REMAX RC-FC1 handphone/GPS/tablet holder mount stand with magnetic charging cable for car dash or table top

I have just purchased this REMAX RC-FC1 car dash or table top mount stand for handphone, GPS, tablet or other similar gadgets. Beside being a mount stand for the mobile device, it also comes with a magnetic charging mechanism to keep the battery of the mobile device charged.

I found this REMAX RC-FC1 to be very innovative and useful. Its non-slip silicone base can stay firm even on curved surface.

It is very flexible and fit for most mobile devices up to 10" size and not too thick after wearing their case. If the mobile device is too thick, then it might not be able to slot into the 2 holders, which consist of 4 legs each to be attached into the holes of the base.

The base consist of multiple holes to make it very flexible to configure the holder position for different size of mobile device, which you can make them closer for smaller device or for upright screen display, and to make them further apart to support for larger device in landscape display mode.

The magnetic charging cable consists of 2 charging connectors: micro-USB for most Android devices, and Lightning connector for iPhones. Therefore, this car holder is suitable for all mobile devices that use either one of these 2 charging connectors.

The cable is 24cm long, which might be too short to reach the USB port of large tablet in portrait position. It is designed to be magnetically attached to the charging base, so that you can lift your phone or device from the holder without worrying of dragging the whole thing, as the cable will be easily detached from the base if you pull it too far away from the base, to reach your ear, for example. This will ensure the base is still staying firmly on its place, and nothing will be dropped or harmed due to the pulling.

The charging mechanism is essential for your phone or other mobile device to keep its screen on (in "car mode", if possible) and not worrying about its battery being drained out.

Although its main use is for putting your mobile device on car dash, you can also use it to place your phone or tablet on your table top at home or office. In this way, you can make your phone or tablet to be your digital clock / calendar / photo frame, or any other creative display gadget.

You might be interested to watch the video below to know more about this product and its usage.

My Garmin DriveSmart 50LM GPS navigator

I planned to replace my 8 years old Garmin Nuvi 255W (which is still working fine, but just old and a bit slow compared with the new models nowadays) with the new Garmin DriveAssist 50LM which is a 2-in-1 device combining GPS navigator with driving cam recorder.

However, the Garmin DriveAssist 50LM cannot be easily found in local market yet, and I'm unable to get its price detail. I ended up purchased the Garmin DriveSmart 50LM, which is similar to the DriveAssist but without the driving cam recorder function. The price for this AECO set is slightly below RM950 with some free gifts (screen protector, carry case and home USB charger).

This Garmin DriveSmart 50LM GPS navigator contains most of the functions in my Garmin Nuvi 2565LM, and with quite a number of functions not found in the Nuvi 2565LM.

The main improvement found is its ability to integrate and work with smartphones (Android and iPhone) via Bluetooth connection. Apart from the normal Bluetooth hands-free calling and address book function which is already available in Nuvi 2565LM, after installing the 2 apps: Foursquare and Garmin Smartphone Link in the smartphone, you will gain these functions in the DriveSmart 50LM:

• Getting notification from smartphone and popup on the GPS screen, including new SMS, Whatsapp, calendar alert, etc. There is also an option for the GPS to read out the notification message for you.
• Searching of POIs to encompass the numerous up-to-date Foursquare POIs.
• Viewing Foursquare location information including user ratings, restaurant pricing information, operation hours, etc.
• Sync of favourites and travel history with the phone.
• Display of weather information and temperature provided by the phone.

There are also some small functions not found in the Nuvi 2565LM available, including the fatique warning which will remind you to take a rest after 2-3 hours of continuous driving.

The search function has also been improved and easier to use.

This DriveSmart 50LM comes with 4GB internal storage, which is large enough to accomodate many maps, JCVs and other data. There is no need to put in micro-SD card for additional storage, although the micro-SD slot is still there.

This AECO set comes with lifetime free MalFreeMaps and City Navigator Singapore/Malaysia NT map, updatable from Garmin's website.

Similar with the Nuvi 2565LM, software update of this DriveSmart 50LM can be done using Garmin Express installed in the computer.

After connecting the Garmin GPS to the computer with USB cable, the Garmin Express can be used to:

• Register the product for warranty.
• Perform software update.
• Install additional language files.
• Backup favourites to PC.
• Transfer favourites among different Garmin navigators own by you.

However, there are still things I don't like about this DriveSmart 50LM, including:

• It is using mini-USB cable (same as the one used by 255W) and not micro-USB cable (the one used by 2565LM). As most of the smartphones and tablets nowadays are using micro-USB (and the latest such as HTC 10 is already using the new USB type-C), this means mini-USB cable is rarely used. This means the GPS cannot share the same USB cable with your smartphone as the connector is different.
• When connected with smartphone using Smartphone Link, it is able to display new Whatsapp notification, but not until the Whatsapp message detail. When tap to read, it will just read out the sender's detail, but not the message content.

myFreeview digital TV by MYTV has come and end of analog TV in Malaysia by 2018

If you have a television at your home in Malaysia and you are watching the free analog TV programmes (TV1, TV2, TV3, NTV7, 8TV, 9TV, ...) without subscribing to Astro satelite TV or HyppTV broadband TV, you must be aware that there will be no more analog signal broadcasting to your television from 2018 onwards.

In other words, your television will be unable to show any channel and will be pretty useless by 2018, unless you perform either one or more of the following actions:

• Get a MYTV digital terrestrial television (DTTV) decoder box (DVB-T2 receiver) to receive the myFreeview digital TV programmes using your existing UHF aerial and send the DTTV signal to your television via HTMI cable or other compatible signal cables.
• Buy a new television with built in DTTV decoder, certified by MCMC. This kind of television is called integrated digital television (IDTV) and will have a SIRIM approved DTTV sticker on it, which looks like the logo below. You can connect it directly to your existing UHF aerial to watch the TV programmes.

• Just forget about myFreeview and subscribe to alternatives such as Astro (including Astro NJOI) or HyppTV. 
• Buy an Internet TV box such as HiMedia to stream TV programmes using the Internet.

The existing free channels (TV1, TV2, TV3, NTV7, 8TV, 9TV, ...) are still free in myFreeview DTTV service. In future, there might be additional payable channels.

Under this DTTV initiative, the Malaysia government is giving away free decoder box to 2 million eligible families. The free decoder will be sent to them via Poslaju service.

The eligibility criteria for the free MYTV decoder box is:

• Must be registered BR1M beneficiary in 2016.
• Fall within the B40 income group.
• Address is within the initial DTTV broadcast coverage area.

In fact, you can click on this link to check for your eligibility to receive this free MYTV decoder box.

Another way of checking is by sending SMS to 15888 with the following content: "MYTV DEKODER ".

The benefits for you to use myFreeview include:

• Continue to watch the free TV channels after 2017.
• There will be more upcoming TV channels available.
• Better quality of picture and audio in digital format. HDTV is possible.
• Personal video recording functions using the MYTV decoder box sold in the market.

The benefits for the Malaysia government to switch over from analog to DTTV:

• The 700Mhz band currently occupied by the analog TV broadcasting will be freed up in 2018. This band can be reallocated for mobile LTE (4G & 5G) services.
• It is easier to track your TV watching behaviour and pattern using the digital box, perhaps for big data analysis.

The benefits for Syed Mokhtar al-Bukhary in this initiative:

• His company Puncak Semangat Sdn Bhd got the 15-years contract to operate MYTV.

You might be interested to...

• Click here for more information about myFreeview digital TV broadcast service.
• Click here for more information about Astro NJOI free satelite digital TV broadcast service.

TM UniFi free bandwidth upgrade 2017

Under budget 2017, the Malaysian govenment has initiated a move to increase the broadband Internet speed in the country while reducing the broadband subscription fee.

Following the budget announcement in October 2016, broadband service providers in Malaysia, both wired and wireless, have respectively announced their bandwidth increment and/or price reduction plans.

For domestic TM UniFi and Streamyx users, TM has promised to provide free upgrade to existing bandwidth subscribed by their users, at no additional cost. Now, this has come to reality!

If you are existing domestic TM UniFi or Streamyx user, you can check for the free Internet speed upgrade detail of your subscription with this webpage:

https://www.tm.com.my/thankyousurprise/

In general, if your existing UniFi package is 30 Mbps, you will be upgraded to 50 Mbps, at the same subscription fee as before, and all the components in your package remains the same except for the increase in bandwidth. If your existing UniFi package is 50 Mbps, you will get 100 Mbps after the upgrade.

This bandwidth upgrade exercise is called the "TM Thank You Surprise Free Speed Upgrade Campaign".

Eligible TM broadband customers will receive email and/or SMS about this campaign, together with the link above. If you have not received the message from TM, you can still click on the above link to check for your eligibility.

To accept this offer, you need to visit to the above link, and fill in your basic personal details.

Before filling up the online form and giving out your personal detail, it is always advisable for you to check for the validity of the website's SSL certificate to ensure the website you visited is genuine.

If you are using Google Chrome browser, click on the word "Secure" with lock icon at the left of the URL address bar, then click "Details" under "Secure connection", then click the "View certificate" button.

If you are using Internet Explorer browser, click on the lock icon (security report) at the right of the URL address bar, then click "View certificates".

You should then be able to see that the SSL certificate of the website is issued to www.tm.com.my and the expiry date is in the future.

After submitting your details which include your UniFi phone number, the screen will show you your eligible upgrade. You can then choose to accept or decline the upgrade offer.

Note:

• If you declined the offer, nothing will happen. You will continue to pay your UniFi subscription fee at same amount, and your bandwidth remains the same as before. All the components in your package: voice calls, HyppTV, TM WiFi, ... remains the same.
• If you accepted the offer, your bandwidth will be upgraded in a future date (before July 2017). Your subscription fee remains the same as before the upgrade, and all the components in your package: voice calls, HyppTV, TM WiFi, ... remains the same.
• If you do not indicate accept or decline, I'm not sure it will default to which option. Most likely it will default to declined.

Important: if you wish to accept this offer, you need to click on the Accept button in the website latest by 31 January 2017.

According to TM, once your bandwidth is successfully upgraded, you will be informed by email and/or SMS. You will need to reboot your modem or CPE equipment for the new bandwidth to take effect.

Malaysia schools festival holidays in 2017 (Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Aidilfitri & Deepavali)

Here are the Malaysia schools' festival holidays in 2017 for Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Deepavali, as announced by Ministry of Education (a.k.a. Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia, KPM).

Note that individual school can apply for additional off days  during these festival holidays period, which might subject to having replacement class for the additional off days applied.

The 2017 festival holidays for schools in Group B, which weekends fall on Saturday and Sunday, is as follow:

The 2017 festival holidays for schools in Group A, which weekends fall on Friday and Saturday, is as follow:

For your knowledge and information:

• Chinese New Year falls on the first day of the first month of a new Chinese lunar calendar year.
• Hari Raya Aidilfitri (a.k.a. Hari Raya Puasa) falls on the first day in Shawwal (the 10th month in Islamic calendar year) after the last fasting month of Ramadan (the 9th month in Islamic calendar year).
• Deepavali celebrated in South-India, which followed by the Indian race in Malaysia and Singapore, falls on Ashvina Krishna Chaturdasi which is the lunar day before the new moon (Amavasya) in the Hindu lunisolar calendar. The date is between mid-October to mid-November every year.

Auspicious dates for wedding / marriage in 2018

Many couples plan for their wedding more than 1 year ahead in order to have sufficient preparation time.

Here is the list of auspicious dates for wedding/marriage in year 2018 (year of Dog), which is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu. (Click the image to enlarge)

 

Bear in mind that although the Tong Shu is a compilation of Chinese astrology and calendaring studies gathering wisdom of thousands of years, we should use it wisely and rationally, but not be too superstitious on it.

Auspicious dates in 2017 for housewarming, open house, party, gathering, etc.

Here is the list of auspicious dates in 2017 for organizing and hosting meet-up with friends and/or relatives (会友), which is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu.

The dates are applicable for housewarming, open house, home party, gathering, potluck, and any other similar functions to meet up with friends and/or relatives. (Click the image to enlarge)

Bear in mind that although the Tong Shu is a compilation of Chinese astrology and calendaring studies gathering wisdom of thousands of years, we should use it wisely and rationally, but not be too superstitious on it.

Auspicious dates in 2017 for signing contract, register for marriage, etc.

Here is the list of auspicious dates in year 2017 for signing contract, signing offer letter, register for marriage, receiving religious baptism, and other similar agreement-related activities. It is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu.

Bear in mind that although the Tong Shu is a compilation of Chinese astrology and calendaring studies gathering wisdom of thousands of years, we should use it wisely and rationally, but not be too superstitious on it.

Auspicious dates for baby first haircut (Mundan) in 2017

In many culture, religion and/or tradition, the first haircut of a baby is considered an important milestone for his/her life. The day is known as Mundan, Chadakarana, Halaqah, Upsherin, etc.

Here is the list of auspicious dates for baby first haircut in year 2017, which is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu. (Click the image to enlarge)

Bear in mind that although the Tong Shu is a compilation of Chinese astrology and calendaring studies gathering wisdom of thousands of years, we should use it wisely and rationally, but not be too superstitious on it.

Auspicious dates in 2017 for getting a baby

Here is the list of auspicious dates in 2017 (year of Rooster) for getting a baby (求嗣), which is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu.

The dates have good element(s) to embro/faetus. Traditionally, the dates are referred for conception planning (making love and expecting a baby to the family). Nowadays, people also make reference to them for Caesarian delivery of new born.

Bear in mind that although the Tong Shu is a compilation of Chinese astrology and calendaring studies gathering wisdom of thousands of years, we should use it wisely and rationally, but not be too superstitious on it.

Auspicious dates for marriage proposal or engagement in 2017

Before becoming the life partner, marriage is proposed by lover and engagement is made.

Here is the list of auspicious dates for marriage proposal or engagement in year 2017 (year of Rooster), which is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu. (Click the image to enlarge)

Bear in mind that although the Tong Shu is a compilation of Chinese astrology and calendaring studies gathering wisdom of thousands of years, we should use it wisely and rationally, but not be too superstitious on it.

Auspicious dates for moving to new house / office in 2017

Here is the list of auspicious dates for moving to new house/office in year 2017, which is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu. (Click the image to enlarge)

Bear in mind that although the Tong Shu is a compilation of Chinese astrology and calendaring studies gathering wisdom of thousands of years, we should use it wisely and rationally, but not be too superstitious on it.

Auspicious dates for starting new job / post / assignment in 2017

For employees, especially those in leading/managing position, here is a list of auspicious dates  in 2017 for starting new job/post/assignment, including joining new company or joining new team in existing company. It is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu.

It can be applied to first day reporting to new company/department/office/position, go for the post to lead/manage a new business unit/team/project/programme. It can also be applied to assuming new job position after promotion/restructuring/relocation exercise.

Bear in mind that although the Tong Shu is a compilation of Chinese astrology and calendaring studies gathering wisdom of thousands of years, we should use it wisely and rationally, but not be too superstitious on it.

Auspicious dates for renovation in 2017

Here is the list of auspicious dates for home or office renovation in year 2017, which is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu. (Click the image to enlarge)

 

Bear in mind that although the Tong Shu is a compilation of Chinese astrology and calendaring studies gathering wisdom of thousands of years, we should use it wisely and rationally, but not be too superstitious on it.

Auspicious dates for opening business in 2017

Here is the list of auspicious dates for opening business in year 2017, which is produced based on the Chinese almanac Tong Shu.

It can be applied to new business opening, or reopening of business after a break/holiday. (Click the image to enlarge)

Bear in mind that although the Tong Shu is a compilation of Chinese astrology and calendaring studies gathering wisdom of thousands of years, we should use it wisely and rationally, but not be too superstitious on it.

MyCelcom Postpaid App to track your Celcom mobile usages

Celcom is now at the final stage of developing their MyCelcom Postpiad App for Android, for their Celcom First postpaid mobile plan users. Apparently, this mobile app is going to launch soon, and already available for free download in Google Play Store.

This is how it looks like:

The app shows your billing amount due, and you can pay your Celcom bill directly in the app. It is also able to show your last 6 months billing history.

With the app, you can instantly check your up to date usage of the current billing month on Internet data (free quota - weekdays, free quota - weekends & top-up quota), phone calls (free quota & pay per use), SMS (free quota & pay per use) and international roaming.

If you used up your free Internet data quota, you can also buy add-on Internet quota in the app (2GB for RM18).

You can get the detail information about your Celcom postpaid plan in the My Plan Details screen as below:

Last but not least, you can also use this app to check for your SIM card PUK number.

Click here to download the MyCelcom Postpaid App for Android.

File Manager + the free, fast, easy to use file explorer with simple GUI and great features

What is the file explorer app you use in your Android smartphone? The stock is usually primitive, and the famous ES Explorer has gone complicated.

My choice is File Manager +, which has a simple, straightforward, easy to use GUI, yet packed with some great features.

There are quite a number of apps in Google Play Store named as File Manager, look for the icon above to locate the right one.

In a simple screen, this app shows you the available and used storage space in your phone's main storage, and external SD card, if any. It also categorizes the files stored in your phone into Images, Music, Videos, Documents, Apps, etc. for easy navigation and access.

 

It can even link to network storages in the cloud (Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive), or remotely access via Windows neighbourhood sharing, FTP, FTPS and SFTP access. It also provide an option for you to make your phone become an FTP server, so that its files in internal and external storage can be access from PC or any other FTP clients.

It also has a Storage Analysis function to examine the storage occupying percentage analysis, and list out the large files that have taken up a lot of storage space.

 

The good news is, this app of high usability with neat and clean user interface, is free for download and use, and it doesn't contain any ads too.

How to open the menu / more options in Android devices without the menu navigation button?

One of the problem I faced with my Samsung Galaxy Tab A 6 (10.1", S Pen, LTE, SM-P585Y) Android tablet is that, although it has a Home button, a "Recent Apps" button and a "Back" button, it doesn't come with a "Menu" button which certain apps rely on to bring up their More Options menu.

Anyhow, there is a workaround solution for this, by using the Accessibility Assistant Menu.

To enable this, go to Setting > Accessibility and select the "Dexterity and interaction" option.

Then, select the "Assistant menu" option inside the "Dexterity and interaction" menu.

Switch on the "Assistant menu", and you will see this floating action button appear on the screen:

Tap on it and you will be able to see the "More options" soft button.

In your app, tap on this "More options" to bring up and access into its menu settings.

You can switch off this "Assistant menu" after use. The floating action button will disappear from the screen when it is switched off.

My 10.1 inches Samsung Galaxy Tab A 6 with S Pen and LTE phone function (SM-P585Y)

I used to read subscribed electronic magazines with my Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 tablet when I am on the move. In many occasions, I found its screen too small to display the text in the electronic magazines to be readable without having to enlarge the pages.

Recently, Samsung launched a new Samsung Galaxy Tab A tablet with 10.1" TFT LCD screen that comes with S Pen and supports both WiFi and LTE cellular network. It has full phone feature and can be used for phone calling and SMS function too!

I found its price of around RM1,500 to be reasonable, and therefore bought one to serve for my electronic magazines reading.

This Samsung Galaxy Tab A 6 with S Pen (model: SM-P585Y) is a mid-range Android tablet, powered by the Samsung Exynos 7 Octa 7870 14nm processor.

Specification wise, it is much better than the 9.7" Samsung Galaxy Tab A with S Pen and LTE support. The 9.7" version only has a screen resolution of 1024x768 while this 10.1" version one is 1920x1200. In addition, the 9.7" version has quad-core CPU and 2 GB RAM, while this 10.1" version has octa-core CPU and 3 GB RAM.

However, being a mid-range tablet, its specification is lower than the high spec Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 (9.7", LTE). The S2 has 2048x1536 super AMOLED screen and more sensors, but doesn't have S Pen.

What I like about this Samsung Galaxy Tab A 6 with S Pen (10.1", LTE)?

• Its 10.1" screen is large among the tablets in the market.
• It has a high capacity Li-ion battery of 7,300 mAh which can last for long hours of usage.
• It supports multi-user usage, whereby each user can login with separate account.
• It supports split window and also multiview for multitasking.
• Its S Pen is nice for drawing or writing quick notes. Comes with S Command function too.
• It has sufficient RAM to run smoothly.
• Its price is reasonable.

What I dislike about this Samsung Galaxy Tab A 6 with S Pen (10.1", LTE)?

• It does not have a "menu" navigation button, which need some software workaround to bring out the setting menu in some apps.
• It is quite heavy, probably due to its high capacity battery. It is even heavier when its book cover case (EF-BP580) is put on.
• It only has 16 GB internal storage, which is pretty small. Its official firmware does not support for Android 6 adoptable storage, so even if you add in a micro-SD card to expand its storage capacity, most of its storage usage is still residing within the small 16 GB internal storage.
• It does not have accelerometer, fingerprint sensor, gyroscope, geo-magnetic sensor, infra red blaster, NFC, etc.
• Although the Samsung Exynos 7870 supports LTE Cat.6, it only support LTE Cat.4.
• It does not support 2x2 MIMO Wireless-A WiFi. Its maximum connection speed at 5Ghz WiFi is 433Mbps only instead of 866Mbps.

Electronic password protected money saving box

To encourage my kid to save pocket money with fun, I have bought him an electronic password protected money saving box.

This money saving box is designed to store both coins and notes. It is quite large, about 7 x 4 x 4.5 cubic inches.

It operates with 3 AA size batteries, to be inserted into its bottom compartment.

Coins are dropped from its top aperture, just like most ordinary piggy bank. Bank notes are to be inserted from its front aperture. Interestingly, this saving box will roll the bank notes into it, with similar effect of automated parking machine.

It has a revolving vault door with password protection, working similarly to a real safe. The password can be changed too.

On top of it is a small LED light, when switched on in darkness, can provide good enough illumination for putting in the coins and slotting in the bank notes.

Christmas and new year is around the corner. At the price of around RM60, perhaps this is a good choice as present to the kids.

Clean and sanitize my washing machine with Xin Juke tub cleaning powder

Washing machine is commonly used in modern household to help us wash and clean our clothes without much hassle.

Over time, external surface of the inner tub of the washing machine will develop many of these contaminations, which might in turn contaminate the clothes in it:

• Residue of detergent
• Lint
• Dirt
• Mildew
• Fungal
• Allergens
• Bacteria (including staphylococcus aureus, escherichia coli, etc.)

Therefore, it is advisable to regularly clean and sanitize your washing machine.

You can DIY your own homemade washing machine tub cleaning formula by washing it with the following one-by-one:

• Baking soda powder (1 tea cup + full tank of water)
• White vinegar (2 tea cups + full tank of water)
• Bleach (1 tea cup + full tank of water) 

I use Xin Juke tub cleaning powder for this purpose, one 90 gram packet at a time. Each 90 gram packet cost RM3.90 only. This washing machine cleaning power is suitable for both the top loaded and front loaded types of washing machine.

Using Xin Juke or other similar washing machine cleaning solution can save some hassle, time, and water used. The Xin Juke doesn't cost much too, although some other brand of similar solution might cost a lot.

The steps for using Xin Juke in top loading washing machine are:

• Dissolve one to two packets of the powder into warm water of around 40~80 degree Celcius.
• Fill up the washing machine with near full tank water.
• Pour the Xin Juke solution into the tank. (Alternatively, you can combine the above 2 steps and skip this step, if you can fill the washing machine with warm water. The temperature is suitable to fully dissolve the Xin Juke powder)
• Put in one to two pieces of cleaning cloth so that the washing machine not running with empty tub.
• Operate the washing machine for about 10 minutes.
• Stop the washing machine and let the cleaning solution to work for 3 to 4 hours in still water (but not too long until more than half a day)
• There might be dirty substances floating on top of the water. Remove them.
• Continue the washing cycle until it complete. You can use the "tub cleaning" washing cycle if your washing machine support this mode.

The steps for using Xin Juke in front loading washing machine are:

• Pour one to two packets of the powder into the tub and close the door.
• Put in one to two pieces of cleaning cloth so that the washing machine not running with empty tub.
• Fill up half the tub with water, preferably warm water.
• Operate the washing machine for about 10 minutes.
• Stop the washing machine and let the cleaning solution to work for 3 to 4 hours in still water (but not too long until more than half a day)
• Continue the washing cycle until it complete.

The steps are different because once the front loading washing machine is filled up with water, you can't simply open its door!

Stock fundamental ranking and screening with James O'Shaughnessy Trending Value

James Patrick O’Shaughnessy is the founder of quantitative money management firm O'Shaughnessy Asset Management, LLC.

In 1996, he wrote the best selling book "What Works on Wall Street", which has now evolved to its 4th Edition.

In the 3rd Edition of this book published in 2005, O'Shaughnessy unveiled the Cornerstone Growth stock screening method, which is based on the following criteria:

• Market capitalization >= $225 million
• 3-month average daily share volume >= 100,000
• Price-to-sales ratio <= 1.5
• 3-month total return greater than the median return of Russell 3000 companies
• 6-month total return greater than the median return of Russell 3000 companies
• Trailing 12-month EPS > 0
• Rank by highest 12-month total return

Subsequent to that, the 4th Edition of the book, published in 2011, introduced the improved Trending Value growth stock screening method, which claimed to achieved 21.19% annualized return over the 46-year period between 1964 and 2009.
Trending Value uses “value composite” (VC) instead of just the Price-to-sales ratio to measure stock undervaluation, which O'Shaughnessy described as "the top stock-market strategy of the past 50 years".

The value composite is composed of 6 value factors:

• Price-to-Book
• Price-to-Sales
• EBITDA/EV
• Price-to-Cashflow
• Price-to-Earnings
• Shareholder Yield

Listed companies in a stock market are divided into 100 groups (percentiles) based on the 6 value factors above. If a company's price-to-book ratio is in the lowest 1% of the dataset, it gets a score of 1. For some ratios it's the other way around, for instance EBITDA/EV. If a company belongs to the highest 10%, it gets a score of 1. If a value is missing, it gets a score of 50.

The same calculation is repeated for each of the ratios and then their values are summed up together. Companies are again divided into 100 groups based on this score. This final result is the so-called value composite.

A value composite of 1 means that the company belongs to the 1% cheapest companies according to these factors.
In the next filtering process, only the top 10% stocks ranked according to this value composite score are selected. Then these stocks are further filtered by a momentum factor, i.e. the 6-month price index. The result is an extremely cheap group of stocks that have been on the rise during the last 6 months.
O'Shaughnessy tested 3 different value composite scores as follow:

• VC1: based on the first 5 ratios only, excluding shareholder yield. By using this ratio his backtests showed a return of 17.18% annually.
• VC2: based on all 6 ratios. O'Shaughnessy uses this ratio in his trended value screen since his backtests showed an improvement in overall annual compound return of 12 basis points to 17.3%, a reduced standard deviation and downside risk.
• VC3: same as VC2 but the last ratio is replaced by buyback yield. Some investors are indifferent whether a company pays out a dividend or want to avoid these since they can be very heavily taxed. This VC generates an even higher return of 17.39% annually but with a slightly higher standard deviation compared to the VC2.

At the time of writing,  ValueSignals website ranked KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KLMR.PK) with the following scores:

• VC1: 1
• VC2: 1
• VC3: 1

The value factors of KLMR.PK compared with the entire market, the Industrials sector, the Transportation group, and the Airlines industry, respectively, is as below:

However, KLMR.PK only ranked at 4,842 in Magic Formula screening method:

Anyhow, it still has a respectably high Piotroski F-Score:

ValueSignals website provides a very handy and straightforward online service for systematic value investing to perform quantitative stock screening, stock comparison and stock information, currently covering as many as 33,600 stock counters listed in 44 countries around the world.

Beside O'Shaughnessy Value Composites, ValueSignals website is also able to perform screening (including multifactor cross-screening) of:

• Piotroski's F-Score
• Greenblatt's Magic Formula
• ERP5
• Altman's Z-Score
• Beneish’s M-Score
• Benjamin Graham's Net Current Asset Value (NCAV) to Market ratio
• EV/EBITDA
• Price index
• ... and many more

The screening can be performed across all stock counters, or limited to within certain regions,  countries, industries, etc.

As a user of ValueSignals, I recommend this website to all serious value investors and fund managers to boost your stock screening and selection process.

Top 30 property developers in The Edge Malaysia Property Excellence Awards 2016

The Edge Malaysia has just announced the Top 10 winners in their Property Excellence Awards 2016, which are:

• SP Setia Bhd
• IJM Land Bhd
• Sunway Bhd
• Sime Darby Property Bhd
• Mah Sing Group Bhd
• Eco World Development Group Bhd
• UOA Development Bhd
• Gamuda Bhd - Property Division
• IGB Corp Bhd
• UEM Sunrise Bhd

Following the Top 10 winners above, the subsequent Top 11-30 are:

• IOI Properties Group Bhd
• Tropicana Corp Bhd
• Eastern & Oriental Bhd
• Paramount Corp Bhd
• MKH Bhd
• WCT Land Sdn Bhd
• Selangor Dredging Bhd
• OSK Holdings Bhd
• Glomac Bhd
• Malaysian Resources Corp Bhd
• KSL Holdings Bhd
• Wing Tai Malaysia Bhd
• Matrix Concepts Holding Bhd
• TA Global Bhd
• Sunsuria Bhd
• YTL Land & Development Bhd
• Guocoland (Malaysia) Bhd
• Hua Yang Bhd
• SHL Consolidated Bhd
• I-Bhd

On top of that, Tan Sri FD Mansor and Datuk Richard Fong, both from Glomac Bhd, won the Outstanding Property Entrepreneur Award 2016.

Stock fundamental ranking and screening with Greenblatt Magic Formula

In 2005, Joel Greenblatt published a book titled "The Little Book That Beats the Market" and introduced his Magic Formula value investing method to the world. The book was supposedly wrote to teach his own children, in his Jewish family, about investment. That book became a New York Times bestseller with over 300,000 copies in print.

In 2010, the books content was updated, and its new edition is now called "The Little Book That Still Beats the Market" which you can still find in bookstores (both physical and online) now.

Joel Greenblatt is a hedge fund manager running Gotham Asset Management (formerly known as Gotham Capital) which claimed to have achieved an impressive annualized return of 40% from 1985 to 2006. He is also an adjunct professor in Columbia Business School teaching the subject of "value and special situation investing".

Greenblatt operates the Value Investors Club website for value investors around the world to freely join and share investment ideas. Another website of him is Magic Formula Investing, which is a free online stock screener (for stocks listed in USA only) based on his Magic Formula.

In his book, Greenblatt explained that in order to get above-average returns, one should buy companies with above-average return on capital at below-average prices. To find those companies, he first filters the stocks by eliminating certain industries including Utilities and Financials, which he found not applicable to his Magic Formula.

After that, he narrows down the search by filtering the companies based on market capitalization. Greenblatt suggests to apply Magic Formula to companies with market capitalization of above US$50 million. You can adjust this filter to search between large caps, mid caps and small caps targets.

Then he ranks the remaining companies based on 2 ratios:

• Earnings Yield
• Return on Invested Capital (ROIC)

whereby...

Earnings Yield = EBIT / EV

which...

Enterprise Value (EV) = (Market Cap + Total Debt + Minority Interest + Preferred Stock − Cash & ST Investments)

and that:

ROIC = EBIT / (Net Fixed Assets + Net Working Capital)

whereby...

Net Fixed Assets = (Total Assets - Total Current Assets - Goodwill)

Net Working Capital = (Current Assets − Current Liabilities)

There are reasons why Greenblatt uses ROIC in his Magic Formula instead of ROE or ROA or other similar return ratios, and Hurricane Capital has written an article to explain about this.

At the time of writing, ValueSignals website ranked Sandridge Mississippian Trust II (NYSE:SDR) which operates in oil and natural gas sector at the top of Greenblatt Magic Formula screening.

However, SDR only scored a low 3 in Piotroski F-Score.

If you apply both the screeners of Greenblatt Magic Formula and Piotroski F-Score now, you will find magicJack VocalTec Ltd. (NASDAQ:CALL) on top of the list.

It ranks #4 in Magic Formula screening result, and scored a 7 in Piotroski F-Score test.

 

This combined screening is expected to produce better result than just using a single screening factor.

ValueSignals website provides a very handy and straightforward online service for systematic value investing to perform quantitative stock screening, stock comparison and stock information, currently covering as many as 33,600 stock counters listed in 44 countries around the world.

Beside Greenblatt's Magic Formula, ValueSignals website is also able to perform screening (including multifactor cross-screening) of:

• Piotroski's F-Score
• O'Shaughnessy Value Composites
• ERP5
• Altman's Z-Score
• Beneish’s M-Score
• Benjamin Graham's Net Current Asset Value (NCAV) to Market ratio
• EV/EBITDA
• Price index
• ... and many more

The screening can be performed across all stock counters, or limited to within certain regions,  countries, industries, etc.

As a user of ValueSignals, I recommend this website to all serious value investors and fund managers to boost your stock screening and selection process.

Stock fundamental ranking and screening with Piotroski F-Score

Piotroski F-Score was introduced by Professor Joseph D. Piotroski in his paper titled "Value Investing: The Use of Historical Financial Statement Information to Separate Winners from Losers" published in January 2002 while he was teaching as an assistant professor in University of Chicago. He is now teaching in Stanford University Graduate School of Business, and has just promoted from associate professor to professor in 2016.

You can click here to download that interesting 39-pages paper written by Piotroski on his F-Score.

Piotroski backtested his F-Score screening method in his paper and concluded that by investing in the low price-to-book ratio companies filtered by the F-Score, one could have generated a 23% average yearly return from 1976 to 1996.

Today, Piotroski F-Score is used by quite a number of fund managers as well as individual investors in their value investment stock screening process. The F-Score has also been applied in many other academic papers and has so far proven to be effective for stock screening, especially when combined with other fundamental stock screening methods, such as Greenblatt's magic formula, etc.

A backtest by Olivier Dambrine (owner of MFIE Capital which operates the ValueSignals global stock screening website) revealed that a European stock portfolio establised by their Piotroski price-to-book screener is able to achieve an impressive 525% return between June 1999 and August 2011, while at the same period of time the  S&P600 Europe including net dividends has a return of -15%. You can click here to read that article written by Olivier Dambrine on 1 September 2011.

The American Association of Individual Investors (AAII) also revealed in an article titled "2008 AAII Stock Screen Roundup: Piotroski Strategy Defeats the Bear" by Wayne A. Thorp that the F-Score was the only one of their 56 screening methodologies that had positive results in 2008 (up 32.6% on average across 5 stocks, versus -41.7% for all of the AAII strategies over the same period).

Piotroski F-Score is the sum of 9 binary (meaning, either 0 or 1) scores in 3 fundamental categories of the stock, as below:

Profitability:

• Did the company make a profit during the last 12 months?
• Did it generate any cash?
• Was it more profitable compared to the prior year?
• Did it make more cash than the reported profit?

Leverage, Liquidity and Source of Funds:

• Did the company increase its relative LT debt compared to the prior year?
• Did the company improve its ability to pay short-term liabilities  (debt and payables) with its short-term assets (cash, inventory, receivables)?
• Was the company not required to issue new shares to pay for its future obligations?

Operating Efficiency:

• Was the company able to improve its margins on sales?
• Was the company able to improve productivity?

The above 9 criterias are tested by the following financial conditions, comparing the current year with previous year:

• ROA > 0, EPS > 0
• Operating cash flow > 0
• ROA growth
• Operating cash flow > Net profit
• (Assets / LT Debt) increased
• Current Ratio increased
• Share Outstanding remains
• Gross Profit Margin increases
• Asset Turnover increases

An example of stock counter having full F-Score is Forrester Research Inc. (NASDAQ:FORR).

You might want to double check if the counter is consistently scoring high F-Score throughout the years, or has been improving from lower F-Score to higher F-Score across the period. Below is the historical Piotroski F-Score Scorecard of Forrester Research Inc. as presented by ValueSignals website.

The scorecard above shows that the F-Score of the stock counter improved from quarter to quarter, from 5 in 2013 eventually to 9 in mid-2016. It also indicates which out of the 9 criterias had passed or failed the test in each of the quarters.

ValueSignals website provides a very handy and straightforward online service for systematic value investing to perform quantitative stock screening, stock comparison and stock information, currently covering as many as 33,600 stock counters listed in 44 countries around the world.

Beside Piotroski F-Score, ValueSignals website is also able to perform screening (including multifactor cross-screening) of:

• Greenblatt's Magic Formula
• O'Shaughnessy Value Composites
• ERP5
• Altman's Z-Score
• Beneish’s M-Score
• Benjamin Graham's Net Current Asset Value (NCAV) to Market ratio
• EV/EBITDA
• Price index
• ... and many more

The screening can be performed across all stock counters, or limited to within certain regions,  countries, industries, etc.

As a user of ValueSignals, I recommend this website to all serious value investors and fund managers to boost your stock screening and selection process.