theSun | TUESDAY NOVEMBER 18 2008 13

business news Hang Seng

13,529.53
S&P/ASX200
3,653.0
TSEC
4,439.80 KLCI
884.06
STI
1,749.67
KOSPI
1,078.32 NIKKEI
13.13 95.1 12.90 9.47 9.94 8,522.58
2.41 60.19

KL market summary

INDICES
NOVEMBER 17, 2008

CHANGE
PTP sees opportunities
amid global financial crisis
FBMEMAS 5,803.80 -5.46
COMPOSITE 884.06 +2.41
INDUSTRIA 2,122.51 +4.26
CONSUMER PROD 275.68 +1.23
INDUSTRIAL PROD 69.64 -0.41
CONSTRUCTION 156.66 -1.16
TRADING/SERVICES 123.83 +0.27
FINANCE 6,799.58 +38.65
PROPERTIES 528.03 -2.22
PLANTATIONS 3,896.36 +23.52 JOHOR BARU: While the shipping Asian financial crisis in late 90s when in the coming months and years.
MINING 251.28 UNCH world “groans” under the pressure of interest rates were infinitely higher “Besides ensuring long-term
FBMSHA 5,997.80 -16.27 a global recession with the prospect than now,” he said. capacity and connectivity, the
FBM2BRD 4,409.65 -76.26 of declining trade, the Port of Tanjung Arguing that customers look for the key word to our success will be
TECHNOLOGY 14.58 -0.21 Pelepas (PTP) in Johor is optimistic “bottomline” in tough times such as efficiency,” he said.
TURNOVER VALUE of “inherent opportunities” in the now, Ismail said PTP offered a “good “We must project ourselves
571.273mil RM595.515mil
current crisis. option” to operators. as different from others. Let us
Japan in “I admit that we have been affected Cargo handled at PTP comprises not forget that we are engaged
recession, by the economic downturn in the mainly electronic and electrical mainly in transshipment. Indeed,
United States and Europe and there is products and consumer goods. The transshipment is the mainstay of our
CI up on last-minute IMF needs already some impact on our volume, port handled some 8 million TEUs business. We are also looking at the
buying more but we consider this to be a short-term last year but many experts predict that gateway business and developing our
money effect. because of the global recession, the hinterland cargo business,” he said.
SHARE prices on Bursa Malaysia ended mixed “However, this crisis can also volume may decline in the current Characterising the current crisis
with some last-minute nibbling on heavyweight pg 14 provide opportunities for us because year. as of a “momentary nature”, Ismail
counters helping push the composite index (CI) we are mainly a transshipment port,” PTP is currently engaged in further averred that sea trade would continue
into blue territory in an otherwise lacklustre Ismail Hashim, PTP’s deputy chief expansion of its facilities. It is now to play a key role in future as well.
market, a dealer said. executive, told Bernama. implementing its phase two projects “We shall do some aggressive
At close, the benchmark KLCI increased 2.41 He said PTP was monitoring which include reclamation work marketing in future,” he said.
points to 884.06. It opened 6.45 points lower developments in the global trade and for eight berths, four of which have Ismail said PTP would be looking
at 875.20. shipping, and was closely working already been completed and another to expand its hinterland market in
Losers outnumbered gainers 327 to 200, with its two major customers two will be completed in the second future with the implementation of
177 counters were unchanged, 622 untraded – Evergreen and Maersk shipping half of 2009 while the remaining two the government-backed Iskandar
and 32 others suspended. lines – which have their operations at should be ready for use by 2011. Six Malaysia corridor development
KNM was the most actively traded, declining PTP. berths were already completed under which is expected to provide a strong
three sen to 64.5 sen, whereas MRCB lost four “One way to respond to the crisis is phase one. impetus to shipping and distribution.
sen to 75.5 sen, Zelan slid six sen to RM1.00 and to cut down cost and we are working “We have, so far, spent about The latest to join the PTP is MISC
Lion Industries declined two sen to 74.5 sen. towards lean management which, RM4 billion on port expansion and Bhd, which started to move its
For the heavyweights, Sime Darby shed five in turn, will enable us to pass on the development. Our aim is to become operations from Singapore in May this
sen to RM6.30, Tenaga Nasional added 10 sen benefits to our customers. the preferred port in Southeast Asia,” year.
to RM6.25, Public Bank was flat at RM8.55, “This is our way of supporting our he said. MISC’s shift will, no doubt, further
Maybank inched up 10 sen to RM5.30 and MISC customers. In my personal view, the On global shipping trends, Ismail extend PTP’s outreach in the Asia-
rose 10 sen to RM8.40. – Bernama present crisis is different from the said he expects competition to hot up Pacific region, he added.

Islamic finance viable alternative to conventional finance: Raja Nazrin

KUALA LUMPUR: The current financial
turmoil has provided an opportunity for
Islamic finance to position itself as a vi-
able alternative to conventional finance
by providing investors with other asset
classes and markets that provide stabil-
ity, the Raja Muda of Perak Raja Nazrin
Shah said.
He said there was much talk these
days about the creation of a new inter-
national economic order.
“Some world leaders have called
for a Bretton Woods II. There is growing
consensus that the unregulated capital-
ism that has led us to this crisis needs
to be reconfigured to provide greater
resilience and stability to the financial
system.
“The strengths of Islamic finance are
derived from syariah principles, which
also happen to be sound business
principles.
“The syariah injunctions require that
financial transactions be accompanied
by an underlying productive activity
thus giving ride to a close link between
financial and productive flows,” he said
in his address at the launch of The Ma-
laysian Sukuk Market Handbook – Your
Guide to the Malaysian Islamic Capital
Market, yesterday.
Raja Nazrin said syariah principles
prohibited excessive leverage and
speculative financial activities thereby
insulating the parties involved from too
much risk exposure.
“It is worth speculating to what
extent the world financial crisis could
have been averted, or at least its impact
considerably reduced, if the principles
of Islamic finance had been more widely
practised,” he said.
He said there was now a greater
awareness and interest among the
world financial community of the merits
of Islamic finance.
The Perak Regent said there was
already a growing demand for Islamic
financial products in the global market,
far exceeding their supply.
Raja Nazrin said in recent years, “We
have witnessed a rapid expansion of
the Islamic financial services industry”.
“Today, Islamic finance is fast be-
coming an accepted component of the
global financial system.
“Malaysia’s direct involvement in
the development of Islamic finance has
significantly transformed the financial
landscape at both the national and
international levels, making the country
a leader in the international race to be-
come a major Islamic financial centre,”
he said.
He said the vibrancy and dynamism
of Malaysia’s Islamic financial system
today was reflected in its continuous
product innovation, diversity of Islamic
financial institutions, comprehensive
regulatory and legal infrastructure, as
well as the availability of Islamic finance
talent and expertise.
Raja Nazrin said the Islamic capital
market in Malaysia today offered a
wide range of retail and wholesale
products such as syariah-compliant
stocks, Islamic unit trust funds, Islamic
exchange-traded funds, syariah-com-
pliant real estate investment trusts,
structured products and derivatives.
“These world-class financial prod-
ucts are available in both ringgit and
non-ringgit currencies,” he said.
On sukuk, he said, the country has
not only achieved several industry
“firsts”, but has also successfully de-
veloped a deep and liquid market.
“We can lay claim to being the
world’s largest and most innovative
sukuk market.
“At end-2007, total sukuk originat-
ing from Malaysia amounted to RM213
billion, constituting 68.9% of the global
sukuk outstanding,” he said.
In the same year, the regent said,
the world’s largest sukuk, amounting to
RM15 billion was raised in the Malaysian
sukuk market.
“Following the liberalisation of our
foreign exchange administration rules,
several foreign development banks,
quasi-sovereign agencies and multina-
tional corporations have joined our local
corporations in tapping the local sukuk
market for funds,” he said. – Bernama