Properties are adopting a wait and see situation and are waiting for the big boys to make their first REIT move before making an REIT offer.