IN times of a market meltdown where capital appreciation is highly uncertain, dividend stocks provide refuge to investors wanting to minimise risk. The question is, should investors start buying more dividend stocks? “During which, dividend stocks with defensive earnings will offer less risk to investors. According to data compiled by EquitiesTracker (see table), glove makers Hartalega Holdings Bhd and Kossan Rubber Industries Bhd topped the list of dividend stocks, based on the trailing 12-month dividend yield. Looking ahead, investors eyeing good dividend stocks should consider companies with improving and stable earnings prospects, especially those companies with recurring income.

KUALA LUMPUR: Three months after being duped by a human trafficking syndicate in Myanmar, two teenage boys have finally safely returned to Malaysia. The boys, aged 14 and 15 years old, from Bera, Pahang, arrived in Malaysia on Friday (June 24) after various matters including documents were settled. The boy said he only realised that he was duped by the syndicate when he was forced to work as a love scammer. "There were many people at the compound including other Malaysians. "I also saw people being punished should they fail to do their job, including being tasered.

KOTA KINABALU: The arrival of more guests from Korea has given Sabah’s tourism sector a much-needed shot in the arm following a slump due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Sabah Assistant Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai was on hand to greet the passengers, all of whom were Korean tourists. "With the arrival of Korean airlines in Sabah, we are seeing a slight improvement in Korean arrivals. Another Korean Low-Cost Airline, Jeju Air, is expected to restart direct flights to Sabah on June 29. Bangkuai and Noredah were in Seoul in early May to meet with top officials of Jin Air, Air Busan, Jeju Air and several other Korean airlines as well as two top Korean travel companies Mode Tour and Hana Tour.

KUALA LUMPUR (June 25): The crude palm oil (CPO) futures contract on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives is expected to experience a technical correction next week with high supply in the market weighing on prices. “Export data for June 1-20 is not that encouraging and we are heading into [a possible] recession where people would only buy what they need. Teh said despite the recent selldown of CPO, planters were still making profits given the cost of production which ranged between RM1,600 and RM1,800 per tonne. Total volume rose to 438,658 lots from 397,816 lots in the previous week, while open interest narrowed to 215,808 contracts from 298,491 contracts previously. The physical CPO price for July South finished the week at RM4,900 a tonne, compared with June South’s RM6,550 a tonne on the previous Friday.

AI and blockchain systems add a level of risk to the framework of financial risk management that can be categorised as new technological risks that organisations need to be aware of, and updated in the cybersecurity risk framework. It is imperative that financial risk management spans the entire life cycle, from conception to disposal. Oracle risksWithout oracles, a blockchain is entirely self-contained, and it is unaware of any events occurring outside of the local blockchain. Protocol governance risksA smart contract controls an application and is autonomous, so the only risk is related to its programming. In doing so, a new risk is introduced — governance risk — which is unique to the DeFi landscape.

The key index, which opened 0.25 of a point higher at 1,431.30, fluctuated between 1,431.30 and 1,440.73 throughout the day. Total turnover expanded to 2.46 billion units worth RM1.47 million from 2.34 billion units worth RM1.56 billion on Thursday. Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index advanced 43.86 points to 15,964.45 and the Industrial Products and Services Index firmed 2.09 points to 183.37, while the Plantation Index tumbled 36.55 points to 6,917.73. The Main Market volume widened to 1.56 billion shares worth RM12.48 billion from 1.38 billion shares worth RM1.32 billion on Thursday. The ACE Market volume dropped to 399.79 million shares worth RM112.33 million from 535.47 million shares worth RM137.41 million previously.

KUALA LUMPUR (June 24): Sarawak Economic Development Corp (SEDC) has signed a land heads of agreement (HOA) with Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas), Sarawak Shell Bhd and PTTEP HK Offshore Ltd for a long-term lease of land within the Petchem Industrial Park in Tanjung Kidurong, Bintulu on Thursday (June 23). In a statement on Friday (June 24), Petronas said the designated land is to build an onshore plan complex which forms part of the Sarawak Integrated Sour Gas Evacuation System (SISGES) project. “The SISGES project is expected to be the catalyst for more development of untapped sour gas resources off the coast of Sarawak and the developing plan is currently in its final review process,” it stated. Petronas signified that collaborations with agencies under the Sarawak state government, such as with the SEDC, as a major milestone in creating, as well as maintaining a stable, conducive business and investment environment for the sustainable growth of the oil and gas industry in the state. SEDC created the Petchem Industrial Park in 2020 to encourage active participation from domestic and international investors to intensify Sarawak’s downstream oil and gas activities, which are in line with the Sarawak state government’s aspiration toward becoming a developed state by 2030.

Amid a succession of injuries, together with regular changes of coach, she has failed to win more than two back-to-back matches in any tournament. As always, however, she looked for the positives as Wimbledon draws into view. "I'm definitely proud of the year I've had and I've learned a lot. She's won the U.S Open already, so everybody's after her," said former British number one John Lloyd. "The other players have learnt about her, coaches have taught them how to play against her.

Across the Causeway, Singapore’s headline inflation hit 5.6% in May, the highest since November 2011, and up from 5.4% in April. Malaysia’s inflation stood at 2.5% last year, after a deflation of 1.1% in 2020. “Electricity prices under the Imbalance Cost Pass-Through (ICPT) mechanism are subject for a revision in July, which may lead to a hike, given the elevated prices of electricity inputs, namely gas and coal,” they said in a note. “For 2023, we expect CPI to grow by 3.2% year-on-year, assuming some adjustments to fuel prices for the high-income groups,” they said. Higher demand-driven inflation owing to normalising domestic activity and labour market improvements would continue to fuel upside risks to underlying inflation, he said.

SHAH ALAM: The Selangor Health Department announced that one influenza-like-illness (ILI) cluster has been detected in the state last Tuesday (June 14) involving a boarding secondary school in the Petaling district. Of the total, five were confirmed positive for Influenza A, while 13 other samples were awaiting results. Dr Sha'ari said the school’s hostel had also been temporarily closed for sanitisation to curb the infection. On Tuesday (June 21), an influenza-like illness cluster was detected at a residential school in Gombak district. As such, Dr Sha’ari called on the public including administrators of educational institutions and care centres to always practice self-control.

TAWAU (June 23): A company and its director were fined RM8,000 each, or in default, two months’ jail by the Sessions Court here on Thursday (June 23) for selling communications equipment that was not certified by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC). The company and Liau were charged with selling two units of Kenwood 520D walkie-talkies which were not certified by the Communications and Multimedia (Technical Standard) Regulations 2000 at Lot 24, Block G, ground floor, Kubota Square, Jalan Kubota, at 11.30am on June 10, 2020. According to the facts of the case, a man bought two walkie-talkies for RM680 from the company, and the communications equipment was sent to SIRIM for radio frequency checks, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), and safety tests, but all the tests failed. SIRIM also found that the communications device was not certified by the body, MCMC, or any other registered certification agency. MCMC prosecution officer Nur Nazhzilah Mohammad Hashim prosecuted the case, while lawyer Voo Vun Han represented the accused.

“I feel blessed to give than to receive. “I provide them briyani meals with dishes like meat and vegetable, something different from food they receive daily. “When people were not allowed to leave home, we delivered food and groceries to them. “We reached out to the lower- income people living in flats and delivered food from door to door, especially to the elderly and sick. When Selangor was hit by flash floods, Vimalan also delivered cash, clothes and food in two trucks to those affected.

KUALA LUMPUR (June 23): Bursa Malaysia erased early gains to end flat following a choppy trading session amid cautious investors sentiment on concerns over inflation, a dealer said. Total turnover shrank to 2.34 billion units worth RM1.56 billion from 2.72 billion units worth RM1.9 billion on Wednesday. Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index tumbled 55.53 points to 15,920.59, the Industrial Products and Services Index shed 1.78 points to 181.28, and the Plantation Index climbed 164.65 points to 6,954.28. The Main Market volume narrowed to 1.38 billion shares worth RM1.32 billion from 1.73 billion shares worth RM1.65 billion on Wednesday. The ACE Market volume rose to 535.47 million shares worth RM137.41 million from 441.9 million shares worth RM137.99 million previously.

The effects of climate change will only get worse if emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) are not radically reduced. “Net zero” refers to the goal of eliminating or offsetting all GHG emissions, in order to limit the rise in the earth’s temperature to no more than 1.5°C. Getting to net zero will not be easy or without cost — and the world still needs to grow. What would it take to reach net zero? As for jobs, McKinsey estimates that getting to net zero could mean the loss of 187 million jobs globally by 2050.

PETALING JAYA: Astro Malaysia Holdings Bhd is expected to maintain a positive outlook despite several headwinds. However, it was still 17.2% lower year-on-year (y-o-y) and 10.3% quarter-on-quarter (q-o-q). The group’s 1Q23 revenue also saw a decline by 9.4% y-o-y and 6.7% q-o-q. In 2022, the group will bundle in Indian streaming service Zee5 and the British Broadcasting Corp’s Player to its pay-TV and streaming offerings. Additionally, streaming players, including mainstream global streaming services, who have yet to make a presence in the Malaysian market, have approached them for tie-ups.