Tayar Pancit Di Jambatan Penang

Berititik tolak dari fenomena tayar pancit diatas jambatan dan perbuatan khianat orang yg mengambil kesempatan diatas masalah orang lain, Pihak jambatan pulau pinang telah menambah baik perkhidmatan dgn memperkenalkan bantuan Tayar pancit, menunda motosikal secara percuma ke bengkel berdekatan.

Sila Hebahkan.

Bir Halal?

Baru-baru ni kita di Malaysia diperkenalkan dengan BIR HALAL di pameran Halal Antarabangsa 2009 (Mihas 2009. Apa yg menghairankan aku adalah bila dah nama bir confirm la ada alkohol. Kalau tak ada alkohol tu bukan bir namanya. Lebih baik jangan guna nama bir. Guna je nama air buah ka, jus ka, air bergas ka atau apa2 aja. Tapi RUT BIR mcm mn plak. hmmm.. Nanti ramai orang Islam kat Malaysia ni keliru. Pasti ada yg melenting dan tak setuju. Setahu aku kalau air kosong jika kita anggap arak hukumnya haram dan berdosa bila kita minum. Tu ustaz aku ajar masa kat sekolah dulu la. Kalau salah tolong betulkan aku.



Bir yg depa kata halal tu jenamanya ISTAK didatangkan dr IRAN. Ada yg kata rasa mcm bir tp tak mabuk. Mcm-mcm org perkatakan tentang bir ni. Tp yg pasti ini akan jd 1 trend baru masyarakat kita nanti. Mcm zaman org duk sibuk minum tongkat ali, abu dan sebagainya..

Untuk pengetahuan bir Istak ni didatangkan dengan 10 warna yang mewakili perisa minuman malt yang berbeza. Minuman ini telah memperoleh sijil halal daripada kerajaan Iran sejak 10 tahun lalu dan seperti mana kita tahu republik Islam itu mempunyai syarat halal dan taibah yang ketat termasuk melibatkan produk untuk dieskport. Itu kata Malaysian Iranian Corporation Sdn. Bhd. (MICSB).

Bir itu didakwa baik untuk kesihatan termasuk mampu mengelakkan sakit buah pinggang,, mengurangkan tekanan, membina tenaga dan mampu mengurangkan kolesterol.

Tinggalkan komen anda!

How to accumulate enough money for retirement

Personal Investing - By Ooi Kok Hwa

Wealth for retirement, How to earn 30-year investment returns with different savings amounts and rates

ON Jan 28, we have written an article on We all need to become millionaires. That article explained that we need to have cash reserves of about RM1mil to be able to maintain our current lifestyle 20 years after retirement.
Some readers responded and would like to know more on how to accumulate enough money for their retirement.

In this article, we will look into 30-year investment returns with different savings amounts and rate of returns. Our computation is based on the assumption that we start investing at the age of 25 and intend to retire at 55.

•Based on how much rate of returns you can achieve
The table shows that if we save RM100 per month and invest the money into fixed deposits (FD), assuming the FD can provide about 3% return over the next 30 years, our investment portfolio will reach RM58,274 when we reach 55.However, if we can generate 5%, 7% and 10% returns, our investment portfolio will achieve RM83,226, RM121,997 and RM226,049 respectively.

The EPF may be able to provide us about 5% whereas unit trust investments may be able to give us 7% to 10% returns over a very long-term period.Assuming that we treat the 3% FD return as our risk-free rate, any extra returns above this rate will be the risk premium for the additional risk that we are prepared to face.

Therefore, we need to understand our risk tolerance level before considering any type of risky investment.We should ask ourselves whether we are willing to accept the uncertainty of return that is inherent in those investments.Besides, we need to understand whether we can afford to have our savings tied up for a long period before we can achieve our investment targets.

•Based on how much you save and not how much you earn
We agree that when you earn more money, you should have more money for your investments. Unfortunately, some investors are unable to save even though they earn high salaries.


From the table, we can see that if we are able to save RM500 per month in FD, assuming a 3% return per annum, our investment portfolio will reach RM291,368 when we retire at age 55, five times higher than the savings of RM100 per month.Hence, if we can cut down on our expenses and live below our means, we should have more money to save.

We should always ask ourselves whether we want to spend money on unnecessary luxury items to keep up with the Jones or be more frugal and spend less to achieve financial freedom earlier.

The question on how to generate high returns is frequently asked by readers. Unfortunately, there is no straight-forward answer to this.We can equip ourselves with strong financial and investing knowledge which helps us in making better investment decision that will eventually translate into better returns.

To do so, we need to be interested in the economic and business activities around us.For those who are beginning to learn about investing, you can go to any bookstore to look for investment books that you can comprehend to build up the foundation.

Remember that there is no point in buying books written by top investment gurus in the world if you cannot understand what it is trying to tell.Once you have built up your knowledge, you should be able to digest the financial information and do your own research in investment.

Boikot dan Terus Boikot

Pastikan anda menjalankan kewajipan anda sebagai Islam dan terus memperjuangkan Islam dan Palestine dengan memboikot barang-banrang Israel dan Amerika. Sedekahkan Al-Fatihah untuk pejuang mati syahid kita di Palestine. Amin.

Dunia oh Dunia - Jahanam Kau Yahudi

Oleh Zaharuddin Abd Rahman
www.zaharuddin.net

Setiap hari membelek berita berkenaan Palestin, setiap hari rasa pedih dan adakalanya terasa seolah tidak mahu mendengar sebentar laporan berita berkenaannya kerana sukar menahan rasa sakitnya.

Sudah hari kesepuluh dan serangan semakin ganas. Sekitar 550 orang Palestin telah diragut nyawanya termasuk kanak-kanak dan wanita serta orang awam, manakala seramai 2500 lagi cedera. Bekalan ubatan, makanan dan perkara asas semakin kurang. Hospital dan doktor amat terhad dan laporan berita menyatakan ada doktor yang tidak sempat tidur sama sekali.

Palestin pula telah terbahagi kepada tiga bahagian, kiri dan kanan telah mula ditembusi oleh Yahudi, hanya bahagian tengah masih belum berjaya ditembusi. Jelas, mereka sedang melakukan penjajahan secara fizikal dan menghilang Palestin dari peta dunia.!

Persoalan utama sekarang, apa lagi yang boleh bantu yang benar-benar dikira membantu?? Satu soalan yang saya sendiri turut kerap menyoal diri ini. Saya tiada jawapan yang melegakan, atau jawapan yang membuatkan anda terperanjat kerana ‘di luar kotak'.

Namun bagi saya, kita semua boleh membantu berdasarkan rasa kemampuan masing-masing. Siapa boleh lebih, buat lebih, siapa hanya mampu yang kurang, buat jugalah.

Keadaan manusia yang berbeza-beza dalam kemampuan ini diiktiraf sendiri oleh Nabi akan kewujudannya. Justeru, jangan harapkan semua orang mampu menjadi terlalu ‘berani seperti anda, terlalu ‘pemurah' seperti anda, terlalu ‘berjasa' seperti anda.

Nabi s.a.w bersabda dalam hadis yang sangat popular :-

Erti : Sesiapa yang melihat kemungkaran, hendaklah ia mencegah dengan tangannya, barangsiapa yang tidakmampu, cegahlah dengan lisannya (perkataan dan tulisan), barangsiapa yang tidak mampu, cegahlah dengan hatinya (iaitu dengan rasa benci)"


USAHA KITA : PILIHLAH

Natijahnya, pilihlah salah satu atau lebih dari satu dari tindakan di bawah untuk membantu saudara kita di Palestin yang dijajah dan Palestin yang sedang cuba dijajah.

1) Bantuan tenaga dan diri ; Pergilah ke medan di Palestin, jika anda ada cara, kemampuan dan keikhlasan. Sama ada untuk membantu menghantar bantuan kemanusian, perubatan, psikologi atau yang lebih dahsyat dari itu dari segi fizikalnya..

2) Bantuan Harta : Bagi yang tidak mampu pergi ; sumbanglah bantaun kewangan atau pakaian dan lainnya kepada badan yang dipercayai lagi berwibawa di tempat anda. Agar bantuan tersebut boleh sampai kepada rakyat Palestin yang sedang menderita. Cuaca sejuk kini tidak menentu, di UK kami ditimpa cuaca sejuk luar biasa sehingga (negatif 10) atau -10 darjah celcius. Palestin juga berada dalam cuaca sejuk, sekitar di bawah 10 celcius di sebelah malam

3) Bantuan Doa ; Bagi yang tidak mampu memberi kedua-dua bantuan di atas, atau termasuk juga merkea yang mampu, teruskan berdoa untuk keselamatan rakyat Palestin, Iraq dan umat Islam, doakan bala bagi Yahudi, pemimpin Amerika dan rakyatnya yang menyokong, pemimpin Mesir dan sekutunya-sekutu mereka yang membuka jalan dan menyokong serangan pengganas Yahudi ini.

Doa anda boleh bacanya sebagai :-

a-Qunut Nazilah dalam setiap solat fardhu anda, anda dibenarkan untuk memegang kertas doa semasa qunut tersebut kerana tentunya sukar untuk menghafalnya. Itu tidak membatalkan solat dalam semua mazhab termasuk mazhab Syafie kerana andatidak bergerak besar berturut-turt sebanyak tiga kali. Hanya angkat sekali kertas doa, berhenti sebenar kerana membaca, kemduain terus turun sujud, tiada berturut-turut.

b-Doa semasa sujud dalam setiap solat. Ia lebih maqbul berdasarkan nas yang sohih.

c-Khatib bacalah doa untuk Palestin di hujung khutbah Jumaat.

d-Dan banyak lagi waktu doa maqbul.

4) Solat Hajat ; Bagi mereka yang berpegang kepada bolehnya dilakukan solat hajat sama ada secara individu atau berjemaah. Anda turut boleh meneruskannya.

5) Menyertai Demonstrasi Aman : Sertailah ia dengan aman dan makmurkannya, namun jangan lupa juga memakmurkan masjid di kala Subuh dan waktu-waktu lain.

6) Menulis ; Tulislah di blog, web, forum anda, ruangan akhbar, majalah yahoogroup dan lainnya, buatkanlah kajian ringkas dan permudahkan penyampaian info kepada orang ramai berkenaan kezaliman Yahudi terhadap Palestin dan sekutu-sekutu mereka.

7) Ceramah ; anda mampu ceramah? berikanlah ceramah berkaitan isu ini atau hadirkanlah diri ke ceramah berkaitannya di tempat anda.Anda tidak semestinya seorang ustaz/ah untuk ceramah dalam bab ini, wartawan pun boleh.

8) Boikot : perkukuhkan boikot barangan Yahudi dan Amerika di ketika ini. Hantarlah surat dan bantahan, petition, memorandum kepada kedutaan Amerika, Mesir dan sekutu jahat mereka. Pelajar Al-Azhar, kami mendambakan tindakan dan usaha anda terhadap kerajaan Mesir.


TINGKATKAN KEPEDULIAN


Tingkatkan kepedulian kita terhadap nasib saudara kita umat Islam.

Jangan dirasakan usaha kita sangat kerdil, tidak mampu memberi sebarang kesan. Yakinilah bantuan Allah, sangka baiklah dengan Allah, nescaya Allah bersama hambaNya yang bersangka baik dan taatinya.

Sebagai sebuah hadis qudsi ertinya:

Allah menyebut : aku berada di atas sangkaan hamba-hambaKu,


AMERIKA SUDAH SAKIT, BERIKAN HADIAH KEEGOANNYA!

Keegoan dan keangkuhan Amerika dalam bidang ekonomi sedang jatuh merudum, hari ini berita BBC melaporkan Presiden dipilih, Barrack Obama mengatakan ekonomi USA sedang ‘SANGAT SAKIT' dan sangat serius masalahnya.

Rakyat Amerika yang kehilangan kerja semakin ramai. Obama sedang pening kepala masa plannya untuk USA, Bush bukan main seronok dengan Yahudinya.( Sumber di sini http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7811326.stm)

Jualan kereta di US pula kini diratah serangan virus kegawatan ekonomi apabila jualannya jatuh paling teruk sejak 1992. Jualan di pasaran Detroit Three jatuh 50 % buat pertama kalinya. Chrysler pula rugi dengan kejatuhan jualan sebanyak 53 % ,manakala jualan Toyota, Honda, GM dan Ford jatuh 31 ke 37 peratus. (http://uk.biz.yahoo.com/06012009/323/auto-sales-crash-2008-hits-lowest-level-since-1992.html)

Seorang rakan warganegara Amerika di sini memberitahu kami bahawa Bush sedang merancang Amerika menyertai perang, itu adalah salah satu jalan agar perlantikan rasmi Obama sebagai Presiden UA pada 20 Januari 2009 terpaksa ditangguh, kerana demikian menurut undang-undangnya. Iaitu jika US sedang dalam peperangan, Presiden yang sedang menerajui akan kekal. Kami tiadalah mengetahui sejauh mana benarnya ramalan atau analisa ini. Cuma ini mungkin salah satu sebab Obama dan rakannya, senyap sunyi menggelak dari memberi komen dalam isu Palestin.

Namun saya kira, mungkin hasrat Bush sedikit terganggu kerana untuk berperang Amerika perlukan berbillion US, bagaimana ia boleh sedang dalam ekonomi yang sanagt sakit dan teruk.?

MUJUR BRITAIN SEDANG PARAH, TAK LARAT BERSUARA

Kalau sebelum ini yang tidak kurang bengisnya adalah Britain, sebagaimana dalam kes Iraq, namun, kini UK agak senyap sunyi sikit, Alhamdulillah. Mengapa?

Jika Amerika sedang merudum dengan laju teruknya, UK setiap hari berita parahnya semakin menjalar, sehingga nilai Pound Sterling jatuh menjunam hampir sama malah pernah lebih rendah daripada matawang Euro. Kes buang kerja tidak henti-henti, pasaraya dan syarikat besar satu demi satu bungkus seperti Woolworth, MFI dan banyak lagi, menghidangkan kebanjiran pengganggur. Ditambah dengan cuaca sejuk luar biasa, Sehingga kami yang berada di sini turut bimbang.

Oleh itu kita mesti boikot barang-barang sekutu Yahudi terutama AMERIKA LAKNATULLAH

When will our stock market recover?

Personal Investing
By OOI KOK HWA


THE world’s stock markets, including Malaysia’s, have recovered lately.
Some analysts have viewed this recovery as window dressing activities while others have called it bear market rallies.

And there are those who wonder whether we have seen the worst.
They are eager to know whether the current stock market level has reflected all the negative news, like the sharp drop in consumer spending, higher unemployment rates or lower sales and lower profits for most of the listed companies in the coming corporate result announcements.

Every investor wants to know when will the market recover.
Some investors may be excited about the current stock market level as a lot of good quality stocks have been hammered down to attractive levels, and are keen to start accumulating them.

However, if the stock market continues to dip for long periods, certain investors may run out of “bullets” to average down their purchasing prices. Then, they will start losing interest in the stock market as they do not have cash to purchase further and their earlier purchases also start to show losses. We need to prepare ourselves for the market turnaround.

However, we need to be patient and wait for the right time to invest.
In this article, we will look into the past two major downcycles: the 1998 crash and 2000 crash versus the current 2008 crash.

From the table, it can be seen that the Kuala Lumpur Composite Index (KLCI) tumbled by almost 80% in a period of 18 months during the 1998 crash versus a drop of 45% in a period of 13 months during the 2000 crash.

The percentage drop and duration of the 2000 crash were much less severe and shorter compared to the 1998 crash.For the current 2008 crash, our KLCI has plunged by 47% to its lowest level of 801 points on Oct 28.

If investors believe that the current crash is quite similar to the 2000 crash, then we may have seen the worst as the current percentage drop of 47% is near the 2000 crash of 45%.However, if the 2008 crash mirrors the 1998 crash, then we may have to wait until the KLCI touches about the 300-point level (assuming the same 79.4% drop in the 1998 crash) before we can see any real recovery.

Hence, we may have to wait for another nine months or until September 2009 (assuming the same duration of 18 months).We do not think the 2008 crash is similar to the 1998 crash.Our current economic situation, like central bank reserves, the health of the banking sector as well as economic fundamentals, are much better compared to 1998. However, as mentioned earlier, we need to prepare ourselves for the worst.

What to expect from here on?

Our market will try to absorb all the negative news.
As long as the market continues to drop as a result of negative news, we know we have not seen the bottom yet.We have to wait for the day when the stock market refuses to come down even when it is loaded with massive negative news; that should be the right time to buy.

Unfortunately, based on our past observations, by then most investors may not have any more cash to purchase or they will still worry about the economic situation. Investors need to understand that stock market cycles are always ahead of economic cycles.

Normally, when the stock market hits the bottom, the economic situation is uncertain or is still getting worse.

Is China Still Attractive After The Olympics?

The Beijing Olympics was a spectacular show. The opening ceremony impressed billions of viewers around the world. When it comes to China’s stock markets, however, the situation has been far from spectacular. They have been faring poorly, a few months, prior to the Olympics.

Economic growth measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP) moderated to 10.1% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2008. This implies an economic slowdown (as compared with the GDP growth of 11.9% for the whole year 2007, and 10.6% for the first quarter of 2008).

Olympics: Boom and Bust?

Some investors observed there have been boom and bust cycles in Seoul, Sydney and Athens, before and after they organised the Olympic Games in 1988, 2000 and 2004 respectively. However, we do not expect to see such a cycle happening in Beijing. All the previous host cities contributed a large proportion to their nation’s economies. Beijing, on the other hand, contributes only around 4% to China’s GDP last year.

Beijing spent US$ 40.75 billion on urban infrastructure and US$ 1.89 billion on sport facilities, and those numbers add up to less than 1.1% of China’s fixed asset investments between 2005 and 2008 (source: People’s Daily). In terms of the equity market’s performance, although both the domestic A-shares and the Hong Kong-listed H-shares markets experienced a boom from 2006 to late 2007, they have not performed well this year, even during the Olympics. Hence, it is unlikely that there would be a post-Olympics bust.

China ’s economy has slowed down amidst the global economic gloom, but its GDP growth for 2008 may still be above the 8% target set by the Chinese government earlier this year. Inflation, on the other hand, which was at 8.7% year-on-year in February 2008, has been declining since May, to only 6.3% year-on-year in July 2008.

Conclusion

Despite weaker export growth, China’s economy may still grow by 8% or more in 2008. Domestic demand, based on retail sales, remains strong at over 20% year-on-year from March to July amidst the slump for A-shares. Infrastructure investment spurred by reconstruction needs after the natural disasters, will support economic growth, at least for the next two years. Inflation has lessen. Although market sentiment is negative in the short term, opportunities arise for mutual fund investors with medium- to long-term investment horizons.

China or Greater China equities seem attractive at their current valuation levels. However, they should be prepared for short-term volatility. China equity funds are single-market funds which may exhibit greater volatility than regional funds in the short term – we suggest investors place China or Greater China equity funds in the supplementary portion of their portfolio, which usually takes up no more than 20% of an overall portfolio. Nevertheless, the economic fundamentals, especially the Chinese market’s valuations, do indicate a good medium-term outlook.

source : ifast

Market Statistic

muka hadapan Utusan Malaysia - 21/05/08

Public Mutual emerged as the biggest winner for the 5th consecutive year at The Edge-Lipper Malaysia Fund Awards 2008

KUALA LUMPUR 26 Feb. - Anak syarikat milik penuh Public Bank, Public Mutual muncul sebagai pemenang Anugerah Dana Malaysia The Edge Lipper 2008 dengan memenangi lapan daripada 20 anugerah, termasuk anugerah berprestij Kumpulan Ekuiti terbaik bagi kategori tiga tahun.

Ia merupakan kemenangan bagi tahun kelima berturut-turut.

Pengerusi Public Mutual, Tan Sri Dr. Teh Hong Piow berkata, kejayaan itu disebabkan oleh keberkesanan strategi pelaburannya.

Anugerah-anugerah tersebut disampaikan oleh Pengerusi Suruhanjaya Sekurit Datuk Zarinah Anwar kepada Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Public Mutual, Yeoh Kim Hong dan ahli pasukan pelaburannya pada majlis penyampaian anugerah itu, yang diadakan di sini hari ini.

Antara anugerah dimenangi Public Mutual ialah Anugerah Kumpulan Ekuiti Terbaik (3 tahun), PB Dana Fixed Income pula memenangi Anugerah Bon Ringgit Malaysia (5 Tahun), manakala PB Dana Growth menerima Anugerah Dana Ekuiti Malaysia Terbaik (5 Tahun) dan Public Dana Ittikal memenangi Anugerah Dana Ekuiti Malaysia Terbaik (5 dan 10 tahun).

Public Mutual sells RM1b units of fund

KUALA LUMPUR: Public Mutual Bhd has sold about RM1bil worth of units in Public China Ittikal Fund (PCIF) during the offer period which ended Dec 10.

Chief executive officer Yeoh Kim Hong said the company had increased the fund size to five billion units to cater to the overwhelming demand for PCIF.

“The fund received good response as this is the first China Islamic fund in the country that offers investors the opportunity to ride on the solid growth prospects of the greater China region,” Yeoh said in a statement.

Yeoh said PCIF would invest a minimum of 70% of its net asset value (NAV) in the greater China region namely in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan stocks.

In an earlier statement, Public Mutual said it had increased the size of Public South-East Asia Select Fund (PSEASF) to five billion units from 1.5 billion units due to strong demand from investors.

PSEASF is an equity fund that seeks to achieve capital growth over the medium to long term by investing in a portfolio of investments in Asean markets. – Bernama

Industri saham amanah mampu tarik pelabur asing

KUALA LUMPUR 13 Dis. – Industri saham amanah tempatan mempunyai potensi untuk berkembang dan menarik pelaburan asing, kerana menawarkan kadar pulangan yang tinggi berbanding ekuiti dana global.

Presiden Persekutuan Pengurus Saham Amanah Malaysia (FMUTM), Tunku Datuk Ya’acob Abdullah berkata, walaupun ramai yang tertarik untuk melabur di luar negara tetapi melabur di Malaysia juga tidak kurang hebatnya.

``Malah dalam banyak kes, kita telah menandingi dana asing dari segi kadar pulangan setahun,’’ katanya pada sidang akhbar selepas menyampaikan ucapan pada Persidangan Tahunan Perunding Saham Amanah di sini, hari ini.
Beliau berkata, kadar pulangan dana ekuiti Malaysia untuk setahun adalah tinggi sebanyak 34 peratus begitu juga dengan ekuiti dana Islam sebanyak 33 peratus, berbanding ekuiti dana global hanya menawarkan 12 peratus dan dana ekuiti Asia Pasifik tidak termasuk Jepun pula hanya sebanyak 31 peratus.

Katanya, pertumbuhan industri saham amanah di Malaysia dijangka kekal kukuh pada tahun depan.
Tambahnya, sehingga 30 September lepas, jumlah aset dalam industri saham amanah tempatan mencecah RM155 bilion mewakili 15 peratus daripada keseluruhan pasaran modal Bursa Malaysia.

Kejayaan industri ini juga membayangkan pertambahan jumlah perunding saham amanah tempatan kepada 53,000 orang pada tahun ini berbanding 21,000 orang pada tahun 2005, ujarnya.

Lower unit trust sales charges

By DALJIT DHESI

PETALING JAYA: Effective next month, sales charges for investment in unit trusts by Employees Provident Fund (EPF) contributors are expected to be slashed to not more than 3% from 5% to 6% now.A source told StarBiz that the move was expected as the current charges were relatively high compared with other countries, and for the industry to be globally competitive, the upfront sales charges should come down.

This would also reduce the cost of investment and improve returns as the current sales charges were eating into unit trust returns, he said, adding that the move, over time, would lower the overall sales charges in the industry. Pacific Mutual Fund Bhd chief executive officer and chief investment officer Michael Auyeung said the move was a positive development for the industry.

Lowering sales charges would provide investors a quicker path to garnering returns on their investment, and might encourage many to make regular withdrawals.
“Distributors who earnestly assess what the EPF is trying to do for its contributors will eventually see that this move will benefit everyone,” Auyeung said. From the perspective of unit trust management companies, most players would welcome the lowering of any hurdle that helped change investors' mindsets and allowed them to realise that unit trusts were an extremely viable investment and pension planning instrument, he said.

Furthermore, he said, the excuse that high upfront fees were keeping pensioned investors away had been partly overcome. Auyeung said when news emerged that EPF investors were losing money in unit trusts, Pacific Mutual conducted an in-depth study of its own investor base. “Total gains made by our investors between 2003 and 2005 were RM41.32mil while losses amounted to RM65,000. Most of the losses were incurred by recent investors who had yet to recover the fees they paid upfront,” he noted.

An industry player said: “Those unit trust management companies that rely heavily on agents would in the short term see a negative impact on their businesses.
“This is because the agents' customers mainly comprise EPF contributors. The lowering of sales charges would affect the agents' commissions which, in turn, would affect the companies' businesses in the short term.''

KLCI hits its best-ever level

KLCI hits its best-ever level (STAR 29-10-2007)
Index poised to move into uncharted territory

Stock Market Signals: A weekly column on Bursa Malaysia's performance and outlook by G.M. Teoh
THE Kuala Lumpur Composite Index (KLCI) rallied and established fresh historic highs in late trading after an aggressive rebound from an earlier sell-off on Monday. It closed at its best-ever level.

The sudden turnaround in sentiment is attributed to expectation of another round of interest rate cut by the US Federal Reserve, record performance in the Hang Seng Index and most of the Asian exchanges, and recovery in the Dow Jones Industrial Index.

Crude oil prices that hiked to a record US$92.22 per barrel last Friday and renewed tension in the Middle East had no negative impact on the market last week.
At this juncture, traders are not too sure whether record crude oil prices would bring on worldwide inflation, topple the consumers, topple the economy and deal the death blow to stock markets worldwide.

Last week, the KLCI rebounded from an intra-week low of 1,339.36 points and rallied in late trading on Friday to close the week with minor gains at 1,398.35 points, up 28.18 points or 2.06% from the previous week.
Most of the main index-linked stocks ended the week with impressive gains and lifted the KLCI to fresh historic highs.

Maybank, IOI Corp, Public Bank, MISC, Genting, Digi.Com, Plus Expressways, KL Kepong, RHB Capital and MMC Corp all close with minor advances and contributed a combined 21.52 points to the index.
Bumiputra-Commerce and Tenaga Nasional ended up in the minus column and took away a combined 2.10 points from the index. Petronas Gas closed unchanged.

Weekly volume on the KLCI improved to 897.73 from 729.92 million shares the previous week. Daily average volume dipped to 179.55 million shares from 182.40 million shares previously.
The weekly candlestick chart ended the week constructive and called for the resumption of the upward momentum. A big white bullish candle occurred on Friday. This is generally considered a bullish pattern as prices closed significantly higher than they opened. The appearance of such a candle during a breakout above historic highs adds credibility to the upward breakout.

During the June-July period, the KLCI made numerous failed attempts to vault the strong psychological barrier at 1,400.00 points. With the chart outlook now constructive following Friday’s rally, the prospect of the index pushing above this chart hurdle is good this week.

Chart support for this week is adjusted higher to the 1,380.00-1,375.00 level. The current positive setting would fizzle if this level is violated.
A successful lift above 1,400.00 would take values higher to test its next chart resistance at the 1,422.00-1,430.00 level.

The daily technical indicators ended the week positive and signalled that the newly developed upward momentum could expand.
The daily stochastic triggered the short-term buy signal on Oct 24 and remained positive on Friday’s close. The oscillators per cent K and D ended the week sharply higher at 82.49% and 59.27% respectively.

The daily Money Flow Index (MFI) rose from the week’s low of 21.31 points on Oct 17 and finished sharply higher in the overbought zones at 83.13 points. Analysis of the MFI indicates that strong accumulation occurred last week.
The main trend-tracker 3- and 7-week exponentially smoothed moving average price lines (ESA lines) remained in bullish divergence and showed that the mains trend was still bullish.

Meanwhile, the short-term trend tracker 3- and 7-day ESA lines gave the buy signal on Oct 25 and remained constructive on Friday’s close. The 5-day RSI advanced from an oversold position and ended the week sharply higher at 77.29 points and signalled that things were slightly toppish

KWSP perkenal simpanan asas setiap pencarum Februari 2008

Oleh: SAIFULIZAM MOHAMAD

KUALA LUMPUR 22 Okt. – Mulai 1 Februari tahun depan, 11.4 juta pencarum Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Pekerja (KWSP) perlu mempunyai simpanan asas yang ditentukan mengikut umur masing-masing.
Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif KWSP, Datuk Azlan Zainol berkata, simpanan asas tersebut merupakan jumlah simpanan yang terdapat di dalam Akaun 1 setiap pencarum.
Beliau berkata, tujuan konsep itu diperkenalkan bagi membolehkan pencarum mempunyai simpanan minimum RM120,000 sebaik sahaja mereka mencapai umur persaraan 55 tahun.

‘‘Berdasarkan jangkaan, jumlah ini dapat menampung bayaran bulanan kepada pencarum sebanyak RM500 bagi tempoh 20 tahun iaitu bermula dari usia bersara pencarum hingga umur mereka mencecah 75 tahun.
‘‘Selain itu penetapan simpanan asas ini juga akan dijadikan panduan kepada kita untuk memastikan simpanan KWSP tidak boleh dikeluarkan sehingga pencarum berusia 55 tahun kecuali untuk tujuan tertentu,’’ katanya
Beliau berkata demikian pada sidang akhbar bagi mengumumkan pelaksanaan inisiatif strategik yang berkonsepkan ‘bukan hanya simpanan’ dalam usaha meningkatkan simpanan pencarum.

Pelaksanaan simpanan asas bagi setiap pencarum itu merupakan salah satu perkara yang terkandung di dalam inisiatif tersebut.
Bagaimanapun semua skim pengeluaran KWSP yang ada sekarang termasuk pembiayaan perumahan, pendidikan dan penyakit kritikal tidak berubah dengan pelaksanaan inisiatif strategik itu.

Azlan berkata, semua pengeluaran akan bergantung kepada jumlah simpanan asas yang telah ditetapkan mengikut umur pencarum.
‘‘Bagi yang berumur 25 tahun, simpanan asasnya adalah sebanyak RM9,000, umur 30 tahun (RM18,000), umur 35 tahun (RM29,000) dan umur 40 tahun (RM44,000).
‘‘Bagi mereka yang berumur 45 tahun, simpanan asasnya ialah (RM64,000), umur 50 tahun (RM90,000) dan umur 55 tahun (RM120,000),’’ jelasnya sambil menambah kuantum simpanan asas akan dikaji setiap lima tahun.

Sehubungan itu beliau berkata, mereka yang mempunyai lebihan daripada simpanan asas masing-masing sahaja dibenarkan mengeluarkan caruman mereka untuk tujuan pelaburan.
‘‘Sebagai contoh seorang pencarum berusia 25 tahun dan jumlah simpanan asasnya adalah lebih RM9,000, katakanlah RM12,000. Lebihan RM3,000 itu boleh dikeluarkan untuk dilaburkan dalam produk dan institusi yang diluluskan.
‘‘Berbanding skim pelaburan sedia ada sebenarnya konsep yang diperkenalkan ini menggalakkan pencarum melabur pada usia muda,’’ ujarnya.
Dalam pada itu beliau berkata, penetapan simpanan asas juga akan digunakan untuk menentukan sama ada pencarum layak mengeluarkan simpanan pada usia 50 tahun atau sebaliknya.

Beliau berkata, perubahan mengeluarkan simpanan pada usia 50 tahun itu akan dilaksanakan sepenuhnya pada 1 Januari 2013.
‘‘Mulai tahun tersebut hanya ahli yang mempunyai simpanan asas lebih RM90,000 dalam Akaun 1 sahaja dibenarkan mengeluarkan semua simpanan dalam Akaun 2.
‘‘Berbanding sekarang, ahli boleh mengeluarkan satu pertiga simpanan dari Akaun 2 sebaik sahaja mereka mencapai umur 50 tahun tanpa mengira jumlah keseluruhan wang yang terdapat dalam akaun KWSP masing-masing,’’ katanya.

Asian Markets Fall - 22/10/2007

Market down...good time to top up investment...can get more units

22-10-2007: Asian markets fall in volatile trade

KUALA LUMPUR: Asian markets including Bursa Malaysia fell in the morning session on Oct 22, with South Korea among the worst hit, in volatile trade as investors’ sentiment was hurt by the weak Wall Street last Friday. At 12.30pm, the KLCI was down 25.08 points or 1.83% to 1,345.09, but off the early low of 1,339. The FBMEmas lost 187.59 points to 9,060.08 and the Second Board Index lost 1.7 points to 106.48. The KLCI futures fell 37 points to 1,320.5. Asian markets fell with South Korea’s Kospi down 3.18% or 62.61 point to 1,907.49. Japan’s Nikkei 225 down 2.58% to 16,380.63 and Singapore’s Straits Times Index lost 2.14% to 3,667.66. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index lost 2.53% to 28,720.83 and Shanghai’s A Share Index fell 0.37% to 6,084.39.

Turnover was 1.03 billion shares valued at RM887.54 million. Losers hammered gainers 791 to 71 while 105 counters were unchanged.
Light crude oil was off its record high of US$90 and it was trading at US$87.62 per barrel for November delivery .The ringgit was quoted at RM3.374 to US$1.
Analysts said the correction in the US markets was long overdue and they expected the markets would continue to be volatile.

Among the heavyweights, Maybank fell 30 sen to RM11.20, Tenaga 20 sen lower to RM9.15 and Telekom 10 sen lower to RM10.10. Bursa fell 60 sen to RM13.20 while Kossan gave up most of its gains from last Friday, down 58 sen to RM4.22.
Crude palm oil futures fell RM45 to RM2,815 per tonne for November delivery and lost RM54 to RM2,711 per tonne for January. KL Kepong fell 40 sen to RM13.90, IOI Corp 35 sen to RM6.30. Parkson fell 35 sen to RM7.20 while Naim, UMW and Public Bank foreign fell 30 sen each to RM5.64, RM14 and RM10.90 respectively. DiGi rose 20 sen to RM23.20 after delivering a strong set of results. RHB Cap, VADS and Gamuda added 20 sen each to RM6, RM5.70 and RM9.20 respectively.

Call warrants of Hong Kong listed stocks rose in very active trade. CHCBC-C1 rose nine sen to 19 sen. It was the most active with 68.7 million shares done.
Financially-distressed Megan Media rose 5.5 sen to 16 sen and the warrants 7.5 sen to 13 sen in very active trade.

ASEAN growth potential

The South-East Asian region has forged ahead to grow at a robust pace in recent years. With a combined population base of 573 million people, the region’s economies have vast growth prospects given their strong manufacturing base, growing savings rates, favourable demographics and large consumer market. In addition, the South-East Asian region is strategically located between the emerging giants of China and India.

Grouped together under the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) comprising Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos, Brunei and Cambodia, ASEAN is among the fastest growing regions in the world with nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth averaging 9% annually since 2000. In per capita GDP terms, ASEAN residents have enjoyed a nominal growth of 6.8% per annum over the past six years, exceeding the average global per capita GDP growth of 5.4% per annum over the same period.

Factors contributing to ASEAN’s economic growth

There are several factors contributing to the success of ASEAN economies.

First, these economies have benefited from significant investments from Japanese, European and American multinational corporations in the past 25 years. As a result, the ASEAN economies have developed into globally competitive manufacturers of electronics, machinery, chemical, textiles and clothing products.
Second, exports, which account for 63% of the region’s combined GDP in 2006, have been a major source of growth for the ASEAN economies. Singapore and Malaysia are among the most export-driven economies with exports contributing 206% and 125% to their GDPs respectively. ASEAN’s export prowess is attributable to the relatively low cost of labour, competitive currencies and high skills base which have enabled ASEAN exporters to move up the value-added chain in manufacturing.

Third, ASEAN nations have benefited from increased trading activities with China. Total trade between the six largest ASEAN nations and China rose sharply from 5.2% of GDP in 2000 to 14.5% of GDP in 2006. The Chinese market has also overtaken the U.S. market as the final destination for Asia’s electronics exports in recent years. Lastly, thanks to high household savings, ASEAN economies enjoy high national savings rates with the savings to GDP ratio ranging from 26.6% to 46.2%.

Growth prospects for ASEAN

The total value of ASEAN’s GDP is estimated at US$1 trillion and accounts for about 11% of the Far-East region’s aggregate nominal GDP in 2006. This is a commendable achievement given the large contributions from the region’s economic giants of China, Japan, Taiwan and Korea.

ASEAN has excellent opportunities for further economic growth given the relatively low base of the region’s per capita income, favourable demographics and large and growing population, which exceeds a quarter of the Far-East region’s combined population. In addition, the relatively low ratio of domestic demand to GDP coupled with high savings rates suggests that consumer spending in ASEAN is poised to grow rapidly in tandem with high disposable incomes and robust economic growth in the years ahead. GDP growth for ASEAN economies is expected to range from 4.5% to 8.4% in 2007/2008.

Propelled by a booming property market and construction of two key integrated resorts, the region’s most developed economy Singapore is expected to enjoy resilient GDP growth of about 6% in 2007/2008. Across the causeway, Malaysia’s GDP growth is projected to sustain at 5.8% to 6.0% in 2007/2008 on the back of fiscal stimulus from the 9th Malaysian Plan and robust consumer spending. Indonesia’s projected growth of 5.6% to 6% in 2007/2008 is expected to be supported by increased public and private expenditures in an environment of declining interest rates. Resilient domestic demand will help the Thai economy to grow at 4.5% to 4.8% in 2007/2008. Driven by stronger industrial expansion, buoyant consumer spending and investment, Vietnam's GDP growth is set to expand at above 8% in 2007/2008.
ASEAN currencies are underpinned by strong trade surpluses, manageable inflationary pressures and sustained economic growth. The Thai baht has outperformed its South-East Asian peers with a year-to-date gain of 9.9% against the U.S. dollar. Other ASEAN currencies such as the Singapore dollar are supported by stable inflationary pressures and resilient economic growth.

Outlook for ASEAN stockmarkets

In the past four years, ASEAN equity markets have trended up following a rebound in global economic growth and the end of the SARS epidemic in 2003. From 2004 to 31 August 2007, the Vietnam, Indonesia and Philippines markets registered superb total returns of 447%, 217.2% and 133.3% respectively. The Indonesian and Vietnam stockmarkets have continued to outperform this year with returns of about 21% respectively up to 31 August 2007.

Supported by reasonable valuations, stable or declining interest rates and sustained earnings growth amidst an environment of high domestic liquidity, the ASEAN markets offer attractive returns for medium-to long-term investors.

Selamat Hari Raya

Salam Raya dari Tuah Arbaein

Confidence returns to most markets

Wednesday October 3, 2007 (STAR)

PETALING JAYA: Investor confidence appears to have returned in most stock markets after the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit a record 14,088 points on Monday.
This is following suggestions from former US Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan and Citigroup Inc that the credit slump might be coming to an end.
The Hong Kong and Singapore bourses continued to reach all-time highs yesterday, with the Hang Seng Index closing up a whopping 3.9% to 28,200 points and the Straits Times Index jumping more than 1% to 3,794 points.
The KL Composite Index (KLCI), meanwhile, rose for the fifth consecutive trading day, surging 21.7 points, or 1.6%, to 1,368.7 points while the second board index gained 0.34-point to 106.28.
Market breadth was healthy, as gainers outnumbered losers 605 to 253 while 284 counters were unchanged. About 1.6 billion shares valued at some RM2.9bil changed hands.
Buying was selective and based on themes like oil and gas, plantation, construction and property-based companies.


Among the top gainers were IOI Properties Bhd and Malaysian Airline System Bhd, which jumped RM1 and 75 sen to RM13.90 and RM5.30 respectively.
MIMB Investment Bank head of equity research Pong Teng Siew said liquidity had returned to the market although not broadly, thanks to buying by the local funds.
Meanwhile, he said, markets in Brazil, India and China continued to attract the interest of foreign funds.
“Asia has little exposure to the US sub-prime mortgage market and still has great growth stories,” he said, noting that credit growth remained strong in Asian countries. He said their monetary systems were insulated from the US' credit woes compared with European banks, which had a greater degree of exposure.
Pong is optimistic that the KLCI looked set to breach a new high of more than 1,400 points by year-end.
Nonetheless, investors should exercise caution towards year-end, as fund managers were unlikely to maintain the buying momentum for long, he said.
“Fund managers may take a break and not be overly aggressive as it would make their job of outperforming in the following year more difficult,'' he added.
OSK Investment Bank head of research Kenny Yee said sentiment had definitely improved despite indications of lower earnings from international investment banks.
“Things are more visible and out in the open. The element of uncertainty has been lifted,” he said, adding that investors had already factored in the losses.
“There are no more surprises. As long the US economy does not fall into a recession, the situation is anticipated to remain stable,” Yee said.
TA Securities head of research Kaladher Govindan concurred, saying that market perception had changed as investors were now relieved that the sub-prime issue was not going to delay economic growth in the US.
“They can see the magnitude of the problem and expect a recovery soon,” he said, adding that it was only a matter of time that the KLCI would reach a new high like other regional bourses.
TA, he said, was maintaining its 12-month target of 1,520 points.

Unit trust industry is booming...

THE unit trust industry expanded further during the first five months of the year with the launch of new funds and an increase in the number of units in circulation.

The growth was attributed to sustained investor interest in unit trusts as a viable investment instrument.

During the period, 45 new funds were launched to reach a total of 435 funds as at end-May (end-2006: 392 funds).

Units in circulation rose 8.7% to 167.4 billion (end-December, 2006: 10.5%; 154.1 billion). The Islamic unit trust segment continued to expand with 12 new funds bringing the total to 106 as at end-May 2007 (end-2006: 95 funds).

The net asset value (NAV) of the unit trust industry rose 18% to RM143.7bil and accounted for 13.5% of the market capitalisation of Bursa Malaysia (end-2006: 23.6%; RM121.8bil; 14.4%).

The number of new unit trust funds launched that invested in foreign markets and funds already investing abroad reached 128 funds as of end-May, with investment totalling RM10.8bil.

There has been positive response to the Government's efforts to promote the development of Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) in the capital market. The first half of 2007 saw four new REITs listed on Bursa Malaysia bringing the total to 13 REITs.

Market capitalisation of REITs rose strongly by 73.5% to RM4.98bil as at end-June (end-2006: RM2.87bil), reflecting growing investor interest in REITs as an investment instrument to access the property market.