Jumaat, 16 Disember 2011

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FBM KLCI expected to enter bull camp

Posted: 16 Dec 2011 07:09 PM PST

Bursa Malaysia is expected to trend higher next week on oversold situation, technical buying and year-end window-dressing, dealers said.

They said the other positive factors to support the local index were a stable euro, well-subscribed Spanish bond auction and a short-covering rally in the European stocks.

Affin Investment Bank head of retail research, Dr Nazri Khan, said all these factors would help push the key FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) into the bull camp with resistance at 1,480 and then at 1500.

He said the fact that three major FBM KLCI averages -- 20-, 50- and 100-day -- were converging suggested that the short-term trend could reverse upwards soon.

"We expect buyers to step into the market to buy beaten-down local brands such as CIMB, AMMB, Tenaga and Bursa," he said.

Nazri said investors were keeping an eye on the prospects of trade spat between the world's two biggest economies after China imposed a tax on US-made car imports.

He said investors should continue to accumulate defensive stocks in telco and consumer sectors which were expected to do well near the year-end festive season.

For the week just-ended, the key FBM KLCI fell 6.09 points to 1,466.22 from 1,460.13 a week earlier, as European leaders and the US Fed failed to convince investors on their strategies to prevent the financial crisis from widening.

The Finance Index rose 217.7 points to 13,158.59, Plantation Index increased 3.42 points to 7,864.11 and the Industrial Index was 0.44 point lower at 2,649.52.

The FBM Emas Index added 54.94 points to 10,054.49 and the FBM Ace Index lost 41.2 points to 4,133.25.

Weekly volume decreased to 8.274 billion shares worth RM6.181 from 9.596 billion shares worth RM6.641 billion last Friday.

The Main Market turnover declined to 3.881 billion units valued at 5.384 billion from 5.726 billion units valued at RM6.016 billion previously.

Warrants rose to 2.358 billion shares worth RM443.937 million from 1.603 billion shares worth RM306.100 million last week.

Volume on the ACE Market fell to 1.980 billion units valued at RM340.510 from 2.255 billion units valued at RM314.099 million last Friday. -- Bernama

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Ringgit seen strengthening next week

Posted: 16 Dec 2011 07:11 PM PST

The ringgit is expected to see positive trading against the US dollar next week due to the increase in investor appetite for emerging currencies, dealers said.

A dealer said the local unit was expected to move between 3.12 and 3.13 against the greenback.

However, he said, the investors were still cautious amid the brittle global economic outlook and hoped the European leaders could come out with solid pact to avoid double-dip recession.

For the week just-ended, the ringgit suffered four straight days of losses against the US dollar. It, however, bounced back on Friday.

On a Friday-to-Friday basis, it fell against the dollar at 3.1770/1790 compared with 3.1470/1510 last week.

It weakened against the Singapore dollar to 2.4360/4394 from 2.4193/4242 previously and fell against the yen to 4.0767/0809 from 4.0486/0559 last week.

Against the British pound, the ringgit was lower at 4.9320/9360 from 4.9172/9244 previously but strengthened against the euro to 4.1377/1419 from 4.1975/1034 last week. -- Bernama

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Khamis, 15 Disember 2011

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Court dismisses ex-Sime CEO's counter-suit

Posted: 15 Dec 2011 05:09 PM PST

Former Sime Darby Bhd Chief Executive Officer Ahmad Zubir Murshid's counter-suit against current and previous senior management of the palm oil and engineering group was dismissed by High Court, according to an exchange filing late yesterday.

Sime Darby filed civil suits against Ahmad Zubir in December 2010 and others following cost overruns on engineering projects in Qatar and Malaysia.

In March, he filed a counter- suit against current and former management including Chairman Musa Hitam seeking indemnity if found liable, which the court this week dismissed as "frivilous and vexatious," the exchange filing said.

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UMW Hlgs slides to 3-year low

Posted: 15 Dec 2011 05:24 PM PST

UMW Holdings Bhd, a Malaysian automotive assembler, declined the most in three years in Kuala Lumpur trading after denying a Business Times report that it was in discussions to buy a stake in national carmaker Proton Holdings Bhd.

The stock slid 4.7 percent to RM6.52 at 9:11 a.m. local time, set for the largest drop since Dec. 2, 2008. -- Bloomberg

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Isnin, 12 Disember 2011

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Syed Mokhtar's DRB best fit for Proton: Dr M

Posted: 12 Dec 2011 05:22 PM PST

Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary, Malaysia's second-youngest billionaire, received former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's endorsement to acquire a controlling stake in automaker Proton Holdings Bhd.

DRB-Hicom Bhd, Syed Mokhtar's auto assembler, is the best candidate to buy the government's 43 percent stake in Proton, Mahathir, now an adviser at the carmaker he founded in 1983, said in a joint interview yesterday in Putrajaya, outside Kuala Lumpur. Officials at DRB and Khazanah Nasional Bh., the government investment arm holding the Proton shares, weren't immediately available to comment.

The support of the man who was Malaysia's prime minister for two decades indicates DRB's purchase of the stake -- valued at RM993 million (US$314 million) at current prices -- is imminent because of the former premier's lingering influence, according to James Ratnam, an analyst at TA Securities Holdings Bhd. Proton would add the owner of the Lotus sports car brand to Syed Mokhtar's business empire, which includes ports, airports and power plants.

"Mahathir's view and approval would be sought by Khazanah if it wants to sell Proton," said Ratnam, an analyst in Kuala Lumpur. "He is the adviser and founder of Proton, the company is still very close to his heart even as he has retired."

Proton advanced 6 percent to RM4.23 yesterday, extending its lead as the best performer on the 100-stock FTSE Malaysia Index in the past month to 57 percent. DRB-Hicom was unchanged at RM2.12.

General Offer

Should DRB seek to buy a 43 percent stake, it would be obliged to make a general offer for Proton's remaining shares under Malaysian acquisition rules.

Syed Mokhtar, 60, is the Southeast Asian nation's second- youngest billionaire after Berjaya Corp. Chairman Vincent Tan, according to Forbes magazine's latest rankings. His ties to Mahathir, who describes the Malaysian tycoon as a friend, stretch back more than a decade. About a year before Mahathir stepped down in 2003 as prime minister, he awarded a US$3.8 billion rail project -- then the nation's biggest infrastructure undertaking -- to contractors including Syed Mokhtar's MMC Corp.

DRB would be able to consolidate and expand its share of Malaysia automotive market with a Proton acquisition, TA Securities' Ratnam said. DRB manufactures, distributes and assembles a range of vehicles from motorcycles to garbage trucks for brands including Suzuki, Mercedes-Benz and Yamaha. It has eight assembly plants of which four are for cars, including one in Malaysia's southern Malacca state where Hondas are made.

Volkswagen Partnership

Selangor-based DRB began manufacturing its first Volkswagen AG Passat vehicles several weeks ago after signing a partnership agreement with the German carmaker last year.

Proton, whose vehicles are driven by taxi drivers across Malaysia, are among the cheapest cars sold in the country. The company, which had two annual net losses over the past five years, is poised to see its profit fall 51 percent in the year ending March, according to the average of 13 analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

Proton has been looking for a strategic partner to compete with global automakers such as Toyota Motor Corp. Partnership talks to form a partnership with Volkswagen, Europe's largest carmaker, ended last year.

While Khazanah approached local companies Naza Group and Sime Darby Bhd. about buying the Proton stake, Syed Mokhtar's DRB may be the best fit, said Mahathir.

"DRB seems well-run," Mahathir said. "It is already producing cars for Suzuki, Mercedes and Volkswagen. They have the capacity to turn around Proton and won't undermine its vendors." -- Bloomberg

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BSports Toto climbs on Q2 income surge

Posted: 12 Dec 2011 05:14 PM PST

Berjaya Sports Toto Bhd, a lottery operator, climbed the most in more than two months in Kuala Lumpur trading after second-quarter net income jumped 62 percent to RM105.7 million.

The stock rose 2.2 percent to RM4.19 at 9:09 a.m. local time, set for its steepest increase since Sept. 27. -- Bloomberg

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Ahad, 11 Disember 2011

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Fitch: Malaysian banks’ outlook stable

Posted: 11 Dec 2011 07:34 PM PST

SINGAPORE: Fitch Ratings says in a new report that the outlooks of its rated Malaysian banks are expected to remain stable, even if a fresh economic slowdown were to emerge from the mounting global uncertainty.

Downward rating risks could arise should such a downturn, particularly if sharp and protracted, lead to significant capital impairment risks for the local banks.

However, the agency views this likelihood as fairly low, due to their satisfactory loss-absorption qualities and risk management, as well as a prudent regulatory environment.

Fitch believes Bank Negara Malaysia will closely monitor household debt, which - at 76 per cent of end-2010 GDP - remains high and leaves the banking sector vulnerable to sharp increases in unemployment and interest rates.

Precautionary measures may be tightened further to those introduced in 2010-H111 to prevent households from over-extending themselves, particularly in an environment of continued ample liquidity, low interest rates and rising asset prices.

This, together with banks' satisfactory risk management, underpins Fitch's view that domestic loans to individuals will remain of fairly sound quality through credit cycles.

While the ongoing sovereign turmoil in Europe is unlikely to materially impact on the Malaysian bank's credit profiles, global economic prospects are becoming increasingly weak, posing fresh downside risks to the Malaysian economy and banking system.

Fitch believes that the impact of higher credit costs can be absorbed largely through banks' earnings, leaving limited risk of capital erosion.

Such resilience was also observed in the 2008-2009 global economic crisis and is broadly consistent with the conclusion of the agency's stress test.

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Petronas Chems upgraded, stock rises

Posted: 11 Dec 2011 05:23 PM PST

Petronas Chemicals Group Bhd, the petrochemicals arm of Malaysia's state oil company, rose the most in more than a week in Kuala Lumpur trading after the stock was upgraded to "outperform" with an increased so-called fair value of RM6.72 at RHB Capital Bhd.

Its shares gained 1.3 percent to RM6.08 at 9:15 a.m. local time, set for their biggest increase since Dec. 1. -- Bloomberg

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Jumaat, 9 Disember 2011

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US stocks in solid gains after EU deal

Posted: 09 Dec 2011 06:58 PM PST

NEW YORK: US stocks ended another rocky week with solid gains Friday after European Union leaders, except Britain, set a tentative pact on tougher fiscal discipline.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 186.56 points (1.55 per cent) to 12,184.26.

The broader S&P 500 jumped 20.84 (1.69 per cent) to 1,255.19, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite gained 50.47 (1.94 per cent) to 2,646.85.

EU leaders meeting in Brussels on the eurozone crisis gave a boost to markets when they declared their willingness to join a "new fiscal compact" that would bring uniform discipline to government spending.

Britain's stance prevented a move to add the new rules into the EU treaty for application to all 27 EU countries.

But the deal will still set the standards for the 17 eurozone countries and the nine non-euro EU countries that agree to it.

The move, tentative and not altogether convincing to some analysts, gave a modest boost to the euro. There were still worries that Standard & Poor's, after warning of a possible credit rating downgrade to eurozone countries on Monday, might follow through in the coming days if it finds the commitments to the new fiscal rules too weak.

"The devil is in the details, and there, the details, we do not know everything," said Gregori Volokhine of Meeschaert.

The summit "does nothing to address the credit crunch that is developing in Europe," said economist Desmond Lachman of the American Enterprise Institute.

"Their failure today to agree on Treaty change to include legally binding rules for budget deficit reduction, leaves the European Central Bank with little cover to support the Italian and Spanish bond markets."

Oil and big international bank stocks were gainers on the news, despite the doubters. ExxonMobil added 1.8 per cent, following oil prices higher.

Morgan Stanley rose 3.2 per cent and Citigroup 3.7 per cent.

Dupont was the only decliner among the Dow's 30 blue chips, losing 3.2 per cent after dimming its outlook for earnings this year, citing slower growth than expected.

On the Nasdaq, Oracle surged 3.1 per cent while Google picked up 1.9 per cent. -- AFP

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Khamis, 8 Disember 2011

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Kurnia Asia stock set to rally: Analyst

Posted: 08 Dec 2011 05:31 PM PST

Kurnia Asia Bhd, a Malaysian insurer, rose to a one-month high in Kuala Lumpur trading as Hong Leong Financial Group Bhd said its stock price is poised to rally.

Prices should test between 59 sen and 67 sen due to speculation that it has found a buyer for its Kurnia Insurans (M) Bhd. unit, Hong Leong analyst Low Yee Huap wrote in a report today.

The stock climbed 1 percent to 50 sen at 9:25 a.m., set for its highest close since Nov. 4. -- Bloomberg

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MEMC scales down staff, Malaysia ops

Posted: 08 Dec 2011 06:44 PM PST

MEMC Electronic Materials Inc, the second-largest US maker of polysilicon, said it will fire 20 percent of its workforce and cut production after prices for the main raw ingredient used in solar cells and semiconductors plunged.

MEMC will combine its SunEdison project development unit and solar materials business, cutting more than 1,300 jobs worldwide, including 250 in the US, the St. Peters, Missouri-based company said today in a statement.

It will idle a facility in Italy, reduce capacity at a plant in Portland, Oregon, and scale back a factory it's building in Malaysia.

The company is seeking to lower its costs after a global glut of polysilicon drove down prices 63 percent this year.

"Because of oversupply in the solar industry, you can buy polysilicon and wafers below production costs, so it's cheaper for them to just shut down those facilities and buy it on the spot market," said Jeffrey Bencik, an analyst with Kaufman Brothers LP in New York, who rates MEMC shares a "hold."

MEMC will take a $700 million charge in the current quarter and lowered its forecast. The company expects sales of $789 million to $861 million in the fourth quarter, compared with a Nov. 2 forecast of $800 million to $1.1 billion.

"We are reducing capacity and solar materials to take advantage of lower cost product alternatives and achieve a more balanced manufacturing model," Chief Financial Officer Mark Murphy said today on a conference call.

MEMC shares fell 1 cent to $4.20 at the close in New York. - Bloomberg

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Rabu, 7 Disember 2011

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Bumi Armada gets RM341m loan from 7 banks

Posted: 07 Dec 2011 07:25 PM PST

Bumi Armada Bhd, a Malaysian oilfield-services provider, signed an agreement for US$341.1 million of financing with seven banks today.

They were led by Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp, CIMB Bank Bhd, ING Bank N.V, Maybank Investment Bank Bhd, OCBC Bank (Malaysia) Bhd, RHB Investment Bank Bhd and the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd, the company said in a statement in Kuala Lumpur today. -- Bloomberg

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DRB-Hicom gains afer VW partnership news

Posted: 07 Dec 2011 06:22 PM PST

DRB-Hicom Bhd, an automotive, construction and property group, gained in Kuala Lumpur trading after the Star newspaper reported that it may partner Volkswagen AG to buy a controlling stake in Proton Holdings Bhd.

The stock increased 2.9 per cent to RM2.16 at 10.09am local time. -- Bloomberg

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