Wednesday, 5 September 2012

Auditors declare Talam deal ‘sound commercial decision’


September 05, 2012


Selangor had appointed the auditors following claims of impropriety from MCA. — File pic
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 5 — Independent auditors have cleared the Selangor government of any irregularities in its debt recovery exercise involving the company formerly known as Talam Corporation and declared it a “sound commercial decision,” Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said today.
Khalid’s administration had appointed KPMG Transaction and Restructuring Sdn Bhd (KPMG) in July to review its RM392 million debt recovery exercise following allegations by MCA that the state government’s dealings with Talam — now known as Trinity Corporation — was lopsided and had ended up costing taxpayers up to RM1 billion.
Khalid said the debt settlement was in the form of assets comprising nine plots of land, two properties, a 60 per cent stake in a subsidiary of Talam and cash/debt assignment.
“From the review exercise, KPMG is of the view that the Selangor state government made a sound commercial decision under the circumstances at that point in time in relation to the settlement arrangement.
“The settlement process is still ongoing and based on currently available information, the gross consideration is sufficient for Menteri Besar Selangor Incorporated (MBI), being the party tasked with recovering the debts on behalf of the Selangor state government and its subsidiaries, to recover the Talam debts, with no debt waiver by MBI.”
In July, Khalid had said the Selangor government would appoint independent auditors to review its debt restructuring agreement with Talam Corporation and clear the air over claims of funds abuse by MCA.
Khalid insisted his administration had not relieved Talam Corp of its debts as claimed, but instead had recovered monies that the troubled property developer owed the state’s subsidiaries.
MCA Young Professionals Bureau chairman Datuk Chua Tee Yong had recently alleged that Khalid’s administration bought over Talam Corp’s RM676 million assets to clear the firm’s outstanding debts of RM392 million to three state subsidiaries.
He further claimed that the RM392 million in the supplementary budget approved by the state assembly in November 2010 to the MBI was used by the state government for the alleged bailout.
Trinity Corporation had also denied allegations that it sold land to the Selangor state government at above market value, pointing out that the valuation fell under the scrutiny of the Securities Commission’s Assets Valuation Department.
The company added in a stock exchange filing in July that the valuation was also approved by SC and Bursa Malaysia.
Speaking today, Khalid said the auditor’s conclusion demonstrated that the debt recovery was legal, ethical, done in good faith and had in no way compromised the interests of the state, its subsidiaries or the people of Selangor.
Khalid added that the state had appointed four spokesmen to speak about the matter. The four are MPs Dr Dzulkifli Ahmad from Kuala Selangor, Tony Pua from Petaling Jaya Utara, William Leong from Selayang and political secretary to the mentri besar, Faekah Husin.
“These four are authorised to discuss and debate the issue with any individuals or organisations they deem fit. We are confident that with their expert command of the facts at hand, they will able to facilitate healthy and informative discourse,” said Khalid.


http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/auditors-declare-talam-deal-sound-commercial-decision/

Related:
http://myinvestingnotes.blogspot.com/2012/07/talam-for-dummies.html

Stocks and Bonds: Risk vs. Return



Take a good look at this chart.

It is a portfolio consisting of only 2 assets:  stock and bond.  

Here are some interesting points:  

1.  100% in Stock
This portfolio has the highest risk and also probability of the highest return.

2.  100% in Bond
This portfolio has low risk (NOTE: NOT THE LOWEST) and has lower return.

3.  50% in Stock and 50% in Bond
This portfolio has the same risk as and has higher return than the portfolio that is 100% in Bond.

4.  25% in Stock and 75% in Bond
This portfolio has the lowest risk and has higher return than the portfolio that is 100% in Bond.


(You may assume that holding cash giving an interest rate of 3% is the equivalent of holding a bond with a coupon rate of 3%.)


Conclusion:

Holding 100% in bond carries the same risk as holding 50% in stock and 50% in bond.  However, the probability of a higher return for the same risk should make investors favour holding 50% in stock and 50% in bondthan to hold 100% in bond.

For those who are very risk averse, for example in the present falling market, the lowest risk is the portfolio that is 25% stock and 75% bond, and not the portfolio that is 100% in bond.  Moreover, the portfolio that is 25% stock and 75% bond, offers a probability of higher return for lower risk, that the portfolio with 100% in bond.
London luxury home market risks price crash

Tuesday, 04 September 2012

(Reuters) - Developers rushing to build top-quality London homes to cash in on strong overseas demand are in danger of being stung by a price crash as they flood the market, property consultancy EC Harris said.
Over 15,000 homes in developments worth more than £38 billion (RM187.81 billion) are due for completion in London's most expensive neighbourhoods in the next 10 years, a 70% jump on last year, an EC Harris report said Monday.
The total floor area covers almost 20 million sq ft — equivalent to the size of the London Olympic park — and includes properties in upmarket Mayfair, the City of London financial district and the south bank of the river Thames.
"Developers are racing to get first to site because they don't want to miss out on the boom that's happening," said Mark Farmer, head of residential at EC Harris. "There is a danger that if all these schemes happen that you'll have a massive oversupply."
Prices for luxury homes have surged in recent years after economic turmoil in Europe and political uprisings across North Africa drove investors to the relative safety of central London property.
Signs of a slowdown appeared after the UK government said in March it would clamp down on tax avoidance by overseas buyers of homes costing more than £2 million.
Prices for the best central London homes rose 1.8% in the three months to August, the weakest quarterly growth since November 2010, property consultant Knight Frank said Monday.
About 4,000 high-end homes are scheduled to be built in 2016 alone, an eight-fold increase on the average number built in London each year. The risk of over-building may be tempered by a tight supply in development finance, Farmer said.
Recent entrants to the market include offices and shops developer British Land, which said in July it would redevelop a block in Mayfair into luxury flats, and Malaysian developers SP Setia and Sime Darby, which plan to build over 3,000 homes at Battersea Power Station.
Such developers have been described as "late to the party" by some residential players.
A May report from Development Securities warned that London luxury home prices could halve if the eurozone broke up.
Other risks include further devaluation of the euro, which would make London property look more expensive, and changes to the UK planning system that make it easier to convert offices to homes and add to the pipeline, EC Harris said.
"The reality is that no one knows what the conditions will be in five or 10 years," he said.

Tuesday, 4 September 2012

China Stocks a Screaming Buy: Strategist


China Stocks a Screaming Buy: Strategist

Published: Tuesday, 4 Sep 2012 | 3:32 AM ET
Lisa Oake, Anchor CNBC Asia Pacific
By: Lisa Oake
Co-Host of CNBC Asia's Squawk Box


The old adage in the stock market is never try to catch a falling knife.  With the Shanghai Composite Index at levels not seen since the aftermath of the financial crisis, many investors are steering well clear of Chinese stocks.
Liu Jin | AFP | Getty Images

But Stephen Sheung, Investment Strategist at SHK Private, thinks this is the perfect time to buy Chinese equities [.SSEC  2043.65    -15.50 (-0.75%)   ]. “We still see a rebound in the Chinese economy over the course of the year and equities warrant a higher valuation than now,” Sheung told CNBC Asia’s “Squawk Box.”           
He added that China’s cautious approach to stimulate the economy will result in a gentle re-acceleration of economic growth, but investors should not make the mistake of comparing Beijing’s recent efforts to stimulate the economy with the massive $586 billion stimulus program of 2008.
Policy Lag
“This time around, the policies are not coming directly from Beijing, but more so at the provincial level. The Chinese government is trying to get more private capital to be more involved in the investment projects so the policy lag might be longer,” said Sheung.
Beijing — wary of stoking inflation and reigniting property speculation — is using a lighter hand with stimulus this time around. Despite mounting evidence the economy is grinding lower, the central bank has been quiet since last cutting interest rates in July.

“Chinese GDP in the next few quarters will be at a more stable and calm level in terms of pick up. You might have to wait until November to December to actually see things turn around, but when that comes, you'll see a cyclical pick up in (corporate) earnings and the GDP,” said Sheung.
Until then, he is advising investors to take advantage of China’s economic downtime and get stocks on the cheap.
“Valuations are the solid foundation for Chinese equities. What investors have to do right now is really look ahead,” he said.


Follow Lisa Oake on Twitter: @LisaCNBC
© 2012 CNBC.com


"You can't get rich without working hard, taking risks, investing and reinvesting your profits."


'Drink Less, Work More', Billionaire Tells Non-Rich

 Gina RinehartNow, the Australian mining heiress, worth $19 billion and earlier this year thought to be the world's richest woman, has sparked another controversy in her latest column in Australian Resources and Investment magazine. (Yes, I am a registered reader online.) Rinehart rails against class warfare and says the non-rich should stop attacking the rich and go to work.
"There is no monopoly on becoming a millionaire," she writes. "If you're jealous of those with more money, don't just sit there and complain. Do something to make more money yourself - spend less time drinking, or smoking and socializing and more time working."

Companies in KLSE growing net profit > 15% per year over the last 3 or 4 years.

Net Profit CAGR (as at July 2012)
Company Period CAGR
(Main Board) Years 
MBSB 3 115.37%
GENTING 3 71.42%
AXIATA 3 67.63%
UEMLAND 3 59.62%
LAND & GENERAL  3 57.92%
PESTECH 3 54.36%
TRADEWINDS 3 45.11%
HLFG 3 44.98%
KPS 3 36.92%
KLCCP 3 34.55%
BUMI ARMADA 3 33.84%
FRASER & NEAVE 3 31.93%
SUPERMAX 3 31.19%
GENM 3 31.05%
COASTAL 4 28.84%
MAYBANK 3 28.45%
CIMB 3 27.34%
DIALOG 3 26.31%
CBIP 4 23.15%
WEIDA 4 22.66%
AMMB 4 22.60%
CHINA STATIONERY 4 22.51%
TANCHONG 4 21.38%
RHBCAP 4 20.47%
XIDELANG 3 20.45%
PARAMOUNT 3 19.55%
FREIGHT 3 17.45%
AEON 3 17.44%
DRB-HICOM 3 17.43%
KPJ 4 15.42%
HLBANK 3 15.23%













Share Buybacks - What the Board of Directors can choose to do with these?


Upon the purchase by the Company of its own Shares, the Board of Directors of the Company can choose to:-

(i) cancel all or part of the Shares purchased; and/or
(ii) retain all or part of the Purchased Shares as treasury shares; and/or
(iii) distribute the treasury shares as share dividends to the Company’s shareholders for the time being; and/or
(iv) resell the treasury shares on Bursa Securities.