Australia: Shares flat, New Zealand rises on company results

Australian shares were flat on Thursday, trading largely in response to company results and outlook, with falls in energy and commodities stocks offset by retailers' gains, while New Zealand shares rose, pushing the index near record highs.

The S&P/ASX 200 index ticked 3 points lower to 5,558.6 by 0306 GMT, a fall of 0.05 per cent.

"I don't really think there's really a catalyst in the market at the moment," said Mathan Somasundaram, a quant strategy researcher at stockbroker Baillieu Holst.

"People are waiting for guidance because the market lacks any real sentiment to go in either direction," he said, adding that traders will closely follow Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen's speech to a global central bankers' gathering in Jackson Hole on Friday.Click Here To Register For Free Trial Services OR Give A Missed Call : +6531581402 Follow Us On Twitter : www.twitter.com/epicresearchsg Like Us On Facebook : www.facebook.com/EpicResearchSingapore Need Any Assistance Feel Free To Mail Us at : info@epicresearch.sg

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Asia: Stocks cautious but oil price holds above US$50

Asia stocks markets moved cautiously in early trade on Friday despite a positive lead from Wall Street and further overnight gains in the price of oil.

US and European markets ticked up overnight, supported by a dovish outlook for US interest rates and some healthy post-Brexit data in Britain.

The oil price has also continued its upward trend, with Brent crude holding above US$50 a barrel on official data showing lower US crude stockpiles and hints of a possible production freeze.

But traders treaded carefully Friday morning, with Asian markets moving in and out of positive territory.Click Here To Register For Free Trial Services OR Give A Missed Call : +6531581402 Follow Us On Twitter : www.twitter.com/epicresearchsg Like Us On Facebook : www.facebook.com/EpicResearchSingapore Need Any Assistance Feel Free To Mail Us at : info@epicresearch.sg

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Singapore shares open lower on Fed split over raising rates

SINGAPORE shares opened lower on Thursday, following news that the US Federal Reserve's most recent policy meeting showed committee members were split on the issue of raising interest rates soon.

The benchmark Straits Times Index was down 3.69 points or 0.13 per cent to 2,839.66.

At 9.06am, 59.5 million shares worth S$63 million had changed hands, with losers beating gainers 63 to 62.

Some of the most active counters were Singtel, Ezion Holdings and Magnus Energy.Click Here To Register For Free Trial Services OR Give A Missed Call : +6531581402 Follow Us On Twitter : www.twitter.com/epicresearchsg Like Us On Facebook : www.facebook.com/EpicResearchSingapore Need Any Assistance Feel Free To Mail Us at : info@epicresearch.sg

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Ex-BSI Asia CEO Brunner settles Singapore bonus suit with bank

Hanspeter Brunner, BSI SA's former Asia chief who was referred to Swiss and Singapore regulators over the bank's ties with a Malaysian state firm, has settled a lawsuit seeking deferred payments, according to the bank's lawyer.

Mr Brunner's lawsuit alleged that BSI's Singapore unit breached bonus agreements and a separation pact without any legal basis. Mr Brunner, 64, was among six BSI bankers referred by Singapore's central bank to prosecutors over lapses in dealing with 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).

He's also one of two former BSI executives the Swiss financial regulator has started proceedings against. Mr Brunner's retirement was announced in March.

"Hanspeter Brunner has withdrawn his claim against the bank in its entirety," Muralli Rajaram, a Singapore-based lawyer for BSI, said Thursday by phone, confirming the settlement.Click Here To Register For Free Trial Services OR Give A Missed Call : +6531581402 Follow Us On Twitter : www.twitter.com/epicresearchsg Like Us On Facebook : www.facebook.com/EpicResearchSingapore Need Any Assistance Feel Free To Mail Us at : info@epicresearch.sg

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Natural-gas futures pare gains after EIA says U.S. supplies up 29 billion cubic feet

Natural-gas futures pared their gains to trade nearly flat on Thursday after the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that supplies of the commodity rose 29 billion cubic feet for the week ended August 5. That was above the average rise of 25 billion cubic feet expected by analysts polled by S&P Global Platts. Total stocks now stand at 3.317 trillion cubic feet, up 361 billion cubic feet from a year ago and 440 billion cubic feet above the five-year average, the government said. September natural gas NGU16, -0.78% traded nearly flat at $2.563 per million British thermal units, barely changed from Wednesday's settlement of $2.561. It traded higher at $2.572 before the data.

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Gold finishes lower as stocks rally, dollar strengthens

Gold futures surrendered earlier gains to finish lower on Thursday as strength in the U.S. stock market and the dollar offset support from a report showing strong investment demand for precious metals in the first half of 2016.

December gold GCZ6, -0.31% fell $1.90, or 0.1%, to settle at $1,350 an ounce. Prices had traded lower early Thursday, turned higher, then fell back again near the settlement time, trading inversely to moves in the U.S. dollar. Silver for September delivery SIU6, +0.12% finished at $20.02 an ounce, up 15 cents, or 0.7%.

Earlier Thursday, gold appeared to be “gaining support from investors who do not believe in the stock market’s rally,” said Michael Armbruster, principal and co-founder at Altavest, told MarketWatch.

But “a simultaneous rally in gold and the stock market” was not likely to persist, he said. “It looks like gold blinked today, but our outlook over coming weeks is still pointed higher. We can’t help but remain skeptical of the stock market’s rally.”

Industry data released overnight showed underlying demand for gold in the face of scant yield in other so-called safety investments.

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FTSE‬ Value-Stocks ASEAN strongest of the FTSE Value-Stocks Indices in 1H16

The FTSE Value-Stocks ASEAN Index was the strongest performer of the six Asia focused FTSE Value-Stocks Indices in the first half of 2016 with an 8.2% gain compared to an average decline of 13.0% for the five FTSE Value-Stocks Indices covering China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and Taiwan.
Singapore maintains 12 constituents within the FTSE Value-Stocks ASEAN Index. These 12 stocks made up 31.3% of the Index weights as of the end of June. These 12 stocks also averaged a 4.8% total return in the year through to the end of last week, taking their average five-year total return to 31.3%.
Relative to their capitalisation size, the most actively traded of the 12 stocks over the past three months have been Ascendas REIT, Keppel Corporation and Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Holdings. Click Here To Register For Free Trial Services OR Give A Missed Call : +6531581402 Follow Us On Twitter : www.twitter.com/epicresearchsg Like Us On Facebook : www.facebook.com/EpicResearchSingapore Need Any Assistance Feel Free To Mail Us at : info@epicresearch.sg

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AirAsia Market News Update : Epic Research Singapore

Indonesia sent divers into the water on Sunday to examine wreckage from AirAsia Flight 8501, but operations slowed overall, with the weather allowing divers to enter the water only briefly.

A week after the Airbus A320 crashed into the Java Sea with 162 people aboard, Indonesia’s search-and-rescue agency said Sunday that sonar imaging revealed a fifth large object in a search area off the southwest coast of Borneo, measuring nearly 10 meters (about 32 feet) in length. The agency said Saturday that it had found four main parts of the jetliner, with the largest measuring about 18 meters, on the seafloor. Divers haven’t made contact with that wreckage.

A total of 34 bodies had been recovered as of Sunday evening, and all had been sent to Surabaya, a port city on Java island where the flight originated, Soelistyo told reporters in Jakarta. But operations slowed overall on Sunday, with the weather allowing divers to enter the water only briefly.


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AirAsia Market News Update : Epic Research Singapore

Shares in AirAsia fell 11.6 per cent after one of its aircraft went missing in bad weather on Sunday on its way to Singapore from the Indonesian city of Surabaya.

Shares of the Malaysia-based budget airline fell at the start of trade on Monday, after Indonesia resumed its search for the missing jetliner QZ8501 at first light on Monday.

AirAsia fell as much as 12.9 per cent to 2.56 ringgit at 0102 GMT, its lowest point since Nov 28. The stock has gained 21.4 per cent since the beginning of the year.

Indonesia AirAsia is 49 per cent owned by Malaysia-based budget carrier AirAsia, with local investors holding the rest. The AirAsia group, including affiliates in Thailand, the Philippines and India, has not had a crash since its Malaysian operations began in 2002.

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AirAsia Market News Update : Epic Research Singapore

Indonesia searched the Java Sea on Monday for an AirAsia plane carrying 162 people that went missing after its pilot failed to gain permission to alter course to avoid a storm cell during a flight from Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore.

Flight QZ8501 did not issue a distress signal and disappeared five minutes after requesting a change of course on Sunday, said government and transport officials.

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AirAsia Market News Update : Epic Research Singapore

AirAsia's 4th update on QZ8501

The following is AirAsia's latest press statement (as at 11.45pm, Dec 28) on behalf of AirAsia Indonesia, on AirAsia Indonesia flight QZ8501.

Earlier in Surabaya, the management of AirAsia along with the Governor of East Java, National Search and Rescue Agency of Republic of Indonesia (BASARNAS), Airport Authority of Indonesia, Airport Operator (Angkasa Pura I) met with the members of the families to update them on the latest developments and reconfirmed their commitment to providing assistance in every possible way.

Sunu Widyatmoko, CEO of AirAsia Indonesia said, "We are deeply shocked and saddened by this incident. We are cooperating with the relevant authorities to the fullest extent to determine the cause of this incident. In the meantime, our main priority is keeping the families of our passengers and colleagues informed on the latest developments."

"We will do everything possible to support them as the investigation continues and have already mobilized a support team to help take care of their immediate needs, including accommodation and travel arrangements. A briefing center has also been set up in Surabaya for the families."

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AirAsia Market News Update : Epic Research Singapore

Indonesia resumed at dawn Monday the search for an AirAsia plane that went missing in the Java Sea with 162 people on board, a search and rescue official said.

"We have resumed the search for the missing AirAsia plane at 6:00 am. We are heading to east Belitung island," Tatang Zainuddin, deputy operations chief of Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) told AFP.

The Airbus A320-200 disappeared en route from Surabaya in Indonesia's east Java to Singapore after the crew requested a change of flight plan due to stormy weather, in the third crisis for a Malaysian carrier this year.

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AirAsia Market News Update : Epic Research Singapore

TWO Singapore planes will set off early on Monday morning to assist with the continuing search for Flight QZ8501, the Indonesia AirAsia aircraft which has gone missing.

In a joint statement, the Singapore Transport Ministry and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said the CAAS will also be sending an officer to the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency in Jakarta to help in the coordination of the search operations.

On Sunday morning, the Singapore Rescue Coordination Centre (SRCC) - managed by CAAS and supported by various agencies, including the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) - had offered assistance to BASARNAS, the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency.

The SRCC had offered planes and ships to assist in the search and received confirmation from the Indonesian authorities in the afternoon on the acceptance of the offer. The SRCC then launched a C130 aircraft for the search on Sunday.

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AirAsia Market News Update : Epic Research Singapore

AirAsia flight carrying 162 people goes missing in Southeast Asia: officials

Indonesia's air force was searching for an AirAsia plane carrying 162 people that went missing on Sunday after the pilots asked to change course to avoid bad weather during a flight from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore.

Indonesia AirAsia Flight QZ8501, an Airbus 320-200, lost contact with Jakarta air traffic control at 6:17 am. (2317 GMT), officials said. "The aircraft was on the submitted flight plan route and was requesting deviation due to enroute weather before communication with the aircraft was lost," the airline said in a statement.

No distress signal had been sent, said Joko Muryo Atmodjo, air transportation director at Indonesia's transport ministry.

Indonesia AirAsia said there were 155 passengers and seven crew on board. It said 156 were Indonesian, with three from South Korea and one each from Singapore, Malaysia and France.

Both neighboring Singapore and Malaysia had offered to help in the search, officials said.

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AirAsia Market News Update : Epic Research Singapore

Shares of AirAsia Bhd (5099.KU), Southeast Asia's largest discount carrier by fleet, Thursday fell to its lowest level in three weeks after reporting a 85% fall in third-quarter net profit.

The stock opened 2.0% lower at 2.41 ringgit a share ($0.72) and hit a low of 2.38 ringgit, its lowest since Oct. 30, in early trade on the Malaysian stock exchange. AirAsia was traded at 2.39 ringgit at 0130 GMT, valuing the company at about 6.6 billion ringgit.

AirAsia's July-September net profit fell to 5.4 million ringgit from 35.5 million ringgit a year earlier as borrowing costs surged 25% and the budget airline incurred a deferred tax of 10.5 million ringgit. Operating cost also increased. Revenue however rose 3.1% to 1.32 billion ringgit from 1.28 billion ringgit a year earlier, aided by an increase in passengers.

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AirAsia Market News Update : Epic Research Singapore

AirAsia Bhd will partner with online retailer Rakuten Inc to set up a discount carrier in Japan, marking the second attempt by the Malaysian budget carrier to expand in the Japanese market.

AirAsia's partners will also include Noevir Holdings Co Ltd , sporting goods company Alpen Co Ltd and Octave Japan Infrastructure Fund, AirAsia Japan CEO Yoshinori Odagiri told a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday.

The carrier will fly both domestic and international routes, Odagiri added. Details about the how much the airline would cost and the partnership stakes was not immediately available.

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