Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

NST Online Business Times : latest

---

KL shares open lower Posted: 14 Feb 2013 06:04 PM PST Share prices on Bursa Malaysia opened lower Friday on the absence of market leads, dealers said. At 9.20 am, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) was 4.59 points lower at 1,625.94 after opening 1.56 points better at 1,632.45. HwangDBS Vickers Research said continuing from yesterday's momentum, the benchmark FBM KLCI is expected to range-bound with a negative bias. "On the chart, the key market barometer is facing stiff resistance at 1,635, with its immediate support line currently seen at 1,615," it said in a research note. The Finance Index dipped 90.98 points to 14,909.96, the Industrial Index slipped 2.39 points to 2,787.01, while the Plantation Index perked 27.13 points to 7,986.46. The FBM Emas Index fell 30.87 points to 11,055, the FBMT100 was down 32.4 points at 10,906, the FBM Mid 70 Index dwindled 31.979 points to 12,017.03, while the FBM Ace Index shed 2.14 points to 4,067.93. Losers outpaced gainers 105 to 69, with 108 counters unchanged, 1,361 untraded and 16 others were suspended. Volume stood at 55 million shares worth RM52.25 million. Among actives, Kumpulan Hartanah lost six sen to 62.5 sen, while Astral Supreme, Borneo Oil, Takaso Resources and DVM Technology earned half-a-sen each to 20 sen, 39.5 sen, 19.5 sen and 11.5 sen, respectively. Heavyweights, Maybank lost five sen to RM8.93, Sime Darby shed two sen to RM9.22, while Axiata, CIMB and Petronas Chemicals slipped one sen each to RM6.29, RM7.15 and RM6.14, respectively.-- Bernama

US stocks flat despite big M&A deals Posted: 14 Feb 2013 04:20 PM PST NEW YORK: US stocks traded flat Thursday despite the excitement from two giant M&A deals, the merger of American Airlines and US Airways, and Berkshire Hathaway and 3G's takeover of ketchup maker Heinz. Analysts said the markets were partly echoing the slump in European markets on dismal economic growth reports from eurozone countries, as well as Japan. Outstanding concerns about Europe were "exacerbated by a larger-than-expected contraction for the eurozone economy," said a note from Charles Schwab & Co. At the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 9.52 points (0.07 per cent) at 13,973.39. The broad-based S&P 500 added 1.05 (0.07 per cent) to reach 1,521.38, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite gained 1.78 points (0.06 per cent) to 3,198.66. US Airways shares fell 4.6 per cent after the official announcement of its long-awaited merger with American Airlines, creating the largest US carrier. American parent AMR Corp, under bankruptcy reorganisation, jumped 63.1 per cent. Heinz shares soared nearly 20 per cent to US$72.50 after the shock announcement that billionaire Warren Buffett's investment firm would partner with 3G Capital to buy Heinz in a US$28 billion deal offering shareholders US$72.50 a share. Berkshire's B shares finished up 1.3 per cent. Other food companies also gained on the news, including General Mills, which rose 3.1 per cent and Kraft Food Group, which jumped 0.8 per cent. Shares of Belgian-US giant Anheuser-Busch InBev, whose US$20.1 billion takeover of Mexican brewer Grupo Modelo has been challenged by US antitrust regulators, jumped 5.1 per cent after the two companies said they would divest specific Modelo assets to please the regulators. Distributor Constellation Brands, the main beneficiary of the divestments, rose 37.2 per cent. General Motors reported higher year-on-year earnings but still fell 3.2 per cent after the profits came in below expectations amid losses in Europe. Cisco Systems reported earnings that bested expectations, but gave up 0.7 per cent following company comments that the European market remained difficult. PepsiCo picked up 1.1 per cent after reporting a 17 rise in year-over-year earnings. Oil services firms Halliburton and Schlumberger picked up 6.1 per cent and 3.7 per cent respectively, while independent energy producer Apache fell 4.7 per cent on property writedowns. Telecommunications and cloud infrastructure company CenturyLink tumbled 22.3 per cent after announcing it would cut its dividend. Specialty food chain Whole Foods Market slipped 9.7 per cent after it pointed to higher expenses and said profits would be lower in subsequent quarters compared with the first quarter. -- AFP

You are subscribed to email updates from Business Times : latest To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Kredit: www.nst.com.my

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

NST Online Top Stories - Google News

---

'Blade runner' Pistorius charged with murder of model girlfriend - CNN Posted: 14 Feb 2013 08:57 AM PST STORY HIGHLIGHTS Oscar Pistorius has been charged with murder His first court appearance will be Friday Pistorius' spokeswoman said he is assisting police with the investigation Police say there have been allegations of previous domestic incidents at the home Pretoria, South Africa (CNN) -- A beloved model is dead, those who knew her are in mourning, and one of the world's most admired Olympians is charged with her murder after a Valentine's Day shooting in South Africa. Oscar Pistorius, a Paralympic runner who blazed new terrain by competing in last summer's Olympics, is accused of killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. A shooting took place inside his upscale home in Pretoria, South Africa, early Thursday, and only the two of them were there at the time, police said. Shockwaves from the incident quickly reverberated across the world, casting a shadow over the man known as the "Blade Runner" for his achievements on prosthetic limbs. Pistorius will be named officially as the suspect when he appears in court Friday, in keeping with South African law. Authorities have already announced that the suspect is Pistorius' age. Investigators gave no motive for the alleged killing. Read more: 'Blade runner' Pistorius: Track hero at center of shooting probe "Previous incidents" at the home, police say A police spokeswoman said there had been "previous incidents" at the home, including "allegations of a domestic nature." Police were alerted to the shooting by neighbors, and residents had "heard things earlier," spokeswoman Denise Beukes said. Some South African media outlets said the woman was mistaken for an intruder. South Africa has a high crime rate, and many homeowners keep weapons to ward off intruders. Beukes said those reports did not come from police. There did not appear to be signs of forced entry at the home, she added. "This is a very quiet area and this is a secure estate," Beukes said. A pistol was recovered at the scene, police said. Read more: Who was Oscar Pistorius' girlfriend? Pistorius cooperating with police Pistorius made no public statement. His spokeswoman Kate Silvers said the athlete is "assisting the police with their investigation but there will be no further comment until matters become clearer later today." Police also said Pistorius is cooperating. He arrived Thursday at a police station in Pretoria. Beukes said the state will oppose bail. So the 26-year-old, who was among the men featured in People magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" issue, could be behind bars, at least temporarily. Pistorius is not being brought to court Thursday because the public prosecutor needs more time to prepare the case, police spokeswoman Katlego Mogale told CNN. A model's life violently cut short Steenkamp, 29, had been looking forward to Valentine's Day, encouraging her Twitter followers to "get excited" for the holiday. "She was the kindest, sweetest human being; an angel on earth and will be sorely missed," Capacity Relations, the agency that represented her, wrote on Twitter. She was "just a great, fun presence of a person," said Hagen Engler, former editor of the magazine FHM. He described her as "a bikini model, beautiful, gorgeous girl" with a "wicked" sense of humor. She understood the industry and was intelligent and fun to work with, he said. Pistorius' father, Henke, told the South African Broadcasting Corp. his son was "sad at the moment." "I don't know nothing. It will be extremely obnoxious and rude to speculate," the father said. "I don't know the facts." As Olympian, Pistorius faced controversy Pistorius, a double amputee, competed against able-bodied runners during the London Olympics, triggering controversy as some said the prosthetic limbs gave him an advantage. His legs were amputated below the knee when he was a toddler because of a bone defect. He runs on special carbon fiber blades. Pistorius was initially refused permission to enter the Olympics, but he hired a legal team to prove that his artificial limbs did not give him an unfair advantage -- and was allowed to compete. While he did not win a medal, his presence on the track was lauded by many people around the world as an example of victory over adversity and dedication toward a goal. He smashed a Paralympic record to win the men's 400m T44 in the final athletics event of the 2012 Games. In December: Pistorius speaks to Piers Morgan about being a role model CNN's Nkepile Mabuse reported from Pretoria; CNN's Josh Levs reported from Atlanta. CNN's Faith Karimi, Richard Allen Greene and Marilia Brocchetto contributed to this report. 0 Comments » Tweet Print Email More sharing

Buffett pulls off fresh blockbuster with $23 billion Heinz deal - Reuters Posted: 14 Feb 2013 08:08 AM PST By Ben Berkowitz and Martinne Geller Thu Feb 14, 2013 11:53am EST (Reuters) - Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway and private equity firm 3G Capital will buy ketchup and baby food maker H.J. Heinz Co for $23.2 billion in cash, a deal that combines 3G's ambitions in the food industry with Buffett's hunt for growth. Including debt assumption, Heinz valued the transaction, which it called the largest in its industry's history, at $28 billion. Berkshire and 3G will pay $72.50 per share, a 19 percent premium to the stock's previous all-time high. Heinz shares actually rose slightly above the offer price in early trading, although Buffett cautioned he had no intention of raising his bid. The surprise purchase satisfies, at least in part, his hunt for growth through acquisition. He was frustrated in 2012 by the collapse of at least two deals in excess of $20 billion and said he might have to do a $30 billion deal this year to help fuel Berkshire's growth engine. In this case, Berkshire is putting up about $12 billion to $13 billion cash, Buffett told CNBC, leaving it ample room for another major transaction. Berkshire Hathaway already has a variety of food assets, including the Dairy Queen ice cream chain, chocolatier See's Candies and the food distributor McLane. Buffett, famed for a love of cheeseburgers, joked he was well acquainted with Heinz's products already and that this was "my kind of deal." It does represent an unusual teaming of Berkshire with private equity, though; historically, Buffet's purchases have been outright his own. He and 3G founder Jorge Paulo Lemann have known each other for years, and Buffett said Lemann approached him with the Heinz idea in December. For 3G, a little-known firm with Brazilian roots, the purchase is something of a natural complement to its investment in fast-food chain Burger King, which it acquired in late 2010 and in which it still holds a major stake. Lemann, a globe-trotting financier with Swiss roots, made his money in banking and gained notoriety for helping to pull together the deals that ultimately formed the beer brewing giant AB InBev. PITTSBURGH ROOTS 3G will be Heinz's operator after the deal closes, and the company will remain headquartered in Pittsburgh. Berkshire and 3G promised they would maintain the company's philanthropic commitments in the city. But it was not immediately clear if CEO Bill Johnson would stay on. Only the fifth chairman in the company's history, Johnson is widely credited with Heinz's recent strong growth. The company, known for its iconic ketchup bottles, Heinz 57 sauces as well as other brands including Ore-Ida frozen potatoes, has increased net sales for the last eight fiscal years in a row. Heinz said the transaction would be financed with cash from Berkshire and 3G, debt rollover and debt financing from J.P. Morgan and Wells Fargo. Buffett told CNBC that Berkshire and 3G would be equal equity partners. Heinz shares soared 20 percent, or $12.09, to $72.59 on the New York Stock Exchange. The deal is also a potential boon for new U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, whose wife Teresa is the widow of H.J. Heinz Co heir John Heinz. Kerry's most recent financial disclosures from his time in the U.S. Senate show a position in Heinz shares of more than $1 million, although the precise size is unclear. (Editing by Maureen Bavdek)

You are subscribed to email updates from Top Stories - Google News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Kredit: www.nst.com.my