Review & Outlook

Bursa Malaysia shares traded sideways on Thursday on negative market breadth, ignoring gains on Wall Street and key regional markets. The FBM KLCI slipped 1.12 points to close at 1,602.08, off an early low of 1,597.12 and high of 1,605.95, as losers beat gainers 548 to 466 on a higher turnover of 3.32bn shares worth RM2.53bn.

Local sentiment should be lifted ahead of the weekend, on optimism over an interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve next week after recent US inflation data fell within market expectations. Immediate index resistance remains at 1,628, next 1,648, followed by the September peak of 1,675. Immediate support stays at 1,588, the 38.2%FR of the 1,529 low (6 Aug) to 1,684 high (29 Aug) rally, with stronger key supports at 1,565, the 23.6%FR level, and then 1,550.

Duopharma should attract bargain hunters prior to recovery upside to the 50-day ma (RM1.29), with a confirmed breakout to aim for re-test of the 50%FR (RM1.34) and 61.8%FR (RM1.40), while retracement supports at the 23.6%FR (RM1.20) and RM1.15 cushion downside. Any further weakness on Pharmaniaga towards the 38.2%FR (33sen) would be attractive to bargain hunt for potential recovery towards the 61.8%FR (40sen) with next upside hurdles coming from the 76.4%FR (44sen) and 47sen ahead, while stronger support can be found at the 23.6%FR (28sen).

News Bites

• GDB Holdings Bhd, which specialises in high-rise construction projects, has bagged a RM298mn contract to build a logistics warehouse in Bandar Bukit Raja 2, Klang.

• Kitacon Bhd said that it has secured two building contracts worth a total of RM203.9mn.

• Paramount Corp Bhd is acquiring a 18,317 sq m leasehold land together with a residential development comprising 93 units of low-rise luxury condominiums in Taman U-Thant, Kuala Lumpur, for RM145mn cash.

• Uni Wall APS Holdings Bhd has inked two separate agreements with Menteri Besar Kedah Inc-owned investment company Permodalan Kedah Bhd to develop three university projects with a combined gross development value of RM2.3bn.

• Homeritz Corp Bhd reported a fire at one of its production facilities in Muar, Johor, and is evaluating the financial impact of the incident.

• Dataprep Holdings Bhd has proposed a share capital reduction to wipe out up to RM100mn of its accumulated losses, followed by a private placement involving up to 30% of its issued shares to raise RM30.2mn to fund project expenditures, raise working capital and repay its borrowings.

• Kerjaya Prospek Property Bhd will redeem the outstanding 1.7bn redeemable convertible preference shares issued in 2019 by the investment vehicle of its controlling shareholder, Datuk Tee Eng Seng, for RM292.1mn on Jan 9.

• Solarvest Holdings Bhd has entered into a MoU with Vista Contracting and Investment Global Pte Ltd, to explore collaboration opportunities in developing rooftop and utility-scale solar projects across Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan, and Cambodia.

• YTL Power International Bhd's artificial intelligence innovation unit, YTL AI Labs, has launched Ilmu 0.1, a Malaysian large language model, during the unveiling of the National AI Office by the Digital Ministry.

• Gamuda Bhd's 1QFY25 net profit climbed 5.3% to RM205.4mn from RM195.0mn in the same quarter last as revenue jumped on improved contributions from all segments.

• Bermaz Auto Bhd's 2QFY25 net profit fell 55% YoY to RM40.4mn from RM90.1mn, marking the third consecutive quarter of declining profitability due to intensified competition in the automotive market.

• Eco World Development Group Bhd posted a net profit of RM83.4mn for the 4QFY24, a big leap compared with RM3.3mn in the preceding financial year.

• China signalled more public borrowing and spending in 2025 with a shift of policy focus to consumption, stepping up stimulus to recharge growth ahead of looming US tariffs.

• The US producer price index for final demand climbed by 0.4% in November after rising by an upwardly revised 0.3% in October.

• The US will raise import tariffs on Chinese solar wafers, polysilicon and some tungsten products to 50% from the beginning of next year.

• Predicting that inflation will be back at its 2% target in early 2025 and growth will remain sluggish, the ECB lowered its deposit rate to 3% from 3.25%, in line with expectations, and changed its guidance, likely to be taken as a hint of further rate cuts.

Source: TA Research - 13 Dec 2024