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RHB research institute (RHBRI) is of the view that it could still be a choppy few months for the equity market in the 4Q given weakening economic fundamentals in the major world economies and fears of an imminent general election on the home front. Whilst more rounds of quantitative easing have been unveiled in the developed world, the big question in investors’ minds is how all these quantitative easing measures will translate to better global economic outlook. Having said that, equity still stands up vis-a-vis the unappealing returns of the alternative asset classes, such as cash and bonds and any good news is still likely to prompt a rally in equities. How was Malaysia fared? And, what's the strategy now? Thus far, Malaysia has fared relatively well in the global financial crisis, and this is partly on account of low reliance on foreign funding of its banking system and more importantly, the progress in the implementation of the Econ...

Given the persistent headwinds from the external sector and general election overhang on the home front, we are of  the view that the market will likely be stuck in a range-bound trading pattern in the 4Q. Consequently, we believe  investors would still need to accumulate fundamentally-robust stocks on weakness in order to outperform the  market, while staying defensive on the core holdings will provide greater stability to the portfolio performance. In  addition, as the search for yield will likely remain a key driver for both retail and institutional investors in the 4Q, high  divided-yielding stocks will also continue to outperform the market, in our view. A list of our top picks is reflected in t able below, which includes “buy on weakness” tactical stocks. Which Sector to look at? Sector-wise, our key overweights are telecommunications and banking , although we also have an overweight stance on the consumer, utilities, gaming and rubber gloves unde...

In our view, the equity market will likely be stuck in a range-bound trading pattern for now, but will likely trend up as global economic uncertainties clear out towards the later part of the year. Investors’ key worries include : worsening of the euro-debt crisis that remains unresolved fears of China’s and India’s economies crashing down into a hard landing ; and the risk of US falling off the “ fiscal  cliff ”. External Volatility And Impending Election 2 Key Headwinds On the home front, the major event to watch out for is the impending general election that could also create volatility to the local bourse given the uncertain election outcome. Nevertheless, we believe the market will eventually trend higher towards end-2012, premised on: the ECB making a more decisive move to mutualise the debts of Eurozone governments; China policymakers ease policies substantially and its economic growth re-accelerates; US Congressional leaders co...

Other than competitive brokerage fees, brokerage firms are battle it all out to gain market share by dishing out all kind of freebies. Those who did not make the move would definitely lose their market share to other competitors. Last year, we noticed that many brokerage firms were competing in fees charged. But, RHB investment bank has their own way - RHBInvest HOTTIE Rewards programme . Let your investment take you on Vacation!!! Under the programme, every broking transaction done on RHB's online share trading platform (RHBInvest) will be rewarded with loyalty points. Every RM1 spent on brokerage fees will earn 1 HOTTIE point and every HOTTIE point can be converted to 500 BIG points from AirAsia's BIG Loyalty global reward programme. The accumulated BIG points can be redeemed for AirAsia's seats and for shopping at 1,500 BIG's associated partners and online merchants worldwide. "We expect an improvement in participation. Most brokers are competing with real estat...

More Signs of Recovery The tail risk from the euro-debt crisis has subsided after ECB opens its liquidity floodgates. Elsewhere, more signs of economic stabilization and recovery have emerged, particularly in the US. As the global economic recovery gains momentum, external demand for Malaysia’s exports will likely improve as the year progresses. Domestically, consumer spending remains resilient, which will be reinforced by the progress in the implementation of the Economic Transformation Programme to sustain growth. We envisage the country’s economy to grow at 4.5% in 2012, albeit at a more moderate pace than the +5.1% achieved in 2011. This will underpin corporate earnings growth, projected at +12.2% and +7.9% for 2012 and 2013, respectively (+8.7% and +7.0% ex-Tenaga). But, anticipate a short-term market pullback ? Notwithstanding improvements in the global economy, we continue to expect a market pullback and consolidation in the 2Q. I...

In tandem with the moderating economic growth trend, corporate earnings remained weak in 4Q 2011 .  Of the 113 reported earnings that we cover, 55 of the results (48.7% of the total) were within our  expectations, 33 below projections (29.2% of the total) and 25 above forecasts (22.1%) (see Table 1). Against  the consensus numbers, 44.2% of the reported earnings were within expectations, 38.1% below and 17.7%  above projections (see Table 2). Sequentially, net EPS for the FBM KLCI stocks under our coverage  weakened back to +1.7% qoq and +2.8% yoy in the 4Q, from +8.9% qoq and +12.4% yoy in the  previous quarter (see Chart 1). However, the downgrade to upgrade ratio has improved significantly to 1.07 times, from 1.65 times in  the previous quarter. Overall, 2011 has been a year where Corporate Malaysia suffered from slowing sales and  falling utilisation rates. This, coupled with the trend of higher costs, resulted in falling margins for many...

As we head into 2012, a lot of uncertainty remains. On the external front, the euro-debt crisis remains unresolved despite five major attempts to stabilise it. Meanwhile, the economic conditions in the Eurozone are deteriorating rapidly with major indicators pointing to the region entering a recession. A deeper-than-expected recession in the Eurozone would leave few countries unscathed. In particular, the US economy, which is still in low gear, will likely be severely impacted, while China may also be in for a more severe downturn as effects of potential policy easing will take time to filter down to the real economy. Slower Eonomic Growth Envisaged For 2012? The Malaysian economy will not be spared and will likely experience slowing export growth, though this will be cushioned by resilient domestic demand given the progress in the implementation of the Economic Transformation Programme. We expect the country’s economic growth to slow do...

Merely less than one month of battle (not even pulling off the gun), both Maybank and CIMB today respectively announcing to abort the merger talks with RHBCap. Funny oh? First, the news of aborting was first reported by a Singapore newspaper, not Malaysia, and why not Malaysia? Second, both contenders had set end of June's proposals, announced just only last week. So fast change mind? Both CIMB and Maybank are turning their heads away from RHB now. Of course, between the dates, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) made a significant headline when it sells its 25% stake in RHBCap to its sister company, Aabar Investment, for RM10.80 per share, which value RHBCap at 2.25 times RHBCap book value. Does this really affecting the merger talks? What CIMB says? In a statement Thursday, June 23, CIMB group chief executive Datuk Seri Nazir Razak said that based on its discussions and assessment of the present expectations of key stakeholders, the bank did not believe that it would be able to ...

Yet, another US fund is in town now. More and more new fund is focusing on the US market, given its relatively attractive valuations currently after the 2008 global financial crisis. If you want to invest in US market, you may consider this fund which is managed by the US "tai-ko" - Goldman Sachs. The fund's objective is to seek to achieve long-term capital appreciation through investment in a collective investment scheme, which invests primarily in securities of United States of America companies. This a feeder fund, where 95% of the fund's NAV will feed into the Goldman Sachs US Equity Portfolio (Target Fund). Information of the Target Fund The Target Fund is a portfolio of Goldman Sachs Funds, a public limited company qualifying as an investment company organized with variable share capital, in which Goldman Sachs Asset Management International is the investment manager of the fund. The Target Fund is domiciled in Luxembourg and denominated in USD and regulated ...

The KLCI performed as expected as a reasonable stream of results provided a stable floor while strong news flow drove up Bigger Caps. For June, while the 4 upcoming IPOs and the KLCI review may draw some attention, OSK believe all eyes will be on the potential tussle between CIMB and Maybank over the control of RHB Cap. OSK Research Outlook: Possibly not as quiet as expected With a total of 4 IPOs going for listing in June and July, it was expected that the market to be somewhat quiet as investors stored away funds to subscribe to the IPOs or buy into them when traded. Despite concerns that the amount of funds raised by the 4 IPOs, namely UOA Development, MSM Malaysia, Axis International REIT and Bumi Armada, would suck the liquidity out of the market, but the amount of funds (RM7.7bn) is far less than that raised in 2010 with the listing of MMHE and Petronas Chemicals (RM14bn). Thus, there should not be much of an issue on the liquidity of the market post the 4 IPOs. Funds to be ra...

Launched on 11th March 2011, RHB Dynamic Oil-Gold Capital Protected fund is investing in oil and gold, which have the potential to perform in both areas that have great bullish and bearish markets. This is a 3 years capital protected fund . As usual, it will invests at least 85% of the NAV in zero-coupon negotiable instruments of deposits. Meanwhile, up to 10% of the fund's NAV will invest in an over-the-counter (OTC) option that gave investors returns (if any). The OTC option will provide exposure to the performance of the Option Strategy, which is an index, maintained by the issuer of the OTC option and is subject to a dynamic risk adjustment linked to the realized volatility of the underlying. Option Strategy This Option Strategy is a rules-based strategy computed and developed by the option issuer / counterparty. It aims to tap into the growth of oil and gold through the use of a " momentum " based strategy to capture the trends of the Underlying and also, volatilit...

After being granted the licenses of fund management and corporate finance last year, Goldman Sachs has since establish an exclusive partnership with RHB Investment Management Bhd to jointly develop fund management products for distribution to investors in Malaysia. RHB-GS BRIC Equity Fund is the maiden fund from the partnership, and also the first fund being launched by RHB Investment Management this year. The fund's objective is to seek to achieve long-term capital appreciation through investment in a collective investment scheme, which invests primarily in securities of Brazilian, Russian, Indian and Chinese companies. Investment Strategy... The feeder fund will invest at least 95% of the Fund's NAV in "Goldman Sachs BRICs Portfolio" (Target Fund), which is a portfolio of Goldman Sachs Funds incorporated on 5th November 1992. Click here to Download Prospectus