KLSE STOCK MARKET 

Dated 2012-02-03
More KLSE news from:
http://www.thestar.com.my


  Selling Lotus a viable option: Mahathir
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia’s former prime minister, comments on Proton Holdings Bhd after billionaire Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary’s DRB-Hicom Holdings Bhd agreed to buy a controlling stake from the government.Mahathir, who helped found Proton and …..

  OSK maintains ‘buy’ call on Axiata
KUALA LUMPUR: OSK Research Sdn Bhd today maintained its ‘buy’ call on Axiata Group despite the revocation by India’s Supreme Court of122 telecommunication licences held by eight operators, including Axiata’s 19.7per cent-owned Idea Cellular and Spice…..

Legoland Malaysia names sales director
Legoland Malaysia, the first Legoland theme park to open in the Asia-Pacific and the sixth in the world, has appointed Thila Munusamy as the Director of Sales and Marketing to strengthen its senior management team. In a statement today, it said that …..

Wah Seong invests in Congo oil palm
KUALA LUMPUR: Wah Seong Corp Bhd’s (WSC) directwholly-owned unit, WS Agro Industries Pte Ltd, has signed a subscription and shareholders’ agreement with Silvermart Resources Inc and Giant Dragon Group.In a filing to Bursa Malaysia today, WSC said the…..

KL bourse issues market query to Naim Indah
KUALA LUMPUR: Naim Indah Corporation Bhd has attracted Bursa Malaysia’s attention following a sharp increase in its share price and high trading volume.In a statement today, the local bourse operator said it has issued an unusual market activity (UMA…..

Gold, oil prices to rise this year
KUALA LUMPUR: Gold and oil prices are set to rise this year on positive sentiment for both commodities amid global economic slowdown,said Standard Chartered Bank. Its consumer banking group wealth management chief investment strategist,Steve Brice, s…..

Perwaja Steel RM400m notes downgraded
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Rating Corp Bhd (MARC) has downgraded Perwaja Steel Sdn Bhd’s RM400 million Murabahah Medium-Term Notes(MMTNs) programme from AID to A-ID with a negative outlook. The rating action, which affected RM160 million of outstanding …..

Maybank Invt tops MARC 2011 league tables
Maybank Investment Bank Bhd clinched the top spots on Malaysian Rating Corp Bhd’s (MARC) 2011 Lead Managers League Tables by issue value and issue count where the bank lead-managed 12 MARC-rated sukuk/bond issues amounting to RM9.41 billion. AmI…..

DKSH slides after denying buyout bid news
DKSH Holdings (Malaysia) Bhd, a distributor of pharmaceutical and chemical products, slid 9 percent to RM1.92 in Kuala Lumpur trading at 9.42am, bound for its steepest drop since May 4. The company denied reports of buyout offer after checking with i…..

Hubline rises on share placement pricing
Hubline Bhd, a shipping group, rose 1.2 percent to 8.5 sen in Kuala Lumpur trading at 9.42am. The company priced its placement shares at 20 sen each, a 122 percent premium to its five-day volume weighted average market price, it said in a statement. …..

Extol MSC falls on share placement pricing
Extol MSC Bhd, a provider of anti-virus software, fell 2.9 percent to 17 sen in Kuala Lumpur trading at 9.42am, set for its biggest fall since Jan. 26. The company priced its placement shares at 15 sen each, a 10 percent discount to its five-day volu…..

Stable outlook for IJM’s RM1b notes
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Rating Corp Bhd (MARC) has affirmed its MARC-1/AA- ratings on IJM Corp Bhd’s RM1.0 billion Commercial Paper/Medium Term Notes Programme with a stable outlook.In a statement today, MARC said the ratings action incorporated the …..

KL shares close higher on bargain hunting
KUALA LUMPUR: Share prices on Bursa Malaysia ended in the positive territory today on continued bargain hunting of penny stocks, dealers said.The positive sentiment was also in tandem with regional bourses, backed bysustained inflows, the Federal Res…..

Wall St holds steady as payrolls to test rally
NEW YORK: Investors largely took a wait-and-see approach on Thursday as stocks ended little changed ahead of Friday’s key employment report, but tech shares rose after strong earnings from chipmaker Qualcomm.Recent economic data suggesting the econo…..

Pubel Bedford Capital under investigation by Labuan FSA
KUALA LUMPUR: The Labuan Financial Services Authority (FSA) is currently conducting an investigation on Pubel Bedford Capital Ltd pursuant to the relevant provisions of the Labuan Financial Services Authority Act 1996 and the Labuan Financial Service…..

Wah Seong invests in congo oil palm industry
KUALA LUMPUR: Wah Seong Corp Bhd’s (WSC) wholly-owned unit, WS Agro Industries Pte Ltd, has signed a subscription and shareholders’ agreement with Silvermart Resources Inc and Giant Dragon Group……

Tricubes: No progress on regularisation
PETALING JAYA: Tricubes Bhd, a Practice Note 17 company, has yet to make any progress to regularise its condition……

Bursa Malaysia issues UMA query to Naim Indah Corp
KUALA LUMPUR: Naim Indah Corporation Bhd has attracted Bursa Malaysia’s attention following a sharp increase in its share price and high trading volume……

OSK Research maintains “buy” call on Axiata
KUALA LUMPUR: OSK Research today maintained its “buy” call on Axiata Group Bhd despite the revocation by India’s Supreme Court of 122 telecommunication licences held by eight operators, including Axiata’s 19.7 per cent-owned Idea Cellular and Spice C…..

MARC downgrades Perwaja Steel’s RM400mil MMTN
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Rating Corp Bhd (MARC) has downgraded Perwaja Steel Sdn Bhd’s RM400mil Murabahah Medium-Term Notes (MMTNs) programme from AID to A-ID with a negative outlook……

KLCI recovers from morning losses
KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM-KLCI ended Friday on a slightly better note, rising against the morning’s losses to close 1.68 points higher to 1,538.77 ahead of a four-day weekend……

US woman accused of selling fake Facebook stock
MILWAUKEE (Reuters) – A Wisconsin woman has been charged with theft over accusations she tried to profit from Facebook’s much-anticipated plans to go public by selling fake stock in the social media giant……

Assistance for downstream players affected by Indonesia’s lower export palm oil duty
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia is drawing up an action plan, which will likely include reforms in its crude palm oil (CPO) export duty policy and a new fund estimated at over RM1bil, to assist local downstream players badly affected by Indonesia’s palm oil …..

  M’sians watching Indian court order to cancel 122 licences in telco scandal
NEW DELHI: India’s Supreme Court ordered telecoms licences issued under a scandal-tainted 2008 sale be revoked, striking a decisive blow against corruption that plagues the country and roiling the world’s No.2 cellular market.       …..

  Fernandes: Lawsuit will not affect AirAsia sales
SEPANG: The recent lawsuit against AirAsia X in Australia will not affect the sales performance of the the low-cost carrier in the country, according to AirAsia group chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes……

M’sians to benefit from facebook IPO windfall
Today, Facebook has over 800 million users and the numbers are growing every day because Facebook has created enough buzz that even a seven-year-old or a 60-year-old wants to get connected on Facebook. Out of all this buzz, who would have thought tha…..

Vincent Tan awaits Facebook IPO windfall
PETALING JAYA: Tan Sri Vincent Tan is definitely going to “like” the much anticipated Facebook Inc initial public offering (IPO) as his stake in the world’s largest social networking service company could be worth as much as RM420mil……

Cypark gets nod for landfill project
KUALA LUMPUR: Cypark Resources Bhd has received an approval-in-principle letter from the Government for the proposed development of a sanitary landfill at Ladang Tanah Merah, Negri Sembilan……

S’pore firm buys into Khazanah health unit investing US$50mil
PETALING JAYA: London-listed private equity investor Symphony International Holdings Ltd could end up with a minority stake in Khazanah Nasional Bhd’s healthcare unit, Integrated Healthcare Holdings Sdn Bhd (IHH), when the latter goes for listing lat…..

OM Sarawak to invite bidders for smelter works
KUCHING: OM Materials (Sarawak) Sdn Bhd (OM Sarawak) will invite bidders in the next two to three months for various packages in the construction of its RM1.5bil (US$500mil) manganese and ferrosilicon alloy smelter in Samalaju Industrial Park, Bintul…..

New chairman at ExxonMobil Subsidiaries in Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR: The ExxonMobil Subsidiaries in Malaysia has announced that J. Hunter Farris has replaced Hugh WA Thompson as the chairman of ExxonMobil Subsidiaries in Malaysia effective from Wednesday……

Mukhriz: Think outside the box to attract foreign investment
TAIPING: Malaysia has to think outside the box to attract foreign investment in light of the sluggish global economy this year, said Deputy International Trade And Industry Minister Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir……

OSK sees more upside for Genting Malaysia
PETALING JAYA: Genting Malaysia Bhd’s shares are expected to continue their upward trend. …..

Carotech expects white knights
PETALING JAYA: Carotech Bhd will see the entrance of a few white knights should its regularisation plan be approved by the relevant authorities, according to its group managing director David Ho……

KPRJ not selling out
PETALING JAYA: Kumpulan Prasarana Rakyat Johor Sdn Bhd (KPRJ) is not selling out and will be an indirect shareholder of Tebrau Teguh following the former’s disposal of a 33.15% stake to Iskandar Waterfront Holdings Sdn Bhd (IWH) for 76 sen per share……

DKSH denies privatisation talks
KUALA LUMPUR: DKSH Holdings (M) Bhd is not going to be privatised, according to its board of directors and shareholders……

Muhibbah shares up on renewed hope for APH project
PETALING JAYA: Muhibbah Engineering (M) Bhd surged 13.7%, or 17 sen, to RM1.41 on renewed hope that the construction firm will stand a better chance to evade a substantial write-off from its works in the troubled Asia Petroleum Hub (APH) in Johor……

Maxbiz faces suspension, delisting
KUALA LUMPUR: Maxbiz Corp Bhd will be delisted from Bursa Malaysia because it has failed to submit its regularisation plan to the Securities Commission or Bursa Malaysia Securities Bhd for approval within the timeframe stipulated under paragraph 8.04…..

Indonesia plans US$5.6bil company to compete with Sime Darby, Wilmar
JAKARTA: Indonesia’s government plans to create one of the world’s largest palm oil and rubber firms in March by combining state planters with total assets of US$5.6bil, a government minister told Reuters. …..

Lynas shares surge after Malaysia nod for plant        
SYDNEY: Shares of Australia’s Lynas Corp jumped 19% after Malaysian authorities approved a temporary operating licence for its US$200mil rare earths processing plant……

Unilever sees tough 2012
LONDON: Consumer goods group Unilever said 2012 would likely be a difficult year as emerging market growth slows and Europe and North America stay flat, after matching 2011 sales forecasts helped by its own sharp price rises……

MBSB profit rises on higher loans
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia Building Society Bhd (MBSB) net profit rose 554% year-on-year to RM83.827mil in the fourth quarter ended Dec 31, 2011 on higher loans given……

Deutsche Bank posts pre-tax loss of 351 million euros on EU sovereign debt crunch
FRANKFURT: Deutsche Bank posted a fourth-quarter pre-tax loss after investment banking wilted amid the sovereign debt crisis, and as bad investments and litigation charges spoiled Josef Ackermann’s final earnings presentation as chief executive……

Munich Re profit down 71%
FRANKFURT: Munich Re, the world’s biggest reinsurer, said profits plummeted last year due to heavy losses from both the eurozone debt crisis and a string of natural catastrophes……

Oriental plans to buy London hotel
PETALING JAYA: Oriental Holdings Bhd, through its subsidiary Kah Motor Co Sdn Bhd, is looking to purchase Kingsley Hotel in London for £42.71mil (RM204mil)……

Zelan appoints JV firm contractor
KUALA LUMPUR: Zelan Bhd had issued a letter of intent to its 51% owned joint venture (JV) Zelan-Kiara Teratai JV to appoint the latter as the contractor for the proposed development of the Integrated Immigration, Custom, Quarantine and Security Compl…..

Hua Yang sets target for going overseas
KUALA LUMPUR: Property developer, Hua Yang Bhd, will explore the overseas market when the company achieves its targeted RM800mil revenue in the next few years, said chief executive officer Ho Wen Yan……

Petronas keen to have more gas plants in the country
PETALING JAYA: Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) is evaluating opportunities for additional regassification projects in Pengerang, Lumut and Lahad Datu after the completion of its Lekas regassification terminal come August……

Airline passenger traffic up nearly 6%
GENEVA: Global airline passenger traffic rose 5.9% last year despite weak conditions, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said, with 2012 likely to be difficult for the industry……

Bank Negara signs cross-border deal with Thailand
KUALA LUMPUR: Bank Negara has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Bank of Thailand (BOT) for a cross-border collateral arrangement to facilitate a reciprocal operational arrangement to enhance liquidity facilities to financial institutions …..

Al Rajhi Bank names CEO of M’sian unit
PETALING JAYA: Saudi Arabia-based Al Rajhi Bank has appointed Azrulnizam Abdul Aziz as chief executive officer of its wholly owned subsdiary Al Rajhi Bank (Malaysia)……

Maybank IB tops sukuk/bond issues
KUALA LUMPUR: Maybank Investment Bank ( Maybank IB) clinched the top spot in the Malaysian Rating Corp Bhd’s (MARC) 2011 Lead Managers League Tables by issue value and issue count……

Credit scoring beneficial helps banks compete with foreign counterparts, boost bottomline
KUALA LUMPUR: A comprehensive credit scoring system to evaluate customers risks will enable banks in Malaysia to compete with their foreign counterparts and boost their bottomlines amid the liberalisation in the local banking sector……

Singapore awards S$600mil MRT contracts
SINGAPORE: Contracts worth more than S$600mil have been awarded by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and train operator SMRT as part of efforts to improve train services and prepare for an expected spike in demand……

Facebook CEO to keep iron grip
SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook unveiled plans for the biggest ever Internet IPO that could raise as much as US$10bil, but made it clear chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg will exercise almost complete control over the company, leaving investors with li…..

Negative ratings trend for Asian firms seen
SINGAPORE: Defaults by Asian companies are likely to rise this year as the economic environment deteriorates and as credit becomes tighter with European lenders reducing their exposure to the region, ratings agency Moody’s Investors Service said……

Two-year trade waiver for Pakistan
GENEVA: The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has approved a waiver allowing 75 Pakistani products duty-free access to European markets for two years to help textile exports after devastating floods in 2010……

Removal of ex-RBS boss’ title sparks concern
LONDON: The decision to strip the former Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) boss of his knighthood marks a new high in “banker bashing” sparked by the financial crisis, and left business figures asking if it had gone too far……

India’s rubber imports set to fall from March on price rise
MUMBAI, Feb 2 (Reuters) – India’s natural rubber imports are set to fall from March as Thailand’s move to intervene in the market has pushed up world prices making overseas buying expensive for Indian tyre makers, industry officials said……

Management Tip of the Day: Trust your innovation
BOSTON (Reuters) – You cannot find truth through analysis but only through action, says Harvard Business Review, so start working it……

Fed’s Fisher: policy action hinged to inflation
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) – The Federal Reserve may have more latitude to pursue easy-money policies if inflation runs below its newly-set 2-percent target, though such a move does not guarantee more jobs, a top central bank official said on Thursday……

Panasonic yearly net loss to top $9bil
TOKYO, Feb 3 (Reuters) Panasonic Corp expects a record net loss of more than 700 billion yen ($9.2 billion) for the year to March, Japanese media said, hit by writedowns for its Sanyo Electric acquisition and restructuring of its ailing TV division……

Analysis: Single-cup coffee sales seen growing
NEW YORK/BANGALORE (Reuters) – Sara Lee Corp Executive Chairman Jan Bennink thinks it is time for his company to reinvest in the single-serve coffee market……

Fed’s Fisher: policy action hinged to inflation
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) – The U.S. Federal Reserve may have more latitude to pursue easy-money policies if inflation runs below its newly-set 2-percent target, though such a move does not guarantee more jobs, a top central bank official said on Thurs…..

Smoking tied to higher psoriasis risk: study
REUTERS – Smokers have an increased risk of developing the chronic skin condition psoriasis, and that appears to be true both for people who currently smoke as well as past smokers, according to a U.S. study……

Google tightens security in Android app store
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Google Inc has been quietly policing its online store for months now in an acknowledgement of malware’s growing threat to its increasingly popular Android mobile software……

Bernanke defends low rate policy for weak economy
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Thursday defended the U.S. central bank’s policies against charges from Republican lawmakers they risked sparking inflation, saying the economy still needs plenty of support……

News Corp taps Bloomberg exec to lead Dow Jones
NEW YORK (REUTERS) – Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp on Thursday named Bloomberg LP executive Lex Fenwick as chief executive officer of its Dow Jones & Co unit which houses its Wall Street Journal newspaper……

Wall Street holds steady as payrolls set to test rally
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Investors largely took a wait-and-see approach on Thursday as stocks ended little changed ahead of Friday’s key employment report, but tech shares rose after strong earnings from chipmaker Qualcomm……