Khamis, 24 Januari 2013

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Posted: 24 Jan 2013 07:03 PM PST

Malaysia's RAM Ratings has reaffirmed the AA3 long-term rating of Kesas Sdn Bhd's (Kesas or "the Company") RM800 million Al-Bai' Bithaman Ajil Islamic Debt Securities (BaIDS) (2002/2014) while revising its rating outlook to stable from negative. Kesas is the toll concessionaire for the 35-km Shah Alam Expressway ("the Highway") under a concession agreement dated 19 November 1993.

RAM's rating action follows the Government's recent announcement that Kesas will receive an RM86 million cash compensation for non-revision of its toll rates in 2012. At the same time, toll rates for the Highway would be reduced effective 15 January 2013 while tariffs would not be raised until 2016 (the toll rate for Class 1 vehicles has already been lowered from RM2.20 to RM2.00).

Despite the loss of monthly revenue from the reduced tariffs, the one-off cash compensation is expected to boost the Company's cash coffers while improving its debt coverage. Moving forward, Kesas is expected to register respective minimum and average finance service coverage ratios of 1.4 times and 1.9 times (with cash balances, calculated on debt-repayment dates) throughout the remaining tenure of its BaIDS, compared to 1.2 times and 1.8 times expected during the rating review in October last year.

Further to that, RAM has been made to understand that the compensation is expected to be received before the Company's lumpy RM264 million repayment on the BaIDS in October 2013. In this regard, we expect Kesas to prioritise its debt obligations ahead of any distributions to its shareholders as this is imperative to preserving its debt-servicing ability. Any deviations from our current expectations will be reassessed for credit implications. -- Reuters

KL shares open higher

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 06:25 PM PST

Share prices on Bursa Malaysia extended Wednesday's gains to open higher Friday on continued buying interest, mostly
seen in the palm oil counters, dealers said.

As at 9.29 am, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) was 5.97 points better at 1,641.22 after opening 7.94 points higher at 1,643.19.

The local bourse was closed yesterday for the Maulidur Rasul public holiday.

HwangDBS Vickers Research said as the local bourse took a break yesterday, its regional peers ended broadly mixed, with Japan and Thailand rising, while South Korea and Taiwan were down.

"Over on Wall Street, major US equity indices closed between -0.7 per cent and +0.3 per cent last night amid news of lower jobless claims and better corporate earnings outlook.

"This could pave the way for our Malaysian stock market to extend its gradual recovery," it said in a research note today.

From a technical perspective, HwangDBS said the benchmark FBM KLCI may be eager to cross and pull away from 1,635 towards the next resistance line of 1,655.

The Finance Index rose 31.21 points to 14,899.22, the Industrial Index added 16.04 points to 2,756.05 and the Plantation Index gained 54.04 points to 8,061.84.

The FBM Emas Index jumped 42.36 points to 11,162.08, the FBMT100 picked up 42.09 points to 11,012.31, the FBM Mid 70 Index strengthened 55.97 points to 12,151.88 and the FBM Ace Index was 9.37 points higher at 4,144.48.

Gainers led losers 170 to 83 with 138 counters unchanged, 1,268 untraded and 28 others were suspended. Volume stood at 109.81 million shares worth RM176.6 million.

Actives, The Media Shoppe added one sen to 10 sen, Tenaga Nasional earned nine sen to RM7.05, D.B.E. Gurney rose half a sen to 8.5 sen but Patimas Computers eased half a sen to 10.5 sen.

Heavyweights, Maybank and CIMB rose one sen each to RM8.91 and RM7.25, respectively, Sime Darby jumped 14 sen to RM9.39 and Axiata Group added two sen to RM6.45. -- Bernama

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North Korea vows more nuclear testing, threatens US as 'sworn enemy' - MSNBC

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 08:43 AM PST

North Korea is using its most aggressive rhetoric against the U.S. since Kim Jong-un took power. (David Guttenfelder/AP/dapd)

Two days into President Obama's second term and with a transition of power on tap at the State Department, the North Korean military is using its most aggressive rhetoric toward the United States since Kim Jong-un took power–including a pledge to build up its arsenal and further nuclear testing.

In a lengthy statement, released on Thursday by its National Defense Commission through state-run media, North Korea wagged a finger in the face of the U.N. Security Council, and repeatedly challenged the U.S. role in pushing sanctions aimed at neutralizing the goading nuclear state. The defiant moves comes after the Security Council on Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution that tightened sanctions against the country and condemned the Dec. 12 North Korea rocket launch as a violation of an existing resolution. China, one of North Korea's few international allies, joined the U.S. and other countries in support.

"The U.S. is taking the lead in encroaching upon the sovereignty of the DPRK, its allies are siding with it and the U.N. Security Council has been reduced into an organization bereft of impartiality and balance," the defense commission's statement reads.

The most hostile language is aimed directly at the United States.

"We do not hide that a variety of satellites and long-range rockets which will be launched by the DPRK one after another and a nuclear test of higher level which will be carried out by it in the upcoming all-out action, a new phase of the anti-U.S. struggle that has lasted century after century, will target against the U.S., the sworn enemy of the Korean people," the statement reads. "Settling accounts with the U.S. needs to be done with force, not with words as it regards jungle law as the rule of its survival."

The statement goes on to challenge a "more dangerous phase" in the U.S. policy toward North Korea and insists that only the "denuclearization" of the United States and rest of the world will stop the country from pursuing its own nuclear ambitions.

Glyn Davies, special envoy on North Korea, reacted to the statement–and the possibility of further North Korean nuclear testing–during a visit in South Korea.

"We think that would be a mistake obviously," Davies told reporters. "We call on North Korea as does the entire international community not to engage in any further provocations."

Davies put the onus on North Korea to comply with the Security Council.

"This unanimous action by the Security Council makes clear that the international community is sending as strong signal to North Korea," he said.

The provocation comes as Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., testifies before his colleagues as nominee to replace Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Obama to tap former federal prosecutor to head SEC - Reuters

Posted: 24 Jan 2013 08:40 AM PST

Mary Jo White, Partner Debevoise & Plimpton and former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, speaks during the Reuters Finanacial Regulation Summit in New York, April 24, 2009.

Credit: Reuters/Brendan McDermid

By Aruna Viswanatha and Sarah N. Lynch

WASHINGTON | Thu Jan 24, 2013 11:39am EST

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama will nominate former federal prosecutor Mary Jo White to head the Securities and Exchange Commission, the White House said on Thursday, showing a desire to have a tough cop policing Wall Street.

White, the former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York who was known for prosecuting terrorists and mob figures, would become the third consecutive woman to hold the powerful post.

She would succeed current SEC Chairman Elisse Walter, who took over in December after predecessor Mary Schapiro stepped down.

The president also plans to renominate Richard Cordray to continue as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the U.S. watchdog for consumer products such as mortgages and student loans, said White House spokesman Jay Carney.

The formal personnel announcements are expected at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday.

White is a relatively uncontroversial pick, though she does not have a deep securities policy background and she has spent her recent private practice work defending Wall Street figures, including former Bank of America Chief Executive Ken Lewis.

A swift confirmation for White could help the SEC speed up its implementation of the dozens of unfinished rules required by the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law.

The SEC is currently divided between two Democrats and two Republicans after Schapiro, a political independent, departed in December.

Many SEC observers say the lack of a full five-person commission could make it nearly impossible to complete more controversial rules, such as the Volcker Rule, which bans banks from proprietary trading.

HIGH-PROFILE CASES

White, now a respected white-collar defense attorney with the law firm Debevoise and Plimpton, was the only woman in the 200-year history of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York to serve in the top spot there.

She was in office from 1993 through to 2002, during a tumultuous time starting with the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center and then later, the infamous September 11, 2001 attacks.

Under her watch, the U.S. Attorney's office won about 35 convictions of militant Muslims charged with plotting against Americans.

"I view her as an incredibly well-regarded lawyer who has spent a significant amount of time as a partner at Debevoise representing companies and individuals in high-profile securities related matters," said Cheryl Scarboro, the former head of the SEC's Foreign Corrupt Practices Act unit and now a partner with Simpson Thacher & Bartlett.

Like Schapiro, White has previously been identified as a political independent.

Unlike Schapiro, White has not worked as a Wall Street regulator. However, White's husband, John White, served as the director of the SEC's Corporation Finance division, which oversees public company disclosures, from 2006 to 2008.

As a defense attorney, White has been involved in some high-profile SEC and Justice Department cases. She represented healthcare provider HCA Holdings in an insider-trading investigation, according to her online biography.

She has also represented JPMorgan Chase & Co in its portion of the $25 billion multi-bank settlement to resolve allegations of mortgage servicing abuses, as well as former Bank of America CEO Lewis over a civil lawsuit in connection with Bank of America's acquisition of Merrill Lynch.

"I have met Mary Jo White, and anyone who knows her at all - extremely capable, competent, bright, tough, and a perfect choice," JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said in an interview on Thursday with Fox Business News from Davos.

It is unclear whether her defense of Wall Street clients could prove troublesome for her during the U.S. Senate confirmation process.

So far, the reaction from liberal-leaning groups has been positive.

"Mary Jo White was a tough, smart, no nonsense, broadly experienced and highly accomplished prosecutor. She knew who the bad guys were, went after them and put them in prison when they broke the law," said Dennis Kelleher, the president of the non-profit organization Better Markets.

As for Cordray, he has already faced some uphill battles with Republicans in Congress.

Cordray, a former Ohio attorney general, was appointed in January 2012 while Congress was in recess after Republicans who were wary of the CFPB's independence blocked his nomination.

The controversial appointment limited the amount of time Cordray could serve without going through a full confirmation process.

The CFPB has drawn criticism from Republicans and business groups, who say it is virtually unchecked and will hurt lending and put small banks out of business.

Asked whether the White House foresees any problems getting Cordray confirmed, Carney said he did not expect any objections to him "on substance."

"He is absolutely the right person for the job," Carney said. He said earlier obstacles to Cordray's nomination had been based on "political considerations" from lawmakers who had opposed the creation of the financial protection board.

(Reporting by Aruna Viswanatha, Emily Stephenson, Sarah N. Lynch and Matt Spetalnick, with additional reporting by Douwe Miedema and David Henry; Editing by Karey Wutkowski, Vicki Allen, John Wallace and Tim Dobbyn)

Kredit: www.nst.com.my

Khamis, 24 Januari 2013