Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Gold jumps the most in almost 10 months

Gold is surging the most in 10 months after traders judged that a slump in the price for the precious metal was overdone. June gold rose $38.30 an ounce, or 2.7 percent, to $1,462 an ounce, its biggest one-day gain since June 29.

Source from (Khaleej Times): http://www.khaleejtimes.com/biz/inside.asp?xfile=/data/commodity/2013/April/commodity_April11.xml&section=commodity
Published: April 30, 2013



Investors dumped the precious metal April 15 on concerns that Cyprus’ central bank and other central banks in southern Europe would sell their holdings of gold to help pay off their debts. Gold also plunged as other commodities fell after China’s economic growth slowed in the first quarter.

The precious metal plunged $140 that day, its biggest sell-off in 30 years.

Silver, copper, palladium and platinum also rose Thursday.

In agricultural futures trading, wheat, corn and soybeans also rose.

Masa sesuai beli emas harga rendah

Kuala Lumpur: Sekarang adalah masa sesuai untuk semua pihak membeli emas dengan harga yang masih rendah selepas kejatuhan terbesarnya pada 15 April lalu.

Source from (Harian Metro): http://www.hmetro.com.my/myMetro/articles/Masasesuaibeliemashargarendah/Article/index_html
Published: April 30, 2013

Pengerusi Eksekutif Kumpulan Public Gold Datuk Louis Ng berkata, sekarang dengan harga merudum, ia menjadikan emas lebih mampu milik untuk semua terutama pembeli baru yang mahu menyimpan emas untuk perlindungan harta.

Pada 15 April lalu, harga emas susut AS$140 kepada AS$1,395 satu auns, satu kejatuhan terbesar sejak 1993 dan mengejutkan ramai pelabur veteran. Sejak itu, harga emas memulih sedikit dan kelmarin, ia ditutup pada kadar harga AS$1,408 satu auns, susut AS$16.50.

“Permintaan untuk emas meningkat kukuh sejak 2000 dengan kebanyakan daripadanya berikutan negara membangun menggunakan kekayaan baru mereka untuk memenuhkan rizab mereka dengan emas.

“Pada masa sekarang, dinasihatkan rakyat Malaysia membeli emas sebagai simpanan masa depan sebelum harga meningkat semula,” katanya dalam kenyataan, di sini.

- BERNAMA

Monday, April 29, 2013

RM211 juta bantu 21,860 peniaga

KOTA BHARU 28 April - Tabung Ekonomi Kumpulan Usaha Niaga (TEKUN) Nasional telah menyediakan peruntukan sebanyak RM211 juta bagi membantu kira-kira 12,860 peniaga kecil di negeri ini untuk meningkatkan perniagaan masing-masing.

Source from (Utusan Malaysia): http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/Timur/20130429/wt_03/RM211-juta-bantu-21860-peniaga
Published: April 29, 2013

Pengurus TEKUN negeri, Che Othman Che Will berkata, peruntukan ini telah diberikan kepada peniaga yang memerlukan modal untuk berniaga tanpa memerlukan sebarang cagaran atau jaminan sejak tahun 2008 hingga sekarang.

Menurut beliau, peminjam ini adalah mereka yang terlibat dalam pelbagai bidang perniagaan termasuk peniaga kedai runcit, bengkel membaiki motor, kedai makan, kedai gunting rambut, pasar malam dan pasar tani.

"Dengan adanya pinjaman ini, rakyat akan lebih mudah menjana pendapatan kerana mereka hanya perlu mempunyai kedai atau tapak perniagaan serta lesen berniaga," katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian kepada pemberita ketika ditemui dalam majlis Himpunan Komuniti Usahawan TEKUN Nasional Parlimen Pengkalan Chepa di sini semalam.

Pada majlis tersebut, sebanyak 16 peminjam menerima bantuan kewangan yang melibatkan hampir RM120,000 daripada TEKUN Nasional.

Tambah Che Othman, untuk tahun ini sahaja, TEKUN Nasional memperuntukkan sebanyak RM500 juta untuk seluruh negara bagi membantu peniaga menambah modal perniagaan dan mengembangkan perniagaan mereka.

"Negeri ini adalah antara tiga negeri teratas yang konsisten dalam pembayaran balik pinjaman, sekali gus memberikan peluang kepada mereka untuk meminjam semula pada masa depan," katanya.

Sementara itu, seorang penerima, Siti Nafisah Musa, 51, berkata, pinjaman TEKUN Nasional itu merupakan satu program yang amat baik kerana mudah serta tidak memerlukan syarat yang ketat seperti dikenakan oleh institusi kewangan.

"Saya berterima kasih kepada kerajaan Pusat kerana memberikan peluang kepada golongan yang memerlukan seperti kami untuk memulakan perniagaan," katanya yang sudah tujuh tahun berniaga.

Seorang lagi penerima, Rosliza Ibrahim, 41, berkata, dia gembira kerana inilah kali pertama mendapat cek pinjaman daripada TEKUN Nasional yang akan membantunya untuk memajukan perniagaan serta menambah pendapatan keluarga.

Harga produk diseragam di Redang

SETIU 28 April - Kementerian Perdagangan Dalam Negeri, Koperasi dan Kepenggunaan akan melancarkan Program Penyeragaman Harga di Pulau Redang esok.

Source from (Utusan Malaysia): http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/Timur/20130429/wt_04/Harga-produk-diseragam-di-Redang
Published: April 29, 2013

Kementerian melalui pejabatnya di sini memberitahu, program berkenaan sebelum ini telah dilaksanakan di Pulau Perhentian, Besut pada 2009 dan kali ini akan diperluaskan di Pulau Redang.

Menurut kenyataan itu, program dilaksanakan di kawasan-kawasan terpilih seluruh negara bermula pada tahun 2009 bertujuan memastikan pengguna di kawasan luar bandar dan pedalaman mendapat bekalan barangan keperluan pada harga subsidi.

Ketua Setiausaha kementerian, Datuk Saripuddin Kasim akan melancarkan program berkenaan di Pusat Jualan Petrol/Diesel Kampung Baru, Pulau Redang.

Antara produk yang termasuk dalam program ini ialah gula, tepung gandum, minyak masak, petrol/diesel dan gas petroleum cecair.

Pernama sasar 50 francais 7-eleven

KUALA LUMPUR 28 April - Perwira Niaga Malaysia (Pernama) menyasarkan sekurang-kurangnya 50 pesara tentera lagi bakal terlibat dalam bidang peruncitan francais 7-eleven di bawah kelolaan badan berkenaan.

Source from (Utusan Malaysia): http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/Ekonomi/20130429/ek_03/Pernama-sasar-50--francais-7-eleven
Published: April 29, 2013

Pengerusinya Tan Sri Mohamed Hashim Mohd. Ali berkata, sejak 2010 hingga kini, Pernama telah berjaya melahirkan seramai 45 usahawan terdiri daripada pesara tentera dalam bidang tersebut.

"Usaha Pernama tidak terbatas, malah pelbagai perancangan lain bakal dilaksanakan di seluruh negara termasuklah yang terbaharu projek pembinaan komplek niaga terbesar milik kami yang dijangka siap pada 2015.

"Pembinaan kompleks ini akan mampu memenuhi permintaan anggota tentera untuk mendapatkan barang keperluan dengan harga berpatutan di kawasan itu," katanya di sini, semalam.

Beliau berkata demikian ketika berucap dalam majlis Makan Malam Sempena Sambutan Ulang Tahun Pernama Ke-30 yang turut dihadiri Pengurus Besarnya, Datuk Ab. Wahab Khalil.

Sejak ditubuhkan pada 1983, Pernama telah berjaya membuktikan kemampuannya apabila mencatatkan perolehan sehingga RM258.9 juta iaitu pencapaian yang melampaui pertumbuhan dalam sektor peruncitan negara.

Malah, Pernama turut mencatatkan keuntungan sebelum cukai sebanyak RM25.5 juta.

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Kesan Limpahan Gerakan Koperasi Bukti Komitmen Kerajaan Bantu Rakyat Luar Bandar

BANTING, 27 April (Bernama) -- Penglibatan koperasi dalam pelbagai usaha diperkenal kerajaan bukan sahaja memberi dan meningkatkan pendapatan koperasi, malah turut memberi kemudahan dan peluang kerja kepada masyarakat setempat.

Source from (Bernama): http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v7/bm/ge/newsgeneral.php?id=945687
Published: April 29, 2013

Pengerusi Eksekutif Suruhanjaya Koperasi Malaysia (SKM) Datuk Nik Ali Mat Yunus menyatakan demikian ketika berucap pada Majlis Perasmian Stesen Minyak Smart dan Kedai Coopmart Koperasi Membeli dan Membuka Tanah Seri Cheeding Bhd di kampung Seri Cheeding, Jenjarom dekat sini Sabtu.

Beliau berkata sebagai contoh stesen minyak Smart di kampung itu yang dimiliki oleh 150 anggota koperasi, mampu memberi kemudahan kepada 5,000 penduduk di sekitar kawasan itu.

Selain daripada menjual bahanapi, stesen minyak itu juga menjual barangan keperluan harian, kedai runcit COOP 1Malaysia dan menyediakan mesin ATM Bank Rakyat untuk orang ramai, kata beliau.

Nik Ali berkata SKM juga telah memperkenalkan pelbagai projek atau program untuk bidang perniagaan seperti program pemodenan dan naiktaraf kedai runcit koperasi (TUKAR) dan stesen minyak koperasi di bawah jenama SMART, Kedai COOP 1Malaysia, Pasaraya Koperasi, Lesen Borong dan Pusat Pengedaran (Distibution Centre).

Sehingga 31 Dis lepas, sejumlah 140 kedai koperasi telah berjaya dinaik taraf di bawah program TUKAR dengan nilai jualan RM38.7 juta manakala sebanyak 46 buah stesen minyak koperasi telah dinaik taraf di bawah jenama SMART dengan nilai jualan RM78.6 juta, katanya.

Selain itu, lapan koperasi telah dilantik sebagi pusat pengedar dengan nilai jualan RM40.2 juta, manakala sembilan koperasi telah menjalankan perniagaan pasaraya dengan nilai jualan lebih RM23 juta.

Beliau berkata: "Sebanyak 86 buah koperasi telah memperolehi lesen borong dengan nilai jualan sebanyak RM46.2 juta".

-- BERNAMA 

Hawkers, Petty Traders Admit KR1M Has Given Positive Impact

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama) -- Since its inception over two years ago, the 1Malaysia People's Shop (KR1M) initiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has indeed given a positive impact to the people and local economy.

Source from (Bernama): http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v7/ge/newsgeneral.php?id=945556
Published: April 28, 2013

The people-friendly shop has not only reduced the burden of low-income earners, but has also helped hawkers and petty traders to acquire raw materials for their businesses at more reasonable prices.

A hawker, Che Norlia Abdullah, 47, who sells banana fritters and fish crackers in Kampung Kerinchi here, said the reasonable price was the main factor for her to make an optimal use of the KR1M, especially to purchase flour and cooking oil for her business.

"I used to purchase those items at a normal retail and wholesale shops, but since the setting up of the KR1M in Jalan Pantai Permai, I never went to those shops again," she told Bernama.

The mother of four said although the goods sold at the KR1M were relatively cheap, they were not of lower quality and standard.

"What matters most is the fact that the KR1M is a shop for the people and it means a lot to the low-income earners like myself. The goods commensurate to the price paid," she said.

Food stall operator in Pantai Permai, Omar Mohamad, 68, said he also frequented the KR1M shop to get basic necessities for both his business and personal use.

"The KR1M is indeed a people's shop. Its existence is truly appreciated by the local residents, not only because it's near to their residential area, but also because of the reasonable prices.

"The shop is really beneficial, especially with the rising cost of living following the price hikes on essential items," he said, admitting that the goods in KR1M usually sold out quite fast.

Rojak seller in Pantai Dalam, Abdul Manaf, 30, said the rising cost of living in the city, had made the KR1M essential to the people, especially in helping them to manage their expenses better.

"Spending money at the KR1M makes me feel 'safer' because I know I can save a lot and use the extra cash for other important things or simply keep it for a rainy day," he said.

A coconut drink seller in Kampung Baru, Bakri Mukisan, 60, on the other hand, said the government's initiative to set up the KR1M was a very wise move and beneficial for the people, regardless of their race and religion.

"The shop is an option for those who want to reduce their daily expenses. I really hope that the KR1M programme will be expanded to Kampung Baru so that we all can benefit from it too," he said.

The government has opened 85 KR1M shops in the peninsula and two in Sarawak so far. Ninety more KR1M shops are expected to be opened in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan by end of this year.

-- BERNAMA

Peniaga Kecil-Kecilan Akui KR1M Beri Banyak Impak Positif

KUALA LUMPUR, 27 April (Bernama) -- Sejak diwujudkan lebih dua tahun lalu, Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia (KR1M) yang diilhamkan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak telah memberi impak positif terhadap rakyat dan ekonomi setempat.

Source from (Bernama): http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v7/bm/ge/newsgeneral.php?id=945567
Published: April 28, 2013

KR1M yang berkonsepkan mesra rakyat bukan sahaja telah banyak membantu meringankan beban sara hidup rakyat berpendapatan rendah, malah turut membantu peniaga kecil-kecilan mengurangkan kos pembelian dengan mendapatkan barangan keperluan perniagaan dengan harga yang berpatutan.

Seorang peniaga pisang goreng kicap special dan keropok lekor di Kampung Kerinchi, dekat sini, Che Norlia Abdullah, 47, berkata beliau banyak memanfaatkan KR1M dengan pembelian barangan keperluan untuk perniagaannya seperti tepung dan minyak masak.

"Biasanya saya mendapatkan barangan keperluan di kedai runcit atau kedai borong berhampiran, namun sejak KR1M diwujudkan di Jalan Pantai Permai, saya hanya berkunjung ke KR1M untuk mendapatkan keperluan," katanya kepada Bernama di sini baru-baru ini.

Ibu kepada empat orang anak itu berkata walaupun murah, barangan di KR1M tetap mempunyai mutu dan kualiti.

"Apa yang penting, ia adalah kedai untuk rakyat dan sangat memberi makna kepada golongan berpendapatan rendah seperti saya dan ia, (barangan di KR1M) setimpal dengan harga yang ditawarkan," katanya.

Seorang peniaga makanan dan lauk pauk di Pantai Permai, Omar Mohamad, 68, berkata beliau kerap mengunjungi KR1M bagi membeli keperluan asas sama ada untuk perniagaan atau kegunaan isi rumah.

"KR1M sememangnya kedai rakyat, kewujudannya memang menjadi tumpuan penduduk setempat kerana selain lokasinya dekat dengan penempatan penduduk, harga barangannya juga berpatutan.

"Ia kedai yang sangat bermanfaat kepada rakyat lebih-lebih lagi dengan peningkatan kos sara hidup kesan kenaikan harga barangan keperluan," katanya yang mengakui stok barangan di KR1M sentiasa cepat habis.

Peniaga rojak India Muslim di Pantai Dalam, Abdul Manaf, 30, berkata kos sara hidup yang tinggi di ibu kota menjadikan KR1M kini ibarat satu keperluan kepada rakyat dalam membantu mengurus kewangan dengan baik.

"Berbelanja di KR1M membuatkan kita rasa agak 'selamat' kerana kita boleh berjimat dan menggunakan duit selebihnya untuk keperluan lain yang lebih penting, menabung atau kegunaan di waktu sempit," katanya.

Bakri Mukisan, peniaga air kelapa di Kampung Baru, berkata inisiatif kerajaan mewujudkan KR1M merupakan langkah bijak dan sesuatu yang diharapkan rakyat pelbagai bangsa.

"KR1M merupakan pilihan kepada mereka yang ingin mengurangkan kos perbelanjaan harian, saya sendiri juga berharap KR1M diperluaskan sehingga ke Kampung Baru agar turut sama dapat merasai manfaat kedai itu," kata peniaga berusia 60 tahun itu.

Setakat ini kerajaan telah mewujudkan 85 buah KR1M di Semenanjung dan dua di Sarawak. Sebanyak 90 buah KR1M akan dibuka menjelang akhir tahun ini termasuk di Sabah, Sarawak dan Wilayah Persekutuan Labuan.

-- BERNAMA 

Friday, April 26, 2013

Wanita diseru berniaga - Ahmad

PONTIAN 24 April - Golongan wanita di daerah ini digesa mencontohi isteri Rasulullah SAW, Siti Khadijah dengan menceburi bidang perniagaan untuk meningkatkan taraf kehidupan mereka.

Source from (Utusan Malaysia): http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/Selatan/20130425/ws_01/Wanita-diseru-berniaga---Ahmad
Published: April 26, 2013

Calon Barisan Nasional (BN) yang mempertahankan kerusi Parlimen Pontian, Datuk Ahmad Maslan berkata, Siti Khadijah boleh dianggap sebagai bendahari pertama pergerakan Islam di dunia.

"Bendahari pergerakan Islam yang pertama adalah seorang wanita dan kita mahu golongan wanita mencontohi kegigihan Siti Khadijah ini dalam berniaga.

"Malah, dalam hadis Nabi pun disebut, sembilan daripada 10 punca kekayaan adalah datangnya daripada aktiviti perniagaan. Dan Rasulullah sendiri sejak berusia enam tahun sudah mengikuti bapa saudaranya, Abu Talib berniaga ke serata tempat," katanya semasa pertemuan dengan golongan wanita dan ibu tunggal di Lorong Abdullah, di sini hari ini.

Beliau bersama isteri, Datin Noraini Sulaiman turut menemui para pengundi di beberapa kawasan di bandar ini.

Ahmad yang juga Timbalan Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri berkata, golongan wanita khususnya ibu tunggal boleh menjalankan perniagaan secara kecil-kecilan di rumah untuk menambah pendapatan keluarga.

"Kita harus tahu bahawa kemiskinan bukan sesuatu untuk diwarisi. Kerajaan BN sentiasa membantu dengan menyediakan pelbagai peruntukan dan modal seperti yang diberikan oleh Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM), Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara), Tabung Ekonomi Kumpulan Usahawan Niaga (TEKUN) Nasional dan sebagainya.

"Jadi, kita perlu keluar dari 'putaran ganas' kemiskinan ini dengan berusaha gigih dan salah satu caranya menerusi bidang perniagaan," katanya.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Masa Untuk Semua Beli Emas: Public Gold

KUALA LUMPUR, 24 April (Bernama) -- Sekarang adalah masa yang sesuai untuk semua pihak membeli emas dengan harga yang masih rendah selepas kejatuhan terbesarnya pada 15 April, kata pengerusi eksekutif kumpulan Public Gold Datuk Louis Ng.

Source from (Sinar Online): http://www.sinarharian.com.my/bisnes/public-gold-masa-untuk-semua-beli-emas-1.153811
Published: April 25, 2013

Source from (Bernama): http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v7/bm/bu/newsbusiness.php?id=944881
Published: April 25, 2013

"Sekarang dengan harga yang merudum, ia menjadikan emas lebih mampu milik untuk semua, terutamanya pembeli baharu, yang mahu menyimpan emas untuk perlindungan harta," katanya dalam satu kenyataan.

Pada 15 April, harga emas susut US$140 kepada US$1,395 satu auns, satu kejatuhan terbesar semenjak 1993, mengejutkan ramai pelabur veteran.

Semenjak itu, harga telah memulih sedikit, dan semalam ia ditutup pada US$1,408 satu auns, susut US$16.50.

Permintaan untuk emas telah meningkat kukuh semenjak 2000, dengan kebanyakan daripadanya berikutan negara-negara membangun menggunakan kekayaan baharu mereka untuk memenuhkan rizab mereka dengan emas.

Pada masa sekarang, adalah dinasihatkan rakyat Malaysia untuk membeli emas sebagai simpanan masa depan sebelum harga meningkat semula, kata kenyataan itu.

-- BERNAMA

Bahang emas sama panas dengan kempen PRU13

KOTA BHARU - Di sebalik kehangatan kempen Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13 (PRU13) di sini, orang ramai khususnya kaum wanita Kelantan, tidak melepaskan peluang membeli barang perhiasan berikutan harga emas turun sejak minggu lepas.

Source from (Sinar Online): http://www.sinarharian.com.my/bisnes/bahang-emas-sama-panas-dengan-kempen-pru13-1.153765
Published: April 25, 2013

Bahang emas sama panas dengan kempen PRU13
Orang ramai menyerbu kedai emas di sekitar bandar ini selepas 
harga emas turun sejak minggu lepas. - Foto Bernama

Harga emas jenis 916 yang menjadi pilihan penggemarnya, turun kepada RM380 bagi 2.7 gram, berbanding RM420 untuk 2.7 gram sebelumnya.

Tinjauan Bernama mendapati seawal 9 pagi, pengunjung mula membanjiri kedai-kedai emas di sekitar bandar Kota Baharu, malah ada yang sanggup beratur sebelum waktu perniagaan bermula.

Pekerja Kedai Emas Wan Hassan Wan Omar, Wan Ahmad Salihan Wan Mohd Zaki, 18, berkata orang ramai mula menyerbu kedai milik keluarganya itu selepas berita harga emas turun, disiarkan akhbar.

Susulan itu, Wan Ahmad Salihan berkata operasi kedai itu yang ditutup 5.30 petang setiap hari, kini dilanjutkan sehingga 7 malam.

"Suasana bertambah meriah pada hari minggu sebab orang datang tak putus-putus. Kalau waktu kerja orang hanya datang pada masa rehat," katanya ketika ditemui di sini.

Antara yang menjadi pilihan pelanggan ialah rantai, gelang dan loket selain barangan kemas yang ditempah mengikut kehendak mereka.

Penggemar rantai dan gelang, Rozilawati Sallehuddin, 41, berkata beliau tidak kisah berbelanja besar untuk mendapatkan barangan kemas kerana ia tidak mudah susut nilai.

"Emas ni pelaburan. Beli banyak kemudian boleh jual bila harga dia naik semula, kadang-kadang tu sampai dua kali ganda daripada harga asal," katanya.

Nik Mahani Nik Abdullah, 55, berkata emas Kelantan mempunyai keunikan tersendiri kerana mendakwa kualitinya lebih tinggi berbanding tempat lain.

Meminati emas sejak 30 tahun lepas, Nik Mahani berkata beliau biasanya akan membuat tinjauan harga serta mencari reka bentuk terbaharu barangan kemas sebelum membuat sebarang pembelian.

"Kalau tak jumpa yang berkenan, saya akan buat tempahan di kedai emas untuk disesuaikan dengan pergelangan tangan saya yang kecil. Walaupun mahal sedikit, tak apa, janji puas hati," katanya.- Bernama

Karisma: 1,735 dibantu di Ketereh

KOTA BHARU 24 April - Sebanyak RM4.8 juta diperuntukkan oleh Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita dan Keluarga untuk Parlimen Ketereh melibatkan 1,735 penerima bantuan Kebajikan Rakyat 1Malaysia (Karisma) pada tahun lalu.

Source from (Utusan Malaysia): http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/Timur/20130425/wt_01/Karisma-1735-dibantu-di-Ketereh
Published: April 25, 2013

Di bawah program itu, bantuan 1AZAM iaitu bantuan untuk meningkatkan pendapatan peniaga kecil dan membantu golongan miskin diberikan dalam bentuk peralatan yang bersesuaian bagi mereka menjalankan perniagaan.

Pengerusi Badan Amal Kebajikan Isteri-isteri Wakil Rakyat dan Isteri Bekas Wakil Rakyat Barisan Nasional Kelantan (Penawar) Parlimen Ketereh, Puan Sri Rosniah Abdul Rahman berkata, antara peralatan yang diberikan ialah ketuhar dan pembakar akok.

"Setakat ini matlamat kementerian membantu mereka dari segi ekonomi sudah tercapai 80 peratus," katanya kepada Utusan Malaysia selepas melancarkan Program Kembara Karisma Parlimen Ketereh di sini hari ini.

Pada majlis itu, Rosniah turut menyampaikan bantuan kerusi roda kepada empat orang penerima bagi pihak Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat (JKM).

Beliau berkata, ada penerima bantuan itu yang kini sudah berjaya muncul sebagai pengusaha industri kecil dan sederhana.

Niche Capital's external auditor qualifies accounts

PETALING JAYA (April 25, 2013): Jeweller Niche Capital Emas Holdings Bhd has announced a repayment plan for a corporate guarantee owing to four banks, of which the lack of provisions for had made its external auditor qualify its accounts.

Source from (The Sun Daily): http://www.thesundaily.my/news/679338
Published: April 25, 2013

The group told Bursa Malaysia yesterday that it had agreed to a settlement on the corporate guarantee through the proposed issuance of 104.898 million new shares of 10 sen each at par value and RM1.023 million cash.

Niche Capital will pay RM11.5 million as settlement of the total outstanding bank loans of its former subsidiary, Yikon Jewellery Industry Sdn Bhd, instead of the RM16.6 million owing to the banks as at Dec 31, 2012.

In a separate filing, Niche Capital announced that its accounts for the financial year ended Dec, 31 2012 (FY12) had been qualified by its external auditors, Baker Tilly Monteiro Heng (BTMH), for not making provisions for the corporate guarantee in its 2012 accounts.

BTMH said it could not sign off on Niche Capital's accounts as it did not obtain sufficient and appropriate audit evidence on the assessment and quantification of the provision that is required to be recognised by Niche Capital.

BTMH said the directors of the group had explained that they were in the midst of negotiations with the banks to restructure and to discharge the corporate guarantees granted by the group. However, the group has yet to receive any formal reply from the banks.

BTMH said the fact that the group's operating cash flow is in the negative and that it is currently running in losses indicate an existence of material uncertainties which may cast significant doubt on the group's ability to continue as a going concern.

The group recorded net losses amounting to RM2.7 million and negative operating cash flow of RM1.2 million for FY12.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

'Gold sale not a priority'

CYPRUS is not giving priority to a sale of gold reserves under the international bailout agreed this month and is still exploring all options to meet its side of the deal, Finance Minister Harris Georgiades said in an interview.

Source from (Business Times): http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/goldcyp23/Article/
Published: April 24, 2013

Georgiades said he anticipates currency controls, imposed after a chaotic bailout last month and which led to a lockdown of the banking system for 15 days, will be eased in "days or weeks".

Cyprus' agreement to sell ?400 million (RM1.5 billion) worth of its gold reserves was one of several shockwaves its progress towards a bailout sent through European financial markets earlier this month.

The amount is small but the precedent of a eurozone central bank being pushed to dispose of some of its reserves helped drive the biggest fall in gold prices in 30 years.

Investors worry central banks in some of the eurozone's struggling larger economies could eventually be pushed to follow Cyprus' example.

But while Georgiades said the gold sale is one of several commitments to the island's international lenders, he said it is not an issue that took priority.

"We shall do whatever it takes, we shall meet all fiscal targets. I am sure we shall succeed in gathering the amounts that remain our responsibility in order to avoid any need to come back with a new (adjustment) programme," Georgiades said.

Repeatedly declining to speculate on the timing of any disposal, he said the gold sale is "not even the most important, or the issue of the greatest magnitude" in the bailout deal, worth a total ?23 billion.

"It is something on the agenda, but it is not something we are tackling now," he said.

Asked whether Cyprus could reconsider the sale if it managed to find the amount elsewhere, Georgiades said: "So long as we are able to meet the financial element of our commitments I think all possibilities should be explored and they will be explored.

"The same applies not only for that particular issue but the whole framework of our commitments. What I feel it is necessary to repeat is our commitment for fulfilling everything without hesitation."

Teetering on the edge of default, Cyprus last month wound down its second largest bank and raided depositors' uninsured savings at another bank to fund a recapitalisation. Both banks were badly hit by their exposure to Greece.

It has to come up with most of the ?23 billion itself, with only ?10 billion made available by lenders and a fractious Parliament, which had rejected milder terms of a broad-based bail-in on bank depositors in March, will have to approve the bailout in coming days.

"I think Parliament will acknowledge there is no alternative at this point," Georgiades said, adding that most bailout terms, such as increasing corporate tax, spending cuts and tax increases, had already been approved virtually unanimously by lawmakers in by-laws.

Cyprus imposed capital controls at the end of March, worried about a flight of funds from a banking system flush with cash from Russian and European businesses, but also from many overseas Cypriots.

"I am pretty confident these necessary but temporary measures will not be needed in the next days or weeks," Georgiades said. Reuters

Harga emas jatuh

KUALA LUMPUR 23 April - Harga emas yang jatuh sejak beberapa hari lalu merupakan peluang terbaik untuk orang ramai membeli emas bagi simpanan kekayaan untuk masa depan. Pengerusi Eksekutif Kumpulan Public Gold, Datuk Louis Ng berkata, harga emas yang turun mendadak itu bukanlah satu berita buruk tetapi peluang kepada pelabur baharu.

Source from (Utusan Malaysia): http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/Ekonomi/20130424/ek_03/Harga-emas-jatuh
Published: April 24, 2013

Katanya, walaupun harga jatuh pada tahap yang rendah dalam sejarah, namun, harga emas telah mencecah harga yang tinggi sejak sekian lama.

"Jadi sekarang adalah masa yang sesuai untuk membeli emas sementara harga masih rendah, terutamanya bagi pembeli baharu.

"Menurut sumber-sumber yang dipercayai, sejak beberapa hari lepas, orang ramai dari negara-negara Asia di rantau ini telah bergegas ke kedai emas untuk membeli emas menyebabkan kebanyakan kedai kehabisan stok.

"Ini kerana mereka sedar bahawa emas ialah aset pelindung yang selamat dan berguna semasa kesusahan. Emas adalah mata wang yang tidak boleh dimanipulasi," katanya dalam kenyataan di sini hari ini.

Pada 15 April lalu, harga emas telah jatuh secara mendadak mengakibatkan keruntuhan harga terbesar sejak 1993.

Kejatuhan harga emas itu mengakibatkan ramai pelabur veteran terkejut dan mungkin telah menyebabkan kerugian bagi sesetengah pelabur.

Namun, harga emas telah mencecah harga yang tinggi buat kian lama yang menyebabkan ramai tidak mampu untuk memilikinya.

"Emas selalunya digemari di Asia. Bagi mereka, secara tradisinya, emas dibeli sebagai hadiah untuk pelbagai majlis seperti majlis perkahwinan, hari lahir, ulang tahun, dan sebagainya.

"Kini harga emas telah jatuh, membuatkan lebih ramai orang mampu untuk memiliki emas, terutama bagi pembeli baharu yang ingin menyimpan emas untuk perlindungan kekayaan masa depan," ujarnya.

Permintaan emas telah semakin meningkat sejak tahun 2000, disebabkan oleh negara-negara membangun sedar bahawa emas boleh dijadikan kekayaan baru mereka.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Kopeks tersenarai dalam Indeks 100 Koperasi Terbaik Malaysia

KOTA KINABALU 19 April - Koperasi Pekerja-pekerja Kerajaan Sabah Berhad (Kopeks) menjadi penyumbang terbesar dalam simpanan yuran koperasi di negeri ini berjumlah RM36 juta. Timbalan Ketua Menteri, Datuk Yahya Hussin berkata, kerajaan negeri berbangga dengan pencapaian Kopeks menduduki tempat ke-49 bagi senarai Indeks 100 Koperasi Terbaik Malaysia daripada lebih 9,000 koperasi seluruh negara.

Source from (Utusan Malaysia): http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/Sabah_&_Sarawak/20130420/wb_02/Kopeks-tersenarai-dalam-Indeks-100-Koperasi-Terbaik-Malaysia
Published: April 22, 2013

"Kejayaan ini membuktikan Kopeks mempunyai pengurusan dan tadbir urus yang mantap serta berwawasan," katanya dalam majlis penyampaian Insentif Pendidikan Anak Anggota Yang Cemerlang Dalam Peperiksaan Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) di Dewan Wisma Wanita di sini baru-baru ini.

Dalam majlis itu, sebanyak 57 pelajar cemerlang dalam peperiksaan PMR tahun lalu terdiri daripada anak-anak ahli Kopeks menerima insentif berjumlah RM250 dan RM100.

Yang turut hadir, Timbalan Setiausaha Kerajaan Negeri (Pentadbiran) merangkap Pengerusi Kopeks, Datuk Maznah Abdul Ghani; Pesuruhjaya Koperasi Malaysia Negeri Sabah, Omar Sarim Saidin; Pengarah Pelajaran Sabah, Jamie Alip dan Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Kopeks, Buvil Angkui.

Mengenai program itu, Yahya memuji Kopeks kerana berjaya melaksanakan tanggungjawab sosial korporat (CSR) tersebut yang diadakan buat pertama kali sejak 50 tahun Kopeks ditubuhkan.

Beliau menambah, sejak 2009, Kopeks membayar pulangan pelaburan atau dividen yang baik kepada para ahlinya setiap tahun iaitu tidak kurang tujuh peratus.

"Kadar itu melebihi kadar simpanan tetap di bank. Ini menunjukkan prestasi kewangan Kopeks sangat memberangsangkan. Pencapaian ini membuktikan pengurusan koperasi mantap dan setanding dengan mana-mana organisasi perniagaan serta kewangan lain di negara ini.

"Usaha ini sangat bermakna kerana sebagai koperasi, Kopeks semakin fokus mengamalkan prinsip utama berkoperasi iaitu bekerjasama dalam usaha meningkatkan status ekonomi dan kebajikan secara kolektif," ujarnya.

Kedai 1Malaysia sandaran IKS

KANGAR 21 April - Pengwujudan Kedai 1Malaysia yang dicetuskan oleh kerajaan telah merancakkan semula perniagaan industri kecil dan sederhana (IKS) khususnya yang beroperasi di Perlis. Setiausaha Dewan Perniagaan Islam Malaysia Perlis, Mohd. Fakhruddin Arrazi Abdullah berkata, pemain IKS kini mempunyai tempat untuk memasarkan produk-produk mereka, sekali gus meningkatkan potensi IKS Bumiputera.

Source from (Utusan Malaysia): http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/Ekonomi/20130422/ek_01/Kedai-1Malaysia-sandaran-IKS
Published: April 22, 2013


Mohd. Fakhruddin Arrazi Abdullah menunjukkan produk 
minuman keluaran syarikatnya di Kangar, semalam

"IKS Bumiputera tidak ada masalah dalam menghasilkan produk, label dan kualiti. Yang menjadi masalah adalah untuk memasarkannya.

"Kalau hendak harapkan pasar raya atau pasar raya besar memang sukar namun dengan adanya Kedai 1Malaysia dan pasar raya Mydin umpamanya memberi ruang dan peluang kepada usahawan Melayu," katanya kepada Utusan Malaysia ketika ditemui di sini hari ini.

Beliau yang juga Pengarah Urusan Muneera Marketing (M) Sdn. Bhd., syarikat yang memasarkan produk IKS Perlis menyasarkan untuk menembusi pasaran Thailand dan Indonesia selepas berjaya meneroka pasaran Brunei.

Tambah beliau, IKS di negeri ini mempunyai potensi yang cukup besar untuk menerobos pasaran ASEAN kerana produk-produknya bukan sahaja halal tetapi turut diusahakan oleh syarikat-syarikat Bumiputera.

Beliau berkata, produk IKS yang diusahakan oleh syarikat Bumiputera mempunyai kelebihan dan mudah dipasarkan terutama di Indonesia dan Kemboja.

Antara produk yang mendapat permintaan di Brunei ialah kopi, produk minuman dan makanan sejuk beku.

Tambahnya, Perlis kini mempunyai penyertaan 60 pengusaha IKS dan dijangka jumlah penyertaan itu meningkat seiring dengan peningkatan pasaran terutama makanan dan minuman.

Has Gold Price Topped?

TO ANSWER this question, it is essential to get back to history. Gold was always money until 1971 when US President Richard Nixon and the International Monetary Fund decided it would no longer be so. This decision worked well because oil was firmly linked to the US dollar and vice versa. It allowed the US to dominate the oil producers who were dependent on the country for their security.

Source from (The Sun Daily): http://www.thesundaily.my/news/675917
Published: April 22, 2013

With the support of the entire developed world, the US dollar stood completely un-backed and entirely reliant on the wisdom of the US Treasury and the US Federal Reserve (Fed) for its reputation. Soon, other currencies grew to depend on US dollar for their acceptance in the global monetary system. The US dollar reigned as money, while gold was sidelined to a mere metal.

The US took the opportunity and allowed a persistent trade deficit to occur over decades. It meant that the US will print new US dollar to pay for imports. No real exchange was needed to cover the deficit. And so, foreign governments including oil producers, filled their coffers with promises of payment by the US government in the form of US dollars.

Moving into the new millennium, the gold prices witnessed a long and mostly continuous rise, from an average of US$272.25 an ounce in 2000 to reach an average of US$1,668.7 an ounce in 2012, which translates into a gain of 512.4%, a sharp contrast to the previous decades. A number of factors influenced the gold prices. Among them were:
1. Drop in gold supply: The 1999 agreement entitled the ‘Washington Agreement’ limited the sale of the amount of gold;

2. Concern over the US national debt and the weakening US dollar: Since the beginning of 2000s, the outlook of US national debt and the weakening of the US dollar relative to other currencies flared. Fears are whether there will be a US dollar crisis;

3. Stronger demand from India and China: Increase in demand for gold from India, the world largest market for gold jewellery, driven by wedding, festive season and hedging against the inflation risk. Also, China is now the fastest-growing market for gold jewellery namely jewellery fabrication;

4. Eruption of the credit crunch in the US in 2007 led to a global financial crisis in 2008, which resulted to:
--> Reputation of the US dollar and euro to plummet;
--> Prices of gold and other commodities being quoted in other currencies as well as the US dollar;
--> China seek to see the yuan become a global currency – indeed a reserve currency; and
--> Surplus nations were reducing the vulnerability of their reserves to a fall in the exchange rate value of the US dollar against their currencies as well as against other currencies.

5. Other factors: Central banks stepping-up their gold reserves at the end of the decade, while the 2008 global crisis that led to US nationalising two of the biggest US mortgage lenders and biggest insurer, fuelled demand for physical gold and exchange traded funds.

Turning to 2013, we have witnessed a free fall in gold prices, raising the eyebrows of many. The free fall started on April 11, 2013, falling from US$1,516.5 an ounce to US$1,376.58 an ounce on April 16, 2013, down by 11.8% and 18.7% drop from 2013’s peak. The sharp drop in gold prices could be due to the ‘herd behaviour’ driven by:

1. Below expectation Chinese real gross domestic product in first quarter of 2013 of 7.7% year-on-year, suggesting the world's second biggest gold consumer and the second largest oil consumer would weigh on potential demand for gold;

2. Fear that some of the troubled euro nations like Cyprus may sell some of their reserves to beef up its own contribution to the bailout by international lenders, and other troubled euro countries like Italy and Spain may follow suit;

3. Concern that the Fed may end the easing monetary policy sooner after unveiling more positive economic data; and 4. Rising US corporate earnings result in rising stock values may see investors switch to equities rather than gold.

Irrespective of the recent free fall, we felt that the ‘golden era’ is coming to an end in 2013, with more downside risk to gold prices than upside gains. While we expect the euro-risk to continue in 2013, the outlook for the US is posed to improve, implying possibilities for the Fed to end the quantitative easing programme in the second half of this year or early 2014. Equally important, for gold prices to increase in 2013, it needs strong conviction to hold more gold. This is something that is waning despite the resurgence in euro-area risk aversion and some disappointment to the US economic data of late.

But the decline in gold prices is unlikely to be overly exaggerated in 2013 and 2014. A slow trend reversal is expected due to: (1) central banks will still be in force, especially the Chinese and Russian banks who are likely to seize this opportunity of low prices to make their balance sheets become more independent from the US dollar; (2) slight pick-up in jewellery demand by India who make up about 29% of world jewellery demand, and the fast-growing Chinese market, accounting for about 26% of world jewellery demand; (3) healthy investment sector, especially since investors prefer physical gold than ‘paper gold’; (4) modest pick-up in demand from technology; and (5) slight increase in supply of gold.

We expect gold price to average US$1,600 and US$1,500 an ounce in 2013 and 2014 respectively. Softer price is because despite resurgence in euro-area risk aversion, some disappointment to the US data and pricing-in geopolitical risk, the average gold prices have been weak since January this year, suggesting lack of ‘conviction’ to hold gold is increasing.

Anthony Dass is chief economist at MIDF Amanah Investment Bank Bhd.

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Special loan scheme for Indian cabbies

ABOUT 5,000 Indian taxi drivers, the largest-ever gathering held for them, were offered special financing scheme for purchasing and maintaining their taxis. The scheme were formulated by the Special Secretariat for Empowerment of Indian Entrepreneurs (SEED) and TEKUN Nasional at the Murugan Temple in Batu Caves yesterday.

Source from (The Malay Mail): http://www.mmail.com.my/story/special-loan-scheme-indian-cabbies-53900
Published: April 21, 2013

Deputy Federal Territories and Urban Well-being Minister Datuk M. Saravanan addressed the crowd at an event organised with 12 Indian Taxi drivers Associations, including the Cyberjaya Indian Taxi Drivers Association, the LCCT Indian Taxi Drivers Association and KL Makkal Communications Indian Taxi Drivers Association.

Also present were TEKUN Nasional managing director and CEO Datuk Abdul Rahim Hassan and SEED director Dr. A.T. Kumararajah.

Saravanan said the scheme applied to Indian taxi drivers with their own permits, drivers with rented vehicles and also for drivers using company permits who previously could not benefit from various schemes as they owned neither the car nor a permit.

“The first issue to overcome is taxi drivers’ need for their own permits, which requires structural changes. Following an announcement to award licenses to deserving individuals, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had distributed 1,000 permits to recipients on March 24 at Putrajaya, of which 26 per cent were Indians,” he said.

“From Malaysia’s 12,500 Indian taxi drivers, approximately 2,500 currently have their own permits, while the rest use company permits through hire-purchase schemes.”

The second issue is financing, as many drivers cannot afford to purchase new taxis or pay the required deposit, ranging overall from RM6,000 to RM15,000. They also face problems undergoing major overhaul repairs and converting from petrol to NGV engines, which cost between RM5,000 to RM8,000.

“There is also a need for drivers to comply with rulings specifying that their taxi cannot be over 10 years on the road, requiring another RM6,000 to RM15,000,” he said.

A successful pilot project for this scheme started in Feb 2013, for which four different schemes had been tailored and over RM1.25 million had been raised for it by 50 taxi drivers.

Approvals will be given through these four schemes, which are: Automatic approval for a new taxi purchase by drivers with permits (20 per cent of the taxi cost as down payment); automatic approval for replacement of taxis older than 10 years (20 per cent of the taxi cost for down payment); conversion from petrol/diesel to NGV engines (approval of up to RM8,000 each); and refurbishment and repair of existing taxis (approval of up to RM5,000 each).

SEED also awarded 76 successful applicants a total of RM827,500 during yesterday’s programme. A mock check for RM557,000 was presented for 48 of them, as the applications had been approved the day before.

Star fund for tech start-ups

CHELLIAH, a 20-something recent graduate from a US university, hopes to parlay his degree in computer science and passion for e-commerce into a profitable Internet business. But lacking the funds, and without sufficient knowledge of the practical aspects such an effort would require, he will, for now, stick to fixing designer coffee at a cafe in PJ.

Source from (The Star Online): http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2013/4/20/business/12996630&sec=business
Published: April 21, 2013



It is budding entrepreneurs like Chelliah that The Star's new Accelerator Fund hopes to support.

The fund, launched on Wednesday with RM20mil in its coffers, aims to help digital and technology-based entrepreneurs get started and ultimately take their ideas to the market.

The new fund intends to provide seed capital to companies and individuals in the pre-seed and seed phase, with maximum funding of RM300,000 and RM1mil, respectively.

A unique feature of the fund is the host of value-added services that come with the monetary support. Besides ringgit and sen, successful applicants gain access to The Star Media Group's plethora of resources, from branding and marketing to legal advice and media.

The Star Accelerator Fund is the brainchild of Dr Chua.
The Star Accelerator Fund is the 
brainchild of Dr Chua.

The Star corporate services senior manager George Chan, who is overseeing the operations of the fund, points out that financing can be hard to come by for entrepreneurs, especially those who are new to the scene.

“Many ideas never see the light of day because they don't have the funds. It is in this area that we hope to help young Malaysians,” he tells StarBizWeek.

“When we set up the fund, our intention was not only to help build the business, but also to assist and nurture the entrepreneur. There are some great technopreneurs out there who are off the grid.

“We would like these people to come forward and take advantage of this opportunity. We are not concerned with whether they speak perfect English or have good presentation skills. We simply want to give them a chance, and listen to their ideas.”

Star Publications (M) Bhd executive deputy chairman Datuk Vincent Lee reveals that the project was born out of a challenge thrown to him by MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek.

“Dr Chua suggested that such a programme would not only lend a helping hand to deserving young entrepreneurs, but also bring back talent to Malaysia,” Lee says. “Moreover, we aspire to create enterprises that become global game-changers, not just jaguh kampung'”.

The fund also heeds the Government's transformation initiatives as spearheaded under the Economic Transformation Programme, which calls on the private sector to boost private investment in the country.



The fund comprises two mechanisms: pre-seed and seed. The difference between the two funding options is the stage of development of the applicant's business.

Pre-seed applicants would require funds to develop their ideas into prototypes. The seed fund applicants, meanwhile, are businesses that already have a prototype and who are ready to commercialise their products.

The fund seeks to assist young Malaysians from the development of an idea into a prototype, through the proof-of-concept stage and finally to market launch. The money for this fund can be channelled to product research and development, intellectual property, legal and compliance, proof-of-concept and pre-commercialisation.

Those who obtain seed-level funding may ask for up to RM1mil. They are required to complete the process of readying their products or services for market entry within a 12-month period. The fund covers the processes necessary for commercial success, namely production, distribution, marketing, sales and customer support.

The Star Accelerator Fund intends to go beyond the traditional role of a financier. In exchange for financial support, The Star is looking to acquire an equity stake in the investee company.

This is not an issue of management control, but rather a mentoring and support process, Chan explains, as many start-ups fail due to a lack of business and financial acumen.

“It is here that we believe our most valuable help will be given. We want to be a partner in the business that we fund to enable growth and ensure sustainability and success.”

In terms of eligibility, the founder of the company must be Malaysian and aged 21 years and above.

Lee: ‘We aspire to create enterprises that become global game-changers, not just jaguh kampung.’
Lee: ‘We aspire to create enterprises 
that become global game-changers, 
not just jaguh kampung.’

For the pre-seed fund, a company must be formed with a minimum issued and paid-up capital of RM2,000. On the other hand, an applicant for the seed fund must own a registered company with an issued and paid-up capital of RM10,000.

The industries that qualify for assistance from the fund can be divided into two broad categories: information and communication technology (ICT) and non-ICT (see chart).

Unlike most funds in the market currently, The Star Accelerator Fund is an equity fund and not based on a rebate process.

“Most funds in the market operate on a grant basis, which means you spend the money first and then submit your claim for re-imbursement,” Chan says.

“For most start-ups, this can often be an insurmountable barrier since they may not have the initial capital outlay. Start-ups usually need two to three years to break even, and this is provided the product is good.

“We work with our recipients to establish a financial plan and disburse the finances according to an agreed set of key deliverables and timeframes.”

Furthermore, those who succeed in obtaining the pre-seed fund can graduate to seed-level funding, Chan adds.



Chan, a chartered accountant, will manage the day-to-day running of the fund together with his colleague Debbie Pozzobon, a former corporate banker who has experience as a managing director and chief financial officer.

After a deal is evaluated by Chan and Pozzobon, it will be recommended to the investment committee for final approval.

“We received over 50 enquiries within 24 hours of the launch. Indeed, we are already assessing our first set of applications. The response from the market has been very encouraging and we are looking forward to a future where we are part of the successful journey of young Malaysians,” Chan quips.

Those who attended the launch event came away impressed.

Andrew Tan, director of innovation at digital agency VLT Kuala Lumpur Sdn Bhd, says: “I think it's great that The Star is taking this step to support current and would-be tech entrepreneurs. What's really exciting is that it's not just about funding but also supporting start-ups through The Star's own experiences and platforms, which is arguably more important to fledgling start-ups.

“This is something that we at VLT Labs also do, helping start-ups accelerate their potential by leveraging our experience in UX, marketing and brand strategy, while connecting them with brands and partners who might elevate them further.”

MCA offers other communities Kojadi loans to start business

GEORGE TOWN, April 19 — The Penang MCA has offered those keen to start a business but hampered by a lack capital, to apply for micro credit business loans, via the Koperasi Jayadiri Malaysia Berhad (Kojadi). Kojadi director Datuk Dr Loh Hock Hun said, although the loan was channelled through the MCA, it was also open to the Malays and Indians, especially youths.

Source from (Bernama): http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/business/article/mca-offers-other-communities-kojadi-loans-to-start-expand-business/
Published: April 21, 2013



“Many think the loan is only for the Chinese. (In fact), all can apply under the conditions stipulated.

“The minimum loan is RM5,000 while the maximum is RM20,000, with the repayment period stretching to five years on a four per cent interest.

“The scheme is aimed at encouraging youths who want to venture into business or expand an existing business, to apply for a loan through proper channels. Traders can also apply for the loan, on condition they are below 45 years of age,” he said.

Loh, who is also Penang MCA deputy chairman, was speaking to reporters at a ceremony to hand over cheques for micro credit loans here today.

Although the response from other communities (for the loan) was encouraging, the Kojadi director said the number of loan applications had been low, due to ignorance.

At the ceremony, four people received cheques for the loan amounting to RM20,000 each. To date, 1,000 have benefitted from the loan scheme. – Bernama

MCA Pelawa Bukan Cina Mohon Pinjaman Kojadi Untuk Mulakan Perniagaan

GEORGE TOWN, 19 April (Bernama) -- MCA Negeri Pulau Pinang mempelawa orang ramai yang berminat memulakan perniagaan tetapi tidak mempunyai modal supaya membuat permohonan pinjaman mikro kredit perniagaan menerusi Koperasi Jayadiri Malaysia Berhad (Kojadi).

Source from (Bernama): http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v7/bm/ge/newsgeneral.php?id=943453
Published: April 21, 2013

Pengarah Kojadi Datuk Dr Loh Hock Hun berkata walaupun pinjaman itu disalurkan menerusi MCA tetapi ia juga terbuka kepada kaum Melayu dan India, khususnya golongan muda.

Loh yang juga Timbalan Pengerusi MCA Pulau Pinang berkata sambutan daripada kaum lain adalah menggalakkan tetapi jumlah yang membuat permohonan pinjaman itu masih kurang disebabkan ramai yang tidak tahu mengenainya.

"Ramai yang anggap pinjaman ini hanya untuk orang Cina...semua boleh mohon mengikut syarat yang ditetapkan. Minimum pinjaman ini ialah RM5,000 dan maksimum RM20,000, bayaran balik dalam tempoh lima tahun dengan faedah empat peratus," katanya kepada pemberita pada majlis penyerahan cek pinjaman mikro kredit itu di sini Jumaat.

Beliau berkata skim itu bertujuan menggalakkan golongan muda yang ingin memulakan perniagaan membuat pinjaman menerusi saluran yang betul, selain itu penjaja juga boleh memohon pinjaman ini dengan syarat umur di bawah 45 tahun.

Loh berkata pinjaman ini bukan sahaja untuk individu yang ingin memulakan perniagaan tetapi juga untuk mereka yang mempunyai perancangan untuk memperluaskan perniagaan.

Pada majlis itu, empat orang menerima cek mikro kredit masing-masing berjumlah RM20,000. Setakat ini hampir 1,000 orang mendapat manfaat daripada pinjaman mikro kredit perniagaan itu.

-- BERNAMA

Habib lebar sayap

Habib Jewels Sdn Bhd, akan melebarkan lagi sayapnya apabila menyasarkan menembusi pasaran antarabangsa bagi perancangan jangka panjang dengan melihat negara berpotensi seperti India, Indonesia, Brunei, Vietnam dan Timur Tengah.

Source from (Harian Metro): http://www.hmetro.com.my/myMetro/articles/Habiblebarsayap/Article/index_html
Published: April 21, 2013

Pengurus Besarnya, Mohd Zaruddin Mahmud berkata, kelima-lima negara terbabit mempunyai permintaan barang kemas yang tinggi, malah di India pula pengguna barang kemas terbesar di dunia dan pasaran bersifat lebih matang.

Bagaimanapun, katanya, peluang pasaran dalam negeri juga masih banyak dan memerlukan syarikat meluaskan lagi pasaran ke seluruh Malaysia terutama di bandar kecil.

“Kami menyasarkan untuk memasuki pasaran antarabangsa menjelang 2015 dan syarikat masih dalam perbincangan mengenai perkara itu kerana tumpuan utama Habib sekarang ini adalah memenuhi permintaan pasaran tempatan serta mengukuhkan jenama tempatan ini ke persada global.

“Disebabkan itu, kami memerlukan perancangan lebih teliti untuk memastikan syarikat bersedia meneroka pasaran luar negara biarpun terdapat permintaan dan selain itu kami menyertai pameran antarabangsa bagi mengetengahkan jenama Habib,” katanya kepada Bisnes Metro di Festival Barangan Kemas Antarabangsa 2013 di Kuala Lumpur, semalam.

Menurutnya, menerusi pameran MIJ juga pihaknya dapat menunjukkan koleksi barang kemas yang memang direka untuk pasaran eksport dan ditawarkan dengan harga kompetitif.

Mohd Zaruddin berkata, permintaan untuk barang kemas sentiasa ada walau dalam situasi apa sekali pun, malah ia semakin meningkat dengan industri barang kemas di negara ini mencatatkan pertumbuhan antara 10 hingga 20 peratus setiap tahun.

Beliau berkata, Habib pula menyasarkan pertumbuhan jualan lebih kurang 15 peratus tahun ini yang lazimnya 65 peratus disumbangkan daripada jumlah jualan berlian.

“Jualan emas Habib juga meningkat, malah kami menawarkan satu gram jongkong emas pada harga RM150 semalam. Selain itu, kami akan membuka cawangan baru di Melaka, Seremban dan Kuantan berikutan permintaan tinggi di sana.

“Kami akan memberi tumpuan pada bandar kecil pula selepas ini selepas banyak cawangan Habib dibuka di bandar besar seluruh Lembah Klang. Manakala pelaburan bagi setiap cawangan lebih kurang RM3 juta,” katanya.

Festival Barangan Kemas Antarabangsa 2013 diadakan di Pusat Konvensyen Kuala Lumpur bermula 19 hingga 22 April ini dan ia adalah acara terbesar pameran barang kemas di Malaysia.

Pameran kali ini menampilkan barang kemas jenama terkenal dari 20 negara seluruh dunia seperti Itali, Jepun, Dubai, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Myanmar, Singapura, Kemboja dan Taiwan termasuk terbaru dari Timur Tengah.

Gold slide flashes warning signs for global economy

NEW YORK, April 19 — The plunge in the gold price in the past week may have raised a big red flag over the global economy. Some top investors say the gold sell-off, and the broader declines in oil and metals prices, reflect the failure of the Federal Reserve and other central banks to create robust demand even as they inject massive amounts of money into the world financial system.

Source from (The Malaysian Insider): http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/business/article/gold-slide-flashes-warning-signs-for-global-economy/
Published: April 21, 2013


Gold bars are displayed at the Ginza Tanaka store in Tokyo April 18, 2013. — Reuters pic

The slide, which took gold to its biggest one-day loss ever in dollar terms on Monday, unnerved investors who saw billions of dollars in gains wiped out in a few days, and it may portend declines in other asset prices ahead. That may have begun this week with several days of big stock price drops.

Some see the move in gold as a possible flashpoint for a broader economic and markets shock comparable to the collapse of hedge fund Long-Term Capital Management in 1998 and even the financial crisis a decade later. Both events were preceded by sharp drops in gold.

The gold and commodities weakness is “signalling concerns about global growth,” said Mohamed El-Erian, the co-chief investment officer of PIMCO, which oversees US$2 trillion in assets. “Commodities have been sending the signal on growth for a while, and now even louder.”

And after the stampede out of gold earlier this week, investors yesterday dumped their holdings of US inflation bonds after a lousy auction. This kind of debt is seen as a way to protect against any rise in the inflation rate that might materialize in a more buoyant economy.

The post-crisis run-up in gold prices resulted in part from speculation triggered by the massive amounts of cash created by aggressive monetary policy.

It had been thought that the massive creation of credit would support a “re-inflation” of the world economy — but the recent pullback in gold, oil and copper — the latter two assets linked closely with global industrial growth — suggests that this may just not be happening.

The recent rush into the safety of US Treasuries — which has pushed yields close to four-month lows — is another sign that the global economy is far from humming.

Treasuries are often seen as a shelter when the economy is weak or unstable. The PIMCO Total Return Fund, which holds US$289 billion (RM867 billion) in assets and overseen by Bill Gross, increased its exposure to Treasuries and Treasury-related securities to 33 per cent in March from 28 per cent the previous month.

Gross said on Twitter on Wednesday that “gold has started a levered market ‘sell-off.’ Buy Treasuries.”

Some are even talking about the possibility the United States could head back into recession, though this is a minority view.

“It’s not noise. There are fundamental consequences,” said Komal Sri-Kumar, president of Sri-Kumar Global Strategies and and a portfolio manager of the TCW Comprehensive Asset Allocation Strategy fund.

The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday dialled back its forecast on global economic growth in 2013 to 3.3 per cent from its earlier projection of 3.5 per cent. That is little changed from the 3.2 per cent in 2012.

Concerns about slowing growth are also resonating within the Federal Reserve. Several Fed officials expressed worry about disinflation, including the more centrist James Bullard, St Louis Fed president, who said on Wednesday that “if inflation continues to go down, I would be willing to increase the pace” of stimulus.

“The stars are lining up” for a significant dip in US growth in the second half of the year, possibly even a double-dip recession by 2014, Sri-Kumar said.

It all raises questions about the effectiveness of the huge cash stimulus pumped into the world economy by the Fed, the Bank of Japan, and other major central banks.

With governments strapped for cash, the central banks have taken on a lot of the burden of getting the world economy back on a growth path after the devastation inflicted by the financial crisis.

If the impact of those measures, such as the Fed buying massive amounts of government and mortgage debt, starts to show diminishing returns it could be a huge concern for investors in any riskier assets.

The downdraft in gold prices coincided with mounting evidence of a slowing of the rate of price increases.

On Tuesday, the US Labour Department said US consumer prices have increased by 1.5 per cent over the past 12 months, the slowest rate of increase since July 2012.

Bank of America-Merrill Lynch recently warned that gold — which was trading at US$1,392 an ounce late yesterday — could fall to US$1,200 before stabilizing, citing “fears of disinflation combined with news of potential central bank gold selling.”

The sell-off in gold, together with weak economic data, knocked investors’ long-term inflation expectations to their lowest levels since late last summer.

The yield gap between 10-year Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities and regular 10-year Treasury notes — used to gauge investors’ outlook on inflation — 2.27 percentage points yesterday, the lowest since early September prior to the Fed’s announcement of its third round of large-scale bond purchases, known as QE3.

This 10-year inflation “break-even” rate, which the Fed monitors, was as high as 2.61 points in late January.

Meanwhile, three-month copper futures are down 12 per cent this year, falling below US$7,000 per tonne on the London Metal Exchange for the first time since October 2011.

Copper’s importance as a use in industrial and housing applications — from autos to water pipes — has made it a key barometer of demand.

Some, however, believe the dramatic wind-down of the severe inflation of assets in the previous decade remains incomplete — making the declines in gold and other metals less disconcerting.

“Because the global economy is on the downside of a global credit bubble, it seems unreasonable to expect abnormal inflation,” said Richard Bernstein, a long-time strategist who heads his own namesake investment advisory firm in New York.

In addition, gold has arguably been in line for a correction. Its price had risen for 12 straight years, and had gained 52 per cent in the last three years, the kind of gains seen notably in technology stocks in the late 1990s.

“Even at these levels, gold is still not attractive. The odds favour the bull market being over,” said Jim McDonald, chief investment strategist at Chicago-based Northern Trust Global Investments, which in early March told clients to stop allocating a position to gold.

As the outlook on inflation has diminished, investors have cut back on their gold exposure.

US funds that invest in precious metals suffered a record one-week outflow of US$2.7 billion in the week ended April 17, according to Lipper, a unit of Thomson Reuters, of which US$2.2 billion came from the SPDRs Gold Shares ETF.

The GLD is one of the largest exchange-traded funds with US$50.8 billion in assets, but it has seen its assets dwindle by one-third since October 2012, Lipper said.

The stampede out of gold has tapered off, and it has pulled back more than 5 per cent from a two-year low of US$1,321 an ounce hit earlier this week, leading to some hopes the declines are the result of a much-needed correction in the metal. Still, investors are very wary of another plunge.

“If we see this kind of liquidation again, the equity market will follow. Then we’ll have a real problem,” said Frank Cholly, Jr., senior commodities broker at R.J. O’Brien and Associates in Chicago. — Reuters

Slump in gold price releases years of pent-up retail demand

SINGAPORE, April 19 — Gold retailers struggled to cope this week as parents buying dowries, casual shoppers and tourists snapped up bars, coins, nuggets and jewellery as a slump in the price of the yellow metal released years of pent-up retail demand.

Source from (The Malaysian Insider): http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/business/article/slump-in-gold-price-releases-years-of-pent-up-retail-demand/
Published: April 21, 2013

The price decline in the past week, the steepest in 30 years, has tarnished gold’s appeal for the portfolio investors whose money had fuelled a 12-year bull run. As investors rush out, consumers that were priced out of the market for years have rushed in.

“It’s just like the sales after Christmas,” said Nigel Moffatt, treasurer at Perth Mint, which refines between 300 and 400 tonnes of precious metals each year at what it says is the largest facility in the southern hemisphere.

“Anything you could buy US$200 (RM600) cheaper today than you could last week becomes fairly tempting. It is surprising how such enormous liquidation brings such enormous interest at the other end from small investors. What we keep in terms of retail stocks, yes, they are being depleted fairly quickly. As usual, it appears that China is leading the charge.”

India is the world’s top gold consumer, accounting for 20 per cent of global demand. The fall in prices is well-timed for consumers there, coming during the wedding season and ahead of the festival of Akshaya Tritiya, which falls next month and during which gold buying is traditional.

“My sales are 50 per cent more than last year ... and we expect good business to continue as weddings will last till July,” said Kumar Jain at his shop in Zaveri Bazaar, India’s biggest gold market, in Mumbai.

Jewellery is traditionally part of dowries in India, where parents give gold to their daughters at weddings.

“We got to know from a news channel that prices are down, so we came to buy a gift for our nephew, who is getting married... I even think this is once in a lifetime opportunity,” said 41-year old Rajesh Mehta, who bought 22 grams of gold in two chains worth more than 50,000 Indian rupees (RM2,790).

Banks have hiked premiums for gold bars in India to US$1.75 to US$2.25 an ounce above spot London prices, up from US$1.25 to US$1.50 last month. One wholesaler said demand was so strong that the wait for gold bar deliveries was 10 days instead of one or two.

Gold bar premiums reflect the strength of retail demand and have rallied to multi-month highs across Asia this week as sellers in the region and their suppliers in Europe strained to keep up.

In Hong Kong, the source of much of the gold imported by the world’s second-largest consuming country China, premiums jumped to a 15-month high at US$2 an ounce over the spot London prices.

Suppliers are struggling to cope with demand.

“We are completely sold out for the next few weeks and if you want to buy now the earliest delivery would be in two weeks’ time,” said Bernard Sin, senior vice president at MKS Capital, a Swiss-based precious metals company which runs one of the biggest gold refineries in Switzerland and supplies Asia.

“Demand is incredibly high in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore.”

Retail demand in Europe and the United States has also picked up. Britain’s Royal Mint has boosted output for gold coins.

“Since the dip in the price of gold we have seen increased demand for our gold bullion coins from the major coin markets,” said Shane Bissett, the Royal Mint’s director of bullion and commemorative coins.

“The Royal Mint ... is increasing production to accommodate the higher demand.”

In the United States, sales of American Eagle gold for two days this week topped the volumes for the whole of March.

At the Sydney showroom of ABC Gold Bullion, Australia’s largest independent bullion trader, the queue was around 30 deep early today.

The company has had to hire temporary staff to help deal with the flood of interest, phone and walk-in sales, said Jordan Eliseo, chief economist at ABC Bullion.

“When they see the gold price drop this low, they don’t see ‘collapse’, they see ‘bargain’ and move in to buy heavily,” Eliseo said. – Reuters

'Gold will rally as much as 27pc by Dec'

MUMBAI: Gold will rebound from its two-year low and rally as much as 27 per cent by December as scepticism over the global recovery increases demand, according to billionaire Indian jeweller T.S. Kalyanaraman.

Source from (Business Times): http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/indjew/Article/
Published: April 21, 2013

Bullion, which lost 15 per cent this year as it plunged into a bear market, will advance to US$1,800 (RM5,472) an ounce, said Kalyanaraman, chairman of Kalyan Jewellers.

The metal hasn't traded at that level since November 2011. Gold slumped by the most since April 15 1983, prompting shoppers in India, the world's biggest consumer, to advance plans to buy wedding jewellery, while retail sales tripled in China.

Europe's debt concerns and a weaker dollar may reignite demand for gold among investors, according to Dominic Schnider, head of commodities research at UBS AG's wealth-management unit.

"Investors, specially fund managers, will start collecting gold since they have got an excellent price range to move their funds," said Kalyanaraman, whose closely-held Thrissur, Kerala-based Kalyan Jewellers is valued at US$1 billion.

"The domestic market has picked up strongly."

Gold, which rallied as much as 2.6 per cent to US$1,426.05 an ounce yesterday, may climb to US$1,550 within six months on physical and investment demand, said Mark Pervan, global head of commodity strategy at Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd, yesterday.

Still, Barclays plc said bullion may be among the weakest commodity performers over the next few years.

A rush by Indian consumers to buy gold jewellery and coins after the slump will boost imports this quarter, said Mohit Kamboj, president of the Bombay Bullion Association Ltd, on Thursday.

India's overseas purchases may jump 36 per cent to 305 tonnes in the three months ending June from 225 tonnes a year earlier, Kamboj said.

Imports may climb as much as 20 per cent this month from year earlier, he said.

But producers face closing mines or shutting themselves down after the slump made about 15 per cent of miners unprofitable.

Barrick Gold Corp and Newmont Mining Corp, the two largest producers, are among companies in the FTSE Gold Mines Index that have collectively lost about US$169 billion in market value since bullion peaked in 2011. Bloomberg

Friday, April 19, 2013

Gold wipes out $560 billion from central banks’ reserves

Investors are dumping gold funds at the fastest pace in two years in favour of equities, compounding a slump that has wiped $560 billion from the value of central bank reserves.

Source from (Khaleej Times): http://www.khaleejtimes.com/biz/inside.asp?xfile=/data/market/2013/April/market_April57.xml&section=market
Published: April 19, 2013


Gold bars are seen at the Czech National Bank in Prague. Gold 
funds have suffered net outflows of $11.2 billion so far this year. 
— Reuters

Exchange-traded products linked to gold dropped $37.2 billion in 2013 as the metal reached a two-year low on Tuesday. Gold funds suffered net outflows of $11.2 billion this year through April 10, the most since 2011, while global and US equity funds had net inflows of $21.25 billion, according to Cambridge, Massachusetts-based EPFR Global.

Central banks are among the biggest losers because they own 31,694.8 metric tonnes, or 19 per cent of all the gold mined, according to the World Gold Council in London. After rallying for 12 straight years, the metal has tumbled 28 per cent from its September 2011 record of $1,923.70 an ounce. Growing economies and corporate profits, along with slowing inflation, boosted global equities by $2.28 trillion this year at the expense of the traditional store of value, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

“There’s a perception that risk has been lessened, and with that, investors are looking for assets that either generate income or have growth potential, neither of which gold has,” Anthony Valeri, a market strategist with LPL Financial Corp in San Diego, which oversees $350 billion. “We’ve seen a grab for yield, and without a yield, gold has been left out.”

Gold advances as plunge lures buyers
Gold advanced for a second day in London on speculation that the biggest slump in three decades will spur increased purchases from investors and consumers. Futures declined in New York.
Bullion has lost 17 per cent in 2013 after rising sixfold in a 12-year rally through last year. The metal slipped into a bear market on April 12 on speculation central banks in Europe may sell holdings to raise funds. The 14 per cent plunge in the two days through April 15 was the most since February 1983.
Gold for immediate delivery gained as much as 1.3 per cent to $1,386.25 an ounce and was at $1,383.47 at 11:47am in London. Prices touched $1,321.95 on Tuesday, the lowest since January 2011.
Bullion for June delivery was 0.4 per cent lower at $1,382.50 on the Comex in New York. Futures trading volume was 57 per cent above the average in the past 100 days for this time of day, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
 Gold held in exchange-traded products decreased for an 11th day to 2,377.8 metric tonnes on Tuesday, the least since June, data show. — Bloomberg
Gold futures in New York slumped 17 per cent this year through Tuesday, the worst start since 1981, after a 9.3 per cent drop on April 15 that capped the biggest two-day decline since January 1980. The metal tumbled into a bear market on April 12, losing more than 20 per cent since the record close in August 2011, the common definition of bear market.

Bullion lost ground as the US recovery gained momentum, the dollar rose and Federal Reserve policy makers signalled they may scale back on stimulus, curbing demand for gold as a haven. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. said April 10 that the turn in the gold cycle was quickening and that investors should sell gold.

The metal’s appeal as a hedge against inflation has been eroded partly by the slowing rise in consumer prices even after five years of government stimulus. The cost of living in the US fell 0.2 per cent in March, the first drop in four months, as cheaper gasoline and clothing kept consumer prices in check, Labour Department data showed on Tuesday. Inflation expectations as measured by the break-even rate for five-year Treasury Inflation Protected Securities reached the lowest since January 2.

At the same time, the S&P 500 has more than doubled from its 12-year low in 2009, helped by the Federal Reserve’s unprecedented bond purchases, record-low interest rates and three straight years of profit growth.

“The equity trade is looking attractive because the fundamentals in the US economy continue to improve,” John Stephenson, a senior vice president and portfolio manager who helps oversee C$2.8 billion ($2.74 billion) at First Asset Investment Management Inc. in Toronto, said in a telephone interview. “It’s been a great 12-year run, but there’s increasingly less reason to be in gold.”

Gold, which typically doesn’t pay interest or generate profits on its own, has traditionally become more popular when investors are concerned that values of other assets will be eroded by inflation.

“If you think about the intrinsic value of gold, there’s not a lot,” Guy Debelle, assistant governor at Australia’s central bank, which owns 79.9 tonnes, said at a business lunch in Canberra on April 16.

“Gold often has a high price because people believe that other people believe that it’s worth a lot. When you describe other markets like that, the word ‘bubble’ gets thrown about.”

Gold investors stunned by biggest two-day price drop in 30 years

Most experts failed to see the collapse coming. A Reuters poll in January of 37 banking analysts and consultants forecast another year or two of average record highs for gold, after 12 years of unbroken annual average gains from a spot low of around $250 per ounce.

Source from (Independece.Ie): http://www.independent.ie/business/gold-investors-stunned-by-biggest-twoday-price-drop-in-30-years-29203949.html
Published: April 19, 2013


Even the most fierce gold bulls must be feeling sheepish 
after bullion tumbled its most in 30 years, raising questions about 
gold's value as part of an investor portfolio.

A long list of banks forecast gold would average more than $1,800 per ounce, up from $1,668 in 2012. They included ANZ, BNP Paribas, Bank of America/Merrill Lynch, Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank, Macquarie, Morgan Stanley, Standard Chartered and Goldman Sachs. Only one, National Australia Bank, predictedbelow $1,600.

And even though banks had started back-pedalling on those forecasts, most still favoured the fundamental case for holding gold as an alternative currency and hedge against inflation.

And then came Cyprus.

An assessment of Cypriot financing needs prepared by the European Commission showed on April 10 that the troubled island would need to sell excess gold reserves to raise around 400 million euros to help finance part of its bailout.

On the same day, minutes from the March 19-20 U.S. Federal Reserve meeting showed officials appeared on course to end their extraordinary bond-buying stimulus by year-end, which in turn would relax inflationary pressure.

Gold fell 1.6 percent, but appeared to stabilise the following day before plummeting around 5.2 percent and 8.4 percent on Friday and Monday, respectively, as selling triggered more selling - the biggest two-day move in 30 years.

Having cratered to $1,321/oz on Tuesday, bullion was priced near $1,380 on Wednesday, having started Friday above $1,560.

Investors in gold-backed exchange-traded funds in particular have exited in hordes.

"I don't think anyone thought we'd see the enormous move and volume of selling that we did see. It's done a great deal of damage to investors' confidence," said Sean Corrigan, chief investment strategist at Diapason Commodities Management in Switzerland.

Growth fears weigh on Asian shares; gold tumbles

TOKYO, April 18 — Concerns over global growth and weak demand pulled down Asian shares and commodities today, while gold slid as money continued to flow out of gold-backed exchange-traded funds. European stock markets were seen rebounding after hitting a 2013 low overnight, with financial spreadbetters predicting London’s FTSE 100, Paris’s CAC-40 and Frankfurt’s DAX to open up as much as 0.5 per cent.

Source from (The Malaysian Insider): http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/business/article/asian-shares-track-us-stocks-lower-on-growth-worries/
Published: April 19, 2013

US stock futures were little changed, suggesting a calm Wall Street open after both the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index and the Nasdaq Composite Index closed down more than 1 per cent overnight.

Recent data from China and the United States fell short of market expectations and triggered this week’s selling across markets. Some investors saw this as a timely liquidation of one-sided positions built over the past several months, when optimism over the US economic outlook boosted US stocks to record peaks and lifted European shares to multi-year highs.

The MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.7 per cent, with its materials sector taking the hardest hit with a 2.4 per cent slump as precious and base metals prices slid.

Japan’s Nikkei average declined 0.9 per cent.

Worries that slowing global growth will dent demand for raw materials hurt sentiment in resources-reliant Australian shares, whose 1.2 per cent fall was the biggest among regional bourses.

Worries that slowing global growth will dent demand for raw materials battered shares in resources-reliant Australia, with the index off 1.5 per cent, the biggest fall among regional bourses.

“Markets are gradually realizing that the long-term commodity boom, or super-cycle as some people call it, that started around the turn of the century is now over,” said Shane Oliver, head of investment strategy at AMP Capital Investors, of Australian stocks.

South Korean shares fell 0.9 per cent, weighed down by weakness in US stocks on disappointing corporate earnings reports.

Copper, seen as a gauge for manufacturing and China-related growth, extended its losses, with London copper sliding as much as 4 per cent to US$6,800 (RM21,000) a tonne.

Oil prices tumbled for a seventh straight session, with Brent crude futures staying below US$98 a barrel, a level breached for the first time since July yesterday on concern about global oil demand.

US crude fell 0.2 per cent to US$86.55 after dipping below US$86 earlier to a fresh four-month low.

“We’re just seeing an ongoing adjustment to the weaker data seen earlier in the week ... what we’re seeing is a price adjustment to an emerging outlook that supply is increasing,” Ric Spooner, chief market analyst at CMC Markets in Sydney.

Spot gold shed as much as 2.7 per cent to a low of US$1,339.86 an ounce today and last traded down 0.7 per cent at US$1,367.30. Bullion touched its lowest in more than two years of US$1,321.35 on Tuesday.

US gold futures slid as much as 3.4 per cent to a low of US$1,335.60 an ounce today as holdings on SPDR Gold Trust, the world’s largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, slipped to their lowest level since April 2010.

“Gold’s downtrend largely reflects changing preconditions that supported buying of bullion, and selling momentum is picking up as various bearish factors resonate with one another,” said Koichiro Kamei, managing director at financial research firm Market Strategy Institute.

Kamei cited the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book survey of economic activity, which allowed for the possibility the US central bank would scale back its bond-buying stimulus later in the year. The survey yesterday showed the US economy posted moderate growth between late February and early April.

“The gold-supportive macro environment is changing. Also, despite ample central bank fund injections, few signs are emerging of heightening inflationary pressures globally,” Kamei said. “On top of that, investors may have run out of patience with reports of the central bank of Cyprus selling gold and ETF outflows pushing prices lower.”

Data from Tokyo showed a small rise in Japanese exports, improving business confidence and surging investment flows, demonstrating early successes for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s radical pro-growth strategy. But firms have yet to see signs of a sustained boost to economic activity.

But Tokyo’s weekly capital flows data underscored a persistent gap between how domestic and foreign investors perceive Japan’s growth outlook.

Buying of Japanese equities last week by foreign investors hit its highest since the finance ministry began collecting the numbers in 2005. The data also confirmed Japanese investors have yet to actively seek returns from overseas assets despite falling domestic yields, as they sold foreign bonds last week.

The dollar steadied around 98.09 yen after touching a low of 95.67 yen on Tuesday, and the euro also held steady around 127.97 yen, above Tuesday’s low of 125 yen.

Traders said the dollar may stagnate just below the symbolic 100 yen mark, but it will gain over the longer term due to a firmer economy and the much higher probability that the US will end its super-easy monetary policy well before Japan does.

“Real money and leveraged (players) are still looking for a higher dollar/yen,” said Adam Gilmour, head of FX and derivatives sales for Asia Pacific at Citi in Singapore.

Traders will watch this weekend’s Group of 20 meeting in Washington for any critical remarks over the yen’s continued weak trend. — Reuters

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Maybank supports micro sales

BUDDING entrepreneurs who cannot afford the startup cost to offer conventional online payment systems like credit cards now have another option — the Maybank2u Pay service. The service was launched yesterday by Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank) and there is no need for no upfront deposits — making it a boon for small businesses.

Source from (The Malay Mail): http://www.mmail.com.my/story/maybank-supports-micro-sales-53663
Published: April 18, 2013

“Most blog shops are too small to be registered as payee corporations,” noted chief executive officer Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar.

“Buyers need only click on the Maybank2u Pay icon on the seller’s blog shop and the customer will be directed to the Maybank2u Pay window, where they will then need to log in to their Maybank2u account and make the payment.”

He said blog shop owners can join the service for free up till next year, but transaction fees will apply. “In most cases, we use online fund transfers as a mode of payment from buyers to sellers”.

This facility will also eliminate the problems of online transactions as the service does not require the buyer to send proof of payment to blog shop owners.

He explained that Maybank2u Pay service offers online store owners the ability to manage their transactions with details that include date, time, buyer’s name, email and the payment amount.

“This year, we aim to cover at least 5% of the active 3,000 local blog shops and register transaction value totalling RM5 million. So far, we have 20 blog shops registered under Maybank2u Pay.

“Until May 31,blog shop owners can enjoy cash prizes when they sign up to the new service with the chance to be featured free in the Maybank2u website.”

Abdul Wahid said Maybank aims to attract 30% customer base using this service, with expected transaction value of RM105 million in five years.

With an estimated 50% current online market share among locals, Maybank now has 2.3 million active online banking customers — who performed more than 2.5 million transactions worth RM675 million last year — and some 6.5 million registered users.

Wahid noted that 1.1 million Malaysians spend RM1.8 billion for online shopping in 2010 alone and the figure is expected to grow to RM5 billion next year.

“Currently, we are focusing our online transaction business in Malaysia but we will soon venture into Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines next year. Besides expanding throughout the region, we would also want to target other market in stages.”

Seramai 106,947 Peserta Beroleh Manfaat Program 1Azam

PUCHONG, 17 April (Bernama) -- Seramai 106,947 peserta terdiri daripada mereka yang berpendapatan rendah di seluruh negara, beroleh manfaat program Teman Akhiri Zaman Miskin (1Azam) sejak 1 Jan 2012 hingga 2 Jan tahun ini, menurut Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat (KPWKM).

Source from (Bernama): http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v7/bm/ge/newsgeneral.php?id=942972
Published: April 18, 2013

KPWKM dalam satu kenyataan hari ini berkata antara projek yang mendapat sambutan adalah jahitan, perniagaan kedai makanan dan kuih-muih.

Sementara itu, seramai 40 lagi peserta program 1Azam menerima barangan permulaan perniagaan pada Program KAR1SMA 2013 di Kompleks Rakan Muda Puchong, Selangor hari ini.

"Bantuan ini merupakan usaha kerajaan untuk membolehkan golongan itu hidup berdikari," kata kenyataan itu.

Selain itu, golongan berkenaan layak dipertimbang untuk pinjaman kewangan melalui skim pinjaman mikro daripada Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM), yang juga merupakan rakan kongsi pintar kementerian dalam Program Azam Niaga, dan Azam Khidmat untuk memajukan perniagaan.

Melalui bantuan Azam Niaga, peserta dilatih serta dibimbing menerusi pendekatan sosioekonomi dan inovatif bagi memilih bidang yang mereka minat dan mahir berdasarkan potensi individu.

-- BERNAMA 

Mydin To Open 2 SAM Grocery Stores This Year

KUALA LUMPUR, April 17 (Bernama) -- Homegrown wholesale and retail giant Mydin Mohamed Holdings is investing about RM34 million to set up two SAM (Saya Anak Malaysia) grocery stores in Penang and KL Sentral this year.

Source from (Bernama): http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v7/bu/newsbusiness.php?id=942698
Published: April 18, 2013

Source from (The Malaysian Insider): http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/business/article/mydin-to-open-two-sam-grocery-stores-this-year/
Published: April 18, 2013



Managing Director, Datuk Ameer Ali Mydin (picture), said the RM17 million investment for each store comprises RM12 million for capital expenditure and RM5 million for stocks.

“We expect each store to contribute about RM13 million to the company’s annual group revenue,” he told Bernama, adding the company is eyeing to expand into Johor but with careful and strategic planning.

Ameer Ali said last year the company recorded a total turnover of RM2.1 billion, and this year targets RM2.5 billion with the opening of four new hypermarkets with a total allocation of RM500 million.

“We opened a hypermarket in Jasin last month while the other three outlets will be located in Seremban, Kuala Terengganu and Semenyih.

“The hypermarket in Seremban 2 will be completed by October and the other two — in Kuala Terengganu and Semenyih — are expected to be completed by year-end,” he said.

Mydin is also investing about RM160 million for two hypermarkets in Sarawak — in Bandar Baru Samariang and Isthmus — set to be operational by the second half of 2014, and plans to open another, bigger hypermarket at Vista Tunku in Kuching by 2015.

Mydin manages over 200,000 unique items and processes millions of transactions daily, Ameer Ali said.

“The key challenge is to gain insights into these huge volumes of transactions. The company needs to track the exact products and volumes of goods going in and out of the company.

“All the imported goods will go to our retail warehouse at Vista Tunku and will be distributed to all Mydin outlets throughout Sarawak,” he added.

Mydin has grown to be the largest local Bumiputera retailer and wholesaler since 1957 with 189 branches nationwide, expanding at a rate of three to four hypermarkets annually. — Bernama