Help Teach These Kids How to Fish

By Chuck Saletta | More Articles 

December 31, 2010 | Comments (0)

There's an old saying: If you give a man a fish, you'll feed him for a day, but if you teach that man to fish, you'll feed him for a lifetime. When it comes to extending that parable to handling money, truer words have never been spoken.

Money, if not handled well, can be very fleeting. Multimillionaire athletes, celebrities, and lottery winners have all wound up broke. On the flip side, there are stories of people like Grace Groner, who managed to turn a modest income into amazing wealth through prudent long-term money management.

Good habits start earlyThere's an enormous difference between income and wealth, and it's surprisingly easy to have a very large income, but not be able to save or invest a bit of it. Without an investing mentality, income alone will never turn into wealth. On the other hand, as Grace Groner's story showed, you don't need to earn a fortune to wind up with one, if you manage what you've got well.

That's an amazingly powerful message that, if it can be driven home to at-risk youth, can help them escape the cycle of abject poverty that may have plagued their families for generations. And it's a message that needs to get through to people early, for two critical reasons:

• The earlier that people understand how to manage money, the longer time they have for their little bit of cash to compound in their favor.
• It's far too easy to get trapped into financial pain in things like payday loan traps from short=term decisions made without a full understanding of the long-term consequences.

With that reality in mind, The Motley Fool has chosen Thurgood Marshall Academy as this year's Foolanthropy recipient. The academy is a Washington, D.C., charter school whose students are drawn from an area with an average per-capita income around $14,000 per year, just about one-third of the national average. For people in that situation, every penny counts, and there's not much keeping them from getting trapped in a state of perpetual indebtedness.

With Foolish financial training to go along with Thurgood Marshall's mission to provide a first-class education, these students can break free from the bonds of generational poverty. In essence, the Fool and Thurgood Marshall Academy are teaming up to teach these students how to financially fish -- so that they may eat for a lifetime.

Break the bonds that tieOne of the most powerful Foolish lessons for these students explains credit card debt, and how a $20 pizza can wind up costing $100, if financed over time on a credit card. But what happens if you take that lesson to the next level, and show what can happen to that $20 if it gets invested, rather than spent on pizza in the first place?

With a long-term perspective, the same compounding that would cause a $20 pizza to really cost $100 can turn that $20 into something far more useful -- if it's invested well. And while you may think that $20 may be too little to invest, there is one type of investment that often accepts even small-scale contributions at or around that level. They're called Dividend Reinvestment Plans (DRIPs), and they can be a great opportunity for people without much cash to join the investor class.

Companies that kids may be familiar with that offer DRIPs include:

Company	Initial DRIP Enrollment	Minimum Optional Contribution	$20 Invested for 20 Years Turned Into	More Information
Hershey(NYSE: HSY)	$250 or 1 Share of Stock	$25	$156.89	Click Here
McDonald's(NYSE: MCD)	$500 or 10 Shares of Stock	$50	$287.28	Click Here
Nike (NYSE:NKE)	$500 or 1 Share of Stock	$50	$491.47	Click Here
PepsiCo(NYSE: PEP)	$250 or 1 Share of Stock	$50	$157.04	Click Here
Verizon(NYSE: VZ)	$250 or 1 Share of Stock	$50	$65.46	Click Here
Walt Disney(NYSE: DIS)	$250 or 5 Shares of Stock	$50	$105.47	Click Here

While they all offer DRIPs, most are not exactly the friendliest for small investors, thanks to high enrollment minimums, high optional purchase minimums, and/or investment fees.

On the flip side, 3M (NYSE: MMM) has an extremely friendly DRIP for small investors. Once you have the single share you need to join the plan, you can invest as little as $10 at a time, and the company covers all purchase and dividend reinvestment fees in the plan. Of course, kids may not know 3M products as well as they do the Disney princesses, but they have at least likely used 3M's Scotch Tape and Post-It Notes.

Simple lessons -- powerful resultsWhether it's "invest even small amounts early" or "avoid paying stupid fees," if the lessons really sink in, then they're laying the foundation for true long-term financial success. Of course, past performance is no guarantee of future results, but any possible investing result is better than paying $80 in interest charges on a long-ago forgotten $20 pizza.

You don't need an MBA in finance -- or even a college degree, for that matter -- to benefit from understanding the basics of personal finance. And if this year's Foolanthropy campaign is successful, the students at Thurgood Marshall Academy will benefit enough to become successful financial fishermen. When all is said and done, isn't that all that really matters?

http://www.fool.com/foolanthropy/2010/12/31/help-teach-these-kids-how-to-fish.aspx

Pearls of wisdom from the world's second richest man, Warren Buffett.

The 80-year old billionaire said: 'Wall Street does a lot of good things and then it has this casino.' 

6:30AM GMT 26 Dec 2010

On shareholders:
"We much prefer owners who like our service and our menu and return year after year."
"For our part, we do not view Berkshire shareholders as faceless members of an ever-shifting crowd, but rather as co-adventurers who have entrusted their funds to us for what may well turn out to be the remainder of their lives."

On owning a small number of shares:
"Anyone owning such a number of securities... is following what I call the Noah School of Investing – two of everthing. Such investors should be piloting the ark."

On investing:
"I call investing the greatest business in the world because you never have to swing. All day you just wait for the pitch you like; then, when the fielders are asleep, you step up and hit it."

On debt:
"It's a very sad thing. You can have somebody whose aggregate performance is terrific, but if they have a weakness – maybe it's with alcohol, maybe it's susceptibility to taking a little easy money – it's the weak link that snaps you. And frequently, in the financial markets, the weak link is borrowed money."

On Coca-Cola:
"If you gave me $100bn and said take away the soft-drink leadership of Coca-Cola in the world, I'd give it back to you and say it can't be done." It owns the company that powers lights each morning for 3.8 million homes in Yorkshire, Northumberland and Lincolnshire – CE Electric. It is the biggest owner of Coca-Cola shares and this year spent $26bn (£17bn) buying a railway company headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. Its market capitalisation is bigger than Google.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/banksandfinance/8223002/The-magic-of-Berkshire-Hathaway-Warren-Buffett-in-quotes.html

Portfolio Management For The Under-30 Crowd

by Jonas Elmerraji 

Face it: as an individual under 30, you're not the average investor, and modeling your portfolio after that of your parents isn't always a good idea. In fact, doing so can cause you to miss out on some valuable learning opportunities and, in the long run, even cost you money. If you want to make the most of your money, every decision you make about your portfolio is as important as the last. In this article we look at the unique set of challenges involved in portfolio management for young investors and provide some advice to help you succeed.

Picking Stocks

Obviously, picking the right stocks is one of the most important aspects of investing intelligently. However, as a young investor, you have a lot less to worry about - namely retirement and wealth maintenance. Because preserving yournest egg needn't be your first priority (you have plenty of years ahead of you for that) you can take on a greater amount of riskthan your parents. (For more on this, seeThe Seasons Of An Investor's Life.)

High risk certainly has some negative connotations, especially when you're talking about your money. Nevertheless, there are a lot of advantages to dealing with riskier stocks. While higher risk investments do come with a greater chance of loss, they also come with a greater chance of gain. In other words, these stocks are subject to volatility. This is in contrast to more stable investments, such as those made in blue chip companies that generally have lower growth potential but also benefit from lower risk. (To learn more, see theGuide To Stock-Picking Strategies.)

There is a wide range of riskier investments in the stock market, including small companies with high growth potential or companies in the midst of a turnaround. Taking a chance on one of these companies can greatly improve the returns you can earn in the market. However, don't forget that high-risk stocks live up to their name, so you stand the chance of losing the money that you invested. If you do, it's all right - virtually every investor suffers losses from time to time - chalk it up to experience and try again. (To read more, see Venturing Into Early-Stage Growth Stocks.)

While higher risk investments have the potential for higher returns, there's a difference between a high-risk stock and a bad pick. Hopefully, you won't learn this the hard way. An important thing to remember in this case is that a high-risk investment doesn't necessarily refer to a penny stock. Investing in penny stocks as an inexperienced investor isn't just very risky, it's very ill advised. It's best to leave that to people who know what they're doing. (For further reading, check out Determining Risk And The Risk Pyramid, The Lowdown On Penny Stocks and Catching A Lift On The Penny Express.)

Learning

Your portfolio isn't just for making money - at this stage in your life, it's also an educational tool. Believe it or not, a classroom isn't the best way to learn about the principles of investing. Learning by doing is often the most effective way to become a knowledgeable investor. When you make a decision about your portfolio, always think about what you're doing and look back on it when assessing your results. If you can make connections between your actions and your returns, you're more likely to replicate the good returns and avoid the bad ones. (For more insight, see Achieving Better Returns In Your Portfolio.)

Stepping into investing isn't easy. There's a learning curve involved in the stock market, and it's steeper for some than others. If you're having a hard time understanding the investing world, remember that it's not supposed to be easy - that's why the Wall Street wizards make the big bucks. There are resources around to help you, both online and in the real world. If something really has you stumped, ask your broker for help - it's part of his or her job to make sure that you understand what's happening to your money. (To read more, see Picking Your First Broker.)

Though it may take you a while to get the hang of it, there are advantages to being a young investor. This generation is probably more financially savvy than the ones that preceded it. Having witnessed huge economic changes and trends, not to mention all of the investing education resources now available (online, in books and magazines, on TV), today's young investors have a substantial edge over their predecessors.

Getting Started

Eventually, you'll have to take the big step - actually buying a position in a company. When you finally make that investment, spend plenty of time thinking about what you're doing - don't just wing it. Think about a reasonable target price (this becomes easier to judge with experience) and understand what impact your investment budgethas on your ability to make money. If you anticipate 10% returns, but spread your positions too thin, the return you'll need just to get past commissions could be close to or more than 10%. It's a pretty lousy feeling to pick a good performer but not make any money on it because you didn't think about what the investment would cost you in terms of commissions and fees. Therefore, depending on how much money you have to invest, you might be in a better position to sink your entire investment budget into one stock than you would be to spread it thinly across several stocks. (For more insight, see Start Investing With Only $1,000.)

When you have a stock that's performing the way you want it to, one of the hardest things to do can be getting out. Selling a booming stock seems counterintuitive. After all, if it's still going up, why would you sell? When (and if) you reach that sought-after target price, it's time to reevaluate whether you should sell the stock. If the target price makes sense, it makes sense to sell. Group mentalities might suggest that holding on a little longer could bring another $0.20 per share, but invest with your mind, not with your gut - if a price is artificially inflated, it's a lot more likely to fall hard. Trust your analysis. (For more insight, see Having A Plan: The Basis Of Success.)

It's pretty unscientific to decide how well you're doing without developing some sort of criteria for success. If you decide that you want overall gains of 15%, it makes a lot of sense to sit down and evaluate exactly how well you did. If you fell short of your goals, ask yourself why. Did you make a mistake in picking your stocks? Did the market behave unexpectedly? Were your targeted gains unrealistic? If you don't go over your trades individually and as a whole, it's quite possible to have a skewed idea of just how well you're doing.

Conclusion           

Being a young investor has its own set of challenges. If you think of your investment decisions as learning opportunities, even losses can be considered investments in your financial education. In the beginning, learning how to make money is more important than actually making it. So, to put a financial twist on an old saying, teach yourself to fish for the right stocks and you'll feed your bank account forever. 

by Jonas Elmerraji 

http://www.investopedia.com/articles/younginvestors/06/portfoliomanagement.asp

What Is Your Risk Tolerance?

It is conventional wisdom that a younger investor can take more risk than an older investor thanks to a longer time horizon. While this may be true in general, there are many other considerations that come into play. Just because you are 65 doesn't mean you should shift your investment portfolio to conservative investments. Growing life expectancies and advancing medical science mean that today's 65-year-old investor may still have a time horizon of more than 20 years.

So, how does an individual investor determine his or her risk tolerance? Let's take a look.

Read on here.

Glove lovely growth: Rubber glove exports are due to grow 23 per cent to RM8.8 billion this year

By Ooi Tee Ching

Published: 2010/12/30

Malaysia is set to post record rubber glove exports for the eighth straight year in 2010, driven by higher global demand for medical gloves.


Rubber glove exports are due to grow 23 per cent to RM8.8 billion this year, said The Malaysian Rubber Glove Manufacturers Association (Margma).

For the last 15 years, Malaysia has been the world's top supplier of rubber gloves. Last year, the country exported close to 100 billion pieces of rubber gloves to more than 180 countries.

This volume makes up two-thirds of the global market for rubber gloves. Healthcare products like medical gloves continue to see strong demand despite the current lacklustre global economic growth.

"Rubber gloves, be they natural rubber or synthetic, are a necessity in the healthcare and food-handling sectors," Margma president Lee Kim Meow said in a recent interview.

"We expect further growth on the back of rising healthcare awareness in emerging markets, especially in China, India and the Latin American countries," he said.

This is because emerging markets currently spend less on healthcare compared with developed nations like the US, Europe and Japan.

Despite the strong headwinds buffeting the industry, Lee is optimistic that next year's global glove exports from Malaysia will expand by 10 per cent to 108 billion pieces.

Latex cost, which used to be 55 per cent of the total production cost, has swollen to more than 65 per cent since the sudden spike in natural rubber prices over the last three months.

Currently, the average rubber glove selling price is at US$32 per 1,000 pieces, about 23 per cent higher than a year ago.

Lee said Margma members are likely to keep raising rubber glove prices in tandem with the rising latex prices and the weakening US dollar.

Natural rubber latex prices have risen by 65 per cent from an average of RM6 a kg from a year ago. Yesterday, it closed at RM9.89 a kg.

The US dollar, currently trading at RM3.09, has also weakened against the ringgit by 10 per cent compared with RM3.45 about 10 months ago.

Costly natural rubber latex have prompted many glovemakers to produce less natural rubber gloves and more of the synthetic variant.

This trend bodes well with Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd (KLK) as it seeks to tighten its grip on the world’s supply of nitrile latex, which is mainly used to make synthetic gloves.

KLK, which holds 19 per cent of Yule Catto & Co plc, supports the UK firm’s buy of Germany’s PolymerLatex Group for e443 million (RM1.8 billion). Chemical maker Yule Catto, listed on the London Stock Exchange, is the owner of the Synthomer Group’s polymers business.

Synthomer’s unit in Malaysia runs a 130,000-tonne-per-year nitrile plant in Kluang, Johor. On the other hand, PolymerLatex operates a 100,000-tonne-a-year plant in Pasir Gudang, Johor.

When asked to comment on KLK and Yule Catto’s decision, Lee replied: “We welcome the move. Our members look forward to see how Yule Catto can offer a wider variety of feedstock to work with.

“We’re actually not short of nitrile latex suppliers,” he said, adding that Bangkok Synthetics Co Ltd is planning to put up a 110,000-tonne a year plant at Rayong province in southern Thailand.

The plant is scheduled to supply nitrile latex to rubber glove makers in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia by the third quarter of 2012.

Read more: G-lovely growth http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/9Bglove-2/Article/index_html#ixzz19bnenl59

FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI closed for the year at 1,518.91

52wk Range:	1,072.69 - 1,531.99

Interesting graphs of FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI over different periods.  Do you have a strategy to protect your downside and to profit from the upside, from the volatility of the stock market?

Warren Buffett lamented that many business schools are teaching the wrong stuff to their students.  He is of the opinion that basically to be a good investor, you need to be taught two topics in great detail.

Firstly, you need to have a very thorough understanding of how to value various assets.  Secondly, you need to understand the behaviour of the stock market, so that you can take advantage of it and not fall folly to it.

This year has been another very rewarding year for my investing.  My portfolio has shown good returns.  A worrying point now is that in my portfolio of stocks, twenty-two stocks have huge gains and two stocks have small losses.  The two small losses were in stocks bought in 2007 and they constitute a very small proportion of the overall portfolio.  It wasn't a surprise that most of my stocks would be showing gains, especially those that have been in the portfolio for a very long time and bought at regular intervals (dollar cost averaging).  However, when almost ALL the stocks bought in recent years showed gains from their cost prices, one has to be apprehensive of the stock market.

Many geniuses are born in a bull market, so the saying goes.  Therefore, one may assume that either one is a genius (don't be fooled) or perhaps the market is too gregarious and optimistically overpricing most stocks (one can be easily and unknowingly fooled by this too).

Perhaps, with the New Year approaching, a re-look at my portfolio with view to re-balancing is not inappropriate.

Happy New Year to all.

Staying within your Circle of Competence

Here are some excerpts on "The Meaning of Focus" from a good blog.

"Personally I feel that there is no reason for me to divert my time on something I am not familiar with, while I am confident to survive and be one in the 5% group, and not in the 95% herd. I know that many investors/traders like foreign market, but for me, it is the same as far as gains are concerned, but the costs of trading in foreign market will be much higher. The learning process will be longer as it will involve also exchange rates."

"Focus simply means that I would not adopt a shotgun approach hoping that if I am wrong in 4 stocks, I can be right in right in 6 to make a gain. I would rather take the strategy to aim accurately to shoot at the target. In this respect, the rational analysis concept will surely help."

"Personally I am not afraid of sharks and market manipulators, as their activities can be shown in the volume and price actions, and this skill I have been learning for two months, and now I think I know how to spot the sharks to follow their tails. As for fraud and accounting irregularities, I will have no way to know, but a thorough fundamental analysis including looking at the management team, the Board board, the shareholders and financial data abnormalities will lesson this risk, but this is the risk that I cannot control. But should fraud and accounting irregularities detected, the chart will quickly tell me to exit with lower loss. Therefore knowing technical analysis would likely reduce any loss due to the resulting share price decline due to accounting fraud. That is why I have turned to a technician from a fundamentalist."

Read more here ...

The majority of market participants are speculators not investors.

The Internet and cable networks are full on a daily basis of these types of market calls. In order to be correct, a market prognosticator needs to be correct not only about short and medium-term economic fundamentals but also about market participants’ mass psychology. Can anybody do this on a consistent basis?

The world pays attention because the majority of market participants are speculators not investors. What’s the difference? If you’re a speculator you’re focused on trying to figure out what the price of a given security is going to do in the short term.

If you’re an investor, you’re focused on doing deep fundamental research and finding a situation where the value you receive in making the investment is greater than the cash you invest. Moreover, the payoff more than compensates you for the risk that you are taking. An investor generally has no idea when the market will recognize the under-appreciated value in his investment. He doesn’t overly fret about this because the timing – absent a clear catalyst – is generally not known.

The problem with this thinking is that the evidence shows that the real wealth has been generated by true investors.

http://gregspeicher.com/?p=398

Merry Christmas

Taking stock of global opportunities in 2011

By Andrew Tanzer
Saturday, December 25, 2010; 11:32 PM

To understand the investing outlook for 2011, let's look back. Despite emerging from a long and brutal recession, the economy mustered only an anemic expansion in 2010. The most notable manifestation of the tepid recovery was a high jobless rate that scarcely budged all year. And yet, over the past year (through Nov. 5), the U.S. stock market managed to post an impressive 17.3 percent return.

The same pattern - a stagnant economy but a decent stock performance - may repeat in 2011. The economy should grow by little more than 2.5 percent, and the jobless rate could even tick up to 10 percent. But stocks could still return 7 to 10 percent over the next year, in line with corporate earnings growth and the market's current dividend yield of 1.9 percent. The Dow Jones industrial average should finish 2011 above 12,000.

How to explain the apparent disconnect between the muddle-through economy and the perky stock market? A number of factors contributed. Interest rates are already at rock-bottom levels, and the Federal Reserve Board says it plans to buy $600 billion in Treasuries by the middle of 2011 to keep rates low. The balance sheets of U.S. companies, unlike those of our government and households, are in excellent shape. Profits should continue to rise moderately in 2011 and match or exceed the record level, set in 2006. With Standard & Poor's 500-stock index selling at 13 times projected 2011 earnings, stocks do not appear to be excessively valued, especially relative to bonds and cash.

Don't forget that the S&P 500 companies earn 40 percent of profits abroad, where growth is higher than at home. David Bianco, chief stock strategist of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, calculates that profit margins of U.S. companies are far higher overseas. Bianco says four sectors in the S&P index - technology, energy, materials and industrials - are generating more than half their profits abroad.

Profit increases in 2010 at global companies such as Boeing, Caterpillar and Coca-Cola were powered by buoyant growth in developing countries - economies that Merrill Lynch projects will generate no less than 75 percent of the world's economic growth in 2011.

Risks to watch

Also in 2011, the shift in control of Congress, which will be split between a Republican House and a Democratic Senate, will likely produce political gridlock. Some observers think that could be good for stocks because Congress won't be able to enact laws that could harm business. It could be a negative if lawmakers are unable to address a financial emergency.

We'd be remiss if we didn't outline some of the risks and lingering structural weaknesses in the economy. Recognizing risks as they come to the fore may help you make midcourse corrections in 2011 and beyond.

Volatility should remain high in 2011 because of contradictory signals from an economy that is expanding in fits and starts. Even Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke frets about an "unusually uncertain" environment. He and most Fed governors think inflation is too low and clearly seek to engineer higher price increases through ultra-loose monetary policy. Because the Fed's gambit is untested, there is a risk that the inflation genie will escape the bottle.

Government monetary and budget policies are helping to drive the dollar lower, which aids U.S. corporate profits. The trouble is that many other governments are also cheapening their currencies to juice exports and job growth. There is a chance this race to the currency bottom, which is a form of protectionism, could degenerate into a trade war.

Bond outlook

After years of delivering stunning gains, bonds may be a less-comfortable resting place for your money in 2011. During 2009 and 2010, individual investors poured more than $600 billion into bond funds. But a rise in long-term interest rates - a distinct possibility in 2011 - could result in losses for many bondholders.

Surveying the risks stemming from currency wars, and from rising inflation, interest rates and the sluggish domestic economy, one analyst concludes that investors would be wise to embrace global investing.

"A lot of U.S. investors need to make a paradigm shift in 2011," says Dean Junkans, chief investment officer for Wells Fargo Private Bank. "Think of yourself as a global investor living in the U.S. rather than as a U.S. investor with some global exposure."

In his portfolios, Junkans says, he's increased foreign exposure "permanently" by 50 percent over the past four years.

Any pessimism about prospects for the economy stems largely from that familiar trinity of linked problems - housing, banking and busted household balance sheets - which will dog us for a few more years.

Gauging opportunity

So where do you invest if growth remains sluggish in 2011? One idea is to look for companies that can expand revenues much faster than the overall rate of economic growth, such as Apple and Marvell Technology, a maker of microprocessors and storage devices. Or look for multinational corporations that can tap into much stronger growth abroad, especially in vibrant developing nations.

What makes blue-chip companies especially intriguing is that they appear to be attractively priced relative to the market and to their own past levels of value. Moreover, many of these companies come with sturdy balance sheets - which provide a measure of safety in an uncertain economic environment - and proven, consistent business models.

One sweet spot in the market is blue chips with direct or indirect exposure to emerging markets. For instance, says Channing Smith, co-manager of Capital Advisors Growth Fund, companies such as Procter & Gamble, Pepsi, IBM and ExxonMobil.

Michael Keller, co-manager of BBH Core Select Fund, likes multinationals that sell products that consumers in emerging markets buy on a regular basis, such as Nestle, the Swiss food giant, with its powerful global brands and distribution capabilities, and Baxter, which he thinks will benefit from a sharper focus on health care and hygiene in developing nations.

Sometimes you can find companies that can grow faster than the economy at home and ride brisker economic growth abroad. Jim Tierney, chief investment officer of money manager W.P. Stewart, sees such possibility in Polo Ralph Lauren and MasterCard. Ralph Lauren is expanding globally - with new stores in Chile, Korea and Malaysia - and extending its product line into watches, jewelry and sunglasses. MasterCard benefits from the growing use of credit cards all over the world.

U.S. companies gain when they produce abroad or export goods and services to foreign consumers, factories or infrastructure projects. But companies can indirectly benefit from rising emerging-market economies. For example, Ed Maran, co-manager of Thornburg Value Fund, is high on U.S. Steel, a domestic producer, because the strength of developing nations boosts steel prices - and profits.

Urbanization, industrialization and rising living standards in the developing world will drive up commodity prices, says Evan Smith, co-manager of U.S. Global Investors Resources Fund.

Jordan Opportunity Fund's Jerry Jordan is bullish on agribusiness. As rural migrants flock to cities, and as incomes rise in countries such as China and India, diets change dramatically and demand for animal protein - which requires lots of grain to produce - surges. Jordan estimates that 500 million to 800 million more residents of lower-income countries are shopping in food stores and eating in restaurants than a decade ago. He holds tractor maker Deere, fertilizer producer Mosaic and iPath DJ-UBS Grains, an exchange-traded note that tracks the price of corn, soybeans and wheat.

- Kiplinger's Personal Finance

Integrax eyes more Indonesian ports

By Zaidi Isham Ismail

Published: 2010/12/25


Integrax Bhd, which already owns a port in Indonesia, plans to open two more ports there by 2020 to capitalise on the republic's rising demand for commodities and raw materials.

Integrax (9555) already holds 80 per cent of Jakarta stock exchange-listed PT Indoexchange Tbk, which operates a port and provides marine services in Java.

Integrax executive director and co-chief executive officer Harun Halim Rasip said the company may build new ports either in Sumatera, Java or Kalimantan.

"The ports could either be built on brownfield or greenfield areas. By 2020, we aim the three ports to have an equity value of US$150 million (RM465 million)," Harun told Business Times in an interview in Kuala Lumpur recently.

Business prospects are good because over 17,000 islands in the country need to be linked by ports, and in East Java alone, the population is above 40 million people.
"Indonesia offers good potential for the port industry as the country is mainly connected by seaborne logistics," said Harun.
Indonesia is also Southeast Asia's biggest economy with a population ten times larger than Malaysia. It is also a large exporter of palm oil, coal and other minerals.

"Indonesia is hastening a deregulation process that began almost two years ago to increase competitiveness and improve efficiencies in its port industry," he added.

Apart from port operations, Integrax also manages an industrial park.

The company owns 80 per cent of the Lekir Bulk Terminal and 50 per cent (minus one share) of the Lumut Maritime Terminal. Both are located near Lumut in Manjung, Perak. It also owns a port in the Philippines, which handles shipments like nickel.

With cash reserves of RM150 million, the company serve traders plying within the Southeast Asian region.

Read more: Integrax eyes more Indonesian ports http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/GRAXDON/Article/index_html#ixzz19D42Rric

Strong Ringgit - Implications To Malaysia's Bond Market

April 27, 2010

The Ringgit Malaysia (RM) is one of Asia’s best performing currency,, appreciating by 7.0% year-to-date against the USD (As at 26 April 2010). In this article, we will take a look on the strong performance and its implications for investors.

INTRODUCTION
Ringgit was the best performing Asian currency. On a year-to-date basis, ringgit gained 7.0% against USD as compared to other Asian currencies. There were several reasons that we believe were likely behind ringgit’s strength. These includes a better than expected GDP growth in the fourth quarter and most importantly, Bank Negara’s unexpected move in being the first central bank in Asia to raise interest rate.

KEY POINTS

• Ringgit was the best performing Asian currency with a 7.0% gain y-t-d
• Better-than-expected 4Q 09 GDP growth & rate hike contributed to strong performance
• We expect ringgit to further appreciate on speculation of Yuan appreciation
• Big Mac Index indicates ringgit is undervalued
• Lesser bond issuance & higher demand for ringgit-denominated bond also help to support
• Malaysian investors should hold ringgit-denominated bonds and avoid global bonds

http://www.fundsupermart.com.my/main/research/viewHTML.tpl?articleNo=565



Ringgit expected to stay on uptrend

The ringgit is expected to stay steady next week, supported by year-end window dressing activities, dealers said.

They said more companies were now exchanging foreign currencies for the local unit to balance their year-end accounts.

"Positive economic news in the country and the region will also attract more capital inflows that will support the local currency to trade higher," a dealer said.

He also said that a weaker dollar performance has also encouraged players to unload their dollar position.

The ringgit is expected to trade above the 3.00 level against the US dollar next week.

During the week, the ringgit was firmer backed by gains in other regional currencies as well as window-dressing activities.

On Friday-to-Friday basis, the local unit was higher at 3.0930/0980 from 3.1340/1370 last week.

Against the Singapore dollar, it was firmer at 2.3783/3827 compared with 2.3862/3905 last Friday. It was also steadier against the yen at 3.7306/7384 from 3.7314/7354 previously.

The ringgit appreciated against the British pound to 4.7781/7870 compared with 4.8947/9000 last week and strengthened against the euro to 4.0636/0708 from 4.1670/1716 previously. --Bernama

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