What is the average lifespan of listed companies?

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#1
I mean most companies do not really go on forever like in the textbooks say

practically what is the average lifespan of listed companies?
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#2
O. K.
Let's start with Singapore companies. How many companies are >25, > 50 & > 100 years? How old is our Stock Exchange anyway?
WB:-

1) Rule # 1, do not lose money.
2) Rule # 2, refer to # 1.
3) Not until you can manage your emotions, you can manage your money.

Truism of Investments.
A) Buying a security is buying RISK not Return
B) You can control RISK (to a certain level, hopefully only.) But definitely not the outcome of the Return.

NB:-
My signature is meant for psychoing myself. No offence to anyone. i am trying not to lose money unnecessary anymore.
Reply
#3
SES (Stock Exchange of Spore) was formed in 1973 and SGX was formed in 1999.

I think a distinction has to be made between the existence of the company and its listed status.

eg. Boustead is a centennial but it was only listed on SGX/SES in 1975. So its been listed for >35 yrs.

Just looking through the corporate info on SGX, the following are companies listed in stock exchange prior to the 1990's.

[wrap]
[table=Company Name]
Asiamedic Limited
Auric Pacific Group Limited
Bonvests Holdings Limited
Boustead Singapore Limited
Chemical Industries (Far East) Limited
China Auto Corporation Ltd
China Merchants Holdings (Pacific) Ltd
Chuan Hup Holdings Ltd
Cosco Corporation (S) Limited
DBS Group Holdings Limited
*********************************
Furama Ltd.
Fuji Offset Plates Manufacturing Limited
GuocoLand Limited
Haw Par Corporation Limited
HL Global Enterprises Limited
Hong Fok Corporation Ltd
Hong Leong Finance Limited
Hotel Grand Central Ltd
Hotel Properties Limited
Hotel Royal Limited
*********************************
Hwa Hong Corporation Limited
Inno-Pacific Holdings Limited
Intraco Limited
Jurong Cement Limited
Khong Guan Flour Milling Limited
Lee Kim Tah Holdings Limited
Leeden Limited
Lion Asiapac Limited
Lum Chang Holdings Limited
L.C. Development Ltd
*********************************
Metro Holdings Limited
Murata Mfg Co. Ltd
Neptune Orient Lines Limited
QAF Limited
SembCorp Marine Limited
Sing Investments & Finance Limited
Singapore Airlines Limited
Singapore Reinsurance Corporation Limited
SP Corporation Limited
Tuan Sing Holdings Limited
*********************************
United Industrial Corporation Limited
United International Securities Limited
United Overseas Bank Limited
United Overseas Insurance Limited
Wheelock Properties (S) Ltd
Wing Tai Holdings Limited
[/table]
[table=Market]
CATALIST/Sesdaq
SGX MAINBOARD
SGX MAINBOARD
SGX MAINBOARD
SGX MAINBOARD
SGX MAINBOARD
SGX MAINBOARD
SGX MAINBOARD
SGX MAINBOARD
SGX MAINBOARD
***************
SGX MAINBOARD
CATALIST
SGX MAINBOARD
SGX MAINBOARD
SGX MAINBOARD
SGX MAINBOARD
SGX MAINBOARD
SGX MAINBOARD
SGX MAINBOARD
SGX MAINBOARD
***************
SGX MAINBOARD
SGX MAINBOARD
SGX MAINBOARD
SGX MAINBOARD
SGX MAINBOARD
SGX MAINBOARD
SGX MAINBOARD
SGX MAINBOARD
SGX MAINBOARD
SGX MAINBOARD
***************
SGX MAINBOARD
SGX MAINBOARD
SGX MAINBOARD
SGX MAINBOARD
SGX MAINBOARD
SGX MAINBOARD
SGX MAINBOARD
SGX MAINBOARD
SGX MAINBOARD
SGX MAINBOARD
***************
SGX MAINBOARD
SGX MAINBOARD
SGX MAINBOARD
SGX MAINBOARD
SGX MAINBOARD
SGX MAINBOARD
[/table]
[table=Listed Date]
30 September 1987
2 June 1985
26 October 1973
17 October 1975
17 December 1973
June 1968
17 August 1981
15 December 1983
7 August 1979
29 November 1968
***************
1 September 1976
6 May 1988
14 November 1978
17 November 1969
10 October 1984
8 July 1981
10 July 1981
24 November 1978
17 June 1982
2 December 1968
***************
26 July 1979
24 May 1983
18 December 1972
2 July 1979
12 March 1969
22 August 1984
10 July 1975
8 February 1982
28 December 1984
15 August 1973
***************
1973
12 August 1976
19 May 1981
25 August 1967
18 September 1987
7 July 1983
18 December 1985
26 October 1987
20 September 1974
9 July 1973
***************
17 March 1971
8 November 1978
20 July 1970
2 October 1978
15 June 1981
21 February 1989
[/table]
[table=No of Years Listed]
25
27
39
37
39
44
31
29
33
44
****
36
24
34
43
28
31
31
34
30
44
****
33
29
40
33
43
28
37
30
28
39
****
39
36
31
45
25
29
27
25
38
39
****
41
34
42
34
31
23
[/table]
[/wrap]

The above list is probably incomplete and also does not take into account companies that were merged eg, comfortdelgro. Some other companies like BMT and F&N, I was unable to find the listing dates and did not include them but they surely has a listing history of >30 yrs. And others like C&C, OCBC, OUE, UOL etc..

[SOURCE]
1) SGX Corporate Info
2) Wikipedia - Companies Listed on Singapore Exchange
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#4
Good list.
If it stays in business for many years and core business more or less stays the same,
then we might have something worth looking at.
Reply
#5
(28-10-2012, 11:29 PM)Big Toe Wrote: Good list.
If it stays in business for many years and core business more or less stays the same,
then we might have something worth looking at.

Generally speaking, it's quite true. but don't bet 100% on it.
Some very long established companies may just get greedier and greedier and over leverage until the valley of no return when a black-swan suddenly appears. Especially financial companies like banks, brokerages, insurance, etc.
One very good example is who can think that Lehman Brothers can go extinct? And many, many long established, humongous companies would have been extinct too if not for US Gov's bailed out.
So i am quite wary of Financial Companies. These companies actually just moving people's money around ( in simple terms) - practically not much assets and equities. They can't afford too as money is their asset which has to be loaned out and then it may become a liability.
i only have 1.6K DBS bank shares and 2.7k OCBC shares which i have bought in 2008/2009. i wish i am more daring as many people think our banking system / MAS works differently from the West (US & EURO). But i am not sure? Can any experts share their knowledge?Big Grin
Thanks.
WB:-

1) Rule # 1, do not lose money.
2) Rule # 2, refer to # 1.
3) Not until you can manage your emotions, you can manage your money.

Truism of Investments.
A) Buying a security is buying RISK not Return
B) You can control RISK (to a certain level, hopefully only.) But definitely not the outcome of the Return.

NB:-
My signature is meant for psychoing myself. No offence to anyone. i am trying not to lose money unnecessary anymore.
Reply
#6
(29-10-2012, 09:29 AM)Temperament Wrote:
(28-10-2012, 11:29 PM)Big Toe Wrote: Good list.
If it stays in business for many years and core business more or less stays the same,
then we might have something worth looking at.

Generally speaking, it's quite true. but don't bet 100% on it.
Some very long established companies may just get greedier and greedier and over leverage until the valley of no return when a black-swan suddenly appears. Especially financial companies like banks, brokerages, insurance, etc.
One very good example is who can think that Lehman Brothers can go extinct? And many, many long established, humongous companies would have been extinct too if not for US Gov's bailed out.
So i am quite wary of Financial Companies. These companies actually just moving people's money around ( in simple terms) - practically not much assets and equities. They can't afford too as money is their asset which has to be loaned out and then it may become a liability.
i only have 1.6K DBS bank shares and 2.7k OCBC shares which i have bought in 2008/2009. i wish i am more daring as many people think our banking system / MAS works differently from the West (US & EURO). But i am not sure? Can any experts share their knowledge?Big Grin
Thanks.

in terms of banking:

value banks based more on book value rather than earnings
If you find one below book value, especially tangible book value, worth looking at
if paying multiple of book value, u r paying for growth
so look at ROE and retention rate

check out their capital ratio, u want it >10%, I think Singapore banks generally 12-14% from what I remember
US banks were more aggressive, around 7-8% pre crisis I think
during the crises Sg banks were thus more resilient to absorb

in US, "assets" of the mortgage loans went bad compared to sg banks' mortgage assets were perfectly fine, so there u go...

also make sure don't overleverage, check out asset/equity ratio
this should be between 5-20x
10 would be a more normal range

dividend stability and history is a bonus
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