Beginner's "Luck"

I was previously very skeptical about investing in the stock market after hearing countless stories about how people have lost a great deal of money during the 97/98 Asian Crisis. As I studied and read more, I began to be aware of the risk and how to manage it. One of my colleague is an avid and knowledgeable investor of the local stock market and have been advising me as well.

I took the first “plunge” when I applied for the Starhill REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) IPO on 25/11. A few months ago when Malaysia’s first REIT (Axis REIT) listing took off, it got such good response from the public that it was around 4 times oversubscribed. On the opening day of Axis REIT listing, its share price climbed 22%! To date, it has appreciated 30% in a short span of 4 months.

Fueled by that kind of response for the first REIT listing, this second REIT (Starhill) drew an even greater response as it was close to 9 times oversubscribed. I was very thankful to be selected on the day of balloting even though I only got 20% of the total units I applied for. My colleague teased me for having beginner's luck on my side.

For now, I think that’s good enough for me to get a feel of investing in the stock market which I once shun completely.