During the day CIMB took the research note from their website:


And later Vivocom announced their 3rd quarter results, very similar (but not exactly the same) as the numbers from CIMB. Probably CIMB used some preliminary numbers in their research report.

Bursa just today announced that it reprimanded SKP Resources and fined 3 executive directors.


SKP had verbally disclosed the Contract including the contract value [RM 400 Million worth] to 2 research houses on 7 May 2015 without making an announcement of the same to Bursa Securities immediately thereafter.


Of interest for the Vivocom case is the following (emphasis mine):


..... a listed issuer must ensure that no disclosure of material information is made on an individual or selective basis to analysts, shareholders, journalists or other persons unless such information has previously been fully disclosed and disseminated to the public (i.e. to Bursa Malaysia Securities pursuant to paragraph 9.08(5) of the Main LR).


In other words, it appears that Vivocom clearly breached the listing rules in a similar way as SKP by selectively disclosing (preliminary) quarterly results to CIMB.

Apart from that, there is the ethical issue, surely CIMB, being professionals in this business, must have know that Vivocom was breaching the listing rules.

And lastly there is the question if Vivocom and CIMB were much too close for comfort, as witnessed by the many postive research reports from CIMB, the high target price and the above breach of the rules.