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Malaysia stock market and companies daily report (March 22, 2010)

Contributed by Shares Investment

By Shares Investment

DMG & Partners Expect 3% OPR By 2H10

DMG & Partners Securities said in its research note today, that it expects the Overnight Policy Rate (OPR) to be normalised to 3% by the second half of this year. “With only four policy meetings left this year, we think OPR hikes will be front-loaded in the first three quarters of 2010 on the back of a likely stronger growth in the first-half of 2010,” the brokerage said.  DMG & Partners added that the figures would still be consistent with their in-house GDP and inflation forecast of 5.8% and 3% respectively.

PLUS Seeks Ways To Expand Overseas

PLUS Expressways is eyeing more highway concessions in the Asia Pacific region as part of its expansion plans. MD Noorizah Abd Hamid told Business Times in an interview without disclosing names, that the company is in talks with several countries in the region to build new highways or upgrade and maintain existing facilities. The MD said that PLUS has the potential to go abroad either as an equity holder of a concession, participate on a JV basis or start from scratch by building a new highway altogether. Noorizah cited Vietnam in particular as a country with great opportunities due to its burgeoning population and surging economic growth. Among its new Key Performance Indicators, PLUS intends to generate 15% of its revenue overseas. PLUS currently has operations in India and Indonesia, managing 25km and 116km of toll highways respectively.

Unisem Guides For Higher Revenue

Unisem (Malaysia) expects revenue to grow 44% to RM1.5b, for the financial year ending 31 December 2010, bringing performance back to pre-crisis levels, as demand for semiconductor equipment recovers. FY09 revenue declined 16% to RM1b from RM1.2b but net profit surged more than threefold to RM61.8m on prudent cost management. Unisem chairman and MD John Chia anticipates the Asia-Pacific region to be the biggest market for the semiconductor industry, with Western economies and India lending strong support. He also intends to employ another 300 to 400 workers to sustain our production needs and meet maximum capacity.

This article is contributed by Shares Investment. Visit Sharesinv.com for the latest Singapore, Malaysia and China stock market news and reports.