Health Advisory For Workplaces During Haze

 

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Title	Health Advisory For Workplaces During Haze
Published at	25-06-2013
Category	Announcement
Description	Health Advisory For Workplaces During Haze
Ministry Of Health, Malaysia: Health Advisory For Workplaces During Haze Introduction Haze is a situation where there is pollution to the air by suspended particulate matter. The various determinants of air pollution are, Sulphur Dioxide, Nitrogen Dioxide, Ozone, Carbon Monoxide and PM10. The fine particulate matter or PM10 (particulate of size 10 micron and below) is the main concern as it may lead to adverse health conditions. Haze is caused when sunlight encounters tiny pollution particles in the air. Some light is absorbed by particles while other light is scattered away before it reaches an observer. The more the pollutants, the more the absorption and scattering of light, which reduces the clarity and color of what we see. Air quality is determined by the Air Pollutant Index which is measured by the Department of Environment, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. The Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994, stipulates that it is the responsibility of the employer to ensure the safety, health and welfare of the employee. The employer is thus responsible to ensure that preventive measures are taken for employees who are performing their tasks during the haze. Health Effects of Haze Exposure to haze may cause a variety of adverse health effects. The small particles that cause haze are composed of microscopic solids or liquid droplets that are so small that they can get deep into the lungs and cause serious health problems. When inhaled, they can enter the bloodstream and get absorbed by underlying tissue, potentially interacting with other compounds and substances in the body, for example ‘bad’ cholesterol, to produce damaging effects such as inflammation. Short-term adverse effects of exposure to haze: • Eye irritation, watering eyes, and/or conjunctivitis (a type of eye inflammation) • Running nose, stuffy nose, sneezing, and/or post-nasal drip • Throat irritation, dry throat, sore throat and/or coughing, phlegm • Headache, dizziness, fatigue and/or stress • Decreased lung function, depressed respiratory immune defenses, chest tightness, chest pain, shortness of breath, bronchitis (lung inflammation) These symptoms are usually mild and will subside if exposure to haze is limited by staying indoors. However, in susceptible individuals (e.g. diabetics, elderly) and those suffering from chronic disease, especially respiratory and heart disease (e.g. coronary artery disease, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), their condition may be worsened by haze and are more likely to experience more severe haze-related effects than healthy people. Long-term effects of exposure to haze A large number of particles in a haze are below 2.5 micrometers in diameter. Therefore these ultra small particles stay in the air longer and are easily carried over long distances, increasing their chances of being inhaled by animals and humans. The long-term risks associated with exposure to fine particles: • Faster rate of thickening of the arteries compared to others, promoting the development of vascular diseases. • Increases the risk of death by cardiovascular disease and reduces life expectancy by several months to a few years • May contribute to the development of diabetes • Spontaneous abortion, under-weight infants, birth defects and infant death. Measures to be taken by the workplace General Measures at the Workplace Minimize outdoor activities. Identify outdoor work that may be reduced. Ensure the use of respirator for those with prolonged exposure. Those suffering from chronic illnesses, especially heart and respiratory diseases, should remain indoors. Close all windows, doors and any openings that may allow haze to enter the workplace. Turn on the air conditioner if available. Ensure adequate ventilation in the closed room. Ensure maintenance of the air conditioner with regular cleaning and servicing. Fine particles can enter an air-conditioned building through the fresh air intake and by infiltration through openings and gaps. Use an air purifier to keep the particulate levels low. An air purifier or air cleaning devices may be used to reduce the amount of air contaminants that may be circulating in the building. Provide health education regarding Haze to the employees Provide respirators for employees who have to work outdoors Ensure there is sufficient supply of respirators for employees who have to work outdoors Conduct Fit Testing Fit testing should be conducted for employees who need to use respirators Reassignment of job tasks Susceptible employees should be reassigned to indoor tasks until the level of pollution is healthy General Measures for the Workers Inform the management if you are suffering from any heart or respiratory diseases Take your medication regularly if suffering from an existing disease, especially heart disease and respiratory diseases. Drink more water and increase the intake of fresh fruits and vegetables. This helps the body to flush out toxins absorbed through the skin and lungs, and improve the immune system. Cut down on alcohol and coffee These promote fluid and nutrient loss from the body. Avoid smoking Wear a respirator when you go outside Personal Protection A respirator is a protective device worn covering the nose and mouth and is used to reduce the wearer’s risk of inhaling hazardous airborne particles. The respirator filters small airborne particle which cause haze. The N95 respirator may be used to prevent exposure to the haze. (Refer Usage of Personal Protection During Haze at www.moh.gov.my) Guidelines on Action to be Taken at The Workplace Air Pollutant Index (API) Reading Health Effect Description Action to be taken at the workplace 0-50 Good Prepare for any future possibility of air pollution 51-100 Moderate Identify outdoor activities that need to be minimized Health Education to the employees Ensure stock of N95 masks Perform fit testing for employees who work outdoors 101-200 Unhealthy Initiate use of N95 respirators by employees working outdoors Reassign susceptible employees with difficulties working outdoors to indoor jobs. Minimize strenuous outdoor tasks 201-300 Very Unhealthy Reassign all susceptible employees to indoor jobs. Avoid strenuous outdoor tasks Temporarily stop earthworks and earth movements tasks 301-400 Hazardous Assess visibility for work processes Ensure use of headlights while driving Ensure all persons working outdoor are using N95 respirators 400-500 Hazardous Avoid outdoor work >500 Hazardous All government and private sector offices and workplaces to be closed pending declaration of Disaster Emergency by the National Committee on Disaster Management except essential services

All I Ever See Is Haze - Alvin Oon

12 Ways To Save Money In Malaysia - from iMoney

"12 Ways To Save Money In Malaysia"! It's written and published by iMoney

It covers tips on topics like:

• Learn about high-yielding bank accounts & fixed deposits you never knew existed.
• Discover ways to leverage on the one financial instrument that has no business saving you money – your credit card.
• Read about ways you can manoeuvre your loans to help you pay less over the long run.
• Find out how you can bump yourself down a tax bracket LEGALLY using relief and rebates.
• And many more

• TIP#1:

Open & Maintain High-Yield Banking Accounts

 

A savings or current account is now just a mechanism to STORE your money instead of one that can help you GENERATE MORE money from your savings because of their negligible interest rates.

Well, it doesn’t necessary need to be this way. Because in Malaysia, there are savings or

current accounts that do generate substantial interests from your deposits, which include (i)

high-yielding accounts applicable to Priority Banking customers; and (ii) savings accounts

with “forced saving” mechanisms that generate interest as high as 2% p.a..

So if you’re still holding a normal savings or current account that generates non-existential

interests, consider alternatives. You can easily do so by looking up iMoney’s

http://www.imoney.my/sites/default/files/iMoney-12-ways-to-save-money-in-malaysia.pdf

MPHB Capital extended its IPO's closing date to 18.6.2013

I only received the Offer Acceptance Form (“OAF”) yesterday(11.6.2013)(though I have send my application with payment on 10.6.2013 by downloading the form from the BURSA website), thus it has to extend for me( haha!)

 

We refer to the announcement on the Timetable for Initial Public Offering dated 29 May 2013.

On behalf of MPHB Capital, we wish to announce that the closing date and/or time for acceptance, application and payment (including Excess Application) of the Offer Shares under the IPO has been extended to 5.00 p.m. on Tuesday, 18 June 2013 to facilitate an extended period of time for shareholders/renouncee(s) to accept and pay for the Offer Shares and to apply and pay for the Excess Offer Shares (if any) after taking into consideration the feedback of the shareholders/renouncee(s).

The revised timetable for the IPO is as follows:

Closing of application	18 June 2013
Balloting of applications	Not applicable
Allotment of IPO shares to successful applicants	Not applicable*
Tentative listing date	28 June 2013
Remarks	* The date of the transfer of the Offer Shares to successful applicants is on 27 June 2013.

Save for the above, all other details, terms and conditions of the IPO remain unchanged.

Time's ripe for companies to float shares

Zaidi Isham Ismail

Published: 2013/06/10

 

COMPANIES that have expressed an interest in floating their shares on Bursa Malaysia but have postponed it numerous times should consider implementing it now.

The stock market went berserk the day after Barisan Nasional won the 13th General Election on May 5, hitting historical highs and smashing record high and hitting another record high in the subsequent days.

Companies that are still reluctant to list should take the cue from UMW Holdings Bhd.

After countless postponements since 2008, the conglomerate announced last month that it is listing its wholly-owned subsidiary, UMW Oil & Gas Corp Bhd, on the Main Market this year.
Kudos to the company for its prudent and cautious management for any mistiming to its initial public offering (IPO) could send its shares tumbling and be undervalued, as had happened to Facebook's listing last year.

Companies that have announced their intentions to list, such as the Naza Group and 1901 Hotdogs, to name a few, may want to reconsider sharing profits with the public this year or next year.

Naza Group announced its intention to list its property unit, Naza TTDI Sdn Bhd, as early as last year but the group must have been wary of the volatile stock market.

But of course, companies must look at why it wants to go for a listing in the first place.

Other than to raise funds, there are many other good reasons for firms to float their shares.

When it comes to listing, it ultimately depends on the company's goal and vision.

Essentially, a listing is only partly to raise funds.

A company that is doing well and planning to expand can seek more funding from the capital market and listing is an option.

But, of course, the owners must be prepared to let go some of their shareholdings to the public and other investors.

But it's also about credibility as a public-listed company will have to adhere to a set of guidelines policed by the regulator.

A company's credibility will be enhanced as it has to furnish its financial performance results every three months, be transparent in its business dealings and give back to the people via CSR (corporate social responsibility) programme.

It is also usually easier for a listed company to do business.

When a Malaysian company is approached by a potential business partner from as far as Africa, it helps when you know the prospective partner is listed on the stock market as listed companies are transparent (due to the guidelines imposed by the stock exchange and the regulator).

A multi-billion-dollar global company will want to see the track record of its business partners and being a public-listed company will help facilitate the various business transactions.

The market is of the view that this year is a good time for IPO as positive global sentiment is expected to provide an upside momentum to share prices on Bursa Malaysia.

So, to the company directors, what are you waiting for?

To list or not to list?

Opening of application 10/06/2013 Closing of application 19/06/2013 Balloting of applications 24/06/2013 Allotment of IPO shares to successful applicants 09/07/2013 Tentative listing date 10/07/2013 10 Jun 2013INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING ("IPO" OR "OFFERING") OF UP TO 790,123,500 ORDINARY SHARES OF RM0.15 EACH IN AIRASIA X BERHAD ("AIRASIA X") ("IPO SHARES") IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE LISTING OF AND QUOTATION FOR THE ENTIRE ORDINARY SHARES OF RM0.15 EACH IN AIRASIA X ("SHARES") ON THE MAIN MARKET OF BURSA MALAYSIA SECURITIES BERHAD COMPRISING AN OFFER FOR SALE OF UP TO 197,530,900 EXISTING SHARES ("OFFER SHARES") AND A PUBLIC ISSUE OF 592,592,600 NEW SHARES ("ISSUE SHARES") COMPRISING:(I) INSTITUTIONAL OFFERING OF UP TO 538,011,800 SHARES COMPRISING begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 800 SHARES COMPRISING FREE end_of_the_skype_highlighting:- UP TO 197,530,900 OFFER SHARES AND 79,740,200 ISSUE SHARES TO MALAYSIAN INSTITUTIONAL AND SELECTED INVESTORS,AND FOREIGN INSTITUTIONAL AND SELECTED INVESTORS AT THE INSTITUTIONAL PRICE TO BE DETERMINED BY WAY OF BOOKBUILDING ("INSTITUTIONAL PRICE"); AND- 260,740,700 ISSUE SHARES TO BUMIPUTERA INSTITUTIONAL AND SELECTED INVESTORS APPROVED BY THE MINISTRY OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND INDUSTRY AT THE INSTITUTIONAL PRICE,(II) RETAIL OFFERING OF 252,111,700 SHARES COMPRISING:- 52,111,700 ISSUE SHARES MADE AVAILA BLE TO THE ELIGIBLE PERSONS (AS DEFINED HEREIN);- 50,000,000 ISSUE SHARES MADE AVAILABLE TO THE ELIGIBLE PASSENGERS (AS DEFINED HEREIN); AND- 150,000,000 ISSUE SHARES MADE AVAILABLE TO THE MALAYSIAN PUBLIC,AT THE RETAIL PRICE OF RM1.45 PER SHARE ("RETAIL PRICE") , PAYABLE IN FULL UPON APPLICATION AND SUBJECT TO REFUND OF THE DIFFERENCE, IN THE EVENT THAT THE FINAL RETAIL PRICE (AS DEFINED HEREIN) IS LESS THAN THE RETAIL PRICE, THE FINAL RETAIL PRICE WILL EQUAL THE INSTITUTIONAL PRICE, SUBJECT THAT IT WILL NOT EXCEED THE RETAIL PRICE.THE INSTITUTIONAL OFFERING AND THE RETAIL OFFERING ARE SUBJECT TO THE CLAWBACK AND REALLOCATION PROVISIONS AND THE OVER-ALLOTMENT OPTION (AS DEFINED HEREIN).

Is something big brewing in Tropicana?

By Francis Fernandez

Published: 2013/06/07

http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/TROPIC/Article/

Tropicana Corp Bhd has been making very interesting disclosures to the stock exchange virtually every single working day since it changed its name from Dijaya Corp Bhd.
There does not seem to be anything sinister in the disclosures since May 28 2013, the day it officially changed its corporate name.

The announcements seem to point towards something big brewing in the company.

What the market knows thus far is that this will be the year Tropicana's sales are expected to break the RM1 billion barrier.

Kenanga Research forecast Tropicana's revenue to hit RM1.27 billion this year, double last year's figures.

For the year ended December 31 2012, Tropicana registered a pre-tax profit of RM219.9 million on the back of a RM630.1 million revenue.

For the current financial year, Kenanga expects Tropicana's profit to hit the RM238 million level, and in the following year, its profit is expected to touch RM300 million.

Kenanga, which has an "outperform" rating on Tropicana, said the company is poised to launch RM3 billion worth of properties this year.

The launch should add on to Tropicana's current RM1.1 billion worth of unbilled sales, which is good enough to provide for two years of earnings visibility.

RHB Research, meanwhile, said Tropicana has strategic presence in three key property hotspots, namely Johor, Penang and the Klang Valley.

The research firm pointed out that Tropicana has land bank of 808ha, with a gross development value of RM60 billion.

Additionally, its ongoing asset monetisation initiatives are set to net between RM400 million and RM500 million in gross proceeds, RHB Research pointed out.

Coming back to the announcements made to Bursa Malaysia, Tropicana told the stock exchange on May 29 that it had fixed the price of its 86.307 million shares at RM1.78 per placement share. The shares were to be placed out to local and foreign institutional investors.

Tropicana was never known to have core institutional funds as substantial shareholders in the company.

The company's chief executive officer Datuk Yau Kok Seng said the exercise will raise gross proceeds of RM153.6 million.

The following day, Tropicana announced that Yau had exercised one million of his employees' share option scheme (ESOS) shares.

On May 31, Tropicana told the stock exchange it intends to seek approval from its shareholders for the proposed renewal of authority to purchase its own shares of up to 10 per cent of the issued and paid-up share capital of the company.

This is a routine announcement, though it should be noted that on June 5, Tropicana bought back seven million of its shares from the market.

Prior to the purchase, Tropicana held zero of its own shares as treasury shares.

On June 3, Tropicana said its founder Tan Sri Danny Tan Chee Sing had sold off 18.9 million shares at RM1.78 a share to a Malaysian government-linked institutional investor.

That set tongues wagging that the Employees Provident Fund was the buyer of the shares, and that Tropicana could be the next SP Setia in the making.

On June 5, Tropicana said it sold some land in Petaling Jaya for RM111.6 million, and that it booked a net gain of RM87 million.

Yesterday, Tropicana said it had sent out a circular to its shareholders on a dividend reinvestment plan that allows shareholders to use the cash given out as dividend to be reinvested in new ordinary shares of the company.

For the record, Tropicana said this week it will give shareholders 6.4 sen per share less 25 per cent income tax as dividend for the financial year ended 2012.

Something interesting about newly listed property stock -- MATRIX

1	04 Jun 2013	MATRIX CONCEPTS HOLDINGS BERHAD	Changes in Sub. S-hldr's Int. (29B) - ALICE TAN KHIAM CHOW
2	04 Jun 2013	MATRIX CONCEPTS HOLDINGS BERHAD	Changes in Director's Interest (S135) - HO KONG SOON
3	04 Jun 2013	MATRIX CONCEPTS HOLDINGS BERHAD	Changes in Sub. S-hldr's Int. (29B) - HO KONG SOON
4	04 Jun 2013	MATRIX CONCEPTS HOLDINGS BERHAD	DEALINGS IN LISTED SECURITIES (CHAPTER 14 OF LISTING REQUIREMENTS):DEALINGS OUTSIDE CLOSED PERIOD

MATRIX - NOTICE OF BOOK CLOSURE

MATRIX CONCEPTS HOLDINGS BERHAD

LISTING'S CIRCULAR NO. L/Q : 67912 OF 2013

FIRST INTERIM DIVIDEND OF 13.5 SEN PER ORDINARY SHARE LESS 25% INCOME TAX.

Kindly be advised of the following :

1) The above Company's securities will be traded and quoted [ "Ex - Dividend" ]
as from : [ 26 June 2013 ]

SUMMARY OF KEY FINANCIAL INFORMATION 31/03/2013

		INDIVIDUAL PERIOD		CUMULATIVE PERIOD
		CURRENT YEAR QUARTER	PRECEDING YEAR CORRESPONDING QUARTER	CURRENT YEAR TO DATE	PRECEDING YEAR CORRESPONDING PERIOD
		31/03/2013	31/03/2012	31/03/2013	31/03/2012
		$$'000	$$'000	$$'000	$$'000
1	Revenue	155,591		155,591
2	Profit/(loss) before tax	61,478		61,478
3	Profit/(loss) for the period	45,984		45,984
4	Profit/(loss) attributable to ordinary equity holders of the parent	45,984		45,984
5	Basic earnings/(loss) per share (Subunit)	63.74		63.74
6	Proposed/Declared dividend per share (Subunit)	0.14		0.14
		AS AT END OF CURRENT QUARTER		AS AT PRECEDING FINANCIAL

How to Invest in a Bull Market

Edited by DifuWu, T. Nicolic

 

A bull market is a rising market increasing by at least 20% from a bottom. Bull markets are times of prosperity and tend to last much longer than their counterparts, the bear markets. So learn to discern a bull market cycle and invest accordingly to help you thrive in a bull market.

 Steps

1. 1
   Prepare for a bull market when prices are still falling during a bear market. Because bear markets are invariably followed by bull markets, it is important to raise cash and keep a handy wish list of stocks with target prices to buy, before a bull market begins. Bull markets tend to begin abruptly when things appear gloomiest, prices are in free fall, with no light at the end of the tunnel. When fear, pessimism, and pain reach their maximum, a bottom is reached, and a bull market begins. Here are things you can do to prepare for the birth of a bull market:
   
   
   • Save as much as you can. Cut down your discretionary spending, and raise as much cash as possible.
   • Sell bonds and other fixed income investments, so you can take advantage of the high returns of stocks in a bull market.
   • Sell gold when the Dow/gold ratio is well below the historic average of around 20:1.
   • Have plenty of cash deposited into a stock brokerage account, so you are ready to buy stocks once the bear market ends and a bull market begins.
   • Watch for a bull market to begin in the depth of a recession, when everything is still in free fall, and the economic outlook appears the darkest. If you wait till a recession is officially over, you would most likely miss a great portion of the bull market's gains.
2. 2
   Early in a bull market, when prices have just started to bounce back from the bottom, buy all kinds of stocks, but preferentially load up on the ones that have fallen the most during the bear market, typically the lower quality, cyclical stocks (such as Alcoa and Dow Chemicals). Lower quality stocks tend to have higher debt and lower margins and cyclical stocks are dependent on the business cycle, so they tend to be hardest hit in a recession, and will bounce back dramatically when the recession ends. Load up in stocks that belong to the hardest hit industries and sectors during the bear market, for example, the financial sector in 2008 and 1991. Likewise, focus on the hardest hit investment styles. If small cap stocks have fallen more than large cap stocks, buy small caps. If international stocks have fallen more than domestic stocks, buy international stocks. If value stocks have fallen more than growth stocks, buy value stocks. During the early phase of a bull market, only a few forward looking investors will believe things will get better and are willing to take new positions. As the outlook turns just a little less depressing, the market will start to move up from the bargain hunting.
3. 3
   Keep buying stocks and hold onto your positions as the bull market continues to rise, transitioning from early to mid phase. During the mid phase of a bull market, the economic outlook remains poor, but it will gradually seem less poor. Investors will begin to realise that improvement is taking place, and they will bid stocks up to their fair values. Fear of "double dip" will continue to keep prices in check from time to time, and a sizable minority will remain skeptical of the rally. The mid phase is usually the longest phase of a bull market and can last for many years. As long as skepticism in the market's recovery remains, the bull market will continue to rise, so be sure to hold on tight onto your positions.
4. 4
   As the bull market continues to rise during the mid phase, shift your focus more on high quality stocks and begin to pare down or sell the lower quality stocks to make room for higher quality ones. As the bull market matures, risk increases along with asset prices, and the hardest hit stocks tend to recover a lot more than higher quality ones (often lower quality stocks will go up by 300-400% when higher quality stocks go up by only 50-100%). As stocks prices go up, risk increases, so you should dial down risk by emphasising more on more on quality.
5. 5
   Know that when everyone finally concludes things will get better forever, the bull market has now transitioned from mid to late phase. At this point, euphoria sets in, and essentially all remaining bears turns bullish. As everyone is cheered by the improvement in the economic and corporate results, they will become willing to extrapolate it. Expressions like "new era", "new paradigm", "permanently high plateau", and "end of the business cycle" will be rampant. Parodoxically, future P/E may be low, based on overly optimistic projections for the next 12-month earnings. (Trailing P/E and P/E calculated based on averaged earnings over past 3, 5 or 10 years are always high, usually above 20, toward the late phase of the bull market.) Regret and greed become powerful forces, as the masses become jealous of the profits made by investors who were early, and they want in.
6. 6
   When everyone wants to buy, sell. Sell all the lower quality and cyclical stocks, if you have not already. Hold onto the highest quality defensive stocks if you are a long term investor.
7. 7
   Raise cash and get ready for the end of the bull market, to buy again during the next bear market. Hold off buying when the overall stock market has become irrationally exuberant, and remember that the next bear market is just around the corner.

Turnaround Stocks: U-Turn To High Returns

Turnaround Stocks: U-Turn To High Returns         

Weeding through beaten down companies to identify a turnaround stock can be a thorny situation. It's tedious and time consuming, and even if you feel you've done all your homework, the pick could still go bad. In this article we'll show you some harbingers of a turnaround situation that will help you isolate the flower from the weeds.

There are three root causes of corporate rejuvenation. They include: a sales jump, cost-cutting initiatives and new products. Let's take a closer look at them and some stocks that have turned around as a result of these changes.

1. A Sales Jump While change at many public companies can proceed at a glacial pace, there are times when a company turns around on a dime to experience dramatic sequential or year-over-year improvements in sales.

A terrific example of just such a reversal of fortune can be found in an analysis of IBM (NYSE:IBM) in the mid 1990s. Prior to fomer chief executive Lou Gerstner's arrival on the scene, the computer giant was struggling. In fact, its product arsenal was downright paltry, and some investors questioned whether the company would be able to compete with the likes of Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ) and Apple Inc. (NYSE:APPL) over the long haul.

But Gerstner changed all that. Under his leadership, IBM introduced a slew of new products and focused increasingly on offering business services as well. In addition, he presided over a huge cost-cutting program that eliminated millions of redundant expenditures. This allowed the company to invest in future growth opportunities.

The result of Gerstner's efforts showed through IBM's sequential and year-over-year improvement in net sales. In fact, on an annualized basis it grew revenue from $64 billion in 1994 to more than $87 billion by 1999, a major improvement for a company that was already among the nation's largest. Not surprisingly, the share price also increased during this time, from the $30 range to more than $100 per share by 1999.

The lesson in this is to pay particular attention to companies that have shown marked improvements in sales, because it is a strong sign that better times - and higher stock prices - may lie ahead. (To read more about this subject, see Great Expectations: Forecasting Sales Growth.)

2. Major Cost-Cutting InitiativesEven if a company isn't dramatically growing sales, it can still enhance shareholder value and drive its share price higher through aggressive cost cutting. Let's take a look at how Kimberly Clark (NYSE:KMB) managed to turn around its stock through this measure.

In July 2005, the well-known maker of health and hygiene products announced plans to cut 6,000 jobs and sell or close up to 20 plants. Management said the cuts could save the company as much as $300 to $350 million annually by 2009. Perhaps even more importantly, it would free up resources so that the company could expand its business in China and focus on high-margin end products, such as diapers and paper towels.

Soon after this major cost cut, Kimberly Clark started to see some sizable savings. The stock reversed course and by March 2008 was trading almost $10/share higher than it did at the end of the 2005.

3. New Products in the CardsDue to the after-effects of the tech bubble burst, a sluggish product pipeline and tough competition from companies like Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT), Apple's stock was struggling by late 2001.

Then along came a little product known as the iPod. While the iPod wasn't a sensation right off the bat, it was a solid product aimed at a very good consumer base, which helped it gain some valuable traction over its first few years. As new generations of the product hit the shelves - and everyone from celebrities to politicians were spotted with them - demand picked up quickly.

As of October 2007, the company had sold more than 120 million of the little gadgets, and it is a major reason why Apple is one of the top resurrection stories of the past decade. While not all new product releases will ultimately be a success, a new item often generates a lot of buzz in the investment community if it has the potential to drive the company's sales materially higher.

Bottom LineBe on the lookout for one of the above catalysts at a struggling company, because they are often the first signs that a turnaround may be in the works. And, you don't have to get in at the beginning of a turnaround to profit, getting in on a rising company that looks to have long-term potential is still a solid investing technique.

To read more about turnaround stocks, see Catching Comeback Stocks For Clients and Finding Profit In Troubled Stocks.

US stocks plunge in volatile trade

NEW YORK: US stocks tumbled Friday, accelerating their losses after a flurry of mixed indicators sparked volatile trade in the last session of the month.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 208.96 points (1.36 per cent) at 15,115.57.

The broad-based S&P 500 dived 23.67 (1.43 per cent) to 1,630.74, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite lost 35.39 (1.01 per cent) at 3,455.91.

The indices plunged more than 1.0 per cent in late trade as the "fear index" measuring market volatility finished at its highest level since mid-April.
The market was hammered by "a war between the differing readings on the US economic data," said Gregori Volokhine of Meeschaert New York.

The Commerce Department reported that consumer spending dropped by 0.2 per cent last month, the first monthly fall since May 2012 and a signal that growth slowed at the beginning of the second quarter.

Offsetting that was a jump in the Chicago area PMI index to 58.7, its highest since March 2012, and the University of Michigan consumer confidence barometer, which rose to a better-than-expected 83.7, the highest since July 2007.

Jon Ogg of 24/7 WallSt. said the Chicago PMI reading was not as strong as the headline number suggested, pointing to comments from those surveyed in the region.

"The commentary from the ISM Chicago appears to be far more cautious than the numbers might have led you to believe," Ogg said.

Among top-traded stocks, insurer AIG tanked 3.8 per cent, Amazon rose 0.9 per cent and Morgan Stanley edged up 0.3 per cent.

Facebook added to its 5.3 per cent gain Thursday, rising almost 3.0 per cent on the back of analyst upgrades.

A day after their bidding war for broadband carrier Clearwire heated up, Dish Networks fell 2.5 per cent while Sprint lost 0.5 per cent. Clearwire shares dropped 0.4 per cent.

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts soared 21.5 per cent to US$17.32 after reporting a 37 per cent jump in fiscal first quarter net income and revenue up 11.2 per cent. The donuts chain also raised its forecast for the full year.

Monsanto shares plunged 4.3 per cent to US$100.64 as the US agriculture giant faced a rising protest over its genetically engineered seeds after an unapproved modified wheat strain was found on an Oregon farm.

Computer chip maker Omnivision Technologies soared 19.2 per cent after it turned in a strong jump in profits for its fiscal fourth quarter, to US$8.9 million from US$2.7 million a year earlier, on a 54 per cent climb in revenues. -- AFP

but take a look at Vincent Tan"s Stcoks
http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/Brjaya/Article/