I'm still holding on to some Petron shares. Had sold half just before the dividend ex date, which turned out to be a fortuitous decision. However, the remaining units will stay. With this kind of counter, one needs to allow enough time for things to happen. Yes, it might go to 3.50. Or below 3.00. But I'll cross the bridge when I come to it.

By the way, note the volume - it hasn't been big during the slide. I believe this could be forced selling of margin accounts.

When the trend is downwards, it's prudent to stay away for the time being. Whether a company is 'good' or 'bad', the price matters the most. AirAsia is regarded as generally good by many. But during the time when it was going down and down, the better thing is to stay at the sidelines. It went to below 0.90. While it has rebounded strongly, investors would have been better served had they waited until things moved the other direction first.

The time for Supermax will come again. But it isn't now.

When the trend is downwards, it's prudent to stay away for the time being. Whether a company is 'good' or 'bad', the price matters the most. AirAsia is regarded as generally good by many. But during the time when it was going down and down, the better thing is to stay at the sidelines. It went to below 0.90. While it has rebounded strongly, investors would have been better served had they waited until things moved the other direction first.

The time for Supermax will come again. But it isn't now.

The most useful item from here is...not this post. But the comment from @ks55. It's worthy of being copied and saved somewhere so that we could reread it again. This is solid advice.

I have doubts too of the accounts. Especially when it comes to the valuation of assets. Many investors have the same suspicions, as seen by the disconnect between the net tangible asset and the share price of these companies. If they are really grossly underpriced, the major shateholders or external value seekers would launch a takeover and then make the company private. No need to bear all the requirements and regulations imposed on public listed companies. The fact that they letting things remain is likely indication that they know what the real figures are.

But anyway, I accept the fact that we minority shareholders are in this just for the ride. We don't have the clout to decide on anything. Except to decide whether to buy, hold and sell the shares. With CAP, it's a total speculation for me. Can only "hope" the accounting isn't too far off from the real truth. As with the future share price. Yes, "hope" is the best we can do with these counters. For as long as they don't go bankrupt, there will always remain the possibility something might happen. We've seen this so many times - of dumbass counters moving upwards, and rewarding speculators with significant capital returns. The latest is TRIVE. So I'm letting it be with CAP. Worse-case situation - it goes bankrupt and delisted. But we'd still have time to try salvage some of the capital. That's how it goes in the stock market. Have to take risks to be in the game.

@Angielim9955 I had bought at 0.09. Not many lots but it's still something frustrating when you see your speculation losing 50% in paper value. Trying to buy at 0.045. This is with part of the capital from my "Structured Warrants" portfolio capital. That is, specific for higher risk speculations.

Investors have a lot of doubts about these China companies, and there's justification. I wouldn't put serious money and see them as "investment". But "speculation" is another story. One good thing about CAP is that, unlike warrants, it doesn't have an expiry date. I think I can take a punt on it - buy at 0.045 or 0.05 and then wait for something to happen. At this price, the movements in either direction will be quite significant percentage-wise.

The website provided by Stocks Hunter above is useful. A bit heavy to load though on a smartphone. A desktop PC or laptop would be more suitable. Some interesting resources to explore. Thanks.

The price is very tempting, especially in attempting to "catch the bottom". Will be thrilling during the times when we are successful. Like with DRBHICOM, UMWOG etc today. But the risk is, cheap getting cheaper, of course. This is something which most of us would know very well from previous experience.

So how...? Wait for it to prove a bottom first? Or maybe buy a bit first, in case it quickly turns the other way? Or the structured warrants, especially -C7? Less capital getting stuck with this.

Got a lucky break with my copycat (of hng33) quick contra trade. Didn't expect that massive dumping late in the session. Who was it - EPF? This is the kind of thing that would cripple our trading account if we over-extend our trades and don't decide on a stop-loss point.

Would be interesting to see how it goes tomorrow. This is unchartered territory. The technical charts are broken.

@r°Moi If one is trading, things like shale, Saudi, Armada Claire etc. aren't too important. It's the momentum. First and foremost.

Like hng33, I think I'm cutting out now. Small profit, yes. But I'll take what the market gives... because what "I want" may not come.

Ah, @hng33 has taken a position. I'm going to see whether there's potential to squeeze a few ringgit. Stop loss at 0.65.

Was looking to learn about trading prospects with Armada. But r°Moi and tradermaan are more entertaining :-)

This is unusual - THHeavy is UP today for a change. Probably due to the oversold situation.

There is one `good' thing about this counter, if you can call it that. Its problems are very clear, and that is the lack of fabrication jobs and the need to complete the Layang floating production storage. All the bad news are already factored in and reflected in the price. Just one piece of good news will help to jumpstart interest in this counter again. At the present price, a 1-sen increase is almost 10%. Of course a move in the other direction works the same way too - significant.

The concern about trying to be a contrarian speculator is that the counter might suffer a very slow decline. Nothing dramatic - just a 0.005 decline every few weeks. As had happened with penny counters like Daya, CAP etc. Since it's not dramatic, the speculator tends to do nothing...and becomes like the proverbial frog in slow-boiling water.

Many have given up on THH, and for very good reasons. But I'm still keeping watch. Its time in the sun will come again.

@ks55 This is why I'm now forcing myself to think through the possible downside before buying anything. Especially with the counters that I think "are good, with potential". But time and again, the market has shown it doesn't care whether about these. That's where the stop loss comes in. Normally I'd set it at minus 5%, or just a bit below a supposed support level. Sometimes a counter would rebound after I had cut loss (and making me feel like a wimpy idiot). But more often, it did help prevent bigger losses.

Have to take risks in order to try make profits. But must always have an exit plan early on should things not go our way. Preservation of capital is the number one priority. Can't be stubborn and risk seeing it decimated.

@kinfatt999 You shouldn't beat yourself up too much. Buying at RM7 isn't greedy. It was, after all, on an uptrend. It's just that you were a bit late. And didn't put a stop-loss in the event it slipped. But that's something in the past. Better to focus on the now and future...think of some way to mitigate the situation.

I've just gone to check the announcements at Bursa Malaysia's website (normally I'd do research first, then buy. But today is an exception - extraordinary situation). YES, there is a 20 sen dividend. This is from the 2015 financial year. AGM to approve this is on 2 June. Ex. Date for the dividend is 8 June.

I think I'll stick around instead of taking a quick contra profit. Maybe wait for the next quarter results in three months. The recently reported results might be one-off. This is an attractive company. Unlike Shell, Petron Malaysia isn't just about the refinery business. It includes the retail side. Might not be as big as Petronas Dagang but it's good enough.

Had just seen a news flash at the Maybank trading platform. The latest quarter results:
Revenue is slightly less than corresponding quarter. Pretax profit of RM36.3 million (RM69.5m). But registered a net loss of RM21.5m (+RM0.1m). Or minus 2.08 sen per share. Dividend of 4 sen (5 sen last year).

Now we know the reason for today's fall.

@W2CD That's prudent advice. And I've just remembered something - the bonus issue. If I'm not wrong, this comes after the rights issue(?) That means there may be another price adjustment. Yeah, staying at the sidelines may be the better option for now.

"exploring ways..." As in another rights issue? The money raised from the Ramunia days is likely long used up. As with the rights at 0.25. The next one will be what... 0.10?

If not for that RM100-plus million fabrication contract, THH would be in deeper trouble right now. It all depends on the ability to secure new contracts very soon. Things don't look good. THH is fortunate to have a sugar daddy in Tabung Haji. It will continue to support, if only for pride. And to avoid the socio-political fallout from having to write off this bleeding investment. The Tabung Haji connection is the only reason to risk money speculating on this counter. At this price, it might be worth punting.

Phew! This is going well right now. Thanks to @hng33 too, because seeing him entering gave me courage :-) But I'm not clear about the said dividend. Haven't checked yet. This might end up being a genuine investment for me, not trade.

This may be an investment but I'm not keeping to the "Buy and Hold" strategy...hanging on through thick and thin, waiting for things to turn. Even if it takes years. Yes, this often works provided we didn't buy at the highest peak. But it requires a lot of stamina. My father has this staying power and stubbornness. But I don't. My strategy - I'd rather have access to the capital instead of it getting locked up due to paper loss. I would set a stop loss point. If it goes more than minus 5% of my purchase price, I'd sell. It might rebound after that, yes. But it might also get to minus 10%...minus 20%.

@okdoke I hope those who know more about Bstead, like W2CD etc., could suggest a figure. Usually I would also refer to the charts at ChartNexus.com, trying to "see something". Support line especially. But due to the bonus, rights and also recent slide, the charts are broken. This is the lowest price in 52 weeks at least. That is both good and bad. Good because we are buying at a price lower than many others who came in earlier. Bad because...cheap could get cheaper.

But since this is an investment (not trading) where regular dividends are a key consideration, we'd have to buy at some point. When and at What Price? Different people will have different opinions. But with me, my plan is like the comment above - part of the buying will be now. The remaining intended capital will be utilised in the future, depending on how things go.

@RainT There's a dividend? This has been a total "tembak" for me, simply jumping in without doung enough research. I haven't even read the quarter report yet. But if this 20 sen is true, I think I'm going to keep this for a while.

0.305 is the support line. Not a bad price to buy if one wants to collect. But must have the discipline to take a small loss and sell should break.

No wind, no storm but the price falls... Or maybe this has something to do with the coming quarter results? Some insiders already know and they had just whispered to their closest buddies(?) I'm just guessing, of course. But we have seen this before with various counters.

This may be foolhardy but I'm looking to buy. As soon as the price stabilises. It might continue sliding tomorrow, true. But I will never know for sure what the lowest point is...until after the facts. This won't be a lot though. Just one-third of the allocated capital for Bstead.

Another objective, unemotional post here. This is the best one on Focus Lumber that I've read so far. The mechanics and variables that affect "Share price" may be another matter but KC has addressed a lot of that too here. The number of shares and free float, for instance. But this can also be a good thing, provided the major shareholders don't sell.

My basic strategy with this kind of counter: I would trade it; buying at the support level. But with a stop-loss point decided upon. If it doesn't hold, then I'd take the loss there and then. No procastinating as with "Let's see how it goes tomorrow. Might rebound..."

Okay, I'm punting too. With a stop-loss at -5%.

The Bernama report is scant when it comes to details. You'd get better information here at i3investor. It mentioned about Brent crude oil falling in the previous quarter. That means the Petron listed here is involved in not just refinery and petrol stations but also upstream...?

But oil prices have gone up since then. So the EPS should logically be higher quarter-on-quarter.

Today is the ex date for the rights issue, isn't it? And the price now is the final adjustment...?

Oh, there's a right issue? This is likely the ex date. But the volume is high too. Is there more to it?

@ah_boon is right again. Was thinking about buying Canone again after selling last month. But his comment yesterday made me hesitant. Fortunately, as it turns out. The slide today is likely due to some people already knowing the quarter results. Should wait and see the figures and others' analysis first before jumping in.

Have to admit the price now is looking ever more attractive. I'm looking at whether the support holds. It tends to recover in the afternoon, but it doesn't, there will likely be more bleeding ahead. Can't be too hasty in this kind of gloomy market conditions.

I had a quick look of the 1Q2016 report. RM37.5 million in loss which equals to 4 sen per share. RM26 million of this appears to be writing off of receivables. This may be connected to that project in Abu Dhabi or near it.

My comment, by the way, doesn't mean that I'm saying "Don't buy FLB". In fact, at the support level, I'm thinking of a punt. But with a stop loss set. The thing is, make our own decisions. Not blindly follow anyone.

Reasonable post and assessments by @ah_boon here. He is only telling things as they are. The call to be cautious is all the more relevant given the developments over the past few months. Especially in newbies and me-too investors who hero-worship some prominent big guns too much, only to see their capital depreciating significantly when they weren't aware the latter were cashing out. So, ah_boon has very pertinent points here and it is childish and immature to attack the messenger.

And that's the main lesson - yes, read what prominent investors and analysts say. But do our own research and evaluation too, because it will be our money at risk.

That seems to be the tendency nowadays. Counters would go up after news of a bonus issue (or a bit earlier due to insiders buying). But after the exercise, the price goes down. With Bstead's rights and bonus, things are rather muddled when the price started to slip from around RM4. Like rolling dices. Which is why I'm waiting for the adjustments first. This counter will be a genuine investment in that I hope to be holding for longer than I would. I don't expect to get at the very bottom. "Reasonable" should be fine enough.

By the way, have to admit that the attraction is also emotional. Especially some of Bstead's assets. I like The Curve and the Mutiara Damansara area, plus BHP. It feels good to have a slice, even if it's very small, via Bstead.

On the more objective side, Bstead had consistently rewarded investors with regular dividends. And I expect this to continue although the quantum may not be as a few years ago due to the current economic conditions. But the share price now is definitely attractive. This is the kind of counter that institutions tend to buy. And when things get better, I certainly will want to have a significant amount of Bstead shares in my portfolio.

@860000 @W2CD The uncertainty about my subscribing the rights issue was precisely the reason why I decided to sell first some weeks ago. It was at almost RM4 at that time so I have nothing to regret, I suppose. As W2CD mentioned, I think that's the correct ex. date for the rights. Last week I had checked at Bursa's website. Because I was still itching to buy Bstead as well as to subscibe. Not to mention the bonus issue.

It's times like this that you'd appreciate a direct investing account, not pledged. But never mind - I think I'll just stick to the original plan and wait for the adjustments first. Have to pass the rights and bonus.

Thanks for your responses.

I would have liked to hold on to Bstead shares and subscribe to the rights issue. Despite the steady fall over the past few weeks. And regardless of the past few quarter results. This is one if the counters I'd want to have in the "Investment" portfolio (as opposed to "Trading/Speculating").

But I'm rather concerned with my type of account with Maybank IB. It's considered a Pledged Account, not direct. That means dividends, bonus, rights don't come directly to me - they would be from Maybank IB. Dividends are at least 3 working days later from the payment date. As with bonus issues, share splits. I never receive any annual reports or anything. Unlike my wife who has a Affin-Hwang IB account (higher minimum fees). My concern is that I might not receive the rights form on time, unlike those with direct accounts.

I guess I should just wait this out. Let the price be adjust for ex. rights and bonus first before buying again.

As mentioned by @kk123, some insiders obviously had known the results significantly earlier. It's not with Taann but the other companies as well. Note how prices had suddenly slipped days before the announcements by these companies. Falls are part and parcel of the stockmarket. But not one that is sudden, and then builds up before anything is officially mentioned.

The Board of Directors wouldn't be so stupid as to sell their own shares. But what's to stop them from whispering to close friends and cronies? If the Securities Commission is more diligent in investigating and digging deeper, we would see a significant rise in the number of prosecutions.

@murali It's possible, because the EPS is so disappointing. But there's the possibility it has already been factored in. Taann has come down a lot already, from 5.00 not long ago. However, better to be cautious. See how the counter performs tomorrow and how it closes. There might be indications of a new support line forming.

Taann looks to be a good company for "investors", i.e. people who buy and hold on for the dividends and bonus issues. Not to be mistaken with "traders" and "speculators", which I believe many (most?) of us here are. That is, people who are more concerned about price appreciation. Many are "mixed" in that they trade while having a few counters that they keep over a longer period.

But whatever category one is in, it's no fun buying something and then seeing the price depreciate. Dividends and bonus are a consolation, of course. At least we get something while waiting for the price to appreciate. And this is one of the attractions of counters like Taann. But there's the dilemma and worry about it going down further. On the other hand, we will be regretting not buying - the "I should have bought when it was at RMx !" which all of us had surely experienced. Remember AirAsia folks? It wasn't that long ago when it was 0.90. More than 100% returns in just how many months.

My strategy is this when it comes to counters that I like, and willing to wait a reasonable time for them to perform: buy a certain percentage first, not all of the intended capital. Maybe divide into 3 (whatever the amount). One-third is utilised NOW. Then wait and see. If it goes up, another one-third is used to buy at a higher price.

Same as when it drops. Don't be too quick to use the remaining capital. Only average UP, i.e. when we are reasonably sure the bottom has been met.

That's the general idea, given that we won't ever know what the bottom is until after the facts. Even if a counter falls further, at least we are consoled by the fact that we still have dry gunpowder in hand.

@cutie Don't know whether there's more bleeding to come. But at 3.92, it is certainly not a sucker's price. For one thing, can take comfort that we are buying at a much lower price than what it once was.

I feel too many speculators were trying to play the "Sarawak election surge". The thing is, most people had been right about the expected results. So there's nothing to power a surge. This only comes about when something is better than expected.

Might have to wait a while before investors' confidence and interest returns. The best that we can hope right now is that big investors don't continue to sell. If they do, then it's prudent to take a small loss while waiting for them to finish with whatever amount they plan to dispose.

What a relief. Was getting really concerned about DRB slipping below 0.90. Tomorrow is another day. Just keeping today's gain should be enough for now. Can't expect to go up in a straight line.

ChartNexus lists 3.98 and 3.94 as the new support levels. But these might be taken out if EPF or whatever big investor sells tomorrow. I believe there might be a momentarily lull. If they intend to sell a certain amount, I'm sure they would want a good price for the remaining units. It's in their interest to not let the price fall too much. Last week, there was a lull, and Taann rebounded mildly from 4.43 (or so) to 4.50-something.

Today, I believe they didn't expect the panic selling. So it's possible the big investor might stay out for a while. But this is just my speculation, of course. Just watch the support level tomorrow. If it doesn't hold, maybe it's better to cut loss and just watch for the time being.

@hng33 - Some people misunderstand him, and think he is 'cocky, show off'. They take delight when his trades don't go perfectly. As if they will make money as a result. This is what I see of him - he's a trader who is very transparent in that he'd declare his buys and sells. For some reason, that irritates a few people. Why should it for this is an investors' forum where everyone should feel free to express what they want.

I know for a fact that there are people here who appreciate him declaring his hands. Myself included, because I know he does his homework and there are good reasons for his decisions. His record isn't 100% of success but it's quite good. Newbie traders and also those with experience can learn something by adopting an open mind and observe others. This is what the forum is for.

And back to Taann - I'm out 13 sen from coming in too early in the morning. Decided to cut loss early due to the uneasiness that it's EPF doing the selling. Turned out to be the right decision because the counter went below 4.00 after that. Went in again. But still in the minus overall due to the earlier loss. That's how it goes with trading. Accept a losing trade and try to learn what we could have done better. In my case, it was coming in too early. Should wait until it's reasonably clear the bottom had been found first.

@murali That's true. No more "solid counters" at the moment. Just a bit of negative news would trigger a sharp fall. Goes to show how brittle confidence is. Must be agile and cut loss early should the unexpected happen. Ask questions later. But there are also opportunities to try play the rebound game. No more Buy and Hold - it's now a market for trading.

I don't know why some people are so angry at Calvin. To the extent of hurling obscenities. As with the AirAsia post. It's as if the post will result in the counter crashing.

This one is "Calvin's Blog". As in "He can write whatever he wants". Let him say anything he wants. Some people may be influenced, some not. Calvin may be wrong. Or he may be right. If you don't agree with him, why not write your own post and provide some argument as to why his analysis is wrong. Or you can just ignore. After all, Calvin's posts by themselves won't affect the prices. But to shower him with obscenities just shows the mentality of the person commenting. Just live and let live...let people write what they want at their blogs.

This may be reckless but I'm just going to 'tembak' and buy. Not too many lots though. No system with this particular trade. Just "Buy and Hope" :-)

I'm taking a 13 sen loss here and now. Don't want to have capital stuck. Will wait and see how it goes in the afternoon. This looks like EPF selling. Will have to let them unload first. Better to stay out of the way when this gorilla is in the room.

That's how it goes with trading. You can't expect all the trades to go your way. The key is to preserve capital when our selections don't work out. And have the courage to pull the trigger when the buy and sell signals appear. If not, we will always remain as spectators.

Can only guess how it will go. But lower 4.30 looks like the support level after 4.42 didn't hold. Certainly not a sucker's price based on the historical price. Will depend on how persistent the seller (EPF?) is in giving away. Might be worth taking a risk, but with a stop loss placed.