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FBM KLCI slips to intraday low; NationGate falls on MACC raid

FBM KLCI slips to intraday low; NationGate falls on MACC raid

The Star7 hours ago
KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLCI closed at its intraday low on Tuesday, underperforming regional peers as selling pressure and cautious sentiment weighed on the local market, despite broad gains across major Asian bourses.
The FBM KLCI slipped 12.11 points, or 0.8%, to close at its intraday low of 1,525.40. It had earlier touched a high of 1,538.56. Today's decline marks the index's biggest drop since it fell 0.82% on July 7.
Selling pressure persisted as 601 counters fell while 412 rose, bringing market breadth to 0.14. Decliners outpaced gainers, reflecting a cautious tone in the broader market. Traded volume stood at 3.1 billion shares valued at RM2.4bil.
Among the decliners, Heineken slid 40 sen to RM24.50, Malaysian Pacific Industries fell 38 sen to RM20.40, F&N declined 28 sen t RM28.70 and Hong Leong Bank gave up 26 sen to RM19.30.
Gainers included Riverview, which rose 15 sen to RM3.00, Master-Pack, which added 12 sen to RM3.15, United Plantations, which gained eight sen to RM21.70, and KPS Consortium , which climbed 7.5 sen to 56.5 sen.
NationGate Holdings fell 12 sen, or 7.45%, to RM1.49 with 160.51 million shares traded, making it one of the most active counters on Bursa Malaysia.
In a filing with Bursa Malaysia today, Nationgate announced that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) had raided the premises of one of its subsidiaries as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged scrap metal smuggling.
Earlier in the day, it was reported that the MACC had launched a major operation targeting scrap metal smuggling syndicates across five states, with the illicit activities estimated to have caused over RM950mil in lost tax revenue.
NationGate Holdings fell 12 sen, or 7.45%, to RM1.49 with 160.51 million shares traded, making it one of the most active counters on Bursa Malaysia.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has conducted a raid at the premises of a subsidiary of Nationgate as part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of scrap metal smuggling, the company announced in a stock exchange filing today.
It was reported earlier today that the MACC has launched a major crackdown on scrap metal smuggling syndicates in five states. These smuggling activities were reported to have resulted in an estimated tax revenue loss of over RM950mil.
Meanwhile, the ringgit strengthened 0.29% against the US dollar to 4.2410, and rose 0.3% against the Singapore dollar to 3.3108.
In contrast with the local bourse, regional markets ended higher. MSCI's Asia ex-Japan stock index was higher by 1.05%.
Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 0.55%, South Korea's Kospi gained 0.41%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng climbed 1.6%, China's CSI 300 edged up 0.035%, and Singapore's Straits Times Index added 0.3%.
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NationGate's core business viewed as ‘sound'
NationGate's core business viewed as ‘sound'

The Star

timean hour ago

  • The Star

NationGate's core business viewed as ‘sound'

The news triggered heavy trading of NationGate shares. PETALING JAYA: Nationgate Holdings Bhd 's subsidiary has been raided by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) over alleged scrap metal smuggling. NationGate, in a filing with Bursa Malaysia yesterday, stated the anti corruption watchdog raided the premises of its wholly-owned subsidiary, NationGate Solution (M) Sdn Bhd on Monday, as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged scrap metal smuggling. In its latest annual report, the group noted NationGate Solution is involved in the assembly and testing of electronic components and products. The news triggered heavy trading of NationGate shares yesterday with Rakuten Trade head of equity sales Vincent Lau saying the selling was likely driven by a 'sell first, ask later' reaction among investors. He opined that NationGate's share price should stabilise at current levels. 'The group's data centre prospects remain intact for now, with reputational risks stemming from the MACC raid rather contained,' Lau said, adding NationGate's core business 'remains sound' and the company's partnership with Nvidia Corp is unlikely to be affected by the raid news. NationGate closed the trading day at RM1.49, down 12 sen, with 160.5 million shares traded. Intraday short selling of NationGate shares was suspended by the local bourse after a 15% plunge following the company's announcement of the event to Bursa Malaysia. The suspension will be lifted today. The Penang-based tech company's shares had tested a high of RM1.70 and low of RM1.35 in intraday trade. NationGate is one of only four elite Asian original equipment manufacturer partners of Nvidia. It serves as Nvidia's only contract manufacturer in South-East Asia, specialising in building artificial intelligence (AI) servers equipped with the US tech goliath's high-performance graphics processing units, which are mainly deployed in AI-based data centres. 'I believe Nvidia would have done its due diligence and recognised NationGate's capabilities, which is why NationGate was appointed in the first place. I do not think this issue would cause Nvidia to switch to another partner,' Lau said. NationGate stated it views the allegations with 'utmost seriousness' and has taken 'proactive steps' to ensure full cooperation with the MACC and to 'safeguard the integrity of the investigation'. 'Our company remains steadfast in its commitment to the highest standards of corporate governance, accountability and transparency,' it said in the filing. NationGate also assures stakeholders that the board will use its 'reasonable endeavours' to ensure business operations remain unaffected, and 'appropriate interim measures' have been put in place. 'This (scrap metal) is just a small part of its business, and even if it's stripped out, it would not affect NationGate's earnings in a meaningful way,' Lau said.

Asean news headlines as at 10pm on Tuesday (July 15)
Asean news headlines as at 10pm on Tuesday (July 15)

The Star

time6 hours ago

  • The Star

Asean news headlines as at 10pm on Tuesday (July 15)

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Despite tariffs, it's still America first for Asia's legacy carmakers
Despite tariffs, it's still America first for Asia's legacy carmakers

New Straits Times

time6 hours ago

  • New Straits Times

Despite tariffs, it's still America first for Asia's legacy carmakers

TOYOTA and Hyundai Motor may have a beef with United States protectionism, but they have one thing in common with President Donald Trump: when it comes to global car markets, it's America first for Asia's legacy carmakers. Trump's tariffs on imported automobiles have upended the outlook for the global industry, yet the US remains by far the most important market for Japan's Toyota, South Korea's Hyundai and Asian rivals, including Honda and Nissan. North America accounts for at least 40 per cent of the revenue at both Toyota and Hyundai, filings show. The market's importance was unlikely to change any time soon, said industry insiders and analysts, especially with China, now the world's biggest auto market, dominated by homegrown electric vehicle makers such as BYD. Those Asian legacy carmakers with more robust margins and a strong hybrid line-up — such as Toyota, Hyundai, Kia Corp and to a lesser extent Honda — were more likely able to weather the US tariffs storm, and potentially take market share from weaker players like Nissan, analysts said. "The environment that we're in now is becoming increasingly harsh and uncertain, starting with US tariffs," Mazda executive officer Noriyuki Takimura said. Mazda aimed to strike a balance between "defensive" measures like cost-cuts and "offensive" ones like strengthening its product line-up, he said. Two Hyundai insiders and two Japanese auto executives separately said they had no intention of downsizing their US businesses in response to tariffs, even as they acknowledged the difficulties ahead. The US is Toyota's biggest market in terms of vehicles. It sold 2.3 million vehicles there in 2024, including its Lexus brand, accounting for more than a fifth of its global total. As a source of revenue, North America was second only to Japan in the last financial year. Hyundai's North American revenue was the highest in almost a decade last year. Kim Chang-ho, an analyst at Korea Investment & Securities, estimated it generated around 60 per cent of its profits from the US, thanks to higher vehicle prices. "After years of putting in effort, our brand is finally gaining recognition in the US," said one Hyundai insider. "So we will not take our hands off the US." The US has seen a surge in demand for hybrids as consumers have become more concerned about the battery range, price and charging hassles of electric vehicles. Fuel-efficient models such as hybrids would be a key driver to gaining market share, said Morningstar analyst Vincent Sun. Toyota, Hyundai and Kia have particularly strong hybrid offerings. So far, most legacy Asian carmakers had avoided raising prices in the US and stronger players were likely to continue to hold off doing so, despite lower profitability, said analysts. Instead, the focus would likely be on taking market share from lower-margin rivals like Nissan and Stellantis, they added. Over time, tariffs could be a catalyst to help drive consolidation in the industry, or at least deepen existing tie-ups. Investors wonder if tariffs could push Nissan to revive merger talks with Honda that fell apart this year. Mazda, which is 5.1 per cent owned by Toyota, and Subaru, which is 21 per cent owned by Toyota, could become more reliant on the bigger company. While Hyundai and Kia have three US factories, they still import about two-thirds of the vehicles sold there. Toyota manufactured 1.3 million vehicles in the US last year, equal to 54 per cent of the vehicles it sold there. Japanese carmakers have invested more than US$66 billion in US manufacturing since the 1980s, building some two dozen plants, according to the JAMA auto lobby group. At a White House event attended by Trump in March, Hyundai announced a US$21 billion investment plan, including a new steel factory, and a plan to boost US production capacity to 1.2 million vehicles a year. The tariffs were likely to encourage Japanese and South Korean carmakers to invest more into expanding production capacity and localising supply chains to protect their positions, said Justinas Liuima of research firm Euromonitor International. They would also continue to benefit from one aspect of US protectionism: higher tariffs on Chinese EVs, which means they don't face the same Chinese competition in the US that they do in emerging Asian markets, he said. The writers are from Reuters

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