Temasek Holding : Ho Ching's Step Down

Ho Ching, wife of Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, will step down as CEO of Singapore state own Temasek Holding.

Well, the natural question will be, why now ?

Nevertheless, what caught my attention is the way different media put it across. For example, you can compare the tone and content of both article from Straits Times and Reuters.



Based on the article from Reuters, the potential loss has been summarized as follow :


1. Invested in Barclays PLC on 23rd July 2007 worth S$3 billion at a share price of 7.20 per share (see link) with current price worth slightly more than a dollar.

2. Acquired a 49.6% stake in Shin Corp (see link) worth S$3.1 billion at a share price of THB 49.25. Based on the last traded price in SET, it was closed at THB 17.40 on 6th Feb 2009. That represent a whopping 64% difference.

3. Loss of S$2 billion from a investment of S$5 billion in Merill Lynch

Well, the potential losses are remained to be seen in a longer run, nevertheless, it sounds like a pretty tough job for the next Temasek Holding CEO to be handed with. Sounds like a deja-vu between George W. Bush and US President Barack Obama happening in our own soil :)