NST Online Business Times : latest

Posted: 25 Apr 2013 06:53 PM PDT

A majority of Malaysian investors continue to feel positive about the local stock market with 59 per cent of those surveyed believe it will do well this year.

The figure is about the same to those who believed the market would increase last year, according to Franklin Templeton's Global Investor Sentiment Survey.

Franklin Templeton Investments country head (Malaysia) Sandeep Singh said the optimism of Malaysian investors is in line with broader regional investor sentiment.

"Across Asia, investors in general appear positive, with more than half of Asia Pacific investors surveyed being optimistic about their national stock markets.

"We believe Asian investors' positive expectations are largely attributed to the fact that several Asian economies display solid economic fundamentals and strong long term growth prospects," he said in a statement.

The Franklin Templeton Global Investor Sentiment Survey was conducted by ORC International, from January 14 to 25, 2013. It covered 9,518 individuals in 19 countries, including Malaysia.

The survey revealed that 63 per cent of Malaysians say they will be adopting a more conservative strategy in 2013, while 31 per cent of respondents are seeking to make their portfolios more aggressive this year.

Franklin Templeton, a global investment management firm, said the finding is consistent across Asia Pacific where a majority of countries surveyed reflect more conservative investment attitudes this year.

Investors in South Korea, Malaysia and India are the most likely to adopt a more prudent investment strategy, while investors in Hong Kong -- a slight majority of 51 per cent -- are opting for a more aggressive investment style in 2013," Franklin Templeton Investments said in a statement.

The survey also found that Malaysian investors are highly positive about the local investment horizon, with 86 per cent expressing confidence in reaching their financial goals.

They expect an investment return rate of 11.5 per cent in 2013, compared with 8.5 per cent investment return in the 2012 expectation.

Malaysians are also confident of receiving higher rates of return over the next 10 years at an estimated 19.5 per cent.

Of Malaysians who responded to the survey, affluent investors with a household income of RM100,000 and above, with investable assets of at least RM200,000 are the most likely to feel Asia will offer the best fixed income returns over the next 10 years.

Sandeep said this year's survey demonstrates a strong awareness among Malaysian investors on the benefits of pursuing a broad range of fixed income opportunities and he anticipates this phenomenon to grow.

"The findings come as no surprise as Malaysia is currently the fourth largest bond market in Asia including Japan, a likely source of investors' increased confidence in the local bond market," he said.

The survey also revealed that over 50 per cent of respondents think that Syariah-compliant unit trusts would outperform conventional ones.

Of those who prefer Syariah-compliant funds, 17 per cent cited ethical investing as their reason for selecting it, while 15 per cent chose Syariah instruments due to the category's perceived lower risk exposure.

The top three preferred asset classes by Malaysians in terms of perceived gains in 2013 and over the 10 years are property, precious metals (gold/silver) and stocks.

UMW posts record pre-tax profit for FY12

Posted: 25 Apr 2013 07:00 PM PDT

UMW Holdings Bhd posted a pre-tax profit of RM2.01 billion for the financial year ended December 31, 2012, a substantial increase of 47.2 per cent from RM1.37 billion previously.

The achievement was a new record for the group, the company said in a statement today.

Its revenue increased to RM15.86 billion compared with RM13.53 billion, up 17.2 per cent or RM2.33 billion from a year ago.

UMW president and Group chief executive officer Datuk Syed Hisham Syed Wazir said all four core business segments -- automotive, equipment, manufacturing and engineering and oil and gas -- reported higher revenue for the year.

"2012 was another record year for the UMW group and we look forward to challenging ourselves for a better 2013," he said.

On prospects for the automotive segment, he said the Malaysian Automotive Association has forecast the total industry volume for 2013 to improve by about two per cent to 640,000 units from 627,753 units achieved in 2012.

"Collectively, UMW Toyota Motor and Perodua is targeting to sell higher units than the 295,759 units sold in 2012," he said, adding that the group had a market share of 47.1 per cent last year.

"This year will remain challenging due to intense competition in the market with aggressive promotions on new model launches in the automotive industry," he said.

Syed Hisham said revenue for the equipment segment was expected to be slightly lower than 2012 due to uncertain external factors that might affect the demand for equipment.

Nonetheless, the profitability of this segment was expected to sustain resulting from better cost management and increased parts sales, he said.

He also said that performance of the oil and gas segment was expected to improve in 2013 driven by the full-year contribution from jack-up drilling rig Naga 1 and Naga 4.

"Naga 4 received a contract from Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd for a three-year period worth US$157.68 million this month," he said, adding that commissioning works on the new electric resistance welded and coating plant in China would also contribute to the oil and gas segment.

Meanwhile, the manufacturing and engineering segment is expected to improve with major activities planned for 2013, such as higher capacity utilisation for automotive component plants in India, lubricant plant in China and higher sales of Repsol and Pennzoil lubricants.-- Bernama

Kredit: www.nst.com.my

Khamis, 25 April 2013

NST Online Business Times : latest

NST Online Business Times : latest

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