KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 31): With Friday being the last trading day of the year, there could be some last-minute window dressing activities for blue chip stocks to ensure the FBM KLCI closes well above the 1,500 mark and ends the year in a positive note.

The FBM KLCI closed closed 2.58 points higher at 1,506.69. Year-to-date, the 30-stock benchmark index is down only 0.81%. The overall market tone was firmer with advancing counters beating decliners 492 to 254.

However, investors should also expect some profit-taking on stocks which had run up recently like Proton on strong newsflow.

As expected, external developments from Europe and the US would determine the final trading day.

Among the stocks which could see trading interest are CypARK RESOURCES BHD [], BOX-PAK (MALAYSIA) BHD [], INTEGRATED RUBBER CORPORATION [] Bhd (IRCB), Trinity Corporation Bhd (formerly TALAM CORPORATION BHD []), KUMPULAN EUROPLUS BHD [] and BERJAYA CORPORATION BHD [].

Cypark received a contract worth RM14.71 million to upgrade the landfill site at Kok Foh, Jempol in Negeri Sembilan. It received the letter of acceptance for the contract from the National Solid Waste Management Department.

Shares of Box-Pak could continue to see selling pressure after KIAN JOO CAN FACTORY BHD [] stated it was unaware of any negotiations to privatise Box-Pak. Box-Pak closed 24 sen down to RM2.23 with 5.35 million shares done.

Meanwhile, IRCB posted net loss RM5.29 million in the third quarter ended Oct 31, 2011 from net profit RM2.88 million a year earlier, on lower output and volatile latex prices. Its revenue for the quarter fell 21.96% to RM24.83 million from RM31.82 million in 2010.

For the nine months ended Oct 31, IRCB posted net loss of RM17.93 million compared to net profit RM3.36 million in the previous corresponding period while revenue decreased to RM86.99 million from RM107.24 million.

Trinity posted net loss of RM29.26 million in the third quarter ended Oct 31, 2011 from RM83.29 million a year ago.

The losses were due to an impairment provision of RM9.20 million made on a piece of development land to be sold to a third party and also provisions made for doubtful debts of RM14.93 million.

Kumpulan Europlus posted net profit of RM1 million in the third quarter ended Oct 31, 2011 compared with net loss of RM19.31 million a year ago.

Its pre-tax profit of RM1.33 million versus pre-tax loss of RM16.08 million a year ago was mainly due to interest income of RM1.66 million, accretion of equity interest in Talam Corp Bhd of RM 2.21 million and fair value gain of RM 2.09 million on short term investments.

Thai conglomerate Charoen Pokphand Foods PCL's Malaysian company is acquiring property-based MKH Bhd's food processing and livestock farming operations for RM64 million.

Berjaya Corporation Bhd posted net profit of RM22.96 million in its second quarter ended Oct 31, 2011, down 73.4% from RM86.54 million a year ago in the absence of write-backs.

It said in the previous quarter, there were certain gains on write-back of impairment relating to associated companies and recognition of gains on disposal of subsidiary companies.

'Operationally, the current quarter results are comparable to the previous year corresponding quarter results,' it said.