Temasek Holdings scores with Barclays!

I’m very sure everyone associates Barclays with the English Premiership. It proved to be a lucrative partnership for the Premiership and a fantastic advertising campaign for Barclays.

However, such sweet gains did not extend to generous and kind-looking Ho Ching of Temasek Holdings.

Reuters reports:

LONDON, June 3 (Reuters) – Singapore state investor Temasek sold its stake in British bank Barclays Plc (BARC.L) several months ago at a big loss, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

After spending over 1 billion pounds on the shares in the last two years, unlisted Temasek [TEM.UL] may have lost over 800 million pounds ($1.3 billion) on the investment, according to calculations by Reuters.

Temasek sold its near 2 percent stake in Britain’s second biggest bank in December and January, one of the sources said. The sources declined to be named due to the confidential nature of the investment.

Temasek and Barclays declined to comment, and details of the price it sold at were not known.

Oops. Let’s predict Finance Minister’s reply on this issue.

We are long-investors. However, long-term investors does not mean holding for eternity, but instead biting the bullet and accepting losses whenever necessary so as to allocate limited assets in the most efficient way. Temasek Holdings has seen fit to sell (insert investment here) so as to invest in (insert random country here,preferably high-growth like China to bamboozle everyone) which we believe will yield higher returns. In fact, if you compare it to (insert funds that are low-performing), you will find that Temasek Holdings has outperformed it consistently. It is never possible to always make money, but I am sure Singaporeans will accept the occasional losses once they see the big picture. Now please stop disturbing me over Temasek Holdings and feel free to modify this statement whenever necessary.

What to do? It has happened. No regrets. In life, to spend time regretting will get you nowhere, Ho Ching says.

I prefer to regret and not lose money, rather than invest and NOT regret the losses later.

Yet another Temasek Holdings WIN.

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