Saturday, 18 June 2016 Eye on stock; Malaysian Bulk Carriers
MALAYSIAN Bulk Carriers Bhd (Maybulk, code: 5077) rebounded from an all-time low of 51 sen on March 1 to set a new high for this year at RM1 on April 7 in the wake of renewed bargain-hunting interest before slipping back into correction mode owing to apparent profit-taking activity.
This stock was traded at 81.5 sen, up two sen, yesterday.
Based on the daily chart, Maybulk shares remained in consolidation mode, but they have fairly good potential to come out of the present condition, with trading volumes expanding positively the past couple of days, indicating investors may be making a return to this counter.
A clear breakout of the two-year-old bearish descending line, resting on the 87-sen level will signal a bullish turnaround. If that happens, prices are expected to firm towards the 93-93.5 sen band in the immediate term.
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The next objective would be to challenge this year’s peak of RM1 mark, of which another decisive breakthrough would further confirm that Maybulk is indeed on the mending path going forward.
Elsewhere, the oscillator per cent K and the oscillator per cent D of the daily slow-stochastic momentum index were on the rise after triggering a short-term buy near the mid-range in mid-week.
The past week saw the 14-day relative strength index rising from a reading of 43 on Tuesday to close at the 60 points level yesterday.
In addition, the daily moving average convergence/divergence histogram advanced steadily towards the zero threshold, in tandem with the daily signal line to keep the bullish note. It had issued a buy call on June 7.
Technically, indicators are painting a pretty encouraging pictogram, suggesting a positive breakout may be on the cards.
The immediate support is anticipated at the 100-day simple moving average of 73 sen.
An additional floor is pegged at the most recent lows of 67.5 sen. - K.M. Lee
After spending a few weeks under downside pressure, sparking the sentiment that the best was already over, the Baltic Dry Index has staged a surprising recovery and is now trading well above 600 points. On Tuesday, June 28 2016, the Baltic Dry Index climbed by 11 points, reaching 627 points.
While prior weakness was attributed to a decline in capesize hire rates, a jump in panamax rates has encouraged the recent upside, although capesize rates are also seeing some strength after recent losses. On Tuesday, capesize hire rates increased by 0.66%, panamax hire rates advanced by 2.75%, while rates for the smaller vessels, the supramaxes also saw some upside.
Capesize rates are under pressure, as expected. Capesize ships transport primarily iron ore, and the iron ore market is entering its period of seasonal weakness. Iron ore demand increases in spring during China’s restocking period, and decreases in summer when building demand in China slows amid the hot summer. While capesize demand has steadied amid the rebound in the BDI since falling below 600 points, capesize demand is definitely not driving the BDI higher. Panamax demand is. Panamax ships transport coal, grains, and minor bulks including steel products, cement and fertilizers. We are currently in the midst of peak harvest season for many of the world’s major crops and this could be driving solid panamax demand and, in turn, prices. Another factor that has been supporting the panamax index as of late is surprising demand to transport coal cargoes along Pacific routes. Still, demand for the different ships has been volatile this month. In early June demand for panamaxes was seen as weak, while their was a late season bounce in capesize demand.
Malaysian Bulk Carriers Bhd (June 30, 86 sen) Maintain buy with an unchanged target price (TP) of RM1.04: The Baltic Dry Index (BDI), which measures charter rates across dry bulk ship sizes and routes, has been maintained above 600 for the majority of the second quarter of financial year 2016 (2QFY16) (last closing as of Wednesday was 640), above its low of 290 recorded on Feb 10, 2016. Translated into one-year time charter rates of US$4,700 (RM18,894)/day, US$5,800/day and US$6,400/day for Handysize, Supramax and Panamax vessels, which Malaysian Bulk Carriers Bhd (Maybulk) operates, the rates are still below our estimated average fleet break-even cost of US$7,500/day for Maybulk. However, we believe losses could have bottomed for the dry bulk segment in 1QFY16, while associate PACC Offshore Services Ltd (Posh) could spring some positive surprises.
A repeat of the mini rally that took place in June to August 2015, when the BDI rose sharply from 589 to 1,222, and fizzled out is unlikely to transpire. However, we are not disheartened as we believe the prospect of a sustained recovery is more important for the company in the long run.
China’s average monthly iron ore import volume has grown at a pace of +4% year-on-year (y-o-y) at 82.5 million tonnes per month in 2016, double the growth rate registered in 2015 of +2% y-o-y.
The growth in imports bodes well for dry bulk shippers as it increases demand for shipping tonnage. The positive growth comes amid concerns about China’s economy losing steam, coupled with capacity cuts in steel mills. Iron ore prices at the Port of Qingdao trading at US$54/tonne are also firmly above the low of US$38/tonne registered in December 2015.
Growth in coal imports is positive, despite the shift to cleaner energy, at +1.4% y-o-y for the average monthly imports in 2016, compared with 2015. This is a welcomed sight after a -30% y-o-y drop in average monthly import volume in 2015, compared with 2014. Similar to iron ore, a positive growth in the volume of coal imports in China augurs well for the dry bulk industry, especially considering China’s 0.13% decline in thermal energy generation. Meanwhile, thermal coal prices at China’s Qinhuangdao Port are currently at 394 yuan (RM237.54)/tonne after reaching a low of 345 yuan/tonne in November 2015, indicative of rising demand.
Maybulk has disposed of three vessels so far in 2016, with an average age of 13 years, namely Alam Budi Product Tanker (US$13 million), Alam Pesona Post Panamax (US$6.9 million) and Alam Murni Supramax (US$4.65 million). While second-hand vessel values are unlikely to revisit prior-year highs, they have certainly come off their lows. For example, the price of 10-year-old Panamax vessels bottomed at US$6.15 million in February 2016, but has since rebounded to US$7.9 million in June 2016, a swing of 28%.
Singapore-listed Posh has gained 24% year to date, riding on a recovery in crude oil prices and leveraging its young fleet, which is customised to fit the specifications required by customers. In 1QFY16, the contribution from its associate amounted to RM4 million, and we are expecting this to rise to a conservative RM5 million per quarter for the remaining quarters in 2016, based on its secured order book, which would cushion weakness from the dry bulk segment until time charter rates recover further.
Our TP of RM1.04 is based on a five-year average price-to-book (PB) ratio of 0.88 times. We believe the worst could be over for the dry bulk shipping sector and that valuations of Maybulk should revert to their five-year mean. In addition, Maybulk has taken steps to impair various items on its balance sheet, making PB valuation more reflective of current market prices and conditions. Meanwhile, dry bulk shipping overcapacity issues are set to ease with a forecast net capacity addition of +1.3%, versus a higher +2.4% growth in demand. This bodes well for Maybulk, the sole dry bulk shipper under our coverage. — MIDF Research, June 30
recent quarter apperencely drag by its associate company performance plus the bulk carrier rate at low side. Now the BDI stand stable above 700 which will provide buffer to turnaround the company performance. Base on the senerio expected the worst off
This book is the result of the author's many years of experience and observation throughout his 26 years in the stockbroking industry. It was written for general public to learn to invest based on facts and not on fantasies or hearsay....
HengLiang
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Posted by HengLiang > 2016-06-17 09:35 | Report Abuse
sell on first half....end of 2nd half baru buy back