A quick look at Guinness (7.5.2010)
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tP_TV-Arxg9uwwrvWyZ_kvw&output=html
Guinness Anchor 3Q net profit up 42.5% to RM46.5m
Written by Surin Murugiah
Friday, 07 May 2010
KUALA LUMPUR: GUINNESS ANCHOR BHD []'s net profit for the third quarter ended March 31, 2010 rose 42.5% to RM46.46 million from RM32.6 million a year earlier, on the back of a 17.8% increase in revenue to RM370.82 million.
Earnings per share rose to 15.38 sen from 10.79 sen a year ago.
Managing director Charles Ireland said on Friday, May 7 the sales and profit increase was partly due to the later timing of the Chinese New Year celebrations, a traditional driver of sales of the malt liquor market.
Ireland said GAB's third quarter performance had further extended its position as Malaysia's market leader in the MLM, adding that as of end of FY09 ended June 30, GAB recorded eight successive years of volume, revenue and profit growth.
"I am happy to report that GAB is on track to meet our targeted full year results for FY10 ending June 2010," he said.
http://www.theedgemalaysia.com/business-news/165628-guinness-anchor-3q-net-profit-up-425-to-rm465m.html
Friday, 7 May 2010
OSK expects 50 Jewels to shine
OSK expects 50 Jewels to shine
By Goh Thean Eu
Published: 2010/05/07
OSK Research Sdn Bhd, a unit of OSK Investment Bank Bhd, expects companies that made it to its top 50 Malaysian small-cap list, dubbed "50 Jewels", to register between 5 per cent and 15 per cent growth in earnings this year, driven by their strong fundamentals, as well as a recovery in the economy.
The research house also expects companies in the Top 10 list, which are made up of the 10 best small- cap companies from the 50 Jewels, to post between 8 per cent and 15 per cent earnings growth.
This year, 19 new companies have made it to the 50 Jewels list, including Notion Vtec, Zhulian, Sunway Group, EP Manufacturing, Glomac, AEON Credit and Southern Steel.
"In this edition, we continue to feature 50 of Bursa Malaysia's top small-cap companies, but unlike the previous editions, we have raised the market capitalisation threshold to RM1.5 billion from RM1 billion.
"This is to maintain coverage depth and breadth and to ensure that the better small-cap companies are represented," said OSK Research head Chris Eng in a media briefing in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
Companies which made it to the 50 Jewels list in 2009 have performed commendably, with 32 of them having posted absolute returns of 50 to 375 per cent, outperforming the benchmark index.
Its top-10 picks for 2009 also posted absolute share price returns of 52 to 347 per cent. Mudajaya, its top construction pick for 2009, rallied 347 per cent.
Meanwhile, the research house expects the local stock market to continue to be volatile over the next three months, mainly due to one of the following factors -
"We expect things to stabilise sometime in the third quarter, and then the company's fundamentals and economic fundamentals will drive the market," explained Eng.
In its recent research report, OSK Research targeted the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KL Composite Index to hit 1,465 points by year-end. It also placed a fair value of 1,580 points on the index in 2011.
Read more: OSK expects 50 Jewels to shine
By Goh Thean Eu
Published: 2010/05/07
OSK Research Sdn Bhd, a unit of OSK Investment Bank Bhd, expects companies that made it to its top 50 Malaysian small-cap list, dubbed "50 Jewels", to register between 5 per cent and 15 per cent growth in earnings this year, driven by their strong fundamentals, as well as a recovery in the economy.
The research house also expects companies in the Top 10 list, which are made up of the 10 best small- cap companies from the 50 Jewels, to post between 8 per cent and 15 per cent earnings growth.
This year, 19 new companies have made it to the 50 Jewels list, including Notion Vtec, Zhulian, Sunway Group, EP Manufacturing, Glomac, AEON Credit and Southern Steel.
"In this edition, we continue to feature 50 of Bursa Malaysia's top small-cap companies, but unlike the previous editions, we have raised the market capitalisation threshold to RM1.5 billion from RM1 billion.
"This is to maintain coverage depth and breadth and to ensure that the better small-cap companies are represented," said OSK Research head Chris Eng in a media briefing in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
Companies which made it to the 50 Jewels list in 2009 have performed commendably, with 32 of them having posted absolute returns of 50 to 375 per cent, outperforming the benchmark index.
Its top-10 picks for 2009 also posted absolute share price returns of 52 to 347 per cent. Mudajaya, its top construction pick for 2009, rallied 347 per cent.
Meanwhile, the research house expects the local stock market to continue to be volatile over the next three months, mainly due to one of the following factors -
- global bull factor,
- global bear factor,
- local bull factor and
- local bear factor. :-))
"We expect things to stabilise sometime in the third quarter, and then the company's fundamentals and economic fundamentals will drive the market," explained Eng.
In its recent research report, OSK Research targeted the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KL Composite Index to hit 1,465 points by year-end. It also placed a fair value of 1,580 points on the index in 2011.
Read more: OSK expects 50 Jewels to shine
Speculative Excesses Drove Huge U.S. Market Rout
Speculative Excesses Drove Huge U.S. Market Rout: NuWave
By REUTERS
Published: May 6, 2010
Filed at 7:11 p.m. ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Thursday's sharp sell-off in U.S. stocks was sparked by nothing more than too many traders betting on energy, equity and metals markets going higher that then popped in a cascade of stop-loss selling, a hedge fund manager said.
A proprietary index that NuWave Investment Management LLC uses to gauge risk about 10 days ago posted its highest reading ever -- greater even than fall of 2008, said Troy Buckner, managing principal and co-founder at the Morristown, New Jersey-based hedge fund.
NuWave pared its exposure to only 40 percent of normal levels, mildly counter to the risk trade in general, he said.
"We were expecting a significant correction to most of the markets," Buckner said. "While we wouldn't claim to know the day, we recognize that periods like this generate our worst-risk profiles historically."
A wave of selling on Thursday knocked U.S. stocks down as much as 9 percent, pushed the euro to an almost 14 month-low and gold prices climbed to close to record highs.
NuWave gave a presentation about tail risk at Morgan Stanley in late April to an audience of about 120 investors. The presentation outlined the hedge fund's concerns that markets were leaning too heavily in one direction.
Buckner said while traders and others will point to any number of triggers or catalysts, such as Greece's debt woes or a fat thumb, as causing Thursday's rout, which included the Dow's biggest intraday point drop ever, he disagreed.
"I'll be surprised if that's the case. There's heavy pressure and uniformly excess positioning on the speculative side across multiple sectors, including equities as probably the worst," said Buckner, who also cited metals and energy.
After hitting lows produced by the worst financial crisis in 70 years, stocks jumped about 80 percent, copper prices nearly tripled and crude oil rose 250 percent driven by direction bets placed by speculators, Buckner said.
"Multiple sectors were exposed to these excesses," he said. "By our measurement these are greater speculative imbalances than even the fall of 2008."
NuWave has a special perspective on the market as it holds long-short and market-neutral positions, and as a commodity trading advisor, operates managed futures, Buckner said.
"From our perspective I think it's not surprising to us that there are massive corrections in store, and from today's action we didn't sense there was anything other than a cascade of speculative positions triggering stop losses."
(Reporting by Herbert Lash)
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2010/05/06/business/business-us-markets-rout-nuwave.html?_r=1&src=busln
By REUTERS
Published: May 6, 2010
Filed at 7:11 p.m. ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Thursday's sharp sell-off in U.S. stocks was sparked by nothing more than too many traders betting on energy, equity and metals markets going higher that then popped in a cascade of stop-loss selling, a hedge fund manager said.
A proprietary index that NuWave Investment Management LLC uses to gauge risk about 10 days ago posted its highest reading ever -- greater even than fall of 2008, said Troy Buckner, managing principal and co-founder at the Morristown, New Jersey-based hedge fund.
NuWave pared its exposure to only 40 percent of normal levels, mildly counter to the risk trade in general, he said.
"We were expecting a significant correction to most of the markets," Buckner said. "While we wouldn't claim to know the day, we recognize that periods like this generate our worst-risk profiles historically."
A wave of selling on Thursday knocked U.S. stocks down as much as 9 percent, pushed the euro to an almost 14 month-low and gold prices climbed to close to record highs.
NuWave gave a presentation about tail risk at Morgan Stanley in late April to an audience of about 120 investors. The presentation outlined the hedge fund's concerns that markets were leaning too heavily in one direction.
Buckner said while traders and others will point to any number of triggers or catalysts, such as Greece's debt woes or a fat thumb, as causing Thursday's rout, which included the Dow's biggest intraday point drop ever, he disagreed.
"I'll be surprised if that's the case. There's heavy pressure and uniformly excess positioning on the speculative side across multiple sectors, including equities as probably the worst," said Buckner, who also cited metals and energy.
After hitting lows produced by the worst financial crisis in 70 years, stocks jumped about 80 percent, copper prices nearly tripled and crude oil rose 250 percent driven by direction bets placed by speculators, Buckner said.
"Multiple sectors were exposed to these excesses," he said. "By our measurement these are greater speculative imbalances than even the fall of 2008."
NuWave has a special perspective on the market as it holds long-short and market-neutral positions, and as a commodity trading advisor, operates managed futures, Buckner said.
"From our perspective I think it's not surprising to us that there are massive corrections in store, and from today's action we didn't sense there was anything other than a cascade of speculative positions triggering stop losses."
(Reporting by Herbert Lash)
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2010/05/06/business/business-us-markets-rout-nuwave.html?_r=1&src=busln
Panic sends Dow to worst ever drop
Panic sends Dow to worst ever drop
MARINE LAOUCHEZ
May 7, 2010 - 8:49AM
AFP
Panic selling swept US markets on Thursday as the Dow Jones plunged a record of almost 1000 points before recouping more than half those losses.
It was unclear whether the sudden sell-off, the Dow's biggest ever intra-day drop, was the result of fears over the Greek debt crisis, a mistaken trade or technical error.
The crash began shortly before 2.25pm local time, when in a white-knuckle 20 minutes America's top 30 firms saw their share prices dive 998.5 points, almost nine per cent, wiping out billions in market value.
The drop eclipsed even the crashes seen when markets reopened after September 11, 2001 and in the wake of the Lehman Brothers collapse.
The Dow later recovered, closing nearly four per cent down, but spooked traders were left wondering whether a technical glitch had caused the blue-chip index to erode three months of solid gains.
Rumours swirled that a Citigroup trader had mistakenly sold 16 billion rather than 16 million stocks in Procter and Gamble shares, forcing the Dow down.
Shares in the consumer goods giant lost more than seven US dollars, falling in a similar pattern to the Dow, trading at a low of 55 US dollars a share.
"At this point, we have no evidence that Citi was involved in any erroneous transaction," said company spokesman Stephen Cohen.
A spokesperson for the New York Stock Exchange said the cause was still not known.
"We don't know, right now we're looking into it," said Christian Braakman, "it's all speculation."
But after three days in which stocks have suffered triple-digit intra-day losses because of concern about Greece's debt crisis, it was clear that the sell-off was real for some investors.
At the close, the Dow had recovered to 10,520.32, down 347.80 (3.20 per cent), while the Nasdaq was down 82.65 points (3.44 per cent) at 2,319.64. The Standard & Poors 500 Index was down 37.72 points (3.24 per cent) to 1,128.15.
Images of rioting as the Greek parliament passed unpopular austerity measures did little to ease market panic.
The parliament approved billions of euros of spending cuts pledged in exchange for a 110 billion euros ($A155 billion) EU-IMF bailout just one day after three bank workers died in a firebomb attack during a huge protest.
On Thursday, police charged to scatter hundreds of youths at the tail-end of a new protest outside parliament that drew more than 10,000 people.
In Lisbon, European Central Bank chief Jean-Claude Trichet battled to reassure financial markets that Greece's debt crisis would not end in default, but could not prevent the euro from falling to a 14-month low against the dollar.
Pleas for patience from the White House also had little impact.
The White House said that reforms in Greece were "important" but would take time and that the US Treasury was monitoring the situation.
"The president has heard regularly from his economic team," said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, adding that President Barack Obama's top economic officials were closely communicating with their European counterparts.
© 2010 AFP
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-business/panic-sends-dow-to-worst-ever-drop-20100507-uhgu.html
Volatilities in other markets when the DOW plunged almost 1000 points
Offshore overnight
In one of the most dizzying half-hours in stock market history, the Dow Jones industrial average plunged almost 1000 points amid worries about European debt.
The Dow managed to recover two-thirds of its losses before the end of Thursday's Wall Street session, but all major indices closed sharply lower on a day that recalled the market turmoil of the 2008 financial crisis.
There were reports that a technical glitch hastened the selling.
Even so emotions ran high, with traders concerned that Greece's economic problems will hurt other European countries and ultimately, the US recovery.
Only 173 stocks rose on the New York Stock Exchange while 3002 fell.
Volume came to an extremely heavy 2.57 billion shares.
When markets settled, the Dow Jones Industrial Average had fallen 347.80 points, or 3.20 per cent, to 10,520.32 points.
The Standard & Poor's 500 index closed down 37.72 points, or 3.24 per cent, at 1128.15 points.
The Nasdaq composite closed down 82.65 points, or 3.44 per cent, at 2319.64 points.
European stock markets lost ground on Thursday as remarks on the Greek crisis by the head of the European Central Bank failed to reassure anxious investors.
ECB head Jean-Claude Trichet ruled out a Greek debt default and insisted that the problems besetting Greece were different from those faced by Spain and Portugal.
The London FTSE 100 closed down 80.94 points, or 1.52 per cent at 5260.99 points.
The German DAX 30 closed down 50.19 points, or 0.84 per cent, at 5908.26 points.
The French CAC 40 index closed down 79.92 points, or 2.20 per cent, at 3,556.11 points.
Commodities
Oil prices dropped to levels not seen since February on Thursday, as the stock market posted huge losses.
The benchmark crude oil for June delivery contract fell $US2.86 to settle at $US77.11 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Oil hit $US73.71 on February 16 and has lost almost $US10 a barrel since Monday.
Crude was lower at noon and the price slide picked up speed as the stock market tumbled and Investors flew to safer havens in gold and bonds.
Europe's debt problems got much of the blame for the drop in stocks and commodities. The ongoing crisis also has undermined the euro and strengthened the US dollar.
Commodities priced in US dollars, such as oil, become more expensive for investors holding euros as the US dollar rises.
In London, Brent crude gave up $US2.78 to settle at $US79.83 on the ICE futures exchange.
Gold for June delivery rose $US22.30 to settle at $US1197.30 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Silver for July delivery fell 1.9 US cents to settle at $US17.515 per fine ounce.
Copper for July delivery settled down 3.45 US cents at $US3.1170 per pound.
AAP, with Chris Zappone BusinessDay
http://www.smh.com.au/business/markets/stocks-set-to-plunge-after-us-freefall-20100507-uhc0.html
In one of the most dizzying half-hours in stock market history, the Dow Jones industrial average plunged almost 1000 points amid worries about European debt.
The Dow managed to recover two-thirds of its losses before the end of Thursday's Wall Street session, but all major indices closed sharply lower on a day that recalled the market turmoil of the 2008 financial crisis.
There were reports that a technical glitch hastened the selling.
Even so emotions ran high, with traders concerned that Greece's economic problems will hurt other European countries and ultimately, the US recovery.
Only 173 stocks rose on the New York Stock Exchange while 3002 fell.
Volume came to an extremely heavy 2.57 billion shares.
When markets settled, the Dow Jones Industrial Average had fallen 347.80 points, or 3.20 per cent, to 10,520.32 points.
The Standard & Poor's 500 index closed down 37.72 points, or 3.24 per cent, at 1128.15 points.
The Nasdaq composite closed down 82.65 points, or 3.44 per cent, at 2319.64 points.
European stock markets lost ground on Thursday as remarks on the Greek crisis by the head of the European Central Bank failed to reassure anxious investors.
ECB head Jean-Claude Trichet ruled out a Greek debt default and insisted that the problems besetting Greece were different from those faced by Spain and Portugal.
The London FTSE 100 closed down 80.94 points, or 1.52 per cent at 5260.99 points.
The German DAX 30 closed down 50.19 points, or 0.84 per cent, at 5908.26 points.
The French CAC 40 index closed down 79.92 points, or 2.20 per cent, at 3,556.11 points.
Commodities
Oil prices dropped to levels not seen since February on Thursday, as the stock market posted huge losses.
The benchmark crude oil for June delivery contract fell $US2.86 to settle at $US77.11 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Oil hit $US73.71 on February 16 and has lost almost $US10 a barrel since Monday.
Crude was lower at noon and the price slide picked up speed as the stock market tumbled and Investors flew to safer havens in gold and bonds.
Europe's debt problems got much of the blame for the drop in stocks and commodities. The ongoing crisis also has undermined the euro and strengthened the US dollar.
Commodities priced in US dollars, such as oil, become more expensive for investors holding euros as the US dollar rises.
In London, Brent crude gave up $US2.78 to settle at $US79.83 on the ICE futures exchange.
Gold for June delivery rose $US22.30 to settle at $US1197.30 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Silver for July delivery fell 1.9 US cents to settle at $US17.515 per fine ounce.
Copper for July delivery settled down 3.45 US cents at $US3.1170 per pound.
AAP, with Chris Zappone BusinessDay
http://www.smh.com.au/business/markets/stocks-set-to-plunge-after-us-freefall-20100507-uhc0.html
US stocks plummet, then recover some losses
US stocks plummet, then recover some losses
May 7, 2010 - 6:56AM
US stocks plunged 9 per cent in the last two hours of trading overnight before clawing back some of the losses as the escalating debt crisis in Europe stoked fears a new credit crunch was in the making.
The Dow suffered its biggest ever intraday point drop, which may have been caused by an erroneous trade entered by a person at a big Wall Street bank, multiple market sources said.
Indexes recovered some of their losses heading into the close but equities had erased much of their gains for the year to end down just over 3 percent, the biggest fall since April 2009.
"We did not know what a stock was worth today, and that is a serious problem," said Joe Saluzzi of Themis Trading in New Jersey.
Traders around the world were shaken from their beds and told to start trading amid the plunge as investors sought to stem losses in the rapid market sell-off.
Declining stocks outnumbered advancers on the New York Stock Exchange by more than 17 to 1. Volume soared to it highest level this year by far.
Nasdaq said it was investigating potentially erroneous transactions involving multiple securities executed between 2.40pm and 3pm New York time.
Investors had been on edge throughout the trading day after the European Central Bank did not discuss the outright purchase of European sovereign debt as some had hoped they would to calm markets, but gave verbal support instead to Greece's savings plan, disappointing some investors.
The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 347.80 points, or 3.20 per cent, to 10,520.32. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index fell 37.75 points, or 3.24 per cent, to 1128.15. The Nasdaq Composite Index lost 82.65 points, or 3.44 per cent, to 2319.64.
The sell-off was broad and deep with all 10 of the S&P 500 sectors falling 2 to 4 per cent. The financial sector was the worst hit with a fall of 4.1 per cent.
Selling hit some big cap stocks. Bank of America was the biggest percentage loser on the Dow, falling 7.1 per cent to $US16.28. All 30 component of the Dow closed lower.
An index known as Wall Street's fear gauge, the CBOE Volatility Index closed up more than 30 per cent at its highest close since May 2009. It had earlier risen as much as 50 per cent.
The mounting fears about a spreading debt crisis in Europe curbed the appetite for risk and put a report of weak US retail sales into sharper relief. Most top retail chains reported worse-than-expected same-store sales for April, sparking concerns about consumer spending, the main engine of the US economy.
That hit shares including warehouse club Costco Wholesale Corp, which fell 3.9 per cent to $US58.03, and apparel maker Gap Inc, which lost 7.2 per cent at $US22.91.
The head of the ECB, Jean-Claude Trichet, said on Thursday that Spain and Portugal were not in the same boat as Greece, but the risk premium that investors demand to hold Portuguese and Spanish government bonds flared to record highs.
Reuters
http://www.smh.com.au/business/markets/us-stocks-plummet-then-recover-some-losses-20100507-uh8l.html
May 7, 2010 - 6:56AM
US stocks plunged 9 per cent in the last two hours of trading overnight before clawing back some of the losses as the escalating debt crisis in Europe stoked fears a new credit crunch was in the making.
The Dow suffered its biggest ever intraday point drop, which may have been caused by an erroneous trade entered by a person at a big Wall Street bank, multiple market sources said.
Indexes recovered some of their losses heading into the close but equities had erased much of their gains for the year to end down just over 3 percent, the biggest fall since April 2009.
"We did not know what a stock was worth today, and that is a serious problem," said Joe Saluzzi of Themis Trading in New Jersey.
Traders around the world were shaken from their beds and told to start trading amid the plunge as investors sought to stem losses in the rapid market sell-off.
Declining stocks outnumbered advancers on the New York Stock Exchange by more than 17 to 1. Volume soared to it highest level this year by far.
Nasdaq said it was investigating potentially erroneous transactions involving multiple securities executed between 2.40pm and 3pm New York time.
Investors had been on edge throughout the trading day after the European Central Bank did not discuss the outright purchase of European sovereign debt as some had hoped they would to calm markets, but gave verbal support instead to Greece's savings plan, disappointing some investors.
The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 347.80 points, or 3.20 per cent, to 10,520.32. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index fell 37.75 points, or 3.24 per cent, to 1128.15. The Nasdaq Composite Index lost 82.65 points, or 3.44 per cent, to 2319.64.
The sell-off was broad and deep with all 10 of the S&P 500 sectors falling 2 to 4 per cent. The financial sector was the worst hit with a fall of 4.1 per cent.
Selling hit some big cap stocks. Bank of America was the biggest percentage loser on the Dow, falling 7.1 per cent to $US16.28. All 30 component of the Dow closed lower.
An index known as Wall Street's fear gauge, the CBOE Volatility Index closed up more than 30 per cent at its highest close since May 2009. It had earlier risen as much as 50 per cent.
The mounting fears about a spreading debt crisis in Europe curbed the appetite for risk and put a report of weak US retail sales into sharper relief. Most top retail chains reported worse-than-expected same-store sales for April, sparking concerns about consumer spending, the main engine of the US economy.
That hit shares including warehouse club Costco Wholesale Corp, which fell 3.9 per cent to $US58.03, and apparel maker Gap Inc, which lost 7.2 per cent at $US22.91.
The head of the ECB, Jean-Claude Trichet, said on Thursday that Spain and Portugal were not in the same boat as Greece, but the risk premium that investors demand to hold Portuguese and Spanish government bonds flared to record highs.
Reuters
http://www.smh.com.au/business/markets/us-stocks-plummet-then-recover-some-losses-20100507-uh8l.html
'Fat finger' trade forces US stocks dive
'Fat finger' trade forces US stocks dive
May 7, 2010 - 6:30AM
The biggest intraday point drop ever for the Dow Jones Industrial Average may have been caused by an erroneous trade entered by a person at a big Wall Street bank that in turn triggered widespread panic-selling.
At one stage, the Dow was down a whopping 998 points - or 9 per cent - before rebounding but it was still sharply lower for the session as continuing worries about Greece and the so-called sovereign debt contagion ate into investor confidence.
The so-called "fat finger" trade apparently involved an exchange-traded fund that holds shares of some of the biggest and most widely traded stocks, sources said. The trade apparently was put in on the Nasdaq Stock Market, sources said.
But US stocks still ended sharply lower, as continuing worries about the debt crisis in Greece ate into market confidence, prompting a wide-spread sell-off.
US stocks posted their largest percentage drop since April 2009, with all three major indexes ending down more than 3 per cent.
Indexes earlier in the afternoon had plunged even more steeply, before paring losses.
Observers questioned why Procter & Gamble’s stock tumbled precipitously - and some say that could have been behind the massive plunge.
Both Fox News and CNBC reported that a trading error involving P&G stock could have been responsible for part of a dip that dragged the Dow Jones Industrial Average within a hair’s breadth of a 1000-point drop.
The sudden sell-off saw investors desert stocks wholesale.
But P&G’s stock, which had been trading at $US62, suddenly began to crash, falling around 20 per cent at one point for no apparent reason.
The Dow Jones industrial average ended down 347.80 points, or 3.2 per cent, at 10,520.32. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was off 37.75 points, or 3.24 per cent, at 1128.15. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 82.65 points, or 3.44 per cent, at 2319.64.
Several sources said the speculation is that the trade was entered by someone at Citigroup. A Citigroup spokesman said it was investigating the rumour but that the bank currently had no evidence that an erroneous trade had been made.
http://www.smh.com.au/business/markets/fat-finger-trade-forces-us-stocks-dive-20100507-uh91.html
May 7, 2010 - 6:30AM
The biggest intraday point drop ever for the Dow Jones Industrial Average may have been caused by an erroneous trade entered by a person at a big Wall Street bank that in turn triggered widespread panic-selling.
At one stage, the Dow was down a whopping 998 points - or 9 per cent - before rebounding but it was still sharply lower for the session as continuing worries about Greece and the so-called sovereign debt contagion ate into investor confidence.
The so-called "fat finger" trade apparently involved an exchange-traded fund that holds shares of some of the biggest and most widely traded stocks, sources said. The trade apparently was put in on the Nasdaq Stock Market, sources said.
But US stocks still ended sharply lower, as continuing worries about the debt crisis in Greece ate into market confidence, prompting a wide-spread sell-off.
US stocks posted their largest percentage drop since April 2009, with all three major indexes ending down more than 3 per cent.
Indexes earlier in the afternoon had plunged even more steeply, before paring losses.
Observers questioned why Procter & Gamble’s stock tumbled precipitously - and some say that could have been behind the massive plunge.
Both Fox News and CNBC reported that a trading error involving P&G stock could have been responsible for part of a dip that dragged the Dow Jones Industrial Average within a hair’s breadth of a 1000-point drop.
The sudden sell-off saw investors desert stocks wholesale.
But P&G’s stock, which had been trading at $US62, suddenly began to crash, falling around 20 per cent at one point for no apparent reason.
The Dow Jones industrial average ended down 347.80 points, or 3.2 per cent, at 10,520.32. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was off 37.75 points, or 3.24 per cent, at 1128.15. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 82.65 points, or 3.44 per cent, at 2319.64.
Several sources said the speculation is that the trade was entered by someone at Citigroup. A Citigroup spokesman said it was investigating the rumour but that the bank currently had no evidence that an erroneous trade had been made.
http://www.smh.com.au/business/markets/fat-finger-trade-forces-us-stocks-dive-20100507-uh91.html
Understanding High Frequency Trading (HFT): Wall Street's Latest Scam
Wall St, New York, USA, 17 August 2009. The new cream-skimming trick in Wall Street's playbook is called High Frequency Trading, or HFT.
It works like this: big trading banks invest in super-computers that can process information at every faster speeds, splitting nano-seconds into smaller and smaller units. These super-computers can process instructions faster than regular computers, and much faster than humans. Next, they place these super-computers in the exchanges themselves. This gives direct access to the exchange, cutting out the latency of connections from remote locations. By trading faster than smaller investors, profits can be constantly churned.
http://bx.businessweek.com/investment-banking/view?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.economywatch.com%2Feconomy-business-and-finance-news%2Fhigh-frequency-trading-hft-wall-streets-latest-scam-18-08.html
It works like this: big trading banks invest in super-computers that can process information at every faster speeds, splitting nano-seconds into smaller and smaller units. These super-computers can process instructions faster than regular computers, and much faster than humans. Next, they place these super-computers in the exchanges themselves. This gives direct access to the exchange, cutting out the latency of connections from remote locations. By trading faster than smaller investors, profits can be constantly churned.
High Frequency Trading (HFT): Wall Street's Latest Scam
http://bx.businessweek.com/investment-banking/view?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.economywatch.com%2Feconomy-business-and-finance-news%2Fhigh-frequency-trading-hft-wall-streets-latest-scam-18-08.html
Thursday, 6 May 2010
A quick look at F & N (6.5.2010)
A quick look at F & N (6.5.2010)
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tGDNB7GiYxmXFXxqJEqY49A&output=html
KUALA LUMPUR: MIDF Research has upgraded Fraser & Neave Holdings Bhd (F&N) to a buy with a higher target price of RM12 (from RM10.60) and said the company's 1HFY10 net profit grew 56.4% year-on-year to RM162.9 million, accounting for 69% and 60% of MIDF's and consensus full year numbers.
Excluding the RM10 million charges recognised in 2QFY09 due to the closure of glass plant in Petaling Jaya, MIDF estimated that the earnings growth was about +43% y-o-y.
The commendable results were mainly due to the higher soft drinks sales, better-than-expected overall profit margin and lower minority interest, it said.
"We are rolling over our valuation into FY11 numbers but with a lower implied PER of 14.5 times as compared with 16 times previously. As such, we are upgrading our call for F&N to buy with a higher target price of RM12 (previously RM10.60), based on 14.5 times FY11 EPS.
"We believe the downside is fairly limited, cushioned by the 5.1% net dividend yield," it said.
http://www.theedgemalaysia.com/business-news/165574-midf-research-raises-fan-target-price-to-rm12-.html
Related:
FY09/10 Half Year Results Briefing
7 May 2010
http://announcements.bursamalaysia.com/EDMS/edmsweb.nsf/all/1E4DE9BCD0574BC54825771B0032A5DB/$File/Half%20year%20results%207%20May%202010%20-%20FNHB%20(final).pdf
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tGDNB7GiYxmXFXxqJEqY49A&output=html
| MIDF Research raises F&N target price to RM12 |  |  |  |
| Written by MIDF Research |
| Friday, 07 May 2010 09:38 |
KUALA LUMPUR: MIDF Research has upgraded Fraser & Neave Holdings Bhd (F&N) to a buy with a higher target price of RM12 (from RM10.60) and said the company's 1HFY10 net profit grew 56.4% year-on-year to RM162.9 million, accounting for 69% and 60% of MIDF's and consensus full year numbers.
Excluding the RM10 million charges recognised in 2QFY09 due to the closure of glass plant in Petaling Jaya, MIDF estimated that the earnings growth was about +43% y-o-y.
The commendable results were mainly due to the higher soft drinks sales, better-than-expected overall profit margin and lower minority interest, it said.
"We are rolling over our valuation into FY11 numbers but with a lower implied PER of 14.5 times as compared with 16 times previously. As such, we are upgrading our call for F&N to buy with a higher target price of RM12 (previously RM10.60), based on 14.5 times FY11 EPS.
"We believe the downside is fairly limited, cushioned by the 5.1% net dividend yield," it said.
http://www.theedgemalaysia.com/business-news/165574-midf-research-raises-fan-target-price-to-rm12-.html
Related:
FY09/10 Half Year Results Briefing
7 May 2010
http://announcements.bursamalaysia.com/EDMS/edmsweb.nsf/all/1E4DE9BCD0574BC54825771B0032A5DB/$File/Half%20year%20results%207%20May%202010%20-%20FNHB%20(final).pdf
News you could use: Stocks are Crashing.
Stocks are crashing, so you turn on the television to catch the latest market news.
The Stock Market is on sale. Huge banners reading: "SALE! 50% OFF!"
Then the anchorman announces brightly, "Stocks became more attractive yet again today, as the Stock Market dropped another 2.5% on heavy volume - the fourth day in a row that stocks have gotten cheaper. Tech investors fared even better, as leading companies like ABC lost nearly 5% on the day, making them even more affordable. That comes on top of the good news of the past year, in which stocks have already lost 50%, putting them at bargain levels not seen in years. And some prominent analysts are optimistic that prices may drop still further in the weeks and months to come."
Read more here:
"Falling stock prices would be fabulous news for any investor with a very long horizon."
The Stock Market is on sale. Huge banners reading: "SALE! 50% OFF!"
Then the anchorman announces brightly, "Stocks became more attractive yet again today, as the Stock Market dropped another 2.5% on heavy volume - the fourth day in a row that stocks have gotten cheaper. Tech investors fared even better, as leading companies like ABC lost nearly 5% on the day, making them even more affordable. That comes on top of the good news of the past year, in which stocks have already lost 50%, putting them at bargain levels not seen in years. And some prominent analysts are optimistic that prices may drop still further in the weeks and months to come."
Read more here:
News you could use
"Falling stock prices would be fabulous news for any investor with a very long horizon."
A quick look at Yee Lee (5.5.2010)
A quick look at Yee Lee (5.5.2010)
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=t110lp_dYviKliqIsIUOsLw&output=html
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=t110lp_dYviKliqIsIUOsLw&output=html
You Don’t Need Perfect Batting Average
You Don’t Need Perfect Batting Average: In order to significantly outperform the market, investors need not generate near perfect results.
Hammering home the idea that a few good stocks a decade can make an investment career, Lynch had this to say about Buffett:
"Warren states that twelve investments decisions in his forty year career have made all the difference."
Related:
Benjamin Graham
"To achieve satisfactory investment results is easier than most people realise; to achieve superior results is harder than it looks."
Hammering home the idea that a few good stocks a decade can make an investment career, Lynch had this to say about Buffett:
"Warren states that twelve investments decisions in his forty year career have made all the difference."
Related:
Lessons Learned From Investing Genius Peter Lynch
Benjamin Graham
"To achieve satisfactory investment results is easier than most people realise; to achieve superior results is harder than it looks."
A quick look at 3A Resources (5.5.2010)
A quick look at 3A Resources (5.5.2010)
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tcpHxcoccuKHRFO8To1fewQ&output=html
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tcpHxcoccuKHRFO8To1fewQ&output=html
Indonesia finance minister named a managing director of the World Bank Group
Indonesia finance minister quits
JAKARTA, May 5 — Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, a key reformer in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy, is leaving office in what could be a major blow to a crackdown on graft and tax evasion.
Indrawati, 47, was named a managing director of the World Bank Group, a sign of the growing clout of emerging economies. But the move also reflects increasing pressure on her at home from politicians opposed to her clean-up campaign.
“It’s a good move for her, but not good for Indonesia,” said Nick Cashmore, head of CLSA in Indonesia.
“She’s leaving earlier than expected, not doing the full five years. It shows that all these undercurrents are gathering pace.”
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has congratulated Indrawati on the move, indicating he is willing to let her go, but investors will be watching who he appoints as her replacement for a signal on where the reform programme is headed.
Chief Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa will temporarily take charge of the finance portfolio until Indrawati’s replacement is appointed, presidential spokesman Julian Pasha told Reuters on Wednesday. Indrawati is to take up the World Bank post on June 1.
Rajasa is better known for his political skills, unlike Indrawati, who has a doctorate in economics and was an executive director at the International Monetary Fund before joining government.
Investors have been big buyers of Indonesian assets in the past 18 months, largely attracted by its pace of reform and liberalisation and the prospect of a surge in demand for its vast natural resources as the global economy recovers.
Local financial markets fell after the announcement of Indrawati’s move, but analysts said the weakening in the rupiah to 9,090 per dollar from 9,030 and a 3 percent drop in the stock market reflected broader investor concerns about emerging markets and risk related to the euro zone.
“The market will definitely react negatively to her departure,” said Destry Damayanti, an economist at Mandiri Sekuritas in Jakarta.
“Hopefully it is a short-lived one, but it all depends on who replaces her. That is the main concern for now, her replacement. What is needed is someone who is a professional, someone who is not politically biased.”
NO CENTRAL BANK GOVERNOR
Likely candidates include: Anggito Abimanyu, the head of the ministry’s Fiscal Policy Agency; Chatib Basri, an academic and special adviser to the finance minister; Raden Pardede, an economist and former head of the state asset management company; and Agus Martowardojo, president director of Indonesia’s largest lendor Bank Mandiri.
The change at the finance ministry comes at a time when the country is still without a governor for Bank Indonesia, the central bank. Darmin Nasution, the senior deputy governor, has been acting governor since mid-2009.
“With Sri Mulyani’s strong and credible reform credentials, her departure is likely to be seen negatively by the market, not to mention that Indonesia has not had a BI Governor in almost a year,” Citibank economist Johanna Chua said in a research note.
“Thus, vacancies in two of the most important economic posts will raise some concerns about the credibility of macro policies and the pace of reforms. Nonetheless, we think despite her departure, Indonesia’s track record of prudent fiscal policies will likely remain intact.”
Indrawati and Vice President Boediono, who was earlier the central bank governor, were regarded as Yudhoyono’s top reformers, taking a tough public stance against corrupt politicians, officials and businessmen in a country that ranks among the most corrupt in the world.
Their reforms, for example in the tax and customs offices, led to improvements in revenue collection but much more remains to be done to clean up the civil service, including the police and judiciary.
Indrawati raised salaries at revenue departments, fired corrupt officials, and introduced more transparent work practices including open plan offices and computerised records.
She has sent sent investigators from the anti-corruption commission on surprise raids, including to the customs department, to check whether officials had cash stashed away.
However, tax evasion remains a serious problem. In a country with a population of about 240 million, there are only 16 million registered tax payers.
JAKARTA, May 5 — Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, a key reformer in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy, is leaving office in what could be a major blow to a crackdown on graft and tax evasion.
Indrawati, 47, was named a managing director of the World Bank Group, a sign of the growing clout of emerging economies. But the move also reflects increasing pressure on her at home from politicians opposed to her clean-up campaign.
“It’s a good move for her, but not good for Indonesia,” said Nick Cashmore, head of CLSA in Indonesia.
“She’s leaving earlier than expected, not doing the full five years. It shows that all these undercurrents are gathering pace.”
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has congratulated Indrawati on the move, indicating he is willing to let her go, but investors will be watching who he appoints as her replacement for a signal on where the reform programme is headed.
Chief Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa will temporarily take charge of the finance portfolio until Indrawati’s replacement is appointed, presidential spokesman Julian Pasha told Reuters on Wednesday. Indrawati is to take up the World Bank post on June 1.
Rajasa is better known for his political skills, unlike Indrawati, who has a doctorate in economics and was an executive director at the International Monetary Fund before joining government.
Investors have been big buyers of Indonesian assets in the past 18 months, largely attracted by its pace of reform and liberalisation and the prospect of a surge in demand for its vast natural resources as the global economy recovers.
Local financial markets fell after the announcement of Indrawati’s move, but analysts said the weakening in the rupiah to 9,090 per dollar from 9,030 and a 3 percent drop in the stock market reflected broader investor concerns about emerging markets and risk related to the euro zone.
“The market will definitely react negatively to her departure,” said Destry Damayanti, an economist at Mandiri Sekuritas in Jakarta.
“Hopefully it is a short-lived one, but it all depends on who replaces her. That is the main concern for now, her replacement. What is needed is someone who is a professional, someone who is not politically biased.”
NO CENTRAL BANK GOVERNOR
Likely candidates include: Anggito Abimanyu, the head of the ministry’s Fiscal Policy Agency; Chatib Basri, an academic and special adviser to the finance minister; Raden Pardede, an economist and former head of the state asset management company; and Agus Martowardojo, president director of Indonesia’s largest lendor Bank Mandiri.
The change at the finance ministry comes at a time when the country is still without a governor for Bank Indonesia, the central bank. Darmin Nasution, the senior deputy governor, has been acting governor since mid-2009.
“With Sri Mulyani’s strong and credible reform credentials, her departure is likely to be seen negatively by the market, not to mention that Indonesia has not had a BI Governor in almost a year,” Citibank economist Johanna Chua said in a research note.
“Thus, vacancies in two of the most important economic posts will raise some concerns about the credibility of macro policies and the pace of reforms. Nonetheless, we think despite her departure, Indonesia’s track record of prudent fiscal policies will likely remain intact.”
Indrawati and Vice President Boediono, who was earlier the central bank governor, were regarded as Yudhoyono’s top reformers, taking a tough public stance against corrupt politicians, officials and businessmen in a country that ranks among the most corrupt in the world.
Their reforms, for example in the tax and customs offices, led to improvements in revenue collection but much more remains to be done to clean up the civil service, including the police and judiciary.
Indrawati raised salaries at revenue departments, fired corrupt officials, and introduced more transparent work practices including open plan offices and computerised records.
She has sent sent investigators from the anti-corruption commission on surprise raids, including to the customs department, to check whether officials had cash stashed away.
However, tax evasion remains a serious problem. In a country with a population of about 240 million, there are only 16 million registered tax payers.
Wilmar: Asia’s next Cargill in China?
Wilmar: Asia’s next Cargill in China?
KUALA LUMPUR, May 3 — Singapore-listed Wilmar is shaping up to become the Asian version of agribusiness giant Cargill, with an expanding network of farms, food processors and shipping companies.
And it’s showing its muscle where it matters most — in China.
Wilmar’s integrated China operations account for 44.7 per cent of its US$10.3 billion (RM32.79 billion) assets, allowing it to weather recent volatile food prices and now a likely yuan policy change.
The company had the most to gain when Beijing in April slapped import curbs on Argentine soyoil — a commodity that competes with Wilmar’s domestically crushed oilseeds in China and imported palm oil.
This resilience has spurred investors to clamour for Wilmar to revisit a shelved IPO for its China business, possibly this year, four years after the powerful Kuok family merged Wilmar and Malaysia-based Kuok Group to create the US$32 billion firm.
“I believe they will revisit the IPO. It’s anybody’s guess when it happens, but Wilmar has rightly tapped into the fact that agriculture is super-hot in China,” said Michael Greenall, an analyst with BNP Paribas.
“With the super-charged growth in China’s economy, higher incomes and rural-to-urban migration contributing to stronger demand in all the sectors it’s invested in, Wilmar will act.”
Wilmar’s proposed China listing would have raised as much as US$3.5 billion on the Hong Kong stock exchange, at the lower end of the range of China-based food companies.
Wilmar, which has been dubbed by analysts as the “China proxy”, currently trades at 18 times its 2010 earnings, richer than rival China Agri Industries’ 14 times but cheaper than 22 times at China Foods.
Wilmar’s shares have gained more than 8 per cent this year, outperforming a 2.5 per cent rise on Singapore’s benchmark index, while other plantation firms such as Malaysia’s Sime Darby, IOI Group and Indonesia’s Astra Agro Lestari are trading lower.
Margins in Wilmar’s main business sectors — oilseeds and grains, palm and laurics and consumer food products — certainly have room to grow as the world’s most populous country and third-largest economy keeps to its target of 8 per cent annual growth.
YUAN BOOST?
An immediate margin boost may come from a yuan policy shift that could make imported soybeans cheaper for Wilmar — a top importer that dominates a fifth of China’s 94 million tonnes of soy processing capacity.
It also buffers Wilmar from negative margins arising from weak livestock feed demand for soymeal, as the food processor can channel soyoil into its cooking oil business that controls 45 per cent of China’s market.
In contrast, the influx of cheap soy imports may further weigh on smaller crushers that have tiny integrated downstream operations. Some have none to speak of.
Soyoil accounts for a quarter of China’s 6.4 million tonnes of edible oil imports, and Wilmar makes up the rest with palm oil from its estates in Southeast Asia, taking a larger market share than Sime and IOI.
Analysts say a Wilmar IPO will bring all these factors into play.
“Wilmar is one of its kind. They are not only selling to China but they also know the supply side (because) they have estates in Malaysian and Indonesia,” said Ivy Ng, an analyst with Malaysia’s CIMB Investment Bank.
“If you look at China Agri, they don’t have any estates, they buy palm, process and sell.”
Wilmar’s plantation landbank of 570,000 hectares is just 41 per cent planted, and analysts say the planting will rise in tandem with China’s growing appetite for edible oils and palm oil getting cheaper if Beijing lets its currency appreciate.
The scale of its operations — 130 processors and plants in China — allows Wilmar to manage the fluctuations in soybeans and palm oil and preserve earnings.
A 10 per cent change in the price of palm oil only affects the company’s 2010 earnings by 2 per cent, Goldman Sachs said in a note. Other analysts say such a swing affects earnings of purer plantation plays such as Astra Agro Lestari by 13 per cent.
TURNING TO RICE AND WHEAT
The major risk to Wilmar’s growth is that it will eventually come up against regulations stipulating that foreign firms cannot own new soy processors and those with a soy market share of more than 15 per cent will not get approval to expand capacity.
But analysts are still pricing in an upside to Wilmar’s share price, which surged 130 per cent in 2009. The Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S survey of 19 analysts has an average target price for Wilmar of S$7.80 (RM18.13) — a 13 per cent gain from its current level.
Much of the optimism lies with Wilmar’s aggressive move into China’s highly fragmented rice and wheat milling sectors, which are the world’s largest, and also produce noodles and pastries.
“They have been investing a lot in rice and flour in China, which can become very big,” Nomura analyst Tanuj Shori said.
“The biggest entry barrier is scale. The bigger you are, the easier it is to achieve higher profitability.”
China Agri leads with a 2 per cent market share in both sectors, but Wilmar can take top position as it can build mills at its existing manufacturing bases where it can share overheads and logistics, reducing costs and boosting margins, analysts say.
Backed by a balance sheet of US$23.5 billion, Wilmar can fund its rice and wheat expansion through its US$1 billion capex. China Agri plans to spend US$1.1 billion this year.
And Wilmar can channel wheat and rice products to its existing edible oil customers — noodle manufacturers Tingyi and Want Want.
“We believe Wilmar is capable of adding 4 million tonnes,” said Hwang-DBS analyst Ben Santoso, basing that on five 400,000 tonne capacity plants for both rice and flour.
“Compared to its last published capacity of 890,000 tonnes, it’s an extraordinary expansion.” — Reuters
KUALA LUMPUR, May 3 — Singapore-listed Wilmar is shaping up to become the Asian version of agribusiness giant Cargill, with an expanding network of farms, food processors and shipping companies.
And it’s showing its muscle where it matters most — in China.
Wilmar’s integrated China operations account for 44.7 per cent of its US$10.3 billion (RM32.79 billion) assets, allowing it to weather recent volatile food prices and now a likely yuan policy change.
The company had the most to gain when Beijing in April slapped import curbs on Argentine soyoil — a commodity that competes with Wilmar’s domestically crushed oilseeds in China and imported palm oil.
This resilience has spurred investors to clamour for Wilmar to revisit a shelved IPO for its China business, possibly this year, four years after the powerful Kuok family merged Wilmar and Malaysia-based Kuok Group to create the US$32 billion firm.
“I believe they will revisit the IPO. It’s anybody’s guess when it happens, but Wilmar has rightly tapped into the fact that agriculture is super-hot in China,” said Michael Greenall, an analyst with BNP Paribas.
“With the super-charged growth in China’s economy, higher incomes and rural-to-urban migration contributing to stronger demand in all the sectors it’s invested in, Wilmar will act.”
Wilmar’s proposed China listing would have raised as much as US$3.5 billion on the Hong Kong stock exchange, at the lower end of the range of China-based food companies.
Wilmar, which has been dubbed by analysts as the “China proxy”, currently trades at 18 times its 2010 earnings, richer than rival China Agri Industries’ 14 times but cheaper than 22 times at China Foods.
Wilmar’s shares have gained more than 8 per cent this year, outperforming a 2.5 per cent rise on Singapore’s benchmark index, while other plantation firms such as Malaysia’s Sime Darby, IOI Group and Indonesia’s Astra Agro Lestari are trading lower.
Margins in Wilmar’s main business sectors — oilseeds and grains, palm and laurics and consumer food products — certainly have room to grow as the world’s most populous country and third-largest economy keeps to its target of 8 per cent annual growth.
YUAN BOOST?
An immediate margin boost may come from a yuan policy shift that could make imported soybeans cheaper for Wilmar — a top importer that dominates a fifth of China’s 94 million tonnes of soy processing capacity.
It also buffers Wilmar from negative margins arising from weak livestock feed demand for soymeal, as the food processor can channel soyoil into its cooking oil business that controls 45 per cent of China’s market.
In contrast, the influx of cheap soy imports may further weigh on smaller crushers that have tiny integrated downstream operations. Some have none to speak of.
Soyoil accounts for a quarter of China’s 6.4 million tonnes of edible oil imports, and Wilmar makes up the rest with palm oil from its estates in Southeast Asia, taking a larger market share than Sime and IOI.
Analysts say a Wilmar IPO will bring all these factors into play.
“Wilmar is one of its kind. They are not only selling to China but they also know the supply side (because) they have estates in Malaysian and Indonesia,” said Ivy Ng, an analyst with Malaysia’s CIMB Investment Bank.
“If you look at China Agri, they don’t have any estates, they buy palm, process and sell.”
Wilmar’s plantation landbank of 570,000 hectares is just 41 per cent planted, and analysts say the planting will rise in tandem with China’s growing appetite for edible oils and palm oil getting cheaper if Beijing lets its currency appreciate.
The scale of its operations — 130 processors and plants in China — allows Wilmar to manage the fluctuations in soybeans and palm oil and preserve earnings.
A 10 per cent change in the price of palm oil only affects the company’s 2010 earnings by 2 per cent, Goldman Sachs said in a note. Other analysts say such a swing affects earnings of purer plantation plays such as Astra Agro Lestari by 13 per cent.
TURNING TO RICE AND WHEAT
The major risk to Wilmar’s growth is that it will eventually come up against regulations stipulating that foreign firms cannot own new soy processors and those with a soy market share of more than 15 per cent will not get approval to expand capacity.
But analysts are still pricing in an upside to Wilmar’s share price, which surged 130 per cent in 2009. The Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S survey of 19 analysts has an average target price for Wilmar of S$7.80 (RM18.13) — a 13 per cent gain from its current level.
Much of the optimism lies with Wilmar’s aggressive move into China’s highly fragmented rice and wheat milling sectors, which are the world’s largest, and also produce noodles and pastries.
“They have been investing a lot in rice and flour in China, which can become very big,” Nomura analyst Tanuj Shori said.
“The biggest entry barrier is scale. The bigger you are, the easier it is to achieve higher profitability.”
China Agri leads with a 2 per cent market share in both sectors, but Wilmar can take top position as it can build mills at its existing manufacturing bases where it can share overheads and logistics, reducing costs and boosting margins, analysts say.
Backed by a balance sheet of US$23.5 billion, Wilmar can fund its rice and wheat expansion through its US$1 billion capex. China Agri plans to spend US$1.1 billion this year.
And Wilmar can channel wheat and rice products to its existing edible oil customers — noodle manufacturers Tingyi and Want Want.
“We believe Wilmar is capable of adding 4 million tonnes,” said Hwang-DBS analyst Ben Santoso, basing that on five 400,000 tonne capacity plants for both rice and flour.
“Compared to its last published capacity of 890,000 tonnes, it’s an extraordinary expansion.” — Reuters
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