Sunday, December 16, 2007

Chart formations and patterns

BY: Den Somera

We have learned that one may use fundamental or technical analysis as an effective method in investing and speculating in stocks.

Fundamental analysis uses external information such as the financial condition of a company along with other factors such as the state of the economy and its possible impact on business, particularly on the company that the investor is interested in.

Technical analysis is the reverse. It ignores all the fundamental aspects surrounding the company.

It focuses instead on so-called internal information, namely the price patterns created by the actual buying and selling of the shares of stock.

Between the two, it is said that technical analysis can read the rhythm of price movements better. Instead of just being able to give a general direction of prices at some vague time in the future - something that is attributed to fundamental analysis - it can actually give clear signals when prices will begin to go up or down and how far they will go.

And depending on the way you process your trade following the precepts of technical analysis, you can be either a called picker or a follower.

When one focuses on picking the bottom or top prices of a stock, he is said to be a picker. When he is concerned more in getting a confirmation of the direction and trend of stock prices rather than on capturing the stock's top or bottom price, the person is called a follower or trend follower.

What's amusing with the picker and follower is that both share a common index reference where they base their trading moves on chart formations and patterns. Let's begin our examination of chart formations and patterns with the theory of trends and trend lines. This is the crux of decision making for the followers.

The theory behind trends and trend lines is that prices move in trends because of the imbalance of supply and demand for a given share of stock.

When the supply of the shares is greater than the demand for it, the trend will be down since there are more sellers than buyers. When demand exceeds supply, the trend will be up. Buyers will bid up the stock price.

If the forces of supply and demand are nearly equal, the market price of the stock will move sideways in what is called a trading range.

Eventually, new factors will enter the market and the stock price will begin to trend again either up or down, depending on whether the new factors are taken in positive or negative light.

Trends that are very brief are called minor trends. Those that may last for a longer time such as several weeks are called intermediate trends. Trends that may last for a month or longer are called major trends.

Trend lines determine which trend is in force. You will know that the price of a stock is trending up when, after drawing a line connecting each successively higher bottom, the prices of the stock remain above this line.

The uptrend is in force, as they would describe it. Conversely, a downtrend is in force if prices are below the line connecting each successively lower top (See examples in the book Technical Analysis of Stock Trends by Robert D. Edwards and John Magee).

The main theory of trend line states that once it is penetrated or broken, the trend previously in force is reversed. An uptrend, therefore, that is violated or penetrated is a signal to sell.

A downtrend line that is broken is a signal to buy. The violation, however, is not decisive enough. You must wait for a second line point, another higher top or lower bottom as the case may be, to connect with.

The trend becomes more valid if prices establish a third bottom or top point to connect your second line bottom or top point. At this juncture, stock prices are said to have been tested on its downtrend or upward trend. And, prices have held on, as they technically describe it.

Very steep trend lines are not considered very authoritative. These kinds of trend lines are most often broken by a brief sideways movement of prices (called consolidation) that allows prices to shoot up again. It is the trend lines with gentler slope - either upward or downward - that usually offer more technical significance.

In summary, factors to consider in weighing the validity of a trend line include the number of bottoms (or tops) that have formed on or near the trend line; the overall duration of the trend line; and the steepness of the angle.

The successive sharp drop in prices causes a steep downtrend pattern. Often, this trend line will be broken by sharp rallies, at which point a new trend line must be drawn.

This second trend line might be broken by another rally and a third trend line would need to be drawn. These lines are called "fan lines" (owing to their fanning ray-like lines spreading out).

The rule on fan lines is that, when the third downtrend fan line is broken, the trend has changed on to the uptrend, and vice versa.

The changing of trends can be obfuscated by what is called pullbacks or throwbacks. They occur after a trend line is broken.

Even professional traders become victims of this phenomenon. When they buy or sell as a trend line is broken, the price of the stock after a few days will go higher than the price at which the trend line was broken. This is the pullback.

A pullback may also never materialize. In order not to be waylaid by this phenomenon, it is recommended to buy or sell half of your position on the trend line break and the other half on the pullback.

(The article has been prepared for general circulation to the reading public and must not be construed as an offer to buy or sell any securities or financial instruments referred here or otherwise. Moreover, the public should be aware that the writer or any investing parties mentioned in the column may have a conflict of interest that can affect the objectivity of their reported investment activity. You may reach the Market Reader at densomera@yahoo.com)

Saturday, December 08, 2007

Averaging up

MARKET READER: Averaging up

BY: Den Somera

William O'Neil is a strong advocate of what is known in stock trading as "averaging up." It's a powerful concept of maximizing trading profits. It blends and works well with his investment management style, which is to buy and keep more stocks that are doing well.

This is not exactly his original idea. O'Neil claimed to have picked up the method from the book of the legendary Jesse Livermore, who lived in the early part of the last century. The book was How to Trade in Stocks.

I introduced William O'Neil in my previous column as one who could certainly be in our golden gallery of market winners, owing to his unique approach and success in beating the market.

O'Neil is best known as the founder of Investor's Business Daily, a national competitor of The Wall Street Journal, if you don't know that yet. He is a professional investor with a unique investment concept reflected in his famous CANSLIM system.

At 30 years old, he accumulated enough trading profits to buy a seat at the New York Stock Exchange and founded his own investment research organization.

In 1988, O'Neil wrote How to Make Money in Stocks: A Winning System in Good Times or Bad. The third edition is its latest and is completely updated.

The principle of averaging up is simple. The game plan is to buy more shares of the stock that is increasing in value.

In other words, it is a process by which you buy additional shares at higher prices. The investor accumulates an increasingly larger position in a stock while keeping the average cost of the position lower than the stock's current market price.

For example, you buy Pacific Online shares for P12 apiece, and as the stock rises you buy equal amounts at P16, P20 and P24. This will bring your average purchase price to P18 per share.

Assuming that you sell, even at P24 per share, you would have made about 33% (estimated total sales proceeds of P96 less total acquisition cost of P72).

In actual terms, the final return on investment is derived by deducting related transaction costs such as broker's commission and other trading charges and slippages.

If you average up by buying shares in decreasing volume as the prices of the shares go up, you will be realizing a higher net return than when averaging up in equal volume.

The process will also result in a pyramid-like formation of shares when you stack up the shares according to their volume and share prices. This is the reason why averaging up is also called pyramiding.

Other than this visual form, this process is in no way similar to the pyramiding scheme that recently hit a number of moneyed residents of Forbes, Dasmarinas, Urdaneta and highbrow scions in the business circle.

This pyramiding scheme is a classic investment fraud in which the operator pays high returns to current investors from the contributions made by new investors.

The funds are not invested or insufficiently invested in any productive asset. These are simply paid out as a return to those who invested earlier. The operator must continue to attract more prospects and receive more contributions. A snag or decline in the stream of investment money coming in will result in a serious deterioration of the scheme. This is called the Ponzi scheme, named after its original proponent.

When averaging up, you will notice that the average price that the investor pays for all the shares goes up. Thus, the payoff of averaging up comes as a result of the stock price continuing to go up.

Otherwise, the investor will suffer substantial losses if the stock price quickly drops. Its successful application will largely rely on the right market condition or timing.

Averaging up is the opposite of the natural tendency to buy additional shares at lower prices, called averaging down. O'Neil does not agree with the merits of averaging down. It's something that produces the same false hope that the turkey trap story promises.

To him, "The whole secret to winning in the stock market is to lose the least amount possible when you're not right." Thus, when wrong, don't average down.

The first mistake is the cheapest. Don't add more to your mistake. But when right, exploit it to the fullest by averaging up. We'll have more of William O'Neil's CANSLIM and trading schemes next time.

Trading was mild on Wall Street on Friday, but relatively stronger on a weekly basis. Overall, nothing positive is expected to happen in the near term.

There are those who insist that the Federal Reserve can't stop recession in view of the disappointing latest retail sales figures. The rate of increase fell to 0.3% in August from 0.5% in July.

The slide came as a surprise as economists had expected another 0.5% jump. Household spending accounts for two-thirds of the US economy.

The fears sparked by falling home prices, costly gasoline and tighter loan standards may cause consumers to put away their wallets.

While the Fed is expected to cut rates at its policy meeting on Sept. 18, experts are divided on whether this could be of help to prevent a much feared recession in the economy.

In the meantime, oil prices have reached all-time highs and are expected to still go up in the long term.

This reminds me that we'll soon have production in the Palawan area. Watch out for more details.

(The article has been prepared for general circulation to the reading public and must not be construed as an offer to buy or sell any securities or financial instruments referred here or otherwise. Moreover, the public should be aware that the writer or any investing parties mentioned in the column may have a conflict of interest that can affect the objectivity of their reported investment activity. You may reach the Market Reader at densomera@yahoo.com)

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

CANSLIM

MARKET READER: CANSLIM

BY: Den Somera

Let's get back to William O'Neil as promised and finish the review of his winning model, CANSLIM, which may give us a fresh insight on what could be a very difficult market to track this week.

The Dow Jones industrial average plunged by more than 366 points on Friday due to worsening fears of recession, as the price of oil went past $90 per barrel during early trading. Coincidentally, the US market ended down in the same manner as the so-called Black Friday market crash exactly 20 years ago.

By the way, the drilling of the programmed vertical pilot hole at the Galoc oil field should have been started at the weekend. This is done to provide core samples needed by the drillers to refine their plans to produce the oil field.

The drilling is set to intersect the top of the oil core all the way down until it hits water, which should be the bottom of the oil reservoir. The drilling is estimated to take about nine days, and based on the actual calendar of drilling activities, the vertical pilot hole should be completed by Oct. 28 or thereabouts.

After that, the operator will proceed with drilling of the horizontal holes that will take about 20 days each to finish. This will bring the drilling time zone at the end of the first week of December. The vertical pilot hole will provide exciting findings critical to the commercial operation of the oil field. The findings, therefore, may affect production strategies and, most importantly, to investors like us, it may affect the behavior or direction of stock prices. This week is crucial and exciting. Stay tuned.

William O'Neil with his CANSLIM has a piece of advice for those who believe in predicting market prices: Don't waste time trying. It's impossible to exactly predict market prices. Like the other greats in our golden gallery of winning investors, he believes that "Making money in stock trading does not mean knowing the secrets of forecasting future prices."

Instead, O'Neil advocates the use of an automated trading system. This will prevent you from falling prey to your emotions. Good decisions and timely actions are often hindered by emotions. Use some mechanical decision triggers: Stop losses at 8%; add more money to winners up to 5% above the buy price; make gradual moves into and out of a stock; don't buy or sell at one time; and buy or sell in parcels.

O'Neil also insists that in choosing stocks, one should ignore valuation. Low price earnings (P/E) ratios oftentimes indicate that the stock is cheap for a reason. It can become even cheaper. Instead, he insists on looking for growth features in the financial variables of a company. This is where he radically departs from the advice of the other trading greats. CANSLIM is all about looking for growth in the financial performance of companies.

The C pertains to current quarterly earnings per share. The earnings performance of the company should be accelerating. The A is for annual earnings per share. It should be accelerating, too. The N deals with something new in the company. In other words, there should be something driving the stocks to new highs.

The S stands for shares in limited supply while demand should be high. In other words, the share float of a company must be actively sought by the investing public. The L refers to directing your focus on the stocks of companies that are leaders in an industry, while the I stands for institutional sponsorship or ownership being moderate.

Demand needs to be high to drive stock prices higher. Institutional buying is the best source of demand in the stock market. They drive prices up when buying. But too much of them in a stock can translate to being overowned, and the stock might get dumped and its price will drop. The M is for market direction. The stock price should be upward because of strong fundamentals present in the company. Even if the market on the whole is down, it may stand strong and buck the market trend. Most importantly, like what the other trading greats are saying, O'Neil insists on being well informed. If you are not well informed in your task, you might miss a great opportunity.

(The article has been prepared for general circulation to the reading public and must not be construed as an offer to buy or sell any securities or financial instruments referred here. The writer may have a conflict of interest that can affect the objectivity of his reported investment activity. You may reach the Market Reader at densomera@yahoo.com)

Sunday, December 02, 2007

The Basics of Technical Analysis

BY: Jason Meyer, Associate Editor.

No matter what your approach is to the market, you've undoubtedly taken a look at the chart of a stock or an index. But the information you take away from that chart does depend heavily on your approach. While many people see simply a line representing price history, technical analysts see much, much more.

Technical analysts study past price movement for the purpose of understanding what future prices may look like. They review charts of a particular company or index's price action and examine the changes in price over a particular period of time.

If you want to think more like a technical analyst, this report is a good place to start. However, it's not meant to be an exhaustive examination. Its intent is to provide a basic introductory overview for people unfamiliar with chart-reading and hopefully spark their interest. That said, there is a lot more to learn about each aspect presented here, so I'd encourage anyone interested to pursue it further, and RealMoney is a good resource to use. Now, let's move on to the charts.
Start With the Charting Basics

The first two things you need to know about reading charts are also the most important: price and volume. These are the building blocks that make up a chart's foundation; all of the other indicators and overlays which, while helpful and revealing, are ultimately secondary. Let's start with price.

Price is represented in several different ways, depending on the type of chart you're using. There are bar charts, in which price is represented by a bar, as you can see on the left graphic below; candlestick charts, in which price is represented by what resembles a candlestick, as you can see on the graphics in the middle and the right; and line charts, where price is nothing more than, well, a line.

Let's look first at a bar.

As you can see on the graphic, the line on the left represents the opening price of the trading day. The bar's length, or the center vertical line, represents the day's price range, with the top of the bar indicating the day's high and the bottom representing the lowest. The small horizontal line on the right is the closing price for the day.

Much of the same information is reflected in the candlesticks. It too features the open, high, low and close for price that time period. The primary difference between a bar and a candle is reflected in the body, with the length of both the body and the wick, or shadow, representing the type of activity -- heavy selling or light buying, for example -- that took place. In the graphic, the white candlestick represents an up day, or a day when a stock's price increased, and the black candle is a down day, when the stock's price fell.

Many analysts prefer candlesticks to bar charts because they feel that more information is presented. The reason for this is that the color and shape of the candlestick, relative to the previous candlesticks, gives an immediate visual snapshot of the day's trading and its relationship to the past. Price bars relay much of the same information, but its relationship to previous price changes is not considered as complete by itself in comparison. Volumes have been written about candlestick charting, so for the sake of brevity here, we'll concentrate on bar charts.

Volume is represented on a chart by a single bar directly below the price bar. It is adjusted according to quantity, meaning the number of shares that changed hands that particular day.

On the chart below, you can see both price bars and volume bars. The time axis, meaning the amount of time represented by the chart, is on the bottom line -- in this case, in days. The price axis runs up the upper right side, and it is the scale, in dollars and cents, by which we measure the stock. Through these, you can see the open, high, low and close of a stock's price on any particular day, plus its volume that day.

Source: Quote LLC

Since I've mentioned the subject of time scale, this would be a good time to talk about time frames. Charts can be made for any number of time frames, from long term, such as annual, quarterly or monthly, to more intermediate term, such as weekly or daily, to extremely short term, meaning intraday in anything from one- to 120-minute increments. In each case, a single bar represents the chart's time period; for instance, on a daily chart, which is the most common chart, one bar equals one day.

Now let's take a look at these two things in action and get a very basic idea of what chart analysts look for.
Trends

First, technical analysts look at a chart to determine whether a stock is in an uptrend or a downtrend. This isn't a complicated process; in fact, one of my former colleagues said it was simple enough for his 5-year-old daughter to identify.

Source: Quote LLC

Looking from left to right, is price going up or going down? Or is it just choppy? Simply take a pencil and draw a line from one swing point to another, and you'll have your answer.

What is a swing point, you ask? As you can see in the graphic, a swing point is when one price bar (or more than one with the same high/low price) is surrounded by two others that, in our graphic, are higher or lower than the high/low of the center bar(s).

So you find two swing point lows or highs, draw your line, and that's your trend line. Now you have a visual representation to show which way a stock is moving.

This brings us to the question of whether a trend line serves any purpose other than showing us something we probably already knew, namely the direction of the stock. The answer is yes.
Support/Resistance

Market watchers often talk about a stock meeting support or resistance. They're referring to lines drawn on a chart -- sometimes trend lines, sometimes not -- where price has established a high or low or, in some cases, has merely spent a lot of time trading around.

Support is a line below the stock's current price that serves as a floor from which price can bounce and go higher or, at least, stop going lower. Resistance, therefore, is a level that stands in the way of a stock's continued rise. In both cases, the more times a stock's price has touched a line without going through it, the stronger the line becomes. For example, if a stock went to $70 six times without ever actually going through to, say, $70.25, then $70 would be considered strong resistance, meaning price is having a difficult time going higher.

Conversely, if price drops down to $50 several times without ever going through to $49.75, then $50 would be considered strong support, meaning that price is having a difficult time dropping below it.

The importance of support and resistance is that they are easily seen lines on a chart that can give an investor some idea of what the future may hold for the stock, and consequently, the importance of breaking through one of those levels.

One other thing to remember about support and resistance is that once price goes through them, they change. If price breaks through resistance, that resistance now becomes support. And if it drops below support, that support then becomes resistance. The chart below has an example of both lines, and at the same time a trading range, as Microsoft(MSFT:Nasdaq) is obviously trading between tight support and resistance before gapping down below the range on extremely heavy volume on the right hand side of the chart. That sort of break on that sort of volume is a bad sign for a stock.

Source: Quote LLC

With the very basic outline you've been given on chart-reading, let's take a jump ahead, as a bit of a teaser, and see a pattern, in this case, a head-and-shoulders reversal pattern, the beginning of which is actually on the right hand side of the chart above, and see the promise that technical analysis offers.

A head-and-shoulders pattern is a reversal pattern, meaning that one would look for the stock to reverse its current trend and head in the opposite direction. If there is no trend to reverse, then it's not really a head-and-shoulders. In this case, the downtrend is a short one, but it is established by the gap down. As you can see in the chart, price makes three moves: a left shoulder, a head and a right shoulder.

What happens is that a new low is formed, then price moves up, forming the left shoulder. Price then declines further, with a subsequent rise that will sometimes break the downtrend by itself. This is the head. A third trough -- preferably symmetrical to the other shoulder, but not required -- is then formed, making the right shoulder.

A neckline is then drawn from the high that makes the left base of the head to the high that makes the right base of the head. In order for the pattern to be complete, this line must be broken, and in the case of a head-and-shoulders bottom, the break must be accompanied by strong volume. A break on light volume would call into question whether or not the upward move would continue. You would also like to see heavier volume on the up moves and lighter on the down, which we have to some degree.

As you can see on the circled bar, the stock broke through the neckline on a wide-range bar and had the proper heavy volume accompanying it. The breakout spent a short time consolidating, and then took off, ultimately peaking at $31.48 after another break forward on good volume.

Source: Quote LLC

This example is not meant as a prediction that all head-and-shoulders patterns would have the same result. Nonetheless, it provides some insight into the way technical analysis works, which is that it gauges the market's mentality regarding a particular stock through the price bars and accompanying volume to give one an idea of whether a stock has the possibility of moving upward.

As you can probably assume at this point, I have barely scraped the surface of what technical analysis has to offer. Each of the topics introduced today is worthy of an article itself, not to mention the numerous subjects we haven't even mentioned, or barely touched on, such as chart patterns and various indicators.

Technical analysis has gained in popularity in recent years, but there is quite a bit of criticism of it, primarily from investors who study company fundamentals. They say that chart-reading has no predictive power whatsoever, representing only a company's past, not its future. Their feeling is that the only way to truly judge a company is by the numbers generated by its business.

While I believe that both fundamental and technical analysis are equally valid ways to study the market, I think that critics are missing out on valuable information by not looking at charts. For example, if a stock goes up $5 in one day on great company news, but the volume is really light, you can reasonably infer from that that investors weren't as impressed by the news as the jump in price might lead you to believe. That is not the sort of insight you'll get from a company's Securities and Exchange Committee filing.

Is technical analysis the end-all, be-all, one-and-only-way to look at stocks? Absolutely not. But whether looked at alone or in conjunction with fundamental analysis, the information and perspective it provides are invaluable.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Synergy Drive Target RM13.65

Tursina OSK said:
Synergy Drive en-route to become the largest key heavyweight in the KL Composite Index is definitely a must-have in every institutions portfolio. The company is set to grow its plantation earnings, improve its position within the property industry and tap into the growing needs for fabrication in the O&G industry. Synergy Drive will also have an active participation in the Bakun cable project. We are initiating coverage on Synergy Drive with a BUY recommendation with a 12-month target price of RM13.65 per share, based on sum-of-parts methodology.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Offshore Ringgit Attract Foreign Investors

Sia Ket Ee from OSK Research said that the latest statement by BNM Governor marked a significant change in stance of the central bank to prepare the market for a possible lifting of the Ringgit offshore trading ban. He believes BNM is already confident that domestic financial infrastructure is maturing, especially after the staged liberalisation and that the domestic economy could also be ready for a more volatile Ringgit trading. We view the “change in tone” favourably as it will expedite the development towards a more developed foreign exchange market, hence enhancing Malaysia’s attractiveness as a destination for investments.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Oil & gas prospects in NCER

Liaw Thong Jung from Aseambankers Investment Bank said that the oil & gas projects under the NCER program will be centred in 3 key areas in Kedah – ZIPY, ZIPKOP and Tanjung Dawai.

These privately-funded projects, with investment values reaching RM83b, are anchored by several key players for:
(i) oil refinery,
(ii) oil storage,
(iii) oil transportation and
(iv) offshore fabrication projects.

These high-impact onshore oil & gas projects could have positive spillover effects on service providers in the oil & gas industries. The construction sector could also benefit from infrastructure works.

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Researh dari CBRS- Bursa Malaysia

recomendasi dari CBRS


3565
KUMPULAN EUROPLUS BERHAD
03 Jul 2007 11:27AM KUMPULAN EUROPLUS BERHAD - 1QFY08 Results Update K & N Kenanga Berhad Results Report Sell
4642
YEO HIAP SENG (MALAYSIA) BERHAD
02 Jul 2007 6:12PM 1Q07 results. Downgrade to Hold (from Buy) Standard and Poors Results Report Hold
1058
MANULIFE INSURANCE (MALAYSIA) BERHAD
02 Jul 2007 6:11PM 1Q07 results. Maintain Hold Standard and Poors Results Report Hold
7028
ZECON ENGINEERING BERHAD
02 Jul 2007 6:11PM 1Q07 results. Maintain Hold Standard and Poors Results Report Hold
4928
SAPURA TECHNOLOGY BERHAD
02 Jul 2007 6:10PM 1QFY08 results. Downgrade to Sell (from Buy) Standard and Poors Results Report Sell
5606
GOLDIS BERHAD
02 Jul 2007 6:10PM Maintain Hold Standard and Poors Update Report Hold
8575
SAPURACREST PETROLEUM BHD
02 Jul 2007 6:10PM 1QFY08 results. Downgrade to Sell (from Hold) Standard and Poors Results Report Sell
5076
ASTRO ALL ASIA NETWORKS PLC
02 Jul 2007 5:41PM Results - 1QFY08 Mercury Securities Sdn Bhd Results Report Hold
7109
OCTAGON CONSOLIDATED BERHAD
02 Jul 2007 5:41PM Results - 2QFY07 Mercury Securities Sdn Bhd Results Report Sell
7191
ADVENTA BERHAD
02 Jul 2007 5:40PM Results - 1QFY08 Mercury Securities Sdn Bhd Results Report Hold
7121
XIAN LENG HOLDINGS BERHAD
02 Jul 2007 5:35PM 1QFY08 Results Report, HOLD rating maintained Netresearch-Asia Sdn Bhd Results Report Hold
5053
OSK HOLDINGS BERHAD
02 Jul 2007 3:44PM Update Report, BUY rating maintained Netresearch-Asia Sdn Bhd Update Report Buy
6688
HWANG-DBS (MALAYSIA) BERHAD
02 Jul 2007 3:44PM Update Report, BUY rating maintained Netresearch-Asia Sdn Bhd Update Report Buy
6483
K & N KENANGA HOLDINGS BERHAD
02 Jul 2007 3:43PM Update Report, HOLD rating maintained Netresearch-Asia Sdn Bhd Update Report Hold
6432
APOLLO FOOD HOLDINGS BERHAD
02 Jul 2007 10:54AM 4QFY07 Result Update Netresearch-Asia Sdn Bhd Results Report Buy
5072
HIAP TECK VENTURE BERHAD
02 Jul 2007 9:54AM Results Note Affin Securities Sdn Bhd Results Report Buy
1503
GUOCOLAND (MALAYSIA) BERHAD
29 Jun 2007 5:37PM Share price rally unjustified. Maintain sell. Asia Analytica Sdn Bhd Update Report Sell
6432
APOLLO FOOD HOLDINGS BERHAD
29 Jun 2007 5:25PM 4QFY07 results. Maintain Buy Standard and Poors Results Report Buy
1619
DRB-HICOM BERHAD
29 Jun 2007 5:24PM 4QFY07 results. Upgrade to Hold (from Strong Sell) Standard and Poors Results Report Hold
7133
UNITED U-LI CORPORATION BERHAD
29 Jun 2007 5:24PM 1Q07 results. Maintain Buy Standard and Poors Results Report Buy
3239
MATRIX INTERNATIONAL BERHAD
29 Jun 2007 5:23PM 4QFY07 results. Maintain Hold Standard and Poors Results Report Hold
5028
HEITECH PADU BERHAD
29 Jun 2007 5:23PM Maintain Buy Standard and Poors Update Report Buy
7191
ADVENTA BERHAD
29 Jun 2007 5:23PM 1QFY08 results. Maintain Strong Buy Standard and Poors Results Report Buy
5038
KSL HOLDINGS BERHAD
29 Jun 2007 5:22PM Maintain Hold Standard and Poors Update Report Hold
3239
MATRIX INTERNATIONAL BERHAD
29 Jun 2007 4:53PM Matrix - 4QFY07 Results Report JF Apex Securities Bhd Results Report Hold
5126
SARAWAK OIL PALMS BERHAD
29 Jun 2007 4:33PM Results Update Netresearch-Asia Sdn Bhd Results Report Buy
3158
YNH PROPERTY BHD
29 Jun 2007 3:37PM YNH Property Bhd Kim Eng Research Sdn Bhd Update Report Buy
6963
V.S. INDUSTRY BERHAD
29 Jun 2007 10:08AM Stunning Performance RHB Research Institute Sdn Bhd Results Report Buy
9377
FSBM HOLDINGS BERHAD
28 Jun 2007 8:29PM FSBM-Update-070627 SJ Securities Sdn Bhd Update Report Buy
1767
PETALING GARDEN BERHAD
28 Jun 2007 6:25PM Cease coverage Standard and Poors Update Report Sell

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Landmarks & Bintan Casino

Landmarks down 0.5% at MYR1.94 in thin volume but could rebound firmly in coming days; CEO and COO Lim Boon Soon says at AGM, masterplan for Bintan project in Indonesia expected to be completed by 4Q07. Project expected to contribute positively to Landmark's revenue from 2008. Last month, Landmarks bought 64.5% stake in Bintan Treasure Bay which owns 342 hectare leasehold land in Bintan. Lim declined to disclose any details on the planned development but talk rife company plans resort development with possibility of including a casino. Stock faces resistance at MYR2 (100-day moving average), then MYR2.20 (30-day moving average). Should find support at MYR1.94 (recent lows).

TM & MiTV

RHB Research doesn't expect "material earnings enhancement" from Telekom's domestic roaming agreement with MiTV, so keeps on Market Perform call. Notes that no roaming charges are disclosed, but believes the negotiated rate between the two "may prove noncompetitive" to unlisted operator MiTV. Doesn't expect MiTV to be credible new telco entrant as it doesn't have proven track record and is up against sector's strong, entrenched players. Keeps fair value at MYR11.57 on FY08 19.2X P/E. Shares down 1% at MYR10.20.

Sell Talam On Rally Based On Charts - TA

TA Securities says sell Talam on rally based on charts; "Talam shares fell from a double-top in end-March to rebuild support above 25 sen, which defined the lower band of a wide uptrend channel from September 2006," TA says. Yesterday's sharp rally has immediate upside potential to 36 sen, with double-top near 39 sen acting as stronger hurdle. "However, a profit-taking correction is expected soon, given the daily stochastics which is moving into the overbought zone on further strength," TA says; tips sustainable support at 28 sen. Stock down 7.1% at 33 sen in active trade.
 

S&P Keeps Marco As Strong Sell, 14 Sen Target

S&P Equity Research keeps Marco as Strong Sell, with 14 sen target after company posts in-line 1Q net profit of MYR0.8 million (vs MYR0.68 million in 1Q 2006); thus keeps 2007 net profit forecast at MYR3.2 million, 2008 forecast at MYR3.3 million. "Given the absence of other bottom-line contributors (such as property development), earnings growth from its core timepiece distribution business will be unexciting," S&P says; this can't justify estimated current year PER of about 40X, suggests stretched valuation. Stock down 2.7% at 18 sen in moderate trade.
 

Sell Land & General On Rally,Based On Charts -TA

TA Securities says sell Land & General on rally, based on charts; L&G shares surged above April 11's peak of 52.5 sen yesterday and overbought reading on daily stochastics should attract profit-taking and selling-on-rally interest; tips immediate support at 45 sen. Stock down 3.8% at 51 sen in active trade midday.

HLG Starts Carotech As Buy, With 90 Sen Target

HLG Research starts coverage on Carotech with Buy call, target is 90 sen on 18X 2008 earnings. Tips 40% CAGR FY06-09 EPS growth on company's plant expansion (120,000 metric ton-capacity by January 2008 vs 16,000 metric tons now), which "will more than compensate for lower margins from record high CPO prices". While shares have performed poorly relative to KLCI, CPO futures (inverse relationship with CPO prices), HLG thinks CPO prices have peaked at MYR2,300-2,400/metric ton and are biased downward due to rising supply and slow biodiesel demand growth. Shares down 0.7% at 69 sen midday.

MIMB Has Strong Buy On Bonia Based On Charts

MIMB Research has Strong Buy on leather goods and apparel maker Bonia Corp based on charts; says stock's recent fall to MYR1.02 low with oversold signals (RSI at 44.9 at lowest point) suggests significant bullish indicators are in place.

Monday, June 25, 2007

PSCI UP; PN17 Exit Hopes, Turnaround Play

PSC Industries UP on hopes company may soon exit PN17, a classification for financially troubled entities; some punters are buying the share because they feel that the company has strong turnaround potential; this, after company last week signed underwriting pact for rights issue which will raise MYR69.9 million for working capital; the rights issue represents the final phase of PSC's regularization plan which also includes capital reduction, debt settlement. Company says plan due to completed in 3Q, will also see company's exit from PN17.

Saturday, June 23, 2007

OSK Starts YTL Cement With Trading Buy

OSK Investment starts YTL Cement with Trading Buy, DCF-based fair value of MYR6.30; analyst says company has proven itself to be one of strongest cement players in industry in terms of earnings margins, operational efficiency. "Considering that prospects are improving for the cement industry in Malaysia with the revival of the construction sector and the automatic pricing mechanism coming into play, we see that YTL Cement is without doubt, going to perform in term of earnings," says analyst Arhnue Tan. But imputing heavy dilutive effect from ICULS, says group has already reached its peak pricing with FY07 PE hovering at 26.9X level. Tips accumulating at lower levels. YTL Cement down 4.1% at MYR5.80

Citi Keeps AirAsia As Sell, MYR1.66 Target

Citigroup keeps AirAsia as Sell, target at MYR1.66 as "risks are on the downside", given rich valuations (22X PER, which is 23% premium to global sector peers, 24% premium to Malaysian market), 49% foreign shareholding. Despite significant market share gains in Malaysia (now 50% vs 30% in FY06), Citi concerned about slowing growth in overseas JVs - Thai and Indonesia AirAsia. Expects AirAsia to meet FY07 recurring net profit of MYR198 million or reported earnings of MYR400 million if allowed to include deferred tax credits in audited accounts. Stock down 0.5% at MYR1.95 in moderate trade midday

Hektar A Strong Buy Based On Charts - MIMB

MIMB Research says Hektar Real Estate Investment Trust a Strong Buy based on charts; stock's fall to MYR1.00 low recently with oversold signals (RSI 44.4 at lowest point) indicates significant bullish indicators in place. Suggests stop-loss at MYR1.31, says sell and take profits from MYR1.65 to MYR1.81. Stock +5.5% at MYR1.53 in moderate trade midday.

TA Keeps SapCrest As Sell, MYR1.33 Target

TA Securities keeps SapuraCrest Petroleum as Sell, targets MYR1.33 as stock "pricey." Comes after company reported 1Q core net profit of MYR4.1 million (after excluding FX gain of MYR6.4 million), which below expectations, down 30% on-year despite 21% rise in revenue; cuts FY08 profit forecast 8.7% to MYR62.8 million after trimming pretax profit margin assumption for drilling, marine division. Stock +1.5% at MYR1.97 in active trade midday.

Buy ECM For MYR1.40 Medium Term Target

TA Securities says Buy on ECM-Libra based on charts for medium-term upside towards MYR1.40 and higher; "ECM shares had completed a full recovery from the March sell-off, with a base building phase above MYR1 in May anchoring the recent share price upswing," TA says; decisive breakout above MYR1.30 will enhance upside momentum towards MYR1.40 and beyond. Stock down 2.3% at MYR1.23 in active trade.

Friday, June 22, 2007

Monday, June 11, 2007

S&P Ups Symphony To Hold, Keeps 37 Sen Target

S&P Equity Research ups Symphony House to Hold from Sell, keeps 37 sen target after recent share price decline; but cuts 2007 net profit forecast 50.5% to MYR6.6 million, cuts 2008 by 39.7% to factor in sale of 3 units in I.T. services, corporate advisory. "The disposal can reduce earnings volatility in the future, and allow the company to focus on the more profitable BPO (business process outsourcing) businesses," S&P says; expects company to have recurring earnings CAGR estimated at 19% for 2007-2010, vs 28% decline for 2004-2007. "Given a dividend yield of 3.7% and an improving earnings prospect, we believe further downside in the stock is limited," S&P says. Stock down 1.3% at 39 sen in active trade midday.

CIMB Keeps Buy Call On MRCB, Target MYR3.15

CIMB keeps MRCB on Buy with MYR3.15 target price based on RNAV; says company may emerge as best play for exposure to mega projects planned in Penang including much talked about new MYR1.2 billion international airport. Over weekend, The Edge reported MRCB planning to buy 30% stake in Equine Capital which mooted airport project some years ago. MRCB could also add MYR1.2 billion Penang Monorail project and MYR1 billion Penang Outer Ring Road (PORR). Orderbook could potentially surge to MYR5.1 billion. MRCB flat at MYR2.51 in heavy volume but could attract buying attention in coming weeks. Equine Capital +1.3% at MYR3.10.

CS Starts Memstech At Outperform,Target Of MYR1.06

Credit Suisse starts Memstech at Outperform, target price of MYR1.06. "Memstech has started supplying a major MNC hand-phone manufacturer with its silicon microphone, which could lead to exponential earnings growth." Says catalyst: release of its 4Q FY07 results at end of September, which should show first evidence of jump in silicon microphone sales, also listing transfer from MESDAQ to Main Board "could be another major catalyst in 1Q08." Stock +25.8% at 75 sen.

Saturday, June 09, 2007

Bomoh's Squat - Tibetan Dzi Bead

The controversy surrounding dZi beads stems from their mysterious origins more than a millenium ago and also from the beautiful legends that have been passed down about them over the centuries in Tibet, that ancient kingdom in the snow.

Stories of stones dropping from Heaven can be traced back to a Buddhist sutra that records a Himalayan legend about an evil spirit who would from time to time descend to the world of men to cause plagues and disasters. Fortunately, a benevolent god took pity on the humans and cultivated its powers in Heaven, causing the beads to fall from Heaven. Those whose good fate it was to obtain one would thus be protected from misfortunes and all kinds of evil. Different variations on this same basic legend are found all over Tibet.

Whether dZi beads are spiritual bugs or stones fallen from Heaven, they bring good karma to those who own them. Since having a dZi bead can bring good fortune, health and wealth, affluent Tibetans have long been avid collectors of these legendary jewels. As long as 1300 years ago, The New History of the Tang Dynasty recorded that Tibetans liked to wear dZi beads, "a single one of which could be traded for a horse." From this you can see the high value that was placed on them.

Five Eyed Five directional wealth gods – accumulate wealth / goodluck and material gain / gain useful people, more money, valuables & food/ good fortune / fulfill success and wishes.


Sell H-Displays On Rally, MYR1.05 Floor - TA

TA Securities says Sell H-Displays on rally, based on charts; tips support at MYR1.05. "H-Displays' daily stochastics are fast approaching overbought region," TA says; further rally towards upper band of up-channel from March 2007 and upper Fibonacci Fan Line near MYR1.30 should encounter keen profit-taking and selling. Stock +2.6% at MYR1.20 in active trade.

Buy Stemlife For MYR3.50 M/T Target - TA

TA Securities says Buy Stemlife based on charts for medium-term upside toward MYR3.50; says stock has built higher support platform at MYR2.90 following late May rebound from base building above MYR2.60 support, which reinforced uptrend channel from January 2007. Stock down 1.2% at MYR3.18 in moderate trade midday.

CIMB Keeps EONCap As Outperform, MYR8.60 Tgt

CIMB Securities keeps EON Capital as Outperform, MYR8.60 target based 1.9X price-to-book; says among smaller banks, EONCap has highest exposure to construction loan segment (7.4% of loan portfolio), with 6.2% market share of construction loans; thus bank will be prime beneficiary of 9 Malaysia Plan or 9MP lending; also an attractive takeover target. "Potential re-rating catalysts are 9MP exposure, M&A newsflow, and potential entry of a strategic shareholder," CIMB says. Stock flat at MYR6.55 in moderate trade midday.

K&N Keeps Buy On MMC With MYR9.40 Target

Kenanga keeps Buy call on MMC Corp.with MYR9.40 target based on 18.9X PE on EPS of 43 sen; new construction contracts, further disposal of non-core assets and full recognition of independent power producer Malakoff's earnings in FY08 cited for strong earnings growth. Also, 50:50 JV with Gamuda to build MYR10 billion electrified double-tracking project should add 17 sen to current revised NAV of MYR9.40. MMC last down 1.3% at MYR7.85

PNB's Plantation Cos Stk Buy Puzzles Analysts

Recent moves by Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) to increase its stake in Synergy Drive questioned by investment fraternity, relating to PNB's motive and impact on market liberalization. Analysts estimate PNB's purchases costing MYR2 billion, have pushed up shares of Sime Darby, Kumpulan Guthrie and Golden Hope (all being merged under Synergy Drive); could mean Synergy Drive would be incurring higher transaction costs of MYR45 billion from MYR31 billion, possibly reducing ROE to 7% from 9%. Move could trigger downward rerating of share prices by analysts, says The Star. Other negative effects include reduction in funds for future expansion if high dividends were paid or shares bought back to top up shareholders' funds, and efforts to boost short-term profit adversely affecting its future prospects. Sime Darby last down 0.5% at MYR9.95, Guthrie down 1.5% at MYR6.70, GHope down 0.6% at MYR8.50.

S&P Research Ups Degem To Strong Buy, Keeps Target

S&P Equity Research ups Degem (7119.KU) to Strong Buy from Buy on recent share price weakness, keeps MYR1.43 target; jeweler reported above-expectation 1Q net profit of MYR3.5 million (+55% on-year) on increased sales, better margins. S&P ups FY07 net profit forecast 12.2% to MYR12.9 million; "we remain optimistic on Degem's outlook." Move to set up new stores in Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam next 2 years should boost revenue, profits. Stock +1.7% at MYR1.22 yesterday.