Stock market year to date performance

- A + A BENGALURU (May 19): The Philippine peso firmed on Thursday after its central bank raised rates for the first time in more than three years, while Asian shares tumbled on concerns around surging inflation, its impact on retail demand, and the threat of a recession. Stocks in Manila fell 1%, while the Philippine peso edged up 0.2%. The Philippine central bank raised its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points, as expected, to address rising inflationary pressures. "With the recovery in hand and price pressures surging, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) finally decided to join the rate-hike club... The bigger development was the quick walk-back of pandemic support with BSP closing the provisional advance and tweaking the bond purchase window," said Nicholas Antonio Mapa, senior economist at ING. Equities in the region also tracked weakness on Wall Street overnight as retail giant Target Corp warning of a bigger margin hit due to rising fuel and freight … [Read more...] about Philippine peso firms after rate hike, Asian stocks fall on growth fears

- A + A HONG KONG (May 19): Hong Kong new listings' volume plunged 90% to a nine-year low this year, data showed, as China's sharp economic slowdown and its regulatory drive cast a long shadow over the city's prospects as a destination for initial public offerings (IPOs). The drying up of share listings in Hong Kong bodes ill for investment banks, who make about a third of their revenue in the region from equity capital market deals, and for the Chinese-ruled territory's status as a global financial hub. Only US$2.1 billion has been raised this year via IPOs and secondary listings in Asia's most popular fundraising venue compared with US$20.7 billion by the same time last year, according to Refinitiv data, the slowest start to a year since 2013. "One of the reasons for the IPO market in Hong Kong falling so sharply is the deteriorating financial performance for most of the applicants in the previous financial year, and it is possible that will be the case for the … [Read more...] about Hong Kong new listings’ volume sinks to nine-year low on China slowdown

Wan Razly as seen speaking at a press conference in conjunction with the official collaboration of AFFIN x MYTHEO on Thursday (May 19). (Photo by Kenny Yap/The Edge) - A + A KUALA LUMPUR (May 19): Affin Bank Bhd expects its loan growth to expand to 12% compared with 11% last year amidst a challenging economic and operating environment, according to the banking group’s president and chief executive officer Datuk Wan Razly Abdullah Wan Ali. Speaking at a Thursday (May 19) press conference in conjunction with the official collaboration of AFFIN x MYTHEO, Wan Razly said the bank had recorded good loan growth for the first quarter. However, he does not rule out the loan growth tapering off as things will become more expensive for borrowers and they would want to borrow less as they try to minimise their cost with the anticipation of overnight policy rate (OPR) hikes. “For us, we always look for ways to optimise our net interest margin (NIM) with the biggest … [Read more...] about Affin Bank optimistic on loan growth despite its expectation for another potential OPR hike this year

- A + A LONDON (May 19): Heavy falls in European and Asian stock markets followed Wall Street's worst day since mid-2020 on Thursday, as stark warnings from some of the world's biggest retailers underscored just how hard inflation is biting. Bond markets rallied in the dive for safety and on bets that interest rate rises may get recalibrated, but it was the gloom striking down equities after Wednesday's US$25 billion wipeout in US retailer Target's shares that dominated the action. Europe opened down 1.8%, led by a 2.2% fall in its retail sector, while scarlet red US futures and some sharp overnight drops in China tech firms put 1½-year lows back in focus for MSCI all-country world. "Target and Walmart coming out with disappointing numbers has really, really spooked people," said Close Brothers Asset Management's Chief Investment Officer Robert Alster. "We are going to see a raft of downgrades to US GDP (forecasts) now... it really looks like we are running into … [Read more...] about Shares slump as retailer warnings fuel stagflation fears

A super slide for stocks, bonds, and cryptocurrencies rolled all the way into last week, right up until Friday, when the Nasdaq posted its strongest one-day gain since November of 2020. Despite Friday's gains, the major averages posted losses for the week, with the Dow closing down more than 2% and posting its first seven-week losing streak since 2001. The S&P 500 fell 2.5% and hit its longest weekly losing streak since 2011, while the Nasdaq fell 2.8%. It's been a rough, rough year across capital markets. A full $35 trillion in global market value has been erased since the beginning of the year. That's 14% of all global wealth, including a trillion dollars of losses in cryptocurrencies. To put those losses in perspective, 2008 saw a 19% decline in global market value, and that doesn't include non-financial assets such as housing. Still, perspective is everything, especially for investors who have been invested in the U.S. stock market for at least five years. Believe it or not, … [Read more...] about Keeping it Real with Real Vision’s Raoul Pal

Examples of Art Deco architecture in Mumbai include the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Eros Cinema, the Bombay High Court, the Gateway of India and at least 35 buildings along Marine Drive. (Image: Md Mahdi via Unsplash) Mumbai is a city of dreams and shocking realities. And in-between Bollywood bling and bumper-to-bumper traffic are oodles of art, heritage, culture, mystery and sumptuous food. The best way to get to know Mumbai is to get out and explore. Luckily, we have some experts who can shine a light and show us the city as we have never seen it before. Here some of the best offbeat tours of Mumbai: Grisly Girgaon walk by Khaki Tours Dare to venture into the haunted lanes of Mumbai and become a ghost buster? Then join this walking tour around Girgaon in south Mumbai. Organised by Khaki Tours, the 2-hour walk takes participants on a exploration of the old buildings and graveyards which come alive through the stories associated with them. “My maternal side of the … [Read more...] about India heritage tours | Unusual things to do in Mumbai

The lifespan of companies is shrinking – to 18 years now from 90 years in 1935, says Shiv Shivakumar, group executive president, corporate strategy, at the Aditya Birla Group. In an interview with Moneycontrol , he said in the future, some legacy companies and those that have been around for 10-15 years will likely be bought over or close down. Shivakumar, who recently wrote a book on career and management titled The Art of Management, said employee loyalty no longer exists and the contract between a company and an employee is now very short. The only thing that’s permanent is learning and the ability to look ahead. Managers must communicate at all times, advises Shivakumar, who was formerly chairperson of PepsiCo Holdings in India and CEO of emerging markets at Nokia. The young workforce will not respect age – they will respect relevance and impact, he said in the emailed interview. Edited excerpts: You’ve said in your new book that careers have changed … [Read more...] about MC Interview | Employee loyalty doesn’t exist, the contract between a company and employee is now very short: Shiv Shivakumar

- A + A KUALA LUMPUR (May 19): Bursa Malaysia snapped a three-day winning streak to end in the red on Thursday (May 19), dragged by selling in selected heavyweights led by Press Metal Aluminium Holdings Bhd and Public Bank Bhd. Press Metal gave up 20 sen to RM5.08 and Public Bank fell four sen to RM4.57, with both stocks contributing a combined 4.203 points to the loss in the composite index. At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) dropped 5.5 points or 0.35% to 1,549.41 from Wednesday's close of 1,554.91. The benchmark index, which opened 4.67 points easier at 1,550.24, moved between 1,545.02 and 1,554.53 throughout the day. Market breadth was negative with decliners outnumbering advancers 692 to 272, while 380 counters were unchanged, 925 untraded, and 22 others suspended. Total turnover dwindled to 2.69 billion units worth RM2.23 billion from 3.74 billion units worth RM2.25 billion on Wednesday. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice president of equity … [Read more...] about Bursa Malaysia snaps three-day winning streak to end lower

This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly, on May 9, 2022 - May 15, 2022. - A + A DATUK Ahmad Nazim Abdul Rahman, who joined Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera (LTAT) last June, is its third CEO in two years. With his experience as CEO of Pelaburan Mara Bhd, he seems comfortable discussing investment and asset allocation strategies. But given the short stints of his predecessors, the question remains whether he will stay on long enough at the retirement fund to carry out the reforms that have been put in place. Following are excerpts of The Edge’s interview with Nazim. The Edge: LTAT’s main task is to give good dividends to its members. Since 2018, that has come down quite a bit. Are we going to go back and see the good days of 12% to 15%? Datuk Ahmad Nazim Abdul Rahman : It would not be sustainable to go back to that teen-per cent dividend returns. I’m happy to mention we recently announced a dividend of 4.1%, and that is the highest … [Read more...] about Cover Story: Rehabilitating a RM10 billion portfolio

- A + A KUALA LUMPUR (May 19): MIDF Research has maintained its 'buy' call on Cahaya Mata Sarawak Bhd (CMSB) with an unchanged target price of RM1.62, following its better core earnings in the first quarter ended March 31, 2022 (1QFY22). CMSB's core earnings grew 65.6% year-on-year (yoy) to RM73.9 million, driven mainly by improved performances of its cement and road maintenance divisions, while the group’s share of results from its associates gave it an extra boost. In a note on Thursday (May 19), the research firm said CMSB's results came in above its expectation at 36% of FY22 earnings estimate. "The relaxation of the country’s Covid-19 restrictions allowed activities across various sectors to pick up pace, leading to improved demand for cement which is CMSB’s main revenue generator. "The division saw an improvement of 6.6% yoy for the quarter to RM136.6 million, while its profit before tax came in at RM29.2 million, a growth of 34.1%  yoy," it said. Hence, … [Read more...] about MIDF Research maintains ‘buy’ call on Cahya Mata on positive construction sector