Chilli crabs whet Samsung Asset's appetite amid S'pore stock losses

Singapore

FOR investors reeling after the first annual loss for Singapore stocks in four years, there may be comfort in chilli crabs and airline travel.

While the outlook remains bleak for Singapore shares following the second-worst performance among developed markets last year, Alan Richardson of Samsung Asset Management Ltd is seeing flashes of opportunity. The Hong Kong-based money manager, who shunned Southeast Asia's largest equity market in 2015, spots potential in companies such as Singapore Airlines Ltd and Jumbo Group Ltd, the restaurant company that went public in November. Bank Julius Baer & Co, meanwhile, is drawn to real estate investment trusts.

"Singapore growth may be subdued but it's still growing," says Mr Richardson, who runs Samsung's South-east Asian equity fund that has beaten 97 per cent of its peers over the past five years. "Investors can still find investment opportunities. They just need to avoid the potholes along the way in the …