Based on the Target Prices by the investment banks, it's obvious they think highly of MMC Corp. At least 3.00. Alliance - 4.95! There's potential, but it may not be prudent to jump in just yet.

THHeavy at 17 sen - had never thought it would be possible. But here it is, the stark reality. I'm still watching it every day though...for the day when the bottom is finally confirmed and it starts to retrace upwards. Very gloomy sentiment right now but I'd want to be in when the tide changes. This is one of the counter that offer the best bang for the buck when it comes to potential returns.

@TengkuFaisal Your comment helps to explain the falls in banking counters yesterday. Are banks being armtwisted to buy land there? Not impossible. The authorities might insinuate "there will be advantages for companies that are based in this location"...which also means "You will face various difficulties if you aren't".

I should come and check the AirAsia comments more often. A lot of entertainment here:-)

With quality counters like this, I'm going to step back and just let time do its work on the market. This isn't a speculative, contra play where you should keep a close eye. There's always the possibility Malakoff might go lower - 1.30, 1.20...1.00 even. But it will find its level and more again.

Remember IHH. Yes, totally different industry but there are also many similarities. These include "quality counter", "big capitalisation", "relatively immune to economic conditions". These are the counters that fund managers, local and especially foreign, go for. That's both good and bad - the latter as we are seeing now of what happens when they sell. But they will come again. Or other fund managers will buy when they realise the value. The conservative managers' main concern is this - preservation of capital at all times, and then the possibility of reasonable returns. Defensive, dividend-paying counters like Malakoff fit the bill. Especially at the current dividend yield.

The political uncertainties are a big drag, certainly. It's no longer a simple "BN versus Pakatan" but much more complicated. This is among the reasons why investors have pulled out capital from the stock market. But we have seen this before - of things turning the other way. When that happens, you'd want to have counters like Malakoff in your portfolio. One day in the not-too-far future, many will look back with the oft-repeated lament: "Malakoff was selling at such a low price. But I didn't buy when I had the chance..."

That was my same lament with IHH, SKPetro (when it was at 2.10 and then went well past 4.00). Don't know when the day for Malakoff will be, but it will come. There's merit to having some patience - to step back and just wait.

Can't do anything in a market like this where there's breadth in the decline. Most of the counters were affected. I'm disappointed Sendai had slipped this much, especially in the 0.88 support not holding. Will have to see how it goes tomorrow - Sendai needs to close above this, else that's the start of a correction. Bummer.

@hng33 So did I. Yeah, I know about the current depressed conditions and foreign funds selling. Then the possibility of getting arm-twisted by Najib and having to buy 1MDB assets at a premium. I'm also aware that, for technical analysts, one shouldn't be buying a downturn. Also, Malakoff is still new and doesn't have enough data yet to come up with more accurate resistance and support levels etc.

But regardless of the above, I decided to take a calculated risk. Malakoff is a counter I had coveted to own since months ago, after hearing about its planned re-listing. Power generation is a rather stable business, and this is the biggest IPP in Malaysia and Southeast Asia. For the shareholders, they'd want the majority shareholder to have clout and influence with the government to take care of common interest. The pricing of electricity and fuel especially.

It's always possible for Malakoff to see foreign selling pressure again tomorrow and in the near future. Which means the shares bought today will depreciate in value. Will feel disappointed, of course. But I'm mentally prepared - this isn't a contra trade but a genuine investment which I hope to keep, and possibly add to. There's also comfort in knowing that we had bought at a discount to the IPO price - 18% less. So, regardless of the price in the coming days, I'd say it was a good buy.

Right now everyone is pessimistic and nervous, and might scoff at this - 50% capital gain from Malakoff. Doesn't look likely right now but we have seen how the market would go the other direction. Often, we'd regret and kick ourselves for not buying a good counter when it was reasonably priced, and in having the patience to wait and just let things run their course.

Don't beat yourself up too much with previous decisions. It's always easy to focus on "should have" in retrospect, after the event. With me, it wasn't really savvy buying but just procrastination and indecisiveness. Ever since last month, I couldn't make a decision of what to buy and when. So I didn't. But I do have a couple of counters from two months ago. Both in the minus but not too much.

I'm trying to be disciplined and stick to Technical Analysis. The charts certainly don't recommend buying WCT now. But maybe just this once I'll use part of planned capital to buy nevertheless. It's too attractive to ignore.

Every day my fingers itch to Buy UMWOG. Okay, I'll admit it - the brand name is a very strong attraction, and I'm as biased and prejudiced as the next guy. But must use reason and consider the opinions here. @tonylim said the oil rig business is in the dumps right now due to depressed crude prices. So, better to stay at the sidelines for now and wait for the tide to change. Buying into strength is way better than trying to guess the bottom...and then having the capital stuck.

@nice1 Can't really say which are good. Or bad. As with my comment at Perisai just now - with the oil n gas counters, "Trend" is much more important than whether a company is good or bad. During the previous uptrend, we had seen prices of 'stupid' counters returning more than 100% in capital appreciation. Some even more...150, 200, 300%!

At the moment the trend is obvious. Attractive prices. But slowly slide. Maybe you can use 20% of the planned capital to buy some now. Just in case it suddenly shoots up and provides quick profit. If the slide continues, you still have 80% capital unaffected. Maybe it's better to just watch right now. If the tide changes, there is enough opportunity to jump in.

@blackul66 That's wise. I'm inclined to follow that plan too despite the temptation. 0.35 for Perisai!? Makes my fingers itchy, wanting to click the Buy button. Must force myself to refrain and just watch for now.

The O&G counters are still mostly on a downtrend. We don't know how long more it will be like this. I agree with the strategy to wait for a clear uptrend first instead of trying to guess the bottom. There will be less profit this way, but less risk of precious capital getting stuck.

Darn, minus 5 sen. Now what's the problem? Had read that piece in BizStar on Saturday and seriously wanted to buy at the start. But was hesitant when I saw the index. Fortune, as it turns out - can get it cheaper right now. Maybe buy just half of what I had intended earlier.

The winning suit in Dubai is good although we don't know when the payment can actually be collected. The REIT plan and listing is still many months in the future. But this will help with sentiment and interest. Since WCT pays dividends, that's some consolation which we hold and wait for a satisfying capital appreciation.

Went below 0.95 today but still some way from the critical support of 0.88. Holding up reasonably well considering the conditions. It's always a good thing when a counter comes off its lows and recovers its steps.

Considering the falls all over the board, AA seems to be holding up reasonably well. True, it has depreciated too, but not as hair-raising as the telcos, for instance. Or the politically connected construction counters including Gamuda, MMCorp, IJM etc. Maybe that shows AA is rid of sellers(?)... those who want to sell are already gone, and only the strong buyers remain.

As long as it doesn't slip below 0.95, the uptrend is still intact. It's always difficult for any counter to break past a major resistance, and stay there. In this case, 1.00. Based on the analyses, I believe Sendai has potential for more. But can't expect it to go up in a straight line.

The next quarter result will be very important. If it's encouraging, that will be the impetus for it to remain above 1.00. Would be good to have counters in our portfolio that benefit from a strong US$. Sendai is one of them.

Actually there is a lot of strength in the analysis whereby it is focused and centred on "the company". When it comes to share price movements, that's another aspect entirely. Especially when one's view is limited to daily and weekly. For this, one has to seek out "Technical Analysis".

It's not limited to Malakoff but also Tenaga, the telcos etc. Foreign funds have been selling, albeit in a controlled manner. Prices are more attractive now but it may not be prudent to go against the tide. Our local institutions can't hold up the market. Better to stay at the sidelines for now - especially when it comes to index-linked counters - and wait for the selling to complete first. During times like this, I believe retail investors will be turning their attention to penny counters.

0.96 for UEM-Sunrise! Surely this must be the bottom(?) Certainly tempting to think so when we compare it to the 'normal' range. But it may be prudent to wait a bit - at least until it's above the 20-day Moving Average.

Things are rather subdued, especially with the China developers creating oversupply with their huge projects. Then the problems within Umno. But watch this counter for signs of waking up. When it retraces the slide to a fairer valuation, I believe a 50% capital gain is a reasonable target.

A counter may be good but won't be immune when there are negative changes to its industry's environment. The sharp decline of crude oil prices certainly affects all segments of the O&G industry. The technical charts clearly show UMWOG has been on a downtrend since months ago. It will eventually find a bottom. It's tempting to think that's "now", especially when we see the difference between its previous `normal' range and what it is at the moment. But it's prudent to refrain from buying for the moment. Better to wait until it's above the 20-day Moving Average.

Hi, @tonylim. Yup, been some time since I was here. Am following the market again after selling out way too early... and then missed out on some great profits. Especially in the telcos and O&G counters. But at the same time, I wasn't around when the O&G counters started their steep decline. Who would have thought UMWOG, for instance, would ever be at this price!

When I see prices like this, my fingers start to itch, wanting to just click the Buy icon:-) Have to force myself to refrain and stick to the strategy. (1) Never try to guess the bottom (2) Only buy into strength, even if that means at a higher price. But it's very difficult to just see UMWOG at 1.29 and not buy...

A promising start earlier in today's session when AAX went to 0.22 for a 1-sen gain which is notable percentage-wise. Unfortunately, this early rally petered out. Contra players decided to quickly cut loss rather than wait, and AAX actually closed 0.05 lower than yesterday. Goes to show that there are MANY waiting to sell whenever there's any sort of rise. Contra players will be discouraged from jumping in next time due to this.

Have received the "Circular to Shareholders" of the four proposed matters of Par Value Reduction, Share Consolidation, Rights Issue with Warrants, and Proposed Diversification. There's also a new matter - its current auditor, STYL Associates had given notice on 20 July to resign. No reasons were given. So, a new auditor, Ecovis AHL has been proposed.

The EGM will be on 24 August. Considering that minority shareholders own only a small percentage of Amedia, all of these proposals are expected to be passed.

As I had mentioned previously, we have to be realistic when it comes to these public listed companies. It doesn't matter what we think - it's "percentage" of shares that will call the shots and decide on things. We don't decide on the destination and direction - we're in this for the ride ONLY.

No point thinking too much about these resolutions, and especially the oddity of a media company going into oil palm plantation! And starting from scratch too, not buying an already existing plantation. Well, whatever-lah. I'm taking a calculated risk here, buying Amedia at 0.025/0.03 and will subscribe to the rights. As with everything, "bottomline" is what matters most. We will only know whether this speculation works when the dust settles down after the rights exercise, and giving Amedia reasonable time after that.

On a downtrend, as with the other oil & gas counters. Might not be wise to go against the underlying trend despite the price attraction. But Dayang is worth watching. This is a crony company with connections to very powerful people. When O&G counters start to get into gear again, this is one of the counters that will pay off for the speculator.

Don't feel too bad about price movements like this. Especially over a period of just one week. It's practically impossible to get it to every time. Couldn't have used technical analysis for there isn't enough data for Suncon yet. If you had bought, that doesn't make you stupid. Not buying doesn't show that one is smart either - just lucky, as of this moment (subject to change quickly).

If you have Suncon, maybe it's better to just let things be for now. There were valid reasons as to why you had bought in the first place. If it's to try ride on an upswing upon listing...okay, that didn't happen (yet?). But if it's due to fundamental business reasons...nothing has changed.

By the way, based on observations over the year (including of my father, who was into KLSE since the 70s and only retired from it last year) - it's people who hold things over a reasonable period, who have the patience and holding power, who make money. Especially when the purchase prices weren't on the high end. Suncon may not be cheaply priced but it's reasonable enough. Only one week has passed - way too early to make any reasonable conclusion.

Just a guess but I don't think SunCon will get much lower than this. It's a dividend-paying company so at least there's the consolidation of getting some payment once in a while. The construction sector is still doing fine. If I'm an investor, this looks like a good company to place some of my money in.

The only issue is capital appreciation i.e. for the price to go up. Your guess is as good as mine. But I believe this will come not too long in the future. After the dust has settled. Remember IHH. True, different industries. Many had derided it too. But it eventually got into gear after some MONTHS and giving very satisfying gains for those who had patiently waited. SunCon has quality too.

Kota Damansara company has now become a penny stock.
Its major shareholders have better prop up the price before it becomes the new normal. After some time, investors will see and think of this as "below 1.00" and it becomes a very stiff resistance to overcome.

Go and play the China and HSI call and put warrants. Guarantee won't be boring. But punters may have trouble sleeping at night too :-)

Sunway Berhad shareholders had gotten free shares of SunCon...? That partly explains why the price can't go up. For these fellows, it doesn't matter what price - they'd sell and take the cash, especially when they see SunCon failing to create a bang on listing. Have to wait for them to sell and go away first. With them around, any sign of a price rebound will see immediate selling.

@tlbeng 10:09 I see your point there about MRCB. True, SunCon's financials are better than MRCB. For the investor, the former looks a better buy. But for the speculator, MRCB looks a better bet. Despite the downtrend from its 'normal' range of around 1.50.

We the small fish have to try tumpang the big guys. MRCB has political connections. Whether we like it or not is another matter, but it is among those companies that have an advantage when it comes to contracts and opportunities. Especially when the government/awarder can point to EPF being a major shareholder. The JV with George Kent - they stand a good chance. Potential for at least a 40% capital gain for the speculator when MRCB goes on an uptrend.

Who would have thought this current price is possible. UMW Oil & Gas - this name reflected strength a couple of years ago. Another classic lesson about cheap becoming cheaper.

This price looks extremely tempting, like a "Won't get this again in your lifetime!" Should be close to the capitulation point, that is the time where most people say "Enough!" and totally give up on the counter. That leaves only those who won't sell...and the start of it moving upwards to a fairer valuation. I'm not buying yet but will keep an eye on it. There's good potential for a 100% capital gain from this kind of counter.

@ique Saya pun dok cari kaunter nak menumpang, yang mungkin benefit dari rombakan kabinet. Tak jumpa la. Scomi - ini bukan connected dengan Khairy ke...?

Sendai - kesal sebab lambat bertindak. Masa dah confirmed uptrend, sepatutnya beli. Masa 0.70 dok rasa "dah banyak naik". Silap, sebab yang terpenting adalah momentum. Sudah terlepas peluang untuk profit 30% lebih kerana dok tengok "sudah naik 0.20".

Quarter results sememangnya penting. Tapi dari pemerhatian, technical charts lebih banyak membantu. Quarter, annual baik pun, tak semesti naik. Tapi apa benda punya kaunter yang quarter results habuk pun tarak, boleh melonjak!

A genuine investor would want to have this counter in his portfolio. Especially at the present price level. Asset-rich company, and the prime mover of Mutiara Damansara. But have to also take into account the comment by @Amit Khindriya above. Its dividends might be reduced due to the more challenging times. Palm oil prices especially.

4.00 seems to be very strong support. Of course, this is only so until it isn't. I'd love to put some money into this counter. It's not a counter that will result in extreme worry and heart attack for the investor. At the same time, expectations of capital gains have to be more reasonable. Boustead isn't likely to bring in 50%-plus profit over a year, like penny stocks and those lower-priced. But it should protect your money, plus bring in regular dividends.

@skyu Appreciate your frank and honest experience here. Including with trades that don't work (yet?). I'm doubtful of some people with their claims of big profits. All after the fact, that is claiming to have bought something only after it had gone up. Empty braggarts most likely.

@necro Your opinion makes a lot of sense. This IPO is actually to reward Jeffrey Cheah and Sunway Berhad. Not to say that SunCon isn't a good company. But have to be wary about buying right now - some people are just waiting to cash out by selling their huge lots. Selling at a tempting price but I'll wait for the dust to settle first. Might be like Malakoff - needs to clear those people wanting to sell first.

RHB-OSK... Ceased coverage of Sendai in early March. TP 0.67. The analyst saw bleak says for Sendai due to collapsed oil prices. Boy, did he get it wrong! Affin, on the other hand, had given a TP of 0.98 early in the year. These are the kinds of calls that decide on an analyst's credibility.

The recent correction has made the price more attractive. But I don't know whether it's too late for me to jump in for it has already added a lot percentage-wise over the past months. On the other hand, if one is into technical analysis, it's always better to buy something with momentum, even if it "has already gone up." As long as support levels are still intact, of course. Sendai's fundamentals also look good. Still possible to make 30% in profit if it breaks past 1.00 again.

Last quarter's EPS was 2.66 sen. So, IPO of 1.20 looks just about right. At the present price, downside risk looks low. For sure there's a support mechanism that will kick in to support it from going below 1.20. So, contra players are somewhat protected in the next few days. But the IPO price doesn't leave much on the table for speculators. Just like Malakoff.

SunCon looks like a reasonable counter to park one's money in since it's dividend-paying. But there is this political overhang right now. Foreign investors don't like uncertainties, and the construction industry is often influenced by political developments. I'm going to adopt a wait-and-see first.

By the way, the previous quarter's results were definitely okay considering the circumstances. A 1.5 EPS is quite decent for a penny stock. Especially one selling at 0.21 right now, and close to historical lows.

Thanks for the links, @hooi.
Scomi is down in the doldrums again when it comes to the share price. Wonder what the possible catalyst will be to push it up again.

Remember those good times of 2-3 years ago with news of the "IJM bailout"? Great opportunities for traders to make decent profits during that time. Now it's back to where it started... Is this the capitulation where those who want to sell are all gone...and only strong holders remain? I watch this counter regularly, looking for signs that it's waking up. A few false alarms so far :-) But I'll continue waiting.

Previous quarter wasn't too encouraging. Selling at a rather high PER. The only attraction is the proposed sale of some assets to FGV. And especially the 88 sen special dividend from this sale. The insiders who knew about this and had loaded up over the past few months are the main beneficiaries. Probably cashing out for the capital gains over the past few trading sessions judging from the price decline. Soon, this counter will be forgotten again.

But having said that, this is one counter I'd want to speculate on if the price gets low enough. The sale is expected to go through in early 2016. Potential for at least a 30% gain on capital here, in less than a year. The only risk is FGV deciding to abort. Not impossible considering the scrutiny over its proposed purchases. But as long as this counter remains above its support level, the risks to capital are acceptable.

@kitykat Cynical comment. LOL! But, as with many comments here, there is some truth based on previous record. These IB analysts - I'd read their analysis but would never bet the house on these actually materialising. Nothing against JCY - it was one of my favourite counters, and I believe it's getting in the spotlight again. You need the contra players to be more involved to help sustain the momentum. The past few weeks have been promising although it is now correcting. If it remains above the moving averages, there's a very good chance to make a few ringgit from JCY.

Oh, so the movement today is due to the dividend. A bonus to those who had bought earlier. This counter has been on a downturn and in a coma since more than 3 years ago. But it looks like having found a bottom at 0.36.

@400523 Sorry to hear about the losses. Yes, depressed conditions right now and the immediate future doesn't look too bright. But we have to look out for opportunities. If a slide looks very likely, we might as well try to benefit. The put warrants, for instance. At the same time, protecting capital and search for value. A depressed market is a very good opportunity for those with the capital and ability to wait things out.

However, I agree with the strategy of buying low regardless of how the doubts over the BoD and management's quality. FGV may go lower still but I believe the risk is minimal. The new buyer is certainly getting a much better price than those who had paid at 5.00, IPO 4.55, 3.00...

No matter what one thinks of this company, he can't deny that it has valuable assets. I believe the capitulation point has already been reached, i.e. the point where people say "I give up!" and sell. Those who want to sell - they have mostly done so.

The past few sessions, it had looked as if FGV was starting to claw it's way to a higher level. Have come down a bit. But the technical indicators at least look neutral, unlike previously with red flags everywhere. For the speculator looking for capital gains, FGV has potential. It's more likely to get a 100% profit from FGV than other big-cap plantations. But if it's for dividends, then the investor should looks elsewhere.

See the shareholdings of the Board of Directors. Including the chairman, of course. How many units do they own? Not many when it comes to percentage. You have to wonder why they aren't putting their own money into this. And you have to wonder too about the enthusiasm in buying this and that. Why? "for future profits"? Or, for 'something else' after the payments are made?

I've been following comments by @ring and I'm very impressed and heartened by these. He is certainly not racist or the closet type who tries hard to project something but can't quite hide what they are. His comments, evaluations and opinions of the plantation industry and the listed counters are of great value. This is obviously someone with experience in the industry and knows more than probably most of us here. I had learned a lot just by reading his comments. Now I have a much better perspective of these plantations counters.

Salute to @ring. It's people like him who adds a lot of value to this site.

@ring Thanks for your very interesting comments at this thread. They help make this sector more alive, besides providing a deeper and wider perspective for the man-in-the-street investor/speculator like me.

Maybank IB's selections are quite good. Hartalega, NCB, CMSB outperformed. Diluted by Tenaga and Axiata, unfortunately.

The CEO said they already have a shortlist of potential acquisitions, and the purchase will be made by the end of this year. We can take this in good faith because they don't have anything to gain by not buying. The only question is, what the asset is and the price. I'd say Sona makes for a good speculation. What's to lose? If they fail to wrap it up within a year, we get our money back.

Looks attractive for the value investor. @ks55 is right when one looks at it from that angle - the new investor is getting the shares at a price much lower than many other investors. This was a counter that was at 6.00-plus just a few years ago. It will also be cash rich after the divestment - something like RM1 billion.

The negative part is, a divestment also means not having the asset anymore. Then the technical part - it's on a downtrend and it's not known what the bottom is. May be very near, or there may be a bit more to give up yet. But whatever, this counter is worth keeping in view.

It's been going up quietly over the past few trading sessions.
From The Edge today, it's reported that the STP2 reclamation contract winner will be announced very soon.