April 30, 2009

KL bourse likely to track Wall St jump

MALAYSIAN shares are likely to rise slightly today, tracking Wall Street’s jump, although any gains would be capped by concerns about the swine flu outbreak.

Investors may also be wary of taking large positions ahead of the long weekend, said a dealer with a local investment bank, pegging support for the main share index at 958 points.

The Malaysian stock market will be shut tomorrow to mark Labour day.

US stocks climbed yesterday after grim growth data offered hints of future expansion, a prospect reinforced by the Federal Reserve’s hopeful comments.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 168.78 points, or 2.11 per cent, to 8,185.73. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index gained 18.48 points, or 2.16 per cent, to 873.64. The Nasdaq Composite Index climbed 38.13 points, or 2.28 percent, to 1,711.94. - Reuters

Harga saham KLCI ditutup tinggi

HARGA saham di Bursa Malaysia ditutup tinggi semalam dengan pengukuhan disokong oleh belian berterusan untuk saham mewah terpilih dan saham berharga murah.

Pada penutup, penanda aras Indeks Komposit Kuala Lumpur (KLCI) meningkat 0.18 peratus atau 1.76 mata untuk mengakhiri hari urus niaga pada 967.46. Ia dibuka 1.88 mata lebih rendah pada 963.582.

Peniaga berkata pasaran memulakan hari urus niaga pada kawasan negatif dengan kebanyakan pelabur menjual pegangan masing-masing untuk mengelak kerugian seterusnya berikutan kebimbangan mengenai penularan wabak selesema babi yang dijangka melembapkan pemulihan ekonomi global.

Bagaimanapun, belian berterusan bagi saham berwajaran berat terpilih, membantu menolak indeks utama ke pergerakan positif selepas mencatatkan kerugian selama dua hari berturut-turut.

"Prestasi kukuh pasaran serantau turut membantu menyokong pasaran tempatan," kata seorang peniaga.

Pada penutup, Indeks Kewangan naik 14.77 mata kepada 7,421.71, Indeks Perladangan susut 6.48 mata kepada 4,840.40 dan Indeks Perindustrian lega 5.77 mata kepada 2,222.82.

Untuk siri FTSE-BM, FBMEmas mengukuh 20.46 mata kepada 6,387.25, FBM2BRD meningkat 22.24 mata kepada 4,270.36, FBM-MDQ melonjak 69.53 mata kepada 3,441.69 sementara FBM30 berkurangan 7.24 mata kepada 6,185.37.

Saham untung mengatasi saham rugi dengan 396 berbanding 196 sementara 182 kaunter tidak berubah, 464 tidak diniagakan dan 32 yang lain digantung.

Jumlah keseluruhan lebih rendah pada 1.051 bilion saham RM931.534 juta daripada 1.562 bilion saham bernilai RM1.312 bilion kelmarin.

Di kalangan saham aktif, KNM dan SAAG, masing-masing naik dua sen kepada 53.5 sen dan 25.5 sen, UEM Land meningkat enam sen kepada RM1.04 dan Talam menambah 1.5 sen kepada 9.5 sen.

Di kalangan yang berwajaran berat, Sime Darby, Tenaga dan Bumiputra-Commerce, masing-masing turun lima sen kepada RM6.40, RM7.10 dan RM7.90 sementara Maybank dan IOI, berkurangan dua sen kepada RM4.28 dan RM4.10.

Jumlah dagangan di Papan Utama susut kepada 913.783 juta saham RM889.223 juta daripada 1.332 bilion saham RM1.243 bilion kelmarin.

Jumlah dagangan di Papan Kedua lebih rendah kepada 72.092 juta saham bernilai RM32.334 juta berbanding 141.352 juta saham bernilai RM55.529 juta sebelumnya.

Jumlah dagangan di Pasaran Mesdaq merosot kepada 40.610 juta saham bernilai RM6.974 juta daripada 57.280 juta bernilai RM8.408 juta kelmarin.

Waran pula lega kepada 23.078 juta saham bernilai RM2.517 juta berbanding 25.739 juta saham bernilai RM3.261 juta sebelumnya.

Berdasarkan sektor, produk pengguna menguasai 70.116 juta saham yang diniagakan di papan utama, produk perindustrian 200.842 juta, pembinaan 59.728 juta, dagangan/perkhidmatan 254.366 juta, teknologi 4.391 juta, infrastruktur 28.384 juta, kewangan 89.951 juta, perhotelan 6.793 juta, hartanah 176.144 juta, perladangan 21.375 juta, perlombongan 58,000, REITs 1.584 juta dan dana tertutup 52,200. - Bernama

April 29, 2009

Wall Street edges down amid flu scare

NEW YORK: Wall Street stocks wobbled lower Tuesday as worries about the spread of swine flu and a weak banking system offset a survey showing rising US consumer confidence.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged down 8.05 points (0.10 per cent) to close at 8,016.95, in a choppy session that saw modest swings in both directions.

The Nasdaq composite shed 5.60 points (0.33 per cent) to 1,673.81 and the Standard & Poor’s 500 broad-market index lost 2.35 points (0.27 per cent) to 855.16.

Trading was cautious as world health officials ratcheted up their alert level and the death toll from swine flu reached more than 150 in Mexico.

Adding to investor jitters was a Wall Street Journal report that the Federal Reserve had advised Citigroup and Bank of America that they need to strengthen their capital following “stress tests” conducted by authorities.

But the mood brightened after the Conference Board reported its April index of consumer confidence rose to 39.2 from 26.9 a month earlier, in a hopeful sign for consumer spending, a key driver of US economic activity.

Ian Shepherdson, chief US economist at High Frequency Economics, called the survey “a pleasant surprise,” but cautioned that “the numbers are very weak still.”

Others saw the survey as a potential turning point for the economy.

“Consumers continue to see current conditions as bleak, but are becoming much more upbeat about the outlook, particularly for jobs and business conditions,” said Scott Hoyt at Moody’s Economy.com.

“This is a very positive sign for the economic outlook and provides further evidence that the recession should not extend beyond the end of this year.”

Still, Wall Street and other markets remained focused on the flu outbreak.

Patrick O’Hare at Briefing.com said recent market action suggests “the market respects the swine flu scare, but that it isn’t fully intimidated by it given the past experiences with SARS and the avian flu.”

He added that the market is is “a normal period of consolidation after a strong run,” that has pushed up the broad market by some 27 per cent since early March.

“The swine flu scare will simply make it more difficult for the time being for stocks to make much headway,” he said.

Markets also paused to await Wednesday’s outcome of a two-day Federal Reserve meeting, which was expected to maintain the central bank’s easy credit in an effort to lift up the sagging economy.

“The Fed will probably cite continuing weakness in the housing and auto markets and in employment as continuing risks to the economy,” said Fred Dickson at DA Davidson & Co.

“The Fed statement might temper expectations held by a growing number of investors that the economy is about ready to bottom out and turn the corner.”

Among key stocks, Pfizer fell 0.74 per cent to US$13.39 after the pharmaceutical sector leader reported profits ahead of expectations but a murky outlook for the rest of 2009.

IBM added 1.99 per cent to US$101.94 as the computer giant boosted its dividend.

Retailers showed a muted response to the improved consumer confidence reading: Wal-Mart fell 0.08 per cent to US$48.47 and Home Depot rose 0.73 per cent to US$26.07. - AFP

Kawal selia sistem kewangan diperketat

KRISIS kewangan yang melanda dunia ketika ini telah meningkatkan pelarasan antara kawal selia sistem kewangan antarabangsa dengan prinsip Syariah, kata Pengerusi Suruhanjaya Sekuriti Malaysia (SC), Datuk Seri Zarinah Anwar.

Beliau berkata, ini kerana krisis itu menyerlahkan perlunya pasaran kewangan dijalankan berlandaskan kepada prinsip perniagaan terbaik, seperti diamalkan sistem kewangan Islam.

Jelasnya, Islam mengkehendaki setiap urus niaga kewangan yang dilaksanakan perlu disokong oleh aset tertentu dan melarang aktiviti leveraj kewangan dan spekulasi yang keterlaluan, sekali gus melindungi peserta pasaran daripada terdedah kepada risiko yang tidak seimbang.



Dalam hubungan ini, katanya, wang yang ditawarkan adalah daripada urus niaga dan disokong oleh aset dan jika instrumen kewangan diurusniagakan, ia umumnya dijual pada nilai muka dan secara tunai.

“Kebaikan asas kewangan Islam yang mudah ini diakui apabila kita semakin memahami dengan jelas risiko daripada menjual hutang kepada hutang daripada produk leveraj yang begitu sofistikated.

“Kesimpulannya, kewangan Islam mempunyai banyak persamaan dengan objektif peraturan sistem kewangan dan menawarkan begitu banyak dari segi menggalakkan kestabilan kewangan menerusi pelaksanaannya yang berhemat dan berorientasikan kepentingan masyarakat.

“(Kesedaran) ini akan membuka jalan kepada industri perkhidmatan kewangan Islam untuk akhirnya muncul komponen utama sistem kewangan antarabangsa,” katanya ketika berucap di Persidangan Kewangan Islam Asia di Kuala Lumpur, semalam.

Sementara itu, zarinah berkata, Malaysia adalah antara negara yang memiliki pasaran modal Islam yang berpengaruh dengan 87 peratus daripada syarikat yang disenaraikan di bursa sahamnya mematuhi prinsip Syariah, iaitu merangkumi 65 peratus daripada nilai permodalan pasaran.

Katanya, pada masa sama, Malaysia juga adalah perintis dalam pasaran sukuk global yang mana 60 peratus daripada keseluruhan terbitan sukuk global tahun lalu adalah diterbitkan di negara ini.

Beliau berkata, dalam tempoh suku pertama tahun ini, Malaysia menerbitkan sukuk bernilai RM6.4 bilion membabitkan tiga terbitan terbesar antara RM1 bilion dan RM2.5 bilion.

Sebagai perintis pasaran sukuk global, Malaysia akan terus menyaksikan arah aliran pertumbuhan dalam terbitan sukuk tahun ini.

"Pasaran negara ini telah mengalami pertumbuhan tinggi dan kekal mantap sebagai antara penerbit sukuk terbesar dunia,” katanya.

April 28, 2009

Ulasan Pasaran: Harga saham ditutup rendah

HARGA saham di Bursa Malaysia ditutup rendah semalam apabila pelabur mengambil keuntungan daripada kenaikan baru-baru ini.

Pada penutup, Indeks Komposit Kuala Lumpur (KLCI) turun 1.27 peratus atau 12.56 mata untuk ditutup kepada 980.12. Indeks utama dibuka 3.07 mata lebih tinggi kepada 995.75 pagi semalam.

Peniaga berkata aktiviti pengambilan untung dalam saham perladangan dan kewangan utama menyeret turun indeks utama ke bahagian negatif.



Mereka berkata berita wabak selesema babi di Mexico juga melemahkan sentimen pasaran tempatan serta pasaran serantau.

Bagaimanapun, mereka berkata pengumuman liberalisasi langkah bagi sektor kewangan negara telah menyediakan sokongan kepada pasaran.

Indeks Kewangan turun 81.01 mata untuk ditutup kepada 7,528.95, Indeks Perladangan susut 54.12 mata kepada 4,992.77 manakala Indeks Perusahaan jatuh 15.79 mata kepada 2,242.06.

Bagi siri FTSE-BM, FBMEmas berkurangan 100.59 mata kepada 6,470.59, FBM30 turun 87.21 mata kepada 6,276.11, FBM2BRD susut 0.66 mata kepada 4,309.56 dan FBM-MDQ jatuh 146.77 mata kepada 3,470.38.

Kaunter rugi mengatasi kaunter untung sebanyak 510 berbanding 184 manakala 169 kaunter tidak berubah, 379 tidak diniagakan dan 36 yang lain digantung.

Keseluruhan jumlah dagangan meningkat kepada 2.109 bilion saham bernilai RM1.418 bilion berbanding 2.082 bilion saham bernilai RM1.667 bilion pada Jumaat minggu lalu.

Menerajui senarai saham cergas, Talam naik 1.5 sen kepada 8.5 sen, Ramunia menokok 11.5 sen kepada 65.0 sen manakala Time dotCom meningkat satu sen kepada 33.5 sen.

KNM Group turun 2.5 sen kepada 55 sen manakala SAAG Consolidated susut dua sen kepada 26 sen.

Bagi saham wajaran berat, Sime Darby, Tenaga dan Bumiputra-Commerce semua susut 15 sen setiap satu masing-masing kepada RM6.50, RM7.10 dan RM8.

Maybank susut empat sen kepada RM4.46, IOI Corp turun lapan sen kepada RM4.32 manakala MISC meningkat lima sen kepada RM8.50.

Jumlah dagangan di Papan Utama naik kepada 1.694 bilion saham bernilai RM1.270 bilion daripada 1.671 bilion saham bernilai RM1.556 bilion Jumaat minggu lalu.

Jumlah dagangan di Papan Kedua meningkat kepada 280.898 juta saham bernilai RM128.229 juta berbanding 252.141 juta saham bernilai RM84.287 juta sebelumnya.

Bagaimanapun, jumlah dagangan di Pasaran Mesdaq berkurangan kepada 95.439 juta saham bernilai RM13.738 juta berbanding 107.718 juta saham bernilai RM16.269 juta, Jumaat lalu.

Waran susut kepada 34.571 juta bernilai RM4.936 juta berbanding 43.354 juta bernilai RM7.211 juta sebelumnya.

Mengikut sektor, barangan pengguna menyumbang 45.572 juta saham yang diniagakan di Papan Utama, barangan perusahaan 268.389 juta, pembinaan 87.705 juta, perdagangan/perkhidmatan 573.783 juta, teknologi 18.907 juta, prasarana 98.785 juta, kewangan 129.603 juta, hotel 11.977 juta, harta 440.300 juta, perladangan 17.660 juta, perlombongan 24,000, REITs 1.401 juta dan dana tertutup 65,000. - Bernama

KL Market Down On Profit-Taking

Published: 2009/04/28

Share prices on Bursa Malaysia closed lower yesterday as investors took profits from the recent run-up, dealers said.

The benchmark Kuala Lumpur Composite Index (KLCI) fell 1.27 per cent, or 12.56 points, to close at 980.12.

Dealers said profit-taking in the major plantation and financial stocks dragged the key index into negative territory. They said news of the outbreak of swine flu in Mexico also dampened sentiment on the local as well as regional markets.

However, they said the announcement of the liberalisation measures for the country's financial sector provided support to the market.

"The initial uptick in early trade was driven by gains in finance stocks ahead of the liberalisation plan but weakness in regional markets, triggered by fears over the spread of this new outbreak, caused the pullback," a dealer told Dow Jones Newswires.

But another dealer said buying interest remained firm in the local bourse. "Depending on how this outbreak is dealt with, there may be some weakness in the near term but the upward bias seems to be intact," the dealer said.

The Finance Index fell 81.01 points to 7,528.95, the Plantation Index declined 54.12 points to 4,992.77 and the Industrial Index dropped 15.79 points to 2,242.06.

Of the FTSE-BM series, the FBMEmas declined 100.59 points to 6,470.59, the FBM30 went down 87.21 points to 6,276.11, the FBM2BRD shed 0.66 point to 4,309.56 and the FBM-MDQ dropped 146.77 points to 3,470.38.

Losers led gainers by 510 to 184 while 169 counters were unchanged, 379 untraded and 36 others suspended. Volume rose to 2.109 billion shares valued at RM1.418 billion compared with 2.082 billion shares worth RM1.667 billion last Friday.

Topping the actives list, Talam rose 1.5 sen to 8.5 sen, Ramunia advanced 11.5 sen to 65 sen and Time dotCom added 1 sen to 33.5 sen. KNM Group shed 2.5 sen to 55 sen and SAAG Consolidated lost 2 sen to 26 sen.

Of the heavyweights, Sime Darby, Tenaga and Bumiputra-Commerce all declined 15 sen each to RM6.50, RM7.10 and RM8 respectively.

Maybank shed 4 sen to RM4.46, IOI Corp lost 8 sen to RM4.32 while MISC rose 5 sen to RM8.50.

On Bursa Malaysia Derivatives, KLCI futures closed lower in line with the easier cash market, dealers said.

Spot month April 2009 fell 15 points to 982, May 2009 dropped 21 points to 975 and June 2009 declined 18 points to 976.

Volume was higher at 24,137 lots from 10,563 lots last Friday and open interests rose to 25,475 contracts from 24,579 contracts previously. - Bernama, AFP

Hints of No Rate Cut Tomorrow

By Adeline Paul RajPublished: 2009/04/28

Malaysia's interest rate cuts will only have an impact on the economy nine months after they are made, Bank Negara Malaysia governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz said.

Zeti expects the economy to improve in the second half of the year.

Asked if Bank Negara will be reducing the interest rate further at its policy meeting tomorrow, she said: "What we do now will only have an impact in nine months. Therefore, if we already see an improvement expected to take place in the second half, and certainly further improvement going into next year, we should have done most of what we need to do now."

Malaysia To Allow 7 New Foreign Banks

By Adeline Paul RajPublished: 2009/04/28

PUTRAJAYA: In a major move to open up the financial services sector, Malaysia will allow as many as seven new foreign banks -- including two mega-Islamic ones -- to operate here by 2012.

It has also eased foreign ownership rules, allowing foreigners to have controlling stakes in non-commercial banks.

"These liberalisation measures are in line with the government's initiative to promote structural change within the economy and diversify sources of growth to further drive economic expansion," said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who is also the finance minister, at a press briefing here yesterday.

The financial services sector is an important component of the economy, contributing 11 per cent to gross domestic product last year compared with 9.2 per cent in 2000.

The measures, aimed at making Malaysia more competitive amid the economic downturn, come just a week after parts of the services sector were also liberalised.

Najib said foreign investors could now own up to 70 per cent of local Islamic and investment banks, as well as insurers. Previously, their ownership was capped at 49 per cent.

The foreign ownership limit for local commercial banks, however, remains at 30 per cent. Bank Negara Malaysia governor Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz said there were no plans to change this for now.

"Our liberalisation is sequenced and it is a gradual, managed process," Zeti, who was also at the briefing, remarked.

She said the reforms were consistent with the Financial Sector Master Plan's objectives of developing a resilient, diversified and efficient sector.

The new meaures will be implemented between this year and 2012.

This year, Bank Negara will issue up to two new licences to foreign "mega-Islamic" banks to undertake international business, reinforcing the country's position as an international Islamic financial hub. It will also issue two new commercial banking licences to foreign players that bring in specialised expertise. These can be banks with a niche in agriculture or infrastructure financing, for example, Zeti said.

In 2011, it will open up the market further by giving licences to three new "world-class" commercial banks that can offer "significant value proposiitions".

Zeti said interested parties could be 100 per cent foreign owned, or a consortium with a local partner.

"The reforms are more 'generous' than we expected. It will definitely bring about stiffer comptition in the industry," Fiona Leong, a banking analyst at AmBank Research, commented.

Consumers would, however, be the ultimate beneficiary as heightened competition would likely bring about better deals at potentially lower costs, she added.

Malaysia currently has 13 financial institutions which are fully foreign owned, with a combined market share of 25 per cent.

Bank Rakyat Plans To Disburse RM45m Under Mikro-i

By Azlan Abu BakarPublished: 2009/04/28

BANK Kerjasama Rakyat Malaysia Bhd expects to disburse RM45 million worth of loans under its micro-financing scheme, Mikro-i, by year-end.

Backed by strong demand for such loans among small entrepreneurs, the country's largest cooperative bank has at end-February disbursed RM31.3 million since the scheme was introduced in April 2007.

"Although micro-finance is still considered a small segment in the bank, based on the growing demand from consumers, we expect to see it grow further in the near future," said Bank Rakyat general manager for consumer banking Yusof Abdul Rahman.

He said the bank aims to disburse loans to 4,500 small entrepreneurs to meet its target, from the 2,530 who have benefited from the scheme so far.

Yusof said the bank is optimistic of reaching the mark as it continues to boost clientele and embark on aggressive campaigns.

"Small- and medium-sized entrepreneurs represent a bulk of the business set-ups in the country. With the financing from Bank Rakyat, they are able to use the funding as capital to start or grow their business," he told Business Times in Kuala Lumpur recently.

Conditions set by the bank to get the loans are, however, different compared to other banks and financial institutions offering similar micro-finance schemes.

"The rule is they (entrepreneurs) need to move in a group of at least five people, are members of a cooperative, associated with the small traders association and have good financial records," Yusof said.

He said these entrepreneurs will be put under a group called Kumpulan Bantu Diri (KBD) or self assistance group, enabling them to grow a viable business and succeed.

Yusof said to date, there are 3,955 members comprising 708 groups under KBD.

About 53 per cent of the entrepreneurs are involved in retail, 34 per cent in the restaurant business while 10 per cent in canteen and food/drink outlets. The rest are either in wholesale or livestock.

To boost the micro-financing business, Bank Rakyat has embarked on aggressive promotional campaigns and increased the number of branches offering its scheme to customers throughout the country.

There were only five Bank Rakyat branches offering micro-financing in April 2007 but the numbers grew to 20 later in November in the same year.

"In 2008, we increased it to another 25, making the total number of branches offering micro-financing to 50 branches," he said.

The bank hopes that with the additional branches, it will be able to approve loans worth approximately RM4 million a month compared with only RM3 million previously.

April 27, 2009

Paras tertinggi dalam tujuh bulan

HARGA saham di Bursa Malaysia meneruskan aliran meningkat selama enam minggu berturut-turut minggu lalu, dengan penggerak utama adalah pembukaan pasaran 27 sektor kecil perkhidmatan berkuat kuasa serta-merta yang diumumkan oleh kerajaan pertengahan minggu lalu.

KLCI meningkat 27.51 mata, atau 2.85 peratus lebih tinggi minggu lalu untuk ditutup hampir kepada paras tertingginya dalam tempoh tujuh bulan pada 992.68 mata, dengan separuh daripada keuntungan itu datang daripada Genting (naik 62 sen), Axiata (naik 27 sen), Sime Darby (naik 25 sen), IOI Corp (naik 14 sen) dan Maybank (naik 10 sen).



Purata dagangan dan nilai dagangan harian sedikit rendah masing-masing pada 1.28 bilion saham bernilai RM1.16 bilion, berbanding 1.44 bilion saham bernilai RM1.21 bilion minggu sebelumnya.

Langkah berani yang diambil Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak dalam tempoh singkat pelantikannya bagi memperbaharui daya saing Malaysia pada peringkat global itu memberikan petunjuk mengenai apa lagi yang boleh kita jangkakan daripada beliau dalam waktu akan datang.

Pasaran memberikan reaksi positif kepada langkah itu atas jangkaan adanya liberalisasi tambahan dalam lain-lain sektor, khususnya kewangan, pembinaan, hartanah dan kelonggaran kawalan ekuiti yang ketat dalam membida projek kerajaan.

Tidak disangsikan lagi, ia adalah inisiatif sangat positif untuk bersaing mendapatkan aliran masuk pelaburan langsung asing (FDI) ke dalam sektor perkhidmatan ketika kita sedang berusaha mengurangkan pergantungan kepada eksport yang semakin berkurangan.

Bagaimanapun, masih awal untuk menilai keberkesanan dasar itu memandangkan kerenah birokrasi kerajaan masih boleh menjadi penghalang yang boleh menyebabkan FDI mengalir ke negara jiran.

Minggu lalu, kita juga menyaksikan tanda kelemahan dalam tekanan inflasi apabila Indeks Harga Pengguna (IHP) bagi Mac mengecil kepada 3.5 peratus.

Berdasarkan IHP yang lebih rendah dan eksport yang menyusut itu, adalah sesuatu yang semula jadi bagi pasaran untuk menjangkakan kelonggaran tambahan dalam dsar kewangan apabila pegawai Bank Negara Malaysia bermesyuarat Rabu ini.

Pasaran mengharapkan pengurangan asas Kadar Dasar Semalaman (OPR) sebanyak 0.25 peratus kepada 1.75 peratus, yang mana ia adalah munasabah memandangkan kadar faedah benar akan tetap positif berdasarkan kepada jangkaan kadar inflasi sebanyak 1.3 peratus bagi 2009 dan kadar deposit tetap semasa untuk tempoh simpanan 12 bulan pada 2.5 peratus.

Kegiatan di pasaran tempatan minggu lalu adalah amat kukuh dan ia adalah tidak dijangkakan dengan jumlah dagangan yang kukuh dan momentum positif terus menolak KLCI ke dalam zon lebihan belian.

Saham kewangan dan perladangan dijangka menjana peningkatan di pasaran itu bagi membolehkan indeks melepasi paras halangan 1,000 mata minggu ini sebelum kegiatan pengambilan untung mengambil tempat dan membuat pembetulan kepada pasaran.

Dari segi faktor AS pula, Indeks Harga Rumah S&P/CaseShiller, keyakinan pengguna, perbelanjaan peribadi dan data KDNK suku pertama yang akan dikeluarkan mulai hari Selasa dan hari-hari berikutnya akan memberi kesan kepada pasaran manakala ura-ura di pasaran berhubung keputusan tahap tekanan dihadapi bank AS akan terus membuai hala tujuan pasaran memandangkan tarikh akhir pengumuman itu pada iaitu pada 4 Mei ini semakin hampir.

April 25, 2009

Iskandar Investment, Dutch To Start Talks On Maritime Institute

By Anis IbrahimPublished: 2009/04/25

ISKANDAR Investment Bhd (IIB) yesterday inked an agreement with two Dutch institutions to start talks on setting up a world-class maritime institute at EduCity in Iskandar Malaysia.

IIB signed the deal with Maritime Institute Willem Barentsz (MIWB) and Maritime Institute de Ruyter (MIR).

Founded in 1875, MIWB is the oldest Dutch maritime institute and among the most advanced shipofficers training institutes in the world.

MIR is one of the leading maritime educational institutions in Western Europe.

IIB managing director Arlida Ariff said a Dutch maritime institute in Iskandar Malaysia will be the first in Asia and help raise the standards of maritime education in Malaysia.

"It will also help to facilitate knowledge transfer from the two world-renowned Dutch maritime institutions to our shore.

"This collaboration has the potential to develop into an exciting partnership as it enhances IIB's efforts to create an extraordinary educational environment for Malaysia and the region," she said in a statement.

The institute would help provide skilled workers for the ports in Iskandar Malaysia and other parts of Asia.

The signing, held in Kuala Lumpur, was witnessed by the head of the Economy and Trade Section of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Jacoba Bolderheij.

Bolderheij said the Netherlands was happy to see cooperation between the two countries in the field of education.

"The Netherlands has always been one of top 10 Malaysian foreign investors. We are also one of Malaysia's active trading partners from Europe, with Malaysia exporting over RM25 billion to Europe via the Netherlands," she said.

CPO Price Outlook Remains Bullish

Published: 2009/04/25

CRUDE palm oil (CPO) futures prices on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives are expected to continue trading on an upward trend next week on supply concerns, dealers said.

They said that demand for CPO was growing but stocks were on the decline.

"The price outlook remains bullish as investors expect palm oil stocks to continue being tight in near term," one of the dealers said.

According to him, market sentiment next week also will be influenced by the export figures for May 1-25 which are scheduled to be released by two cargo surveyors, Societe Generale de Surveillance (SGS) and Intertek Testing Services (ITS) on Monday.

During the week, CPO futures prices traded mostly higher with the benchmark July 2009contract ending the week at an eight-month high of US$2,585 per tonne, boosted by supply concerns.

On a Friday-to-Friday basis, May 2009 gained RM205 to RM2,775 per tonne, June 2009 increased RM173 to RM2,660 per tonne, July 2009 rose RM150 to RM2,585 per tonne and August 2009 added RM139 to RM2,523 per tonne.

Turnover was higher at 114,069 lots compared to 93,752 lots last week while open interests declined to 86,931 contracts from 87,313 contracts previously.

On the physical market, May South stood at RM2,820 per tonne. -- Bernama

Ringgit May Test 3.56 Level

Published: 2009/04/25

THE move to liberalise the 27 services sub-sectors and the plan to do likewise for the financial services industry are set to boost the ringgit, possibly helping it to test the 3.56 level against the US dollar next week.

For the week just ended, the ringgit touched the 3.5800/5850 level against the US dollar from 3.6140/6190 last Friday, showing an increase of 1.6 per cent.

Dealers said that if the local currency managed to hit the 3.56 level, it may be able to hold the strong momentum in the near term.

"The good news boosted the market and spurred commercial demand, with expectation of more inflow funds coming into the country," a dealer said, adding that local bourse strong performance would continue to provide support.

The benchmark Kuala Lumpur Composite Index (KLCI) was higher by 1.44 per cent, or 14.04 points, to close the day at 992.68 on Friday. In the morning the key index had opened 3.45 points higher at 982.09.

"The ringgit will continue to move in tandem with the Bursa Malaysia performance, which is expected to open higher next week," another dealer said.

During the week, the ringgit was mostly lower against the US dollar as the local unit came under pressure from the inflation data for March 2009 released on Wednesday which showed a rise of 3.5 per cent year-on-year.

The ringgit strengthened against the Singapore dollar at 2.4004/4060 from last Friday's 2.4055/4112 but was weaker against the Japanese yen at 3.6900/6963 from 3.6406/6467 previously.

The local currency moved up against the British pound at 5.2365/2449 from 5.3476/3568 last Friday but declined against the euro at 4.7424/7505 from 4.7253/7329 previously. -- Bernama

Liberalisasi Kewangan DiUmum Isnin

KUALA LUMPUR, 24 April - Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak dijangka akan mengumumkan liberalisasi melibatkan sektor kewangan Isnin ini.

Antara aspek utama liberalisasi dalam sektor kewangan itu ialah kemungkinan peningkatan pemilikan asing dalam sektor perbankan.

Ini akan menjadi pengumuman utama kedua mengenai liberalisasi ekonomi berikutan langkah liberalisasi 27 sub-sektor perkhidmatan yang telah diumumkan beliau pada Rabu.

"Boleh tak tunggu sehingga Isnin, saya akan membuat satu pengumuman penuh mengenai sektor kewangan," katanya yang juga Menteri Kewangan selepas mempengerusikan mesyuarat Majlis Tertinggi UMNO di Pusat Dagangan Dunia Putra di sini hari ini.

Langkah mengumumkan sektor perkhidmatan sebelum ini telah disambut baik oleh komuniti perniagaan tempatan dan asing kerana ia mewujudkan satu iklim perniagaan yang kondusif di negara ini dan menjadikan ekonomi lebih kompetitif di pentas dunia.

Dalam pada itu, beliau ketika ditanya dakwaan sempadan Malaysia-Thailand dijadikan pusat penyeludupan manusia, Najib berkata, kerajaan bersedia untuk mengambil langkah tegas membanteras kegiatan itu.

Beliau bagaimanapun berharap pihak berkuasa Amerika Syarikat dapat mengemukakan lebih banyak bukti dan fakta berhubung dakwaan itu.

Dagangan Aktif Bursa Malaysia DiTutup Tinggi

KUALA LUMPUR 24 April - Harga saham di Bursa Malaysia ditutup tinggi hari ini dengan dagangan aktif, diketuai keuntungan di kebanyakan kaunter saham mewah apabila pelabur memberi respons positif terhadap liberalisasi 27 subsektor perkhidmatan baru-baru ini, kata peniaga.

Kaunter berasaskan perkhidmatan menjadi tumpuan hari ini, meningkatkan penanda aras Indeks Komposit Kuala Lumpur (IKKL) sebanyak 1.44 peratus atau 14.04 mata untuk ditutup hari ini pada 992.68. Indeks utama dibuka 3.45 mata lebih tinggi pada 982.09 pagi ini.

Pada penutup, Indeks Kewangan melonjak 154.45 mata kepada 7,609.96, Indeks Perladangan menokok 89.81 mata kepada 5,046.89 dan Indeks Perusahaan menambah 26.76 mata kepada 2,257.85.

Kaunter untung mengatasi kaunter rugi sebanyak 594 berbanding 139 manakala 185 kaunter tidak berubah, 324 tidak diniagakan dan 35 lagi digantung.

Jumlah dagangan meningkat kepada 2.082 bilion saham bernilai RM1.667 bilion berbanding 1.366 bilion saham bernilai RM1.276 bilion pada Khamis.

Mengetuai senarai aktif, KNM Group meningkat 1.5 sen kepada 57.5 sen, Ramunia menokok 15.5 sen kepada 53.5 sen, SAAG Consolidated menambah 4.5 sen kepada 28 sen, Mulpha International untung enam sen kepada 44.5 sen manakala Resorts World menokok 11 sen kepada RM2.54.

Bagi kaunter berwajaran tinggi, Sime Darby menokok 20 sen kepada RM6.65, Tenaga Nasional untung lima sen kepada RM7.25 manakala Maybank meningkat 10 sen kepada RM4.50.

Jumlah dagangan di Papan Utama melonjak kepada 1.671 bilion saham bernilai RM1.556 bilion berbanding 1.167 bilion saham bernilai RM1.230 bilion yang diurus niaga semalam.

Jumlah dagangan di Papan Kedua meningkat kepada 252.141 juta saham bernilai RM84.287 juta berbanding 92.502 juta saham bernilai RM28.111 juta sebelumnya.

Jumlah dagangan di Pasaran Mesdaq meningkat kepada 107.718 juta saham bernilai RM16.269 juta berbanding 73.271 juta saham bernilai RM11.038 juta.

Warant meningkat kepada 43.354 juta saham bernilai RM7.281 juta berbanding 26.800 juta saham bernilai RM4.573 juta sebelumnya.

Mengikut sektor, barangan pengguna menyumbang sebanyak 61.219 juta saham yang diniagakan di Papan Utama, barangan perindustrian 389.961 juta, pembinaan 115.281 juta, perdagangan/perkhidmatan 539.087 juta, teknologi 22.181 juta, infrastruktur 38.185 juta, kewangan 177.393 juta, hotel 21.359 juta, hartanah 268.432 juta, perladangan 37.052 juta, perlombongan 700, REIT 986,800 dan dana tertutup 141,900. - Bernama

Pasaran Pulih Tahun Ini

KUALA LUMPUR 24 April - Pasaran saham tempatan dijangka pulih pada penghujung tahun ini, kata Pengarah Urusan RHB Investment Bank Bhd. (RHB Investment), Chay Wai Leong.

Katanya, unjuran itu dibuat berdasarkan sentimen umum terhadap langkah-langkah pemulihan ekonomi di seluruh dunia menerusi pengenalan beberapa pakej rangsang ekonomi oleh kerajaan terbabit.

''Tahun ini tidak seperti tahun lalu, apabila hampir setiap minggu kita menyaksikan masalah besar berlaku yang menjejaskan pasaran saham tempatan dan dunia. Semua masalah tersebut telah menjadi sejarah.

''Namun masalah masih ada tetapi mungkin tidak seteruk sebelumnya, selain itu sejak kebelakangan ini pasaran serantau turut menunjukkan perkembangan positif dan ini dapat membantu pasaran tempatan,'' katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian selepas majlis menandatangani perjanjian taja jamin Samchem Holdings Bhd. (Samchem) dengan RHB Investment dan MIDF Amanah Investment Bank Bhd. (MIDF Amanah) sempena dengan penyenaraian di Bursa Malaysia di sini hari ini.

Tambah Wai Leong, walaupun bakal mengalami pemulihan, pasaran saham tempatan masih lagi berada dalam keadaan yang tidak menentu pada waktu ini sebelum ia melonjakkan ke arah pemulihan.

Mengulas sektor yang akan menyumbang kepada pemulihan, Wai Leong berkata, perbelanjaan domestik akan membantu memulihkan ekonomi negara kerana banyak mendapat manfaat dari langkah rangsangan ekonomi.

''Sektor seterusnya yang bakal pulih ialah eksport. Pemulihannya perlahan kerana negara pengimport paling besar seperti Amerika Syarikat (AS), Eropah dan Jepun sedang memulihkan ekonomi domestik mereka,'' jelasnya.

Katanya perbelanjaan domestik akan memberi kesan terhadap sektor seperti pembinaan, bahan binaan dan peruncitan.

Ditanya sama ada langkah mengenepikan syarat pemilikan ekuiti 30 peratus Bumiputera terhadap 27 sektor kecil perkhidmatan akan memberi kesan terhadap pasaran, Wai Leong berkata, ia akan mengenepikan lebih banyak halangan kepada para pelabur.

April 24, 2009

Northport To Continue With RM500m Expansion Plan

Published: 2009/04/24
NORTHPORT (Malaysia) Bhd will continue its expansion plans at Port Klang this year, despite a sluggish business environment.

The NCB Holdings Bhd (5509) subsidiary, which operates the country's largest multipurpose port, has budgeted RM500 million for the expansion.

However, it will be prudent in its spending, expanding in stages and according to what it needs.

"Investment activity is still going on at Northport. We are going ahead with one-third of the allocation even though the company at this time is facing a reduction in quantity in container handling, as a result of the sluggish economy," said NCB managing director Datuk Abdul Samad Mohamed.
"This (investment) is our commitment. We do not view the current economic scenario as limiting the company's activities, rather we want to take advantage of the situation by creating opportunities to upgrade or replace machinery and equipment at the port," he said in an interview recently.

Northport, which handles more than 60 per cent of Malaysia's imports and exports, is connected to more than 200 ports around the world.

The port operator owns and operates 15 special wharves for handling bulk cargo, drybulk and liquid bulk, in addition to 13 container wharves at Port Klang.

"If Malaysian ports want to remain relevant in this dynamic and competitive international port system, we must continue to prepare facilities for the huge vessels, which include more equipment and deeper channels," he said.

Although Northport is affected by the slower economy, it may have seen the worst in container volumes.

In the first two months of this year, the number of containers handled fell nearly 15 per cent compared to the same period last year.

However, this recovered in March with only an 8 per cent reduction.

"It is too difficult to put a target for this year, but what we can say is that there will always be trading activities even during an economic slowdown," he added.

Last year, Northport handled more than three million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), 7 per cent more from the 2.8 million TEUs recorded in 2007.

Meanwhile, Abdul Samad said NCB is one of the Permodalan Nasional Bhd companies taking part in the ongoing Minggu Saham Amanah Malaysia (MSAM) 2009 at Plaza Angsana, Johor Bahru.

The educational exhibition will showcase the various activities of Northport and Kontena Nasional, the logistics unit of NCB.

Malaysia'a Liberalisation Plan May Boost Exports By 10%

By Rupa DamodaranPublished: 2009/04/24

MALAYSIA'S services based exports could potentially increase by 10 per cent with the liberalisation of sub-sectors like health, tourism and transport, said International Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti) secretary-general Tan Sri Abdul Rahman Mamat.

He said any impact from the move will likely kick in at the earliest by the third quarter of this year when economic conditions are expected to improve.

Last year, the services sector contributed RM102.1 billion to exports, while imports of the sector amounted to RM99.8 billion.

Abdul Rahman was commenting on the government's decision to liberalise 27 services sub-sectors by removing the 30 per cent Bumiputera quota on equity ownership in health and social services, tourism services, transport, business and computer industry and related services.

"They form part of the 160 sub-sectors for trade liberalisation under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) which enables Malaysia, through its trade policy, to enjoy market access.

"We expect the move to benefit our talks in drawing up regional and bilateral trading arrangements," he said at a media briefing in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Abdul Rahman also pointed out that the move will give Malaysia a "first mover advantage" versus its neighbours in the region in attracting investments that will complement the manufacturing sector.

The services sector, which contributes about 47.6 per cent of the economy, attracted RM47.8 billion investments last year, down from RM66.4 billion in 2007.

Most of the approvals were in real estate (RM25.9 billion), financial services (RM4.8 billion), energy (RM4.4 billion), telecommunications (RM2.8 billion) and support services (RM2.2 billion).

The government has also indicated that it will announce further liberalisation measures, this time affecting the financial sector sometime next week.

Malaysia ranks among the 30 leading global exporters of services, according to the WTO.

Abdul Rahman said small- and medium-sized enterprises will benefit from the liberalisation as they can leverage on international companies in their areas of strength such as ICT, logistics, and tourism.

He also assured Bumiputera entrepreneurs that opportunities for doing business will increase as more international management companies enter the local market to offer their services.

"In the era of globalisation, there is no choice but to open up. Equity concerns have to be addressed through other means. For the Bumiputera entrepreneurs, there are increased job opportunities, capacity building and integrating with international companies," Abdul Rahman said.

He also expects the participation of Bumiputera entrepreneurs in the various services sub-sectors to be more evenly distributed now.

"It's been lopsided in food processing, textiles, pharmaceuticals and automotive, which is mostly due to the APs (approved permits) and NAP (national automotive policy)."

In the meantime, the ministry is also preparing an action plan under the Third Industrial Masterplan to increase the participation of Bumiputera entrepreneurs in both manufacturing and services sectors.

Malaysian Shares Set To Trade Sideways

Published: 2009/04/24

MALAYSIAN shares are expected to trade sideways with an upside bias today after Wall Street's gains yesterday.

"I expect rangebound trading today. Investors will be rather cautious because the US government is expected to release tonight the results of the bank stress tests," said an institutional dealer from a bank-backed brokerage.

"But any profit-taking is likely to be mild because local funds are still bulding up their positions. I expect the current rally to continue until local funds have a larger position in the market,"

Malaysian banks will be closely watched after a news website said the government may lift a 30 per cent shareholding cap in commercial banks. - Reuters

Services Liberalisation Positive For Market

Published: 2009/04/24
LIBERALISATION of the 27 services sub-sectors is positive to the market and foreign direct investors at large, according to Kenanga Research.

"While this move may not have significant impact given that under the current investment-friendly environment, exceptions to the Bumiputera shareholding quota rule is already practised," it said in a research note.

"More importantly, it signifies that change within the government on the Bumiputera quota issue which is a re-rating catalyst for Malaysia," it said.

The services sector represents 55 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) and 57 per cent of total employment in Malaysia.

"With manufacturing and export sector contribution coming off and workers getting laid off, the boost to the services sector should provide compensatory effect to shore up the economy and provide for the multiplier effect," Kenanga said.

The liberalisation move was also a signal that the government stance has changed, according to the research firm.

It said the move could be the tip of the iceberg to further liberalisation, especially doing away with the top up of Bumiputera shareholding of existing listed companies upon undertaking any corporate exercise.

CitiGroup Global Markets in a separate research note said the measure would allow Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to outflank the opposition, though internal opposition from Umno remained a challenge.

"The announcement probably strengthens Najib among electrorate as earlier promises of reform have now been followed with concrete actions," it said.

For the next step, there are expectations that further deregulation in the financial sector could see relaxation of the foreign shareholding limit for financial institutions as well as the possibility of issuance of more foreign bank and Islamic bank licences.

"Just public capital expenditure is not enough for the pump priming stimulus, especially when it is financed by increasingly higher ringgit government borrowings," Kenanga said.

"The need for new infusion of funds is critical to ensure non-inflationary environment," it said.

The government, it added, could borrow from overseas but the current tight liquidity conditions would mean higher interest rate, thereby reducing the economic contributory effect of the public capital expenditure. -- Bernama

Blue Chips Lead KL Mart Higher

Published: 2009/04/24
MALAYSIAN shares ended higher today in active trading, led by gains on most of the key blue chips as investors responded positively to the market liberalisation of 27 services sub-sectors recently, dealers said.

There were also some renewed interest in financial counters ahead of the upcoming financial services liberalisation announcement next week."KLCI saw bullish action today as the liberalisation move helped to spill over buying interests among investors," one of the dealers said, adding that the overnight gains on Wall Street also supported the local market sentiment.The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index rose for a third day, gaining 14.04 points, or 1.4 per cent, to close at 992.68, the highest level since October 7.

The measure advanced 2.9 per cent this week, the sixth week of gains, capping the longest winning streak since May 4, 2007.Four stocks advanced for each one that fell on the 100-member measure.In the market, 2.08 billion shares changed hands, more than triple the three-month daily average of 587 million shares.

That’s the busiest trading session since October 29, Palm oil futures in Malaysia rose as much as 2.6 per cent to RM2,648 (US$739) a metric ton, the highest level since August 22. Futures have gained 8.5 per cent so far this week, the ninth week of gains, set to cap the longest weekly winning streak since June 2007.IOI Corp, Malaysia’s second-biggest palm oil producer, rose 2.3 per cent to RM4.40, the highest level since September 26.

Sime Darby Bhd added 3.1 per cent to RM6.65, the highest since October 15. Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd climbed 1.8 per cent to RM11.50.British American Tobacco (Malaysia) Bhd, Malaysia’s biggest cigarette maker, dropped 0.6 per cent to RM44.75, the lowest level since March 19, after the company reported a decline in first-quarter profit and JPMorgan Chase & Co cut its stock rating to “neutral” from “overweight.”

Help International Corp, a provider of higher education in Malaysia, added 3.2 per cent to RM1.29, its highest close since October 13. The company aims to conclude talks to acquire three local and overseas institutions in six months, a financial daily reported, citing president Paul Chan.Yeo Hiap Seng (Malaysia) Bhd, a Malaysian beverage maker, dropped 3.9 per cent to RM1.25, the most since March 31.

The company reported a loss of RM8.7 million in the first quarter compared with a profit of RM1.2 million in the year-earlier period, the company said. Sales dropped to RM128.8 million from RM151.5 million, it said in a statement. - Bloomberg

KL Mart Seen Rallying To 1,050-Points Level

Published: 2009/04/24

MALAYSIA'S stock index is set to rally to the 1,050-point level, the highest in seven months, after the gauge broke through the 980 “technical barricade,” RHB Research Institute Sdn Bhd said.“Traders have clearly ignored the recent technical patterns, which have constantly suggested a negative turnaround in the index’s direction,” RHB said in a report today.

“Market sentiment seems to suggest follow-through buying momentum despite the greatly overbought short-term momentum readings.”The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index rose 0.8 per cent to 986.54 as of 10:15 am local time, set for the highest level since October 7.

It has gained 2.2 per cent this week, the sixth week of gains, set to cap the longest weekly winning streak since May 4, 2007. It has exceeded its average level for the past 200 days, a sign many analysts take to indicate the gauge is targeting to surpass the 1,000 point level.

Stocks were buoyed by regional market gains and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s effort this week to open up the country’s services industry to foreigners. Maybank Investment Bank Bhd said yesterday the government may say next week it will issue more licences to foreign banks and announce plans to open up the Islamic finance industry as part of a liberalisation of financial services.

Understanding The Effects Of Critical Economic Indicators On The Stock Market (Part1)

If you have been following the news on a daily basis, you surely would have heard the repeated news on the fall of the US and European markets that are currently spreading across the globe. With the risk of global recession on the incline, global stock markets are not left unscathed by the predicament the world’s economic giants are in.

Stock markets worldwide are left to face strong selling pressures that are wiping out their asset values. Underpinned by such scenario, you would be wondering whether your portfolio (albeit confined to the local business environment) is strong enough to weather the adverse external shocks that are causing jitters in markets across the globe?

Why do you need to understand and monitor the economic situation?A company’s earnings and future prospects depend largely on the overall business and economic climate. No matter how strong a company’s fundamental is, if the economy is down, the performance of a company will inevitably be affected to a certain extent.

Cyclical stocks will probably face a larger impact compared to non-cyclical or defensive stocks. Meanwhile, the stronger companies will be able to weather the harsh economic situation compared to the weaker ones. Therefore, as an investor, it is important for one to understand the macro picture of the economy, not just the sector/industries or stock/company that one is interested in investing.

What is an economic indicator?
An economic indicator is in simple terms, the official statistical data of a certain economic factor that are published periodically by the government agencies, that investor can use to gauge the economic situation.

It allows the investors to analyze the past and current situation, and to project the future prospects of the economy. There are three basic indicators that are significant to the investors in the stock market, namely inflation, GDP (gross domestic products) and the labor market.

Inflation
Inflation is important to all investments, simply because it determines the real rate of return that you get from your investment. For instance, if the inflation rate is 5% and the nominal return is 8%, this means that your real rate of return is 3% as the 5% has been eaten by inflation.

Inflation’s impact on the stock market is even more complicated. A company’s profit will be impacted with higher inflation. Its input cost will increase and the rate of increase would depend on how much of the incremental cost the company is able to pass on to its consumers.

The amount that the company will have to absorb will reduce its profits, assuming all else being equal. The stock market will suffer further negative impact if it is accompanied by increased interest rate as bond market is seen as a cheaper investment vehicle compared to stocks. When this happens,investors will sell off their stocks to invest in bonds instead.

The most commonly used indicator for the measurement of inflation is CPI (consumer price index). It consists of a basket of goods and services commonly purchased by consumers, such as food, housing, clothes, transportation, medical care and entertainment.

The total value of this basket of goods and services will be compared to the value of the prior year and the percentage increase will be the inflation rate. On the other hand, where the value drops, it will be a deflation rate. A steady or decreasing trend will be favorable to the overall stock market performance.

GDP (Gross Domestic Product)
Another important indicator is the GDP measurement. It is the total value of goods and services produced in a country during the period being measured. When compared to the previous year’s reading, the difference between these two readings indicates whether a country’s economy is growing or contracting.

GDP is usually published quarterly.
When the GDP is positive, the overall stock market will react positively as there will be a boost in investor confidence, encouraging them to invest more in the stock market. This will in turn boost the performances of companies. When the GDP contracts, consumers would tread cautiously and reduce their spending. This in turn will affect the performance of companies negatively, thus, more downward pressure will be exerted on the stock market.

Labor market
The unemployment rate as a percentage of the total labor force will basically indicate the country’s economic state. During an economic meltdown, most companies will either freeze hiring or, in more severe cases downsize, by alleviating cost and reducing capacity. When this happens, the unemployment rate will increase, which in turn, creates a negative impact on the market sentiment.

Bottom line
By understanding the economic indicators, you should be able to gauge the current state of economy and more importantly, the direction in which its headed. Pooling this knowledge together with the detailed research on the companies that you are interested in, you should be well equipped to make sound investment decisions.

Bear in mind that when the economy slows down and the market is on a downward trend, it is not necessarily bad as this could be your golden opportunity to spot some good stocks at a bargain that are worth buying.

BNP Paribas negative on Malaysian banks

BNP Paribas said in a research note published today that it has kept its negative view on Malaysian banks."With bank stocks rebounding from their lows, we would prefer to exercise more caution at this juncture. "Our forecasts are 10 per cent below consensus. "The market may have underestimated potential NPL pitfalls and weaker non-interest income." said BNP Paribas. - Reuters

Malaysian shares set to trade sideways

MALAYSIAN shares are expected to trade sideways with an upside bias today after Wall Street's gains yesterday."I expect rangebound trading today. Investors will be rather cautious because the US government is expected to release tonight the results of the bank stress tests," said an institutional dealer from a bank-backed brokerage."But any profit-taking is likely to be mild because local funds are still bulding up their positions. I expect the current rally to continue until local funds have a larger position in the market," Malaysian banks will be closely watched after a news website said the government may lift a 30 per cent shareholding cap in commercial banks. - Reuters

Wall St rises on earnings news

US stocks rose, recouping yesterday’s drop, as better-than-estimated earnings at companies from Marriott International Inc to ConocoPhillips and EBay Inc overshadowed falling home sales and higher jobless claims.

Marriott, the biggest US hotel chain, surged 12 per cent and helped drive Host Hotels & Resorts Inc, the largest lodging real-estate investment trust, to a 17 per cent advance. EBay rallied 12 per cent, while Apple Inc and ConocoPhillips climbed more than 3 per cent, after earnings topped analyst projections.

NYSE Euronext jumped 14 per cent on takeover speculation.“Even companies that are just meeting expectations are holding up pretty well because many investors were really expecting the very worst,” said Jeffrey Coons, co-director of research at Manning & Napier Advisors Inc, which manages US$16 billion in Fairport, New York.

“We’re still going to have tough economic and earnings reports. But the amount of pessimism that was embedded in prices gives you a lot of room.”The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index increased 1 per cent to 851.92. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 70.49 points, or 0.9 per cent, to 7,957.06. About 10 stocks gained for every nine that fell on the New York Stock Exchange.

Pertumbuhan eksport Malaysia kembali positif

MALAYSIA dijangka kembali mencatatkan pertumbuhan eksport positif menjelang suku ketiga tahun ini selepas mengalami penguncupan sejak Oktober tahun lalu kesan daripada kelembapan ekonomi dunia.

Ketua Setiausaha Kementerian Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri (Miti), Tan Sri Abdul Rahman Mamat, berkata jangkaan itu berdasarkan kepada beberapa perkembangan positif sejak kebelakangan ini, termasuk wujudnya petunjuk awal peningkatan permintaan dari China.

“Berdasarkan maklum balas awal Jawatankuasa Pemantau kami, jumlah eksport di Pulau Pinang sudah mula meningkat semula khususnya bagi perusahaan kecil dan sederhana (PKS) dan barang separuh siap.
“Ini petunjuk awal pemulihan (eksport) dan paling menarik permintaan itu datangnya daripada China, bukan pasaran eksport tradisi Malaysia, iaitu Amerika Syarikat (AS).

“Pelaksanaan pakej rangsangan ekonomi oleh Kerajaan China memberi manfaat dalam peningkatan permintaan daripada negara itu. Kita jangkakan eksport barangan negara akan kembali menunjukkan pertumbuhan positif pada suku ketiga ini,” katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian selepas majlis ulasan buku Perubahan Membawa Harapan: 20 Strategi Untuk Menjadi Negara Maju di Kuala Lumpur, semalam.

Malaysia mula menerima bahang kelembapan ekonomi dunia pada Oktober tahun lalu apabila nilai eksportnya menguncup 2.6 peratus. Penguncupan itu meningkat kepada 4.9 peratus pada November dan 14.9 peratus pada Disember.

Pada Januari lalu, nilai eksport negara mencatatkan penguncupan paling tinggi dalam sejarah pada 27 peratus. Bagaimanapun arah aliran itu reda pada Februari dengan kadar penguncupan berkurangan kepada 15 peratus.

China kini muncul antara destinasi utama eksport Malaysia dengan menyumbang 12 peratus daripada nilai keseluruhan eksport negara tahun lalu daripada cuma antara tiga hingga lima peratus sedekad lalu.

Negara itu kini melaksanakan pakej rangsangan ekonomi bernilai empat trilion yuan (RM2.14 trilion) atau 12.6 peratus daripada nilai Keluaran Dalam Negara Kasarnya, iaitu antara pakej suntikan fiskal terbesar di rantau ini. Abdul Rahman menegaskan, peningkatan semula harga komoditi khususnya minyak sawit kini mencecah RM2,400 setan juga mampu memberikan kesan positif kepada eksport negara.

Bagaimanapun, katanya, sama ada pasaran eksport secara keseluruhannya sudah pulih masih tidak dipastikan.

Pasaran ditutup lebih tinggi

HARGA saham di Bursa Malaysia ditutup lebih tinggi semalam didorong sentimen dan minat kukuh pelabur khususnya terhadap saham berkaitan perladangan, teknologi maklumat dan komunikasi (ICT) serta hartanah. Peniaga berkata, sentimen dirangsang keputusan kerajaan kelmarin untuk melupuskan syarat pemilikan ekuiti Bumiputera sebanyak 30 peratus dalam 27 sektor kecil perkhidmatan berkuatkuasa serta-merta. Ketika ditutup, penanda aras Indeks Komposit Kuala Lumpur (KLCI) naik 10.06 mata atau 1.04 peratus kepada 978.64 selepas dibuka 0.37 mata lebih tinggi pada 968.95.
"Keputusan kerajaan itu membantu merangsang minat di kalangan pelabur tempatan kerana diyakini sebagai berada dalam landasan yang betul," kata peniaga. Keseluruhan pasaran kekal positif selepas rentak belian berterusan daripada kelmarin membantu mengekalkan indeks utama dalam lingkungan positif.

Ketika ditutup Indeks Kewangan menokok 84.88 mata kepada 7,455.51, Indeks Perladangan menambah 25.78 mata kepada 4,957.08 dan Indeks Perusahaan meningkat 10.82 mata kepada 2,231.09.

Bagi siri FTSE-BM, FBMEmas naik 79.87 mata kepada 6,463.28, FBM30 menokok 50.53 mata kepada 6,259.29, FBM2BRD menambah 69.59 mata kepada 4,139.24 dan FBM-MDQ melonjak 118.86 mata kepada 3,549.20.

Saham untung mengatasi saham rugi pada 554 berbanding 128 manakala 170 kaunter tidak berubah, 390 tidak didagangkan manakala 35 yang lain digantung. Jumlah dagangan keseluruhan lebih tinggi dengan 1.366 bilion saham bernilai RM1.276 bilion bertukar tangan berbanding semasa ditutup semalam pada 1.111 bilion saham bernilai RM1.036 bilion.

Mendahului saham aktif, KNM Group naik tiga sen kepada 56 sen, TA Enterprise-WB menokok 1.5 sen kepada 2.5 sen, Lion Industries menambah 11 sen kepada 99.5 sen, UEM Land meningkat enam sen kepada RM1.01 manakala Lion Diversified menokok 3.5 sen pada 46.5 sen.

Antara saham untung, Hwa Tai Industries melonjak 30 sen kepada 62.5 sen, Kulim menambah 25 sen kepada RM5.55, Krisassets Holdings menokok 21 sen kepada RM2.80 dan Opcom Holdings bertambah 13.5 sen kepada 58.5 sen.

Bagi saham wajaran tinggi, Sime Darby naik lima sen kepada RM6.45 dan Maybank menokok lapan sen kepada RM4.40, manakala Tenaga Nasional kekal pada RM7.20. Jumlah dagangan di Papan Utama melonjak kepada 1.167 bilion saham bernilai RM1.230 bilion daripada semalam pada 908.541 juta saham bernilai RM999.422 juta.

Di Papan Kedua, jumlah dagangan menambah kepada 92.502 juta saham bernilai RM28.111 juta saham daripada 42.662 juta saham bernilai RM9.789 juta sebelumnya. Jumlah dagangan di Pasaran Mesdaq bagaimanapun susut kepada 73.271 juta saham bernilai RM11.038 juta daripada 135.281 juta saham bernilai RM21.083 juta kelmarin.

Waran naik kepada 26.800 juta saham bernilai RM4.573 juta daripada 17.716 juta saham bernilai RM2.864 juta sebelumnya. Mengikut sektor, barangan pengguna menguasai 58.329 juta saham yang didagangkan di Papan Utama, barangan perusahaan 300.002 juta, pembinaan 100.573 juta, dagangan/perkhidmatan 292.947 juta, teknologi 30.355 juta, infrastruktur 28.216 juta, kewangan 127.416 juta, hotel 32.650 juta, hartanah 172.311 juta, perladangan 22.269 juta, perlombongan tiada, REIT 1.671 juta, dan tertutup/dana 94,500. - Bernama

April 23, 2009

Wall St Stumbles As Bank Fears Resurface

Published: 2009/04/23

NEW YORK: Wall Street sputtered Wednesday in a choppy session as disappointing results from Morgan Stanley reignited jitters about prospects for the bank sector and fears grew on General Motors’ future.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average, which zigzagged over the course of the day, fell 82.99 points (1.04 per cent) to close at 7,886.57, giving back gains of as much as 75 points during the session. The Nasdaq composite managed a small gain of 2.27 points (0.14 per cent) at 1,646.12 while the broad Standard & Poor’s 500 index slipped 6.53 points (0.77 per cent) to end at 843.55.

The market gyrated as investors pored over a large number of corporate results, with a strong focus on the banking sector.

Although Wells Fargo beat forecasts with a record profit, Morgan Stanley disappointed, with a loss of US$177 million. Analysts at Charles Schwab & Co said the financial sector led the decliners “as fear creeps back into the sector, exacerbated by Morgan Stanley’s larger-than-expected loss.”

The market has been keenly following the banking sector, seen as critical to recovery from the credit crunch and severe recession. Elizabeth Harrow at Schaeffer’s Investment Research said “the rally lost steam shortly after the noon hour” after reports that General Motors confessed it would most likely miss a billion-dollar debt payment due June 1. John Ogg at 24/7WallSt.com said trading was “directionless” as the market “made six changes between being up and down.”

“It was very light on the economic calendar today so traders had to use the cumulative earnings as the directional report,” he added. Patrick O’Hare at Briefing.com said despite the negative tone, “there were far more companies that beat expectations than either met or missed them.”

The S&P bank index lost nearly 4.8 per cent Wednesday, as part of the sawtooth pattern of recent sessions as the market tried to assess the health of banks. Morgan Stanley fell 8.97 per cent to US$22.44 after its wider-than-expected loss and Capital One dropped 4.45 per cent to US$14.38 after boosting reserves against losses.

Wells Fargo gave up early gains and fell 3.35 per cent to US$18.18 after its record profit report, while Citigroup edged up 0.31 per cent to US$3.25 and Bank of America fell 5.71 per cent to US$8.26. GM fell 0.59 per cent to US$1.69 after the Wall Street Journal quoted a GM executive as saying the struggling automaker is likely to miss an upcoming debt payment.

Among other stocks in focus, Boeing overcame early weakness and rose 1.77 per cent to US$37.30 after it reported profits fell 50 per cent in the first quarter and cut its forecast for the rest of 2009. McDonald’s fell 2.48 per cent to US$54.25 as the fast-food leader said profits rose four per cent despite lower revenues. - AFP

KL Shares End 1% Higher

Published: 2009/04/23

MALAYSIAN shares closed up 1 per cent today following lower than expected inflation figures, dealers said.The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index gained 10.06 points to close at 978.64 on turnover of 1.37 billion shares worth RM1.28 billion.

There were 554 gainers, 128 losers and 170 trading unchanged.“Lower interest rates are likely to drive fresh funds into equities with rising risk appetite,” a dealer told Dow Jones Newswires.

Malaysia today announced that March inflation hit 3.5 per cent, compared with a 3.7 per cent forecast by dealers.The lower inflation figure has raised hopes for another 50-basis point cut in the overnight policy rate on April 29.

Dealers also said that sentiment was spurred by the government's decision yesterday to remove the 30 per cent Bumiputera equity condition in 27 service sub-sectors with immediate effect."The government's decision has helped to lift interest among the investors locally which we believe is a move in the right direction with a bigger pie and more share for all," one of the dealers said.

The overall market remained positive as buying momentum continued from yesterday, helping to sustain the key index in positive territory, he said.At close, the Finance Index climbed 84.88 points to 7,455.51, the Plantation Index advanced 25.78 points to 4,957.08 and the Industrial Index went up 10.82 points to 2,231.09.Of the FTSE-BM series, the FBMEmas went up 79.87 points to 6,463.28, the FBM30 added 50.53 points to 6,259.29, the FBM2BRD gained 69.59 points to 4,139.24 and the FBM-MDQ surged 118.86 points to 3,549.20. - Agencies

Ringgit DiTutup Rendah

KUALA LUMPUR 22 April - Ringgit ditutup rendah berbanding dollar AS hari ini dengan mata wang tempatan mengalami tekanan susulan penyiaran data inflasi Mac, kata peniaga.

Jabatan Perangkaan melaporkan bahawa Indeks Harga Pengguna (IHP) meningkat 3.5 peratus tahun ke tahun pada Mac 2009, perlahan daripada 3.7 peratus peningkatan pada bulan sebelumnya.

Pada 5 petang, ringgit sedikit rendah berbanding dollar AS pada 3.6420/6470 berbanding 3.6400/6450 pada penutup semalam berikutan meningkatnya kebimbangan bahawa Bank Negara Malaysia akan mengurangkan lagi kadar faedah.

"Kadar inflasi itu adalah dalam jangkaan. Beberapa penganalisis percaya bank pusat mungkin mengurangkan kadar dasar semalaman sebanyak 50 mata asas lagi kepada 1.5 peratus," kata seorang peniaga.

Pada penutup hari ini, ringgit kebanyakannya diniagakan tinggi berbanding mata wang utama yang lain.

Ia tinggi berbanding dollar Singapura kepada 2.4148/4205 berbanding 2.4157/4208 semalam, namun rendah berbanding yen Jepun pada 3.7061/7120 daripada 3.7022/7092 sebelumnya.

Ringgit mengukuh berbanding pound British pada 5.2936/3024 berbanding 5.3155/3246 semalam dan tinggi berbanding euro pada 4.7084/7159 daripada 4.7265/7334 sebelumnya.
- Bernama

Bursa Malaysia Kukuh Di Akhir Dagangan

KUALA LUMPUR 22 April - Harga saham di Bursa Malaysia ditutup kukuh hari ini dengan Indeks Komposit Kuala Lumpur (IKKL) utama naik 0.21 peratus berikutan sokongan belian susulan dan beberapa aktiviti belian saham murah terpilih yang membantu mengekalkan sentimen positif, kata para peniaga.

IKKL meningkat 1.98 mata untuk ditutup kepada 968.58 selepas diniagakan pada paras tertinggi harian 976.29. Ia dibuka 4.80 mata lebih tinggi pada 971.40 pagi ini.
Indeks Kewangan naik 43.60 mata untuk ditutup kepada 7,370.63 manakala Indeks Perladangan meningkat 15.48 mata kepada 4,931.30 tetapi Indeks Perindustrian turun 12.13 mata kepada 2,220.27.

Bagi siri FTSE-BM, FBMEmas menokok 18.88 mata kepada 6,383.41, FBM30 naik 20.27 mata kepada 6,208.76, FBM-MDQ melonjak 138.26 mata kepada 3,430.34 manakala FBM2BRD menambah 2.17 mata kepada 4,069.65.

Kaunter untung mengatasi kaunter rugi sebanyak 360 berbanding 262 manakala 207 kaunter tidak berubah, 413 tidak diniagakan dan 36 yang lain digantung. Jumlah dagangan meningkat kepada 1.111 bilion saham bernilai RM1.036 bilion daripada 1.069 bilion saham bernilai RM959.849 juta pada Selasa.

Menerajui senarai saham cergas, KNM Group susut 1.5 sen kepada 53 sen manakala Time dotCom naik 1.5 sen kepada 30 sen dan Lion Diversified meningkat 2.5 sen kepada 43 sen. Sementara itu Lion Industries menokok 88.5 sen dengan Axiata Group menambah dua sen kepada RM1.98.

Jumlah dagangan di Papan Utama turun kepada 908.541 juta saham bernilai RM999.422 juta daripada 975.162 juta saham bernilai RM942.707 juta pada Selasa.

Bagaimanapun, jumlah dagangan di Papan Kedua meningkat kepada 42.662 juta saham bernilai RM9.789 juta berbanding 31.061 juta saham bernilai RM7.740 juta sebelumnya.
Jumlah dagangan di Pasaran Mesdaq melonjak kepada 135.281 juta saham bernilai RM21.083 juta daripada 43.021 juta saham bernilai RM5.751 juta semalam.

Warant naik kepada 17.716 juta saham bernilai RM2.864 juta daripada 14.478 juta saham bernilai RM2.219 juta.

Mengikut sektor, barangan pengguna menyumbang 50.511 juta saham yang diniagakan di Papan Utama, barangan perusahaan 224.469 juta, pembinaan 75.979 juta, perdagangan/perkhidmatan 278.645 juta, teknologi 18.817 juta, prasarana 48.486 juta, kewangan 48.634 juta, hotel 4.550 juta, harta 124.685 juta, perladangan 31.629 juta, perlombongan 62,200, REITs 1.941 juta, dan dana tertutup 132,800.
-Bernama

Rizab BNM RM320.1 Bilion

KUALA LUMPUR 22 April - Rizab Antarabangsa Bank Negara Malaysia dicatatkan berjumlah RM320.1 bilion bersamaan AS$87.7 bilion sehingga 15 April 2009.

Kedudukan rizab itu mencukupi untuk membiayai 8.1 bulan import tertangguh dan merupakan empat kali hutang luar jangka pendek, kata bank pusat itu di dalam satu kenyataan di sini hari ini. - BERNAMA

KLCI Utama Naik 0.21%

HARGA saham di Bursa Malaysia ditutup kukuh semalam dengan Indeks Komposit Kuala Lumpur (KLCI) utama naik 0.21 peratus berikutan sokongan belian susulan dan beberapa aktiviti belian saham murah terpilih yang membantu mengekalkan sentimen positif, kata peniaga.

KLCI meningkat 1.98 mata untuk ditutup kepada 968.58 selepas diniagakan pada paras tertinggi harian 976.29. Ia dibuka 4.80 mata lebih tinggi pada 971.40 pagi semalam. “Jumlah dagangan dilihat meningkat sekali lagi apabila belian kembali ke dalam pasaran semasa sesi pagi untuk melonjakkan KLCI ke atas paras 970.

“Bagaimanapun, beberapa aktiviti pengambilan untung pada sesi tengah hari mengimbangi sebahagian daripada kenaikan sebelumnya,” katanya. Indeks Kewangan naik 43.60 mata untuk ditutup kepada 7,370.63, manakala Indeks Perladangan meningkat 15.48 mata kepada 4,931.30, tetapi Indeks Perindustrian turun 12.13 mata kepada 2,220.27.

Bagi siri FTSE-BM, FBMEmas menokok 18.88 mata kepada 6,383.41, FBM30 naik 20.27 mata kepada 6,208.76, FBM-MDQ melonjak 138.26 mata kepada 3,430.34 manakala FBM2BRD menambah 2.17 mata kepada 4,069.65.

Kaunter untung mengatasi rugi sebanyak 360 berbanding 262, manakala 207 kaunter tidak berubah, 413 tidak diniagakan dan 36 yang lain digantung. Jumlah dagangan meningkat 1.111 bilion saham bernilai RM1.036 bilion daripada 1.069 bilion saham bernilai RM959.849 juta pada Selasa.

Menerajui senarai saham cergas, KNM Group susut 1.5 sen kepada 53 sen, manakala Time dotCom naik 1.5 sen kepada 30 sen dan Lion Diversified meningkat 2.5 sen kepada 43 sen sementara Lion Industries menokok 88.5 sen dengan Axiata Group menambah dua sen kepada RM1.98. Di kalangan saham wajaran berat, Maybank naik dua sen untuk ditutup kepada RM4.32, Bumiputra-Commerce meningkat 15 sen kepada RM8.05 dan IOI Corp naik empat sen kepada RM4.30.

Sime Darby yang akan menjual Hotel Equatorial lima bintangnya di Melaka dengan harga RM180 juta, ditutup lima sen lebih tinggi kepada RM6.40, manakala Tenaga Nasional yang dilaporkan mengurangkan pendedahan hutang dan mata wangnya meningkat 10 sen kepada RM7.20.

Bagaimanapun, saham Proton berada di bawah tekanan jualan semalam, apabila pelabur mengambil keuntungan daripada kenaikan kelmarin. Syarikat itu yang ketika ini sedang membincangkan penyusunan semula rangkaian pengedaran dan pusat servis Proton-Edaran Otomobil Nasional Bhd, ditutup 12 sen lebih rendah kepada RM3.00.

Jumlah dagangan di Papan Utama turun kepada 908.541 juta saham bernilai RM999.422 juta daripada 975.162 juta saham bernilai RM942.707 juta pada Selasa. Bagaimanapun, jumlah dagangan di Papan Kedua meningkat kepada 42.662 juta saham bernilai RM9.789 juta berbanding 31.061 juta saham bernilai RM7.740 juta sebelumnya.

Jumlah dagangan di Pasaran Mesdaq melonjak kepada 135.281 juta saham bernilai RM21.083 juta daripada 43.021 juta saham bernilai RM5.751 juta kelmarin. Waran naik kepada 17.716 juta saham bernilai RM2.864 juta daripada 14.478 juta saham bernilai RM2.219 juta.

Mengikut sektor, barangan pengguna menyumbang 50.511 juta saham yang diniagakan di Papan Utama, barangan perusahaan 224.469 juta, pembinaan 75.979 juta, perdagangan/perkhidmatan 278.645 juta, teknologi 18.817 juta, prasarana 48.486 juta, kewangan 48.634 juta, hotel 4.550 juta, harta 124.685 juta, perladangan 31.629 juta, perlombongan 62,200, REITs 1.941 juta dan dana tertutup 132,800. - Bernama

April 21, 2009

RM1Juta Tidak Cukup Selepas Bersara

JOHOR BAHRU 20 April - Rakyat Malaysia daripada golongan sederhana memerlukan sekurang-kurangnya RM1 juta ketika bersara sekiranya mahu mengekalkan gaya hidup semasa.

Pengurus Negara ESG Direct Asia Pte. Ltd. bagi Malaysia, K. Sasitharan berkata, bagaimanapun jumlah itu sebenarnya hanya sekadar 'cukup makan' jika diambil kira kos perubatan dalam tempoh berkenaan.

Beliau berkata, berdasarkan tinjauan yang dijalankan mendapati hanya 10 peratus rakyat Malaysia yang memiliki simpanan yang baik untuk menghadapi zaman persaraan mereka nanti.

''Namun, simpanan tersebut bukan hasil daripada tabiat menabung tetapi sebaliknya disebabkan mendapat gaji besar sehingga menyebabkan simpanan dalam Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Pekerja mencukupi," katanya kepada Utusan Malaysia selepas mengadakan Seminar Khas Perancangan Kewangan sempena Minggu Saham Amanah Malaysia 2009 di sini.

Beliau berkata, sejumlah 10 peratus didapati menjadikan amalan menyimpan untuk menghadapi persaraan manakala 80 peratus lagi tidak bersedia langsung dan terpaksa bergantung kepada anak-anak.

Sasitharan berkata, walaupun amalan menabung masih lagi rendah di kalangan rakyat Malaysia tetapi ia adalah perkara normal bagi negara yang memiliki populasi muda.

Bagaimanapun, situasi itu perlu diperbaiki sebelum menimbulkan masalah kepada negara kerana dalam tempoh 15 hingga 20 tahun lagi Malaysia berpotensi untuk mempunyai majoriti penduduk dewasa.

Beliau berkata, rakyat Malaysia sepatutnya menukar persepsi yang ada dan menjadi lebih bersedia dalam mengharungi dunia persaraan tanpa perlu mengurangkan gaya hidup sedia ada.
''Di Malaysia, pesara secara automatik akan mengubah gaya hidup kebelakang berikutan kekangan wang untuk meneruskan gaya hidup selesa semasa bekerja.

''Sebab itu, pesara akan balik ke kampung selepas bersara dengan harapan dapat mengawal perbelanjaan harian, sekali gus mengurangkan beban kos hidup,'' jelasnya.
Beliau menafikan bahawa amalan menabung hanya berupaya dilakukan oleh golongan yang memiliki gaji yang lumayan.

''Dakwaan ini tidak benar kerana golongan pekerja yang memiliki gaji RM1,000 pun menabung, secara perlahan-lahan kerana gaji yang diperoleh akan mengalami kenaikan seiring tempoh bekerja,'' jelasnya.

Sasitharan menegaskan, masalah di Malaysia adalah kebanyakan rakyatnya lebih mengutamakan gaya hidup berbanding menabung.

Sambil memberi contoh, katanya, rakyat Malaysia sekarang dilihat lebih cenderung berbelanja terlebih dahulu sebelum mendapat gaji.

''Sekarang ini, kad kredit telah mengawal perbelanjaan rakyat Malaysia, ini memang budaya bahaya kerana setiap kali mendapat gaji, kita akan mendahulukan hutang,'' katanya.
Ditanya apa yang perlu dilakukan jika tabungan pekerja masih tidak mencukupi pada usia 55 tahun, Sasitharan berkata: ''Pekerja itu perlu terus bekerja kerana usia persaraan 55 tahun adalah masih muda berbanding negara maju pada usia 65 tahun. Ini bukan bermakna pesara yang tidak mempunyai cukup simpanan masih mempunyai 10 tahun lagi untuk menabung,'' kata beliau.

Malaysian shares expected to fall today

MALAYSIAN shares are expected to open lower today following steep losses on Wall Street. US stocks slid more than 3 per cent yesterday after weak results from Bank of America reignited concerns over the state of the banking industry and the economy.

Oil slid over 8 per cent to under US$46 a barrel yesterday, depressed by a rising US dollar and growing caution about the pace of any economic recovery and its impact on oil demand. “KLCI will probably see a pullback today looking at Dow Jones’ losses and the steep fall in crude oil prices.

We may see some buying support at the 959 points level and if that level breaks, the next support level will be 938 points.

"We think there will be more profit-taking on small-cap stocks than big-cap stocks because prices of small-cap stocks have gone up a lot due to retail interest,” said a trader from a top Malaysian brokerage. Elsewhere, Goldman Sachs said in a research note published today Tuesday that it is turning more positive on palm oil stocks due to supply squeeze.

“We still expect some short-term pullback in crude palm oil prices, but now believe the magnitude may not be substantial; we are more inclined to buy on dips given the longer-term positive trend we see,” said Goldman Sachs. - Reuters

Tinjauan Pasaran: Indeks utama naik 0.33 peratus

BURSA Malaysia mengakhiri dagangan pada paras bercampur-campur semalam apabila kenaikan sederhana di kaunter berwajaran tinggi yang diterajui Sime Darby, Tenaga Nasional dan DRB-Hicom, melonjakkan indeks utama ke paras 0.33 peratus lebih tinggi, kata peniaga.

Keseluruhannya, pasaran berada pada kedudukan positif dan penanda aras, Indeks Komposit Kuala Lumpur, mempertahankan kenaikannya baru-baru ini dan meningkat 3.20 mata lagi kepada 968.37. Ia dibuka 1.73 mata lebih tinggi pada 966.90.

Indeks Perusahaan naik 8.63 mata kepada 2,238.34 dan Indeks Perladangan mengukuh 18.77 mata kepada 4,933.09. Indeks Kewangan, bagaimanapun, turun 53.23 mata kepada 7,369.95. Indeks FBMEmas meningkat 20.96 mata kepada 6,383.53 dan FBM30 bertambah 33.77 mata kepada 6,208.37.

Namun demikian, FBM2BRD turun 2.65 mata kepada 4,091.29 dan FBM-MDQ susut 25.35 mata kepada 3,312.14. Saham rugi mengatasi saham untung dengan jumlah 327 berbanding 233 manakala 198 kaunter tidak berubah, 484 tidak diniagakan dan 36 yang lain digantung urus niaga.

Jumlah dagangan mengecil kepada 796.464 juta saham bernilai RM883.539 juta, daripada 1.012 bilion saham bernilai RM1.088 bilion pada penutupan Jumaat lalu. Antara saham cergas, KNM Group menokok 1.5 sen kepada 54.5 sen dan Axiata naik lapan sen kepada RM1.91 manakala Axiata-OR mengukuh 8.5 sen kepada 69 sen.

UEM Land susut 3.5 sen kepada 95.5 sen dan Chin Well jatuh 13 sen kepada 80.5 sen. Bagi saham berwajaran tinggi, Sime Darby naik lima sen kepada RM6.45, Tenaga Nasional mengukuh 10 sen kepada RM7.20, Proton meningkat 34 sen kepada RM2.99 dan DRB-HICOM menambah 22.5 sen kepada RM1.08.

Maybank turun 10 sen kepada RM4.30 manakala Telekom Malaysia kekal pada RM3.64. Jumlah dagangan di Papan Utama susut kepada 725.420 juta saham bernilai RM870.012 juta daripada 839.989 juta saham bernilai RM1.057 bilion Jumaat lalu.

Di Papan Kedua, jumlah dagangan turun kepada 18.951 juta unit bernilai RM5.4823 juta daripada 73.589 juta unit bernilai RM18.535 juta sebelumnya. Pasaran Mesdaq mencatatkan penyusutan jumlah dagangan kepada 34.417 juta saham bernilai RM4.781 juta daripada 77.314 juta saham bernilai RM8.942 juta Jumaat lalu.

Waran berkurangan kepada 14.318 juta unit bernilai RM1.916 juta daripada 16.116 juta unit bernilai RM2.224 juta sebelumnya. Sektor barangan pengguna menguasai 22.448 juta saham yang diniagakan di Papan Utama, barangan perusahaan 224.456 juta, pembinaan 43.457 juta, perdagangan/perkhidmatan 245.795 juta, teknologi 7.770 juta, prasarana 9.964 juta, kewangan 54.079 juta, hotel 1.589 juta, harta 92.836 juta, perladangan 21.310 juta, perlombongan 11,000, REIT 1.650 juta dan dana tertutup 38,500. - Bernama

April 20, 2009

KL shares ease on profit-taking

MALAYSIAN shares were lower in early session today on heavy profit-taking after last week's run-up, dealers said."The market came under correction as investors took profits following recent sharp gains," a dealer said, adding that the benchmark index gained 14 per cent over the past five weeks.

At 9.46am, the benchmark Kuala Lumpur Composite Index (KLCI) fell 6.11 points to 959.06 after opening 1.73 points higher at 966.90.The Finance Index declined 100.15 points to 7,323.03, the Industrial Index lost 14.68 points to 2,229.71 and the Plantation Index went down 6.10 points to 4,908.22.

The FBMEmas fell 43.08 points to 6,319.49, the FBM30 dropped 35.04 points to 6,139.56 and the FBM2BRD was 9.99 points lower at 4,083.95. The FBM-MDQ declined 47.40 points to 4,083.95. Losers outnumbered gainers by 232 to 72 while 92 counters were unchanged, 846 untraded and 36 others suspended.

Volume stood at 140.837 million shares worth RM124.967 million. Among the actives, Sime Darby and MISC were both unchanged at RM6.40 and RM4.26, respectively. Maybank was down 12 sen to RM4.28. Tenaga Nasional was flat at RM7.10.

The company had said it would retain the present electricity tariff as long as the price of oil, gas and coal remain unchangedThe top loser was British American Tobbaco which shed 50 sen to RM45.50 while top gainer was Amway (M) Holdings which added 20 sen to RM7.50. - Bernama

IHP, rizab asing penanda aras utama

SAHAM di Bursa Malaysia melanjutkan rali untuk minggu kelima berturut-turut minggu lalu didorong momentum belian kukuh saham berharga murah, sekali gus menyaksikan jumlah dagangan melepasi paras satu bilion saham. Adalah jelas bahawa pelabur runcit sudah mula memasuki pasaran secara besar-besaran.
Indeks Komposit Kuala Lumpur (KLCI) menokok 23.8 mata, atau 2.5 peratus minggu lalu untuk ditutup pada paras tertinggi baru enam bulan 965.17, dengan lebih separuh daripadanya disumbangkan Maybank (naik 42 sen), Tenaga Nasional Bhd (naik 60 sen), BCHB (naik 30 sen) dan Public Bank (naik 40 sen). Dagangan purata harian dan nilainya meningkat kepada 1.44 bilion saham bernilai RM1.21 bilion, berbanding 832.8 juta saham bernilai RM1.15 bilion minggu sebelumnya Purata dagangan harian adalah yang tertinggi sejak Oktober 2007.
Harga saham Tenaga dan Public Bank menokok susulan keputusan kewangan lebih baik daripada jangkaan minggu lalu, manakala bank seperti Maybank dan Commerce turut meningkat, dikaitkan dengan pelbagai faktor, terutama senario politik semasa. Dalam perkembangan luar, keputusan kewangan lebih baik daripada jangkaan, terutama disumbangkan keuntungan dagangan, melonjakkan pasaran Amerika Syarikat (AS) minggu lalu dan pasaran dunia lain turut menyusuli berikutan pelabur mengambil kesempatan berdagang dalam kemudahruapan diwujudkan oleh rali pramatang. Adalah masih kurang pasti sama ada bank AS boleh mengulangi prestasi baik itu dalam suku tahun semasa jika pasaran modal berdepan halangan berikutan prestasi operasi tidak begitu menarik. Jika pasaran perumahan berterusan lemah dan harga tidak pantas pulih, banyak peruntukan dirangka untuk bank AS.
Tiada penanda aras utama minggu ini kecuali bagi Indeks Harga Pengguna (IHP) dan angka rizab asing, Rabu ini. IHP bagi Mac dijangka meneruskan aliran menurun dengan tekanan kelegaan harga dan jangkaan konsensus ialah ia akan berkembang 3.6 peratus sebulan sebelum ini. Sementara itu, rizab asing boleh memberi kelegaan kepada aliran dana untuk menarik pembabitan pelabur asing ke dalam pasaran selepas ia melega kepada 20.8 peratus bulan lalu daripada tinggi 27.5 peratus pada April 2007. Berikutan angka di atas dijangka akan jatuh selari jangkaan pasaran, hala tuju pasaran minggu ini akan terus didorong faktor luaran. Sementara itu, pasaran saham tempatan memilih untuk tidak mengindahkan momentum terlebih belian teknikal minggu lalu dan lebih selesa untuk bertindak berdasarkan penanda aliran bulis dan pasaran asing yang menunjukkan kenaikan bias kukuh. Bagaimanapun, kecuali jumlah aliran dagangan harian kekal di atas paras satu bilion saham, pelabur boleh menjangka pembetulan pengambilan untung minggu ini yang diperlukan untuk meneutralkan persekitaran terlebih belian teknikal dan memberi laluan kepada pengukuhan pasaran yang sihat. Paras psikologi adalah dijangkakan pada 1,000 mata. Sokongan semerta disemak semula lebih tinggi kepada 950 mata, dengan sokongan berikutnya pada paras 936 mata. Dari segi sektor, saham dalam sektor pembinaan, minyak dan gas, dan perladangan dijangkakan mencatat prestasi lebih baik, sungguhpun berlaku pengukuhan pengambilan untung di pasaran meluas

April 18, 2009

CPO Futures Rebound After Two Days Loss

Published: 2009/04/18

CPO FUTURESCrude palm oil (CPO) futures prices on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives ended the trading week higher yesterday, after a two-day loss.A dealer said the market sentiment improved with buyers chasing for stock as concerns grew over supplies on expectations of a further drop in inventory.

A recent report said that the April stockpile is expected to be below 1.2 million tonnes against the 1.36 million tonnes recorded last month.

"Sentiment is positive and thus likely to sustain prices above the RM2,350-RM2,500 level in the near future," he said.The CPO futures contracts for May 2009 rose RM70 to close at RM2,570 a tonne, while June 2009 and July 2009 increased RM77 each to RM2,487 and RM2,435 a tonne respectively.

August 2009 went up by RM68 to RM2,384 a tonne.Yesterday's volume amounted to 17,340 lots, higher from Thursday's 16,116 lots while open interests also rose to 87,313 contracts from 85,448 contracts previously. As for the physical market, the April shipment in the southern region was slightly higher at RM2,610 per tonne compared with the RM2,620 per tonne on Thursday.

RUBBER Rubber prices ended mixed for the fourth consecutive day yesterday as the market saw some price adjustments, a dealer said.He said the local latex prices were adjusting itself to be in line with Thailand's rubber prices."The local rubber price is being pressured as buyers are looking to Thailand for latex as it is priced much lower compared with us," the dealer said.

However, he said, the losses were limited as tight supply in major producer countries continued to keep the SMR 20 prices high.At noon yesterday, the Malaysian Rubber Board's official physical price for tyre-grade SMR 20 rose 2.5 sen to 574.5 sen a kilo, but latex in bulk lost one sen to 435 sen a kilo.

The unofficial sellers' closing price for tyre-grade SMR 20 gained one sen to 574.5 sen a kilo while latex in bulk was down by 1.5 sen to 434 sen a kilo.TIN The Kuala Lumpur Tin Market (KLTM) surged to two-and-a-half-month high yesterday on heavy buying, especially from foreign buyers, a dealer said.

The commodity's price went up by US$140 to close the week higher at US$11,240 a tonne yesterday.He said the uptrend was also in line with firmer tin price on the London Metal Exchange (LME) which increased by US$250 to settle at US$11,600 per tonne.

At the opening level on the KLTM yesterday, buyers made bids for 160 tonnes while offers were only at 50 tonnes with the participation of Japanese, European and local traders.Turnover of the day, however, slid to 65 tonnes from 98 tonnes on Thursday. The price difference between the KLTM and the LME widened to a discount of US$145 per tonne from a discount of US$35 per tonne previously. - Bernama

Malaysian Shares Extend Wining Streak

Published: 2009/04/18
Share prices on Bursa Malaysia ended the week higher, extending its winning streak to seven trading days, bolstered by improved investor sentiment globally and locally, dealers said.
The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index (KLCI) ended yesterday 3.89 points higher or 0.405 per cent at 965.17.

"With risk appetite returning, retail players and day traders are coming back into the market with some force as evidenced by the steep rise in volume traded," a dealer said.Analysts said the near-term outlook of the key index remains firmly bullish. "It is very likely that the current rising momentum would lead the market to at least the 200-day moving average line (967)," OSK's technical analyst Shin Kao Jack said.

Dealers said buying interest was mostly in key heavyweights like Tenaga and Bumiputra-Commerce.However, some investors sold off their holdings as they were reluctant to take a heavy position ahead of the weekend.

The KLCI, which opened 2.64 points higher at 963.92, moved between 960.39 and 967.10 in trading.Meanwhile, the Finance Index advanced 57.75 points to 7,423.18, the Industrial Index added 4.8 points to 2,229.71 while the Plantation Index eased 10.09 points to 4,914.32.

The FBMEmas rose 28.23 points to 6,362.57, the FBM30 improved 35.75 points to 6,174.60, the FBM2BRD was 15.01 points lower at 4,093.94 while the FBM-MDQ declined 50.18 points to 3,337.49.Losers led gainers by 356 to 243 while 219 counters were unchanged, 426 untraded and 36 suspended.

Total volume declined to 1.012 billion shares valued at RM1.089 billion from Thursday's close of 1.963 billion shares worth RM1.463 billion.Among the active stocks, KNM was unchanged at 53 sen, Axiata Group-OR added three sen to 59 sen and UEM Land Holdings rose two sen to 99 sen.

Top gainers Tahps Group rose 44 sen to RM3.34, Bintulu Port Holdings rose 35 sen to RM6.30 and Malaysia Smelting Corp went up 27 sen to RM2.79.For heavyweights, Sime Darby was up five sen to RM6.40, Maybank edged up two sen to RM4.40, Tenaga gained 20 sen to RM7.10 and Bumiputra-Commerce rose 15 sen to RM8.00.

The KLCI futures contracts on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives closed slightly higher yesterday on improved investor sentiment ahead of the weekend, dealers said.The April 2009 contract added 5.5 points to close at 957.5, May 2009 increased 7.5 points to 956.5 while June 2009 and September 2009 went up seven points each to 951.0 and 938.0 respectively.

Turnover dropped to 8,083 lots from 12,729 lots on Thursday while open interests declined to 20,601 contracts from 20,774 contracts previously. - Bernama, AFP

Untung Bersih Suku Pertama Bursa Malaysia RM15.5Juta

BURSA Malaysia Bhd mencatat keuntungan bersih RM15.5 juta bagi suku pertama berakhir 31 Mac lalu, penurunan 63 peratus berbanding RM42.1 juta pada suku sama tahun sebelumnya.

Menerusi kenyataan semalam, Bursa Malaysia berkata, keuntungan lebih rendah itu disebabkan terutama oleh penurunan pendapatan dagangan ekuiti susulan kelembapan ekonomi global yang turut memberi kesan terhadap pasaran dunia lain.

Pendapatan operasi syarikat, susut 40 peratus kepada RM54.4 juta berbanding RM91.0 juta yang direkodkan pada suku sama tahun sebelumnya. Nilai purata dagangan harian pasaran sekuriti ialah RM690 juta dalam suku kajian berbanding RM2.04 bilion pada suku sama 2008.

“Ia menyebabkan penyusutan pendapatan dagangan ekuiti sebanyak 60 peratus kepada RM19.5 juta berbanding RM48.9 juta. “Halaju dalam suku kajian berada pada 23 peratus disebabkan dagangan lebih rendah di pasaran sekuriti,” katanya sambil menambah pasaran derivatif turut menerima kesan daripada sentimen pasaran semasa.

Kenyataan itu menambah, pasaran mengalami kejatuhan 21 peratus dalam kontrak didagangkan, iaitu 1.38 juta kontrak diniagakan sepanjang suku berkenaan berbanding 1.76 juta kontrak suku sama tahun sebelumnya.

Mengulas prestasi syarikat, Ketua Eksekutif Bursa Malaysia, Datuk Yusli Mohamed Yusoff, berkata prestasi sukuan itu jelas terjejas daripada penyusutan jumlah dagangan disebabkan krisis ekonomi dunia yang masih berlanjutan.

Katanya, Bursa Malaysia berada dalam usaha memelihara tunai secara aktif, mengamalkan pengurusan kos berhemat dan langkah mengurangkan kos bagi menangani cabaran mendatang. “Bagai melegakan impak, kami mensasar mengurangkan bajet perbelanjaan operasi dan modal sebanyak 15 peratus,” katanya.

Kenyataan itu menambah, minat kekal kukuh terhadap produk utama Bursa Malaysia iaitu kontrak dagangan hadapan minyak sawit mentah (FCPO). FCPO merekodkan prestasi stabil 823,000 kontrak dalam suku berkenaan berbanding 827,000 kontrak setahun lalu.

Minat terbuka bagi FCPO, kekal kukuh pada 88,926 kontrak bagi tempoh tiga bulan berakhir 31 Mac lalu berbanding 43,624 kontrak tempoh sama tahun sebelumnya. Kuala Lumpur Index Futures (FKLI) pula mencatat penurunan dalam kontrak diniagakan; 522,000 kontrak berbanding 894,000. - Bernama “Pendapatan dagangan bagi pasaran derivatif susut 23 peratus kepada RM9.4 juta daripada RM12.2 juta,” katanya. - Bernama

Aliran Harga Terus Meningkat

HARGA saham di Bursa Malaysia ditutup tinggi semalam, meneruskan aliran meningkatnya kepada tujuh hari dagangan berikutan rangsangan daripada sentimen tempatan dan global yang bertambah baik.

Indeks Komposit Kuala Lumpur (KLCI) naik 3.89 mata atau 0.405 peratus untuk ditutup kepada 965.17. Peniaga berkata, minat belian kebanyakannya pada saham wajaran berat utama seperti Tenaga dan Bumiputra-Commerce.

Bagaimanapun, beberapa pelabur menjual pegangan mereka kerana enggan mengambil pegangan besar menjelang hujung minggu. KLCI, yang dibuka 2.64 mata lebih tinggi pada 963.92, bergerak antara 960.39 dengan 967.10 dalam dagangan.

Sementara itu, Indeks Kewangan naik 57.75 mata kepada 7,423.18, Indeks Perusahaan menokok 4.8 mata kepada 2,229.71, manakala Indeks Perladangan susut 10.09 mata kepada 4,914.32.

FBMEmas naik 28.23 mata kepada 6,362.57, FBM30 meningkat 35.75 mata kepada 6,174.60, FBM2BRD turun 15.01 mata kepada 4,093.94 manakala FBM-MDQ berkurangan 50.18 mata kepada 3,337.49. Kaunter rugi mengatasi kaunter untung sebanyak 356 berbanding 243, manakala 219 kaunter tidak berubah, 426 tidak diniagakan dan 36 yang lain digantung.

Jumlah dagangan turun kepada 1.012 bilion saham bernilai RM1.089 bilion daripada 1.963 bilion saham bernilai RM1.463 bilion kelmarin. Di kalangan saham cergas, KNM tidak berubah pada 53 sen, Axiata Group-OR naik tiga sen kepada 59 sen, manakala UEM Land Holdings menokok dua sen kepada 99 sen.

Kaunter meraih keuntungan tinggi, Tahps Group naik 44 sen kepada RM3.34, Bintulu Port Holdings meningkat 35 sen kepada RM6.30, manakala Malaysia Smelting Corporation menokok 27 sen kepada RM2.79.

Bagi saham wajaran berat, Sime Darby naik lima sen kepada RM6.40, Maybank meningkat dua sen kepada RM4.40, Tenaga menokok 20 sen kepada RM7.10, manakala Bumiputra-Commerce menambah 15 sen kepada RM8.00. Jumlah dagangan di Papan Utama turun kepada 839.989 juta saham bernilai RM1.057 bilion daripada 1.615 bilion saham bernilai RM1.412 bilion kelmarin.

Jumlah dagangan di Papan Kedua susut kepada 73.589 juta saham bernilai RM18.535 juta berbanding 102.807 juta saham bernilai RM16.693 juta kelmarin. Jumlah dagangan di Pasaran Mesdaq berkurangan kepada 77.314 juta unit bernilai RM8.942 juta daripada 194.657 juta saham bernilai RM22.8 juta sebelumnya.

Waran turun kepada 16.116 juta saham bernilai RM2.224 juta daripada 33.025 juta saham bernilai RM4.649 juta kelmarin. Mengikut sektor, barangan pengguna menyumbang 28.766 juta saham yang diniagakan di Papan Utama, barangan perusahaan 179.453 juta, pembinaan 47.853 juta, perdagangan/perkhidmatan 305.813 juta, teknologi 15.083 juta, prasarana 14.501 juta, kewangan 66.048 juta, hotel 46.054 juta, harta 159.315 juta, perladangan 17.135 juta, perlombongan sifar, REITs 1.33 juta dan dana tertutup 86,000. - Bernama

Harga Saham DiJangka Terus Meningkat Minggu Depan

KUALA LUMPUR: Harga saham di Bursa Malaysia dijangka meneruskan aliran meningkatnya minggu depan dengan sokongan sentimen pelabur yang bertambah baik di dalam dan luar negara, kata peniaga.

Mereka berkata tumpuan dijangka terarah kepada saham wajaran berat terpilih dan kaunter berharga rendah, terutama saham perbankan dan kewangan, dengan sokongan daripada perkembangan dalam sektor perbankan dan kewangan Amerika Syarikat.

Bagaimanapun, seorang penganalisis memberi amaran senario ini adalah pemulihan sementara daripada penurunan yang berlarutan, di mana selepas itu pasaran akan terus menurun.

Harga Saham DiJangka Terus Meningkat Minggu Depan

KUALA LUMPUR: Harga saham di Bursa Malaysia dijangka meneruskan aliran meningkatnya minggu depan dengan sokongan sentimen pelabur yang bertambah baik di dalam dan luar negara, kata peniaga.

Mereka berkata tumpuan dijangka terarah kepada saham wajaran berat terpilih dan kaunter berharga rendah, terutama saham perbankan dan kewangan, dengan sokongan daripada perkembangan dalam sektor perbankan dan kewangan Amerika Syarikat. Bagaimanapun, seorang penganalisis memberi amaran senario ini adalah pemulihan sementara daripada penurunan yang berlarutan, di mana selepas itu pasaran akan terus menurun.

April 17, 2009

KL stocks flat in early trade

MALAYSIAN shares were flat in early trade today as most investors have yet to enter the market. Most blue chips were at their overnight prices, dealers said. At 9.29am, the benchmark Kuala Lumpur Composite Index (KLCI) edged up 0.48 of a point to 961.76.

The CI opened 2.64 points higher at 963.92 compared to Thursday's close of961.28. The Finance Index rose 14.41 points to 7,379.84, the Industrial Index added 2.15 points to 2,227.06 and the Plantation Index edged up 0.71 of a point to 4,925.12.

FBMEmas advanced 6.54 points to 6,340.88,the FBM30 was 11.26 points higher at 6,150.11, the FBM2BRD rose 9.19 points to 4,118.14 while the FBM-MDQ declined 13.7 points to 3,373.97. Gainers led losers by 122 to 109 while 139 counters were unchanged, 874 untraded and 39 other suspended.

Volume was 162.071 million shares valued at RM99.796 million. Among the actives, KNM edged up one sen to 54 sen, Minply Holdings was unchanged at 35 sen while Palette Multimedia added half sen to five sen. Most heavyweights were at their overnight prices -- Maybank stood at RM4.38, Tenaga at RM6.90, Bumiputra-Commerce at RM7.85 and IOI Corporation at RM4.26. Sime Darby gained five sen to RM6.40. -- Bernama

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About Me

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Ibrahim bin Ramli@Nuang started his career with CIMB Wealth Advisors Berhad as Agency Manager in April, 2008.Previously he was an Internal Auditors and Accounts Executive with Perodua Sales Sdn Bhd since 17 August, 1994. His background:- 1.Certified of Achievement for Master Sales Leadership from Dr Lawrence Walter Ng of President of The Art Of Learning and International Of Learning Without Learning 2.Certified for eXtra Ordinary Performance of Lawrence Walter Award Certificate for One Million Ringgit Club 2007 3. Certified Life & General insurances 4. Conferred with Diploma in Business Studiess & Bachelor of Business Admin(Hons)Finance from UiTM, Terengganu Branch & Shah Alam respectively;

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