A rising tide lifts all boats.  As the STI Index soars past the 3,500 mark, there’s finally some good feelings about the stock markets again. 3 months to half a year ago, it seemed that those who were not vested in the US markets didn’t catch the tide. But with the Shanghai and Hong Kong markets gaining >20% during the past few months, many investors here are reaping benefits directly or indirectly, including yours truly. Even with MTQ on board dragging down the performance, the stock portfolio still managed to gain ~$7,000 in value during the past month, which translates to something close to a 4% gain. Wow! That’s more than two months of my current salary. Easy money ,eh? Nah. It’s good to be prudent/humble and remember that what the market gives, it can easily take away too in double quick time. The good feelings have not really filtered down to the ......