Tuesday, August 6, 2013

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