MO R N I N G C O F F E E Friday, April 20, 2012

U.S. and European market roundup
Stocks fell for a second day on Thursday as labor market data showed more signs of weakness, while a warning from Qualcomm and poor results from Stanley Black & Decker also discouraged investors. Also contributed to the day's losses, as did renewed concerns about Europe's finances. DJIA fell 0.53 %, S&P 500 dropped 0.59%. - Reuters

NYMEX crude for May, which expires at the end of Friday, down 40 cents to $102.72 a barrel. As lingering concerns over a disruption to Iranian oil exports and a weaker dollar offset pressure from extra Saudi supplies and weak U.S. economic data.

European stocks fell for a second day as reports showed that sales of previously owned houses dropped and more Americans than forecast filed claims for unemployment benefits. France's CAC 40 declined 2.1% and Germany's DAX declined 0.9% and U.K.'s FTSE 100 lost less than 0.1%. - Bloomberg

Macro News
Asia's growth picking up. Respondents in a quarterly survey of over 250 economists refrained from slashing growth forecasts for the first time in a year, a sign that the outlook for Asia is certainly upbeat even though it may be too early to celebrate. Asia's largest economy is expected to grow at an annual 8.4% this year and 8.6% in 2013. - StarBiz

MSA: Slower adex growth seen this year. Advertising expenditure (adex) is expected to grow 8% to 10% this year, according to the Media Specialists Association (MSA). Last year, adex rose 12% to RM10.8bil, with newspapers retaining the lion's share at 40.5%.- StrBiz

Corporate News
Bursa posts flat first-quarter earnings on lower revenue .Net profit for the first quarter ended March 31, 2012 (FY12) was flat at RM40.79mil, compared with RM40.49mil in the previous corresponding period. -StrBiz

Warisan unit eyes 8% share in heavy trucks. Angka- Tan Motor Sdn Bhd (ATMSB), a wholly owned subsidiary of Warisan TC Holdings Bhd, expects to garner about 8% market share of the local heavy-duty trucks segment with the Malaysian launch of the AUMAN Heavy Duty Trucks. ' StrBiz

Sabah Development Corridor gets RM107bil. The total cumulative committed investment in the Sabah Development Corridor (SDC) has reached RM107bil as at the end of the first quarter of this year, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman. 'StrBiz

Silver lining for steel players. Boston Consultancy Group (BCG) has been appointed as the ministry's consultant to undertake a comprehensive study on the entire local steel sector. The study is scheduled for completion in June. 'StrBiz

Hua Yang banks on affordability factor in latest project. The company expected its Taman Pulai Hijauan project to receive good response from the public. Four-bedroom and three-bathroom house within a gated precinct has a built-up area of area of 170.34 sq m (1,834 sq ft) and is priced from RM250,000. -StrBiz

Media Prima seeks M&A opportunities in related sector. Currently, about 95% of Media Prima's revenue is generated from Malaysian operations. It intends to increase overseas contribution via distribution of content. Concurrently, 95% of its revenue is derived from advertisements. -StrBiz

Source:Jupiter Securities Research 20 April 2012