Technically it is a fierce relief rally because all markets are oversold.

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Added on January 21, 2009, 8:52 pm

Where Ramunia will be heading, its new business plan, maybe change of management; etc.

If DJIA is doing great tonight, KNM may not be sliding down tomorrow.

For every cent, i earn 700 ringgit.

The next cut would be the Power Tariff .. could be a big cut --good for the steel industries

Tomorrow will be too late i think. Basically, tomorrow is the day that many would dump their shares.
Yes, it will rally and then lose steam. Buy on rumor sell on news.

Tomorrow will be too late i think. Basically, tomorrow is the day that many would dump their shares.
Yes, it will rally and then lose steam. Buy on rumor sell on news.

DJIA is slightly higher (little gain) for two nights (last Friday and this Monday).

Crude is at roughly USD 46 per barrel level.

NIKKIE touched its lowest.

Gold breached USD 900 per oz.

I think they are boiling the oil for Kinstel, still not hot yet.

Just my 2sen , could be wrong anyway.

Q doesn't tell you the whole story most of the time.

It is just like playing poker, some cards are exposed but big players won't reveal the final card, so without the final card, you don't know whether it got pair or not or just a fluke. 

28-01-2009: All is not well in the Land of the Hornbills
Commentary by Thomas Soon
Email us your feedback at fd@bizedge.com
IN spite of stern warnings from none other than the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) himself, firecrackers boomed and lit the CNY night sky in Kuching, ushering in the Year of the Ox.

Given the "war zone" atmosphere in the housing estates of the capital city and most likely other towns of the Borneo state, one could not be blamed for inadvertently thinking that Sarawak is perhaps immune to the crippling effects of the global economic crisis.

Looks can be very deceiving, indeed.

A give-away was perhaps the duration of the crackling and deafening sounds of the explosive devices - what usually took half an hour lasted 10 to 15 minutes shorter.

All is not well in the Land of the Hornbill. Apart from those holding on to secure government jobs, many are cautious, afraid and wondering even if they will have a job to return to after the CNY celebrations.

"This could be worse than the 1985-1986 economic crisis," a local businessman in the timber industry simultaneously laments and warns.

The closure of the Western Digital facility in Kuching is well publicised, but little is said about the fast-diminishing external demand for the state's precious timber. Some industry players said the industry is barely afloat.

Before this, a sizeable portion - with some estimating it to be more than half - of Sarawak's logs were shipped to the Middle East to support the construction boom there. That is no more. Orders have stopped abruptly.

Other prime markets such as Vietnam and Thailand are also seeing significant economic slowdown.

With inventory piling up, most timber camps have closed down, and many are unsure when business can resume.

Also, with crude palm oil now trading well below RM2,000 per tonne, most of the state's oil palm estates, if not all, have been left idle since as early as last November.

Due to the terrain and transportation issues, smallholders and large operators alike find it uneconomical to continue harvesting the fruit.

The operation cost is just too high - much higher than in Peninsular Malaysia.

It is said that the breakeven point is between RM1,800 and RM2,000 per tonne, versus RM1,200-RM1,500 per tonne in the peninsula.

Figures are hard to come by but some accounts have it that hundreds of workers at Sarawak's oil palm estates and timber camps are already out of job.

Many bought cars when CPO prices were above RM3,000 per tonne and will now find it hard to keep them.

Another factor hampering Sarawak CPO producers is the fact that they cannot export their produce directly, but only through Peninsular Malaysia - adding to the cost.

With the virtual collapse of the timber and CPO trade, the shipping players too have been hard hit.

"Businesses are digging into their reserves. The state government must not be in denial. The federal government needs to step in to pump-prime the state economy," says another local businessman.

People on the street believe that the state may already be in a recession. The authorities must do the right thing by being forthcoming with the real situation. Transparency must be the order of the day.

The authorities have to tell people the real situation, so that they can be better prepared and better planned financially.

The impact of job losses goes beyond the loss of income and declining consumption. Job losses mean the sacrificing of college education as parents will not have the means to support their children's higher studies.

This could mean the loss of opportunities for many of the state's human resources.

This is the time for big and still well-to-do businesses to chip in, to undertake their corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities, to make sure those who should rightfully be studying, either enter or stay in college.

Politicians need to stop telling people to work harder than they used to. They need to start creating jobs so that people can have work. If there is no job, people can only pray harder than they used to.

Like the Ox, people too need the land to work on.

Confidence is sagging. People are not spending as much as they used to and are cutting down spending on big-ticket items, which include houses and cars. The slowdown will be felt in virtually all sectors.

The world, Malaysia included, is hoping the Republicans wake up to the reality of the global economic situation and as expediently as possible approve the passage of President Obama's proposed US$825 billion fiscal stimulus package.

Before external demand can be expected to recover, the Malaysian government too has to act.

People in the Land of the Hornbills certainly expect a significant portion of the impending second stimulus package to be channelled to the state, and to be spent transparently with maximum impact.

Having warded off evil, the Chinese community is keeping the worries of impending hardships at bay for now and is focused on celebrating the New Year with family and friends.

People will spend if they have good reasons to do so, just like the Chinese community in Sarawak - in buying from the black market a good amount of supercharged fireworks to usher in the Year of the Ox.

For years now, the ban on firecrackers has not worked.

It is high time for the state politicians to lift the ban, allow the letting off of fireworks for a half-hour period every year, and earn extra revenue from the sale of these products. And perhaps even make the "war zone" experience a tourist attraction - that could have brought some relief to the pain.

And then perhaps the IGP will have a better chance of being heard and his words adhered to.

[This Sarawak-born writer, of Chinese-Melanau descent, is spending the CNY break in his home state.]

What will happen to Sarawak based listed companies>?

yayaya kira ok d la ..... janji not fall ok d , if other country goes up we go down d wa malu sial .......... kira good lio la even the volume not reall high

1.19.. bout 20% return now

I would like to ask a question..i know minimum will be 100 units...but why can i see people selling 20 units and so on?....it is correct??

That means it should be odd lot if they selling less than 1 lot?....How about the charges? Will be the same???...cheers...

7.87 cents dividend.

CIMB itrade got...Hong leong i am not sure...

What part you are not understanding on it?

Don't see anything complicated issue on it.

It is just a straight forward and norm procedure on announcement for dividend declaring. May be can highlight the part you are not clear about so that can precise point it out.

As standard, all are qouted as per share.

Short selling is illegal in Msia

What news made GPACKET and IOICORP up roughly 6 cents?

Kinstel 's MD is buying 100k to 200k on alternate days.

EPF also bought 500k on 13/1/09.

Hopefully, the results should not be worse than expected.

NTA rm 1.08, PE FY 09 is 7 at 69sen.