News Bits | 6 August 2013

IDEAS OF THE DAY (SEE SEPARATE REPORTS FOR DETAILS)

l  Quick Bites: DLADY

l  On Our Radar: ENCORP

l  On Our Technical Watch: PUNCAK, SUPERMX

l  Economic Viewpoint: External trade

 

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

l  TNB defends bidding move

l  UEM Group to dispose of Opus, Propel to Faber for up to RM1.2b

l  Dialog Axiata Q2 pre-tax profit surges to RM29.6m

l  Ariantec gets Riau broadband contract

l  Amirudin appointed new Modenas CEO

l  AirAsia Q2 load factor hits 80.0%

FOREIGN NEWS HIGHLIGHTS       

l  Amazon’s Jeff Bezos to Buy Washington Post for USD250.0m

l  US Airways, American Airlines gain EU approval for USD11.0b merger

 

ECONOMIC NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (MACRO BITS)

Malaysia

l  Exports Posted Its 5th Consecutive Month Of Decline In June

l  Vehicles Sales Starts H2 On High Gear

Asia

l  Asian Exports Drop Despite US Recovery

l  China's Services Sector Sees Modest Expansion

l  IMF Urges Japan To Stick To Two-Stage Sales Tax Hike

USA

l  Services Expansion Points To Pickup In U.S. Growth

l  Employment Index In U.S. Rose In July By Most In Five Months

l  Fed Loan Survey Shows Easier Lending For Mortgages, Businesses

Europe

l  July Heatwave Provides A Boost To UK Retail Sales

l  Euro-Area July Services Output Contracts Less Than Estimated

l  Euro-Area Investor Sentiment Rises On Central Bank Boost

l  UK Services Growth At Six-Year High, PMI Survey Suggests

Currencies

l  Dollar Falls As Jobs ‘Fatigue’ Sets In

Commodities

l  Brent Rises Above $109 On China Data; Iran Comments Weigh

l  Gold Drops On Strong U.S. And UK Economic Data