myLIFEinvest

The Star: Wednesday March 24, 2010 Personal Investments - By Ooi Kok Hwa Despite investing in profit-making companies, a lot of investors have been complaining that they are not getting the desired returns from the companies that they have invested in. One of the main reasons is that these companies usually pay very low dividends or no dividends to their investors. Hence, even though these companies make good profits from their businesses, they are not sharing the profits with their minority investors. Companies that pay good dividends to their investors imply that the major shareholders of these companies are willing to share their wealth with minority investors. Given that minority investors have no control over these companies, they have only two sources of returns from their investments, namely dividend returns and capital gains. If the companies refuse to reward their investors with good dividends, then investors need to make sure that they buy low and sell high in o...

Assalamualaikum w.b.t., For reading pleasure. ----------------------------------- by Ken Clark Thursday, July 23, 2009 provided by There's something about the idea of doubling one's money on an investment that intrigues most investors. It's a badge of honor dragged out at cocktail parties, a promise made by over-zealous advisors, and a headline that frequents the cover of some of the most popular personal finance magazines. Where this fixation comes from is anyone's guess. More from Investopedia.com: • In Depth: How To Make Your First Million • In Depth: Learn to Invest In 10 Steps • In Depth: 8 Ways To Survive A Market Downturn Perhaps it comes from deep in our investor psychology; that risk-taking part of us that loves the quick buck. Or maybe it's simply the aesthetic side of us that prefers round numbers - saying your "up 97%" doesn't quite roll off the tongue like "I doubled my money...

MalaysiaFinance: 19/Mar/2010 You gotta love it how more and more people just seem to join the chorus once somebody with some credibility says something interesting. China is in the midst of "the greatest bubble in history," said James Rickards, former general counsel of hedge fund Long- Term Capital Management LP. Who is Rickards??? Why is he saying things at all? He's just the counsel at what was the biggest collapse in the 90s.... aahhh. The Chinese central bank’s balance sheet resembles that of a hedge fund buying dollars and short-selling the yuan, said Rickards, now the senior managing director for market intelligence at McLean, Virginia-based consulting firm Omnis Inc. Rickards joins hedge fund manager Jim Chanos, Marc Faber and professor Kenneth Rogoff in warning of an overheating and potential crash in China's economy following a rally in stock and property prices. Now even the World Bank has chimed in to say the same thing. Are we headin...

Thestar: Wednesday March 17, 2010 Raison D'etre - By Risen Jayaseelan THAT the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) had abstained from voting at the recent contentious EON Capital Bhd (EON Cap) EGM is not surprising. And why should it? Voting either way would have meant that the pension fund was in favour of one party and against another. The EPF has no intention of getting embroiled in corporate tussles but it does strive to ensure that the value of its investments is protected. So when the EPF discovered that there were many governance issues in KFC Holdings (M) Bhd (KFCH) in the past, it made the drastic decision of selling down its stake. At one time, EPF controlled about 17% of KFCH but in 2007, had ceased to be a substantial shareholder in the company. To be sure, it takes a lot for the EPF to decide to sell out of a listed company. That is simply because the fund is “saddled” with more money than it can invest. To date its fund size is around RM380bil and growing...

Thestar: Saturday March 13, 2010 By CECILIA KOK cecilia_kok@thestar.com.my Bursa: Ideal investment equation is an even mix of foreign investment, domestic institutions and retail participation. ON the global investment stage, the developed economies have become so yesterday. To most people, the hot spots for sustained high returns are the emerging markets, particularly Asia. And this notion still prevails today. In fact, the recovery of the Asian economies, which is leading the world out of a deep slump, has only served to strengthen such a view. Hence, the region is becoming a magnet for global capital. “As it is, the Asian recovery story is already driving the region’s equity markets and it will continue to do so for the longer term,” says Bank Islam chief economist Azrul Azwar Ahmad Tajuddin. Clockwise from top left: AmBank group MD Cheah Tek Kuang, Bursa Malaysia Bhd CEO Datuk Yusli Mohamed Yusoff, FTSE Group chief executive Mark Makepeace and CLSA Securities Mala...

Thestar: Saturday March 13, 2010 By EUGENE MAHALINGAM  eugenicz@thestar.com.m Invest ahead to generate extra money after retirement. WHEN I was growing up, I aspired to join the Government. The main reason so was that I could be eligible for a pension scheme. This came from the fact that my parents were both civil servants and they got to enjoy the benefits of a pension when they retired. They still do. While it’s not much, it’s comforting for them that at their age, they would continue to have an income for as long as they lived. I wanted to be able to look forward to that as well. Alas, fate – or was it free will? – had a hand to play in my career choice and I ended up taking a job in the private sector. Seeing as I’m having fun doing what I do, I don’t see myself switching careers any time soon. So there goes my plan of getting a pension. Time to switch to Plan B, namely, the Employees Provident Fund (EPF). It is intended to help employees from both pr...

The Star: Published: Friday March 12, 2010 MYT 10:51:00 AM KUALA LUMPUR: The FTSE Bursa Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Composite Index (FBM KLCI) fell for a second straight day as investors stayed cautious after the sharp fall yesterday. At 10.20am, the benchmark index was 8.37 points lower at 1,313.06 after opening 1.83 points lower at 1,319.60. Losers led gainers 336 to 127 while 200 counters were unchanged. Turnover was 192.9 million shares valued at RM274.9mil. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 44.51 to 10,611.84 while the Nasdaq composite index rose 9.51 to 2,368.46 for its sixth straight advance. TA Securities said the negative breadth and weak-buying momentum Thursday implied that a more significant profit-taking retracement was needed before buyers are convinced to bargain for recovery gains. The research firm downgraded its short-term call on banking stocks to take profit as prices are likely to consolidate or retrace. HwangDBS Vickers Research said a...

Thestar: Tuesday March 9, 2010 By JAGDEV SINGH SIDHU and ELAINE ANG Bankers say rate hikes based on recent adjustment starbiz@thestar.com.my KUALA LUMPUR: Banks have begun raising their base lending rates (BLRs) following Bank Negara’s move to lift the overnight policy rate (OPR) by 25 basis points last week. Five of the largest banks in the country raised their BLR to 5.8%. Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank) and CIMB Bank Bhd were the first two banks to announce their interest rate hike from 5.55%. The two banks raised their BLR and base financing rates to 5.8% effective today following Bank Negara’s OPR revision last Thursday. In a statement, Maybank president and CEO Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar said the interest rate revision was based on the recent adjustment in the OPR. “We expect to see better growth from our core business segments, leveraging on the improving economic environment and as more customers take advantage of the diversity of our product and service ...

Assalamualaikum w.b.t., Indeks komposit (FBMKLCI) hari ini telah melonjak ke paras 1324.22 mata setelah menokok 24.44 mata dan 15+ mata jumaat lepas. Peningkatan ini sejajar dengan pekembangan positif pasaran Wall Street dan Shanghai. Lonjakan pasaran tempatan  ini didominasi oleh kaunter-kaunter kewangan (tidak patuh syariah) berasaskan riba dan judi. Dijangkakan "2nd Liner" dan "3rd Liner" akan membuat rally setelah kaunter-kaunter utama FBM30 "1st Liner"  memperlahankan pecutan mereka. Dengan perkembangan positif ini sudah pasti ramai yang mula membelek dan membidik saham-saham atau unit amanah mereka atau mula memasuki pasaran saham. Sayugia diingatkan, berhati-hati bila melabur. Pasaran boleh berubah sekelip mata. Seboleh-bolehnya elakkan kaunter-kaunter spekulasi atau syarikat yang rekod kewangannya yang sangat buruk serta perniagaan yang tidak menguntungkan. Begitu juga bagi mereka-mereka yang melabur dengan unit amanah (unit trust), ini adalah a...

Thestar: Saturday March 6, 2010 By FINTAN NG fintan@thestar.com.my Financial freedom is a distant dream for the vast majority of working people, it is made almost unattainable by the generally low wages and inflationary pressure that many here have to struggle with. An observer says it has become increasingly difficult to rely on just a day job to achieve that freedom as wages here have not kept up with inflation. This person has a day job and several side incomes including running a dragon fruit farm and being involved as an agent in the Malaysia My Second Home programme. Some, like Ginger Leong, say “forced savings” is their path to financial freedom. However, she acknowledges that whatever is saved now may not be enough due to inflation and other commitments. Many also find it hard to even start on the path to financial freedom as they are confronted by a plethora of investment instruments available as well as the endless numbers of books and blogsites on fin...

Thestar: Friday March 5, 2010 Analysts say settlement, if reached, seen nearer 65% to 70% BEIJING: A Chinese media report that global miners are offering Chinese steel mills a 50% rise in iron ore prices was dismissed as posturing by analysts, who predicted a rise of 65% to 70% instead. China has by far the world’s largest steel sector, producing almost half of global crude steel last year, when the country’s iron ore imports surged 42% to a record 628 million tonnes to feed the rampant production. The head of the iron ore department of a large Chinese steel mill told the state-run China Daily that the big three iron ore miners – Vale, Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton – were seeking a 50% hike in term prices from 2009 levels. BHP and Rio Tinto officials declined to comment on the report as a matter of policy. However industry analysts said 50% looked low, considering soaring spot prices, which have risen more than 50% since September, and recent comments from mining compan...

Friday March 5, 2010 By DANNY YAP danny@thestar.com.my PETALING JAYA: The Government is likely to revert to slight increases in fuel prices over time now that it has been officially announced that the proposed two-tier fuel subsidy scheme based on vehicle engine capacity has been scrapped, analyst and economists say. The proposed fuel subsidy scheme was originally set to be implemented on May 1. Maybank Investment Bank analyst Mohd Khair Mirza said: “We may see an increase of about 10 sen in petrol prices post May 1.” He added that it was the only viable option for the moment unless the Government came out with a better fuel subsidy scheme. Mohd Khair said the two-tier fuel subsidy scheme proposed in theory appeared good on paper but issues such as implementation and enforcement were questionable. He said: “At least with the slight increase in fuel prices over time it is applied across the board and the Government is able to close the gap on the fuel subsidy wh...

Thestar: Friday March 5, 2010 By YVONNE TAN Overnight policy rate increased to 2.25% yvonne@thestar.com.my PETALING JAYA: Bank Negara raised its overnight policy rate (OPR) by 25 basis points to 2.25% yesterday, signalling the time was ripe to normalise interest rates with the improvement in economic conditions. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) said the hike was to prevent any financial imbalance that could take place should rates remain too low for longer than necessary and said Malaysians should expect the rate of inflation to rise but remain moderate given the prevailing economic conditions. The hike in OPR, the benchmark interest rate which determines banks’ lending rates, is the first increase in close to four years. “The recovery in the global economy is progressing amidst continued policy support and improvements in financial conditions,” the central bank said in a statement yesterday. Dr Yeah Kim Leng (left)expects an increase of between 75 and 100 bas...

 Assalamualaikum w.b.t., Tabung Haji dan KWSP adalah antara badan amanah jaminan kerajaan membantu pencarum  menggandakan caruman untuk kegunaan mengerjakan haji atau untuk masa persaraan kelak. Tetapi sejauh manakah  hasil pelaburan dari  tabung amanah ini? Tabung Haji meberikan keuntungan pelaburan 5% untuk berakhir tahun 2009 manakala KWSP belum mewar-warkan dan dijangkakan sekitar 5% juga. Kenapakah ianya rendah berbanding bank rakyat 15% untuk tahun 2009? Apakah kedua-dua badan amanah ini diurus tadbir secara tidak berhemah, sedangkan pelulus pelaburan yang terakhir diperingkat Menteri? Artikel di bawah menghuraikan perjalanan pelaburan Tabung Haji untuk renungan bersama. Oleh itu, jika pelabur unit amanah mengetahui dimana wang mereka dilaburkan, maka pelabur boleh membuat keputusan untuk terus kekal dengan unit amanah berkenaan atau menukar ke unit amanah lain yang lebih menguntungkan.  Dari sembang-sembang kedai kopi, secara umumnnya KWSP sebenarnya bole...