Edaran Terhad

●30hb November 2016●

Disusun oleh Perpustakaan, UPP

Merita Harlan

3 0 NOV 2016

HFTAH 05 SENV J L» 1 / »I I 23 November 2016

'Vyasaran getah Malaysia ditutup -h'kebanyakannya rendah me-

ngikuti penurunan dl Bursa Niaga Hadapan Shanghai dan Bursa Komoditi Tokyo, kata peniaga.

Niaga hadapan minyak mentah Brent jatuh 1.14 peratus kepada AS$47.69 satu tong manakala ring­git didagangkan rendah berban- ding dolar AS pada 4.4640/4680.

“Sementara itu, pelabur men- jangka data Indeks Pengurus Pem belian Pembuatan China bagi November yang dijadual dikelu- arkan pada l Disember, lebih baik memandangkan ia akan menun- jukkan petunjuk pemulihan per- mintaan ” kata peniaga.

Pada tengah hari, harga fizikal rasmi Lembaga Getah Malaysia bagi gred tayar SMR 20 naik 0.5 sen kepada RM7.86 sekilogram manakala lateks pukal turun satu sen kepada RM5.80 sekilogram.

Harga fizikal tidak rasmi bagi gred tayar SMR 20 susut 27 sen kepada RM7-73 sekilogram manakala lateks pukal turun empat sen kepada RM5.785 sekilo­gram. BERNAMA

The Star

RUBBER o n k|0 \/ T ]1RKUALA LUMPUR o U INU L-J ‘ JThe Malaysian rubber market closed mostly lower yesterday tracking the lower Shanghai Futures Exchange and Tokyo Commodity Exchange rubber futures, dealers said.

A dealer said the decline was also due to lower oil prices ahead of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ meeting yesterday, but was capped by the weakening ringgit against the US dollar.

Brent crude futures fell 1.14% to US$47.69 per barrel while the ringgit was traded lower against the US dollar at 4.4640/4680 as of 5pm from 4.4590/4650 at 9am yesterday.

“Meanwhile, investors are expecting a better China’s manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index data in November due to be released on Dec 1, as this would indicate signs of recovery in demand,” he said.

At noon, the Malaysian Rubber Board’s official physical price for tyre-grade SMR 20 marginally gamed 0.5 sen to 786.0 sen per kg while latex-in­bulk declined one sen to 580.0 sen per kg.

The unofficial physical price for tyre-grade SMR 20 fell 27 sen to 773.0 sen per kg while latex-in-bulk shed four sen to 578.50 sen per kg. - Bernama SMR PRICES FROM MRB IN SEN A KILO: NOV 29_____________

Offer Price Noon sell Closing sellSen/Kg US Cents/Kg Sen/Kg US Cents/Kg

SMR CV 884.50 201.40 883.00 201.05SMR L 844.50 192.30 843.00 191.95SMR 5 798.00 181.70 785.00 178.75SMR GP 795.00 181.00SMR 10 788.00 179.40 775.00 176.45SMR 20 786.00 178.95 773.00 176.00CENTRIFUGED LATEX - LOCAL PRICE (ISO 2004) IN MALAYSIANSEN/KG(WET)Offer Price Noon sell Closing sellLatex in bulk 580.00 578.50Note: Effective from Jan 2, 2014, MRB will publish only the sellers'offer price.FARMGATE LATEX PRICE:

Latex CuplumpLow High Low High

(sen/kg) (sen/kg)Peninsular 650.00 720.00 323.00 358.00Sabah 640.00 640.00 290.00 345.00Sarawak - - 179.00 350.00

US$Low High

Sabah 310.00 370.00Sarawak 300.00 583.00Source: Malaysian Rubber Board

AT A GLANCECOMMODITIES (NOV 29) ______________________________ _

Tin (per tonne) US$21,030 -US$70Gold (per gramme) RM165.28 -RM0.43CPO Futures (per tonne) Dec RM3,060 -RM24US$ CPO Futures (per tonne) US$685.25Rubber (per kg) SMR 20 786.00 sen +0.5 senLatex 580.00 sen -1 senNOV 28Nymex Oil Jan (per barrel) US$47.08 +US$1.02

EXCHANGE RATH ™ « S »M 3 Q 2016Bank Negara's best available quotations by commercial banks of Kuala Lumpur at 5pm on Nov 29, 2016 UNITS OF FOREIGN CURRENCY PER UNIT OF MALAYSIAN RINGGIT__________________________________________________

Buying OD Selling ODUS dollar: 0.2238 0.2240Sterling: 0.1802 0.1804Singapore dollar: 0.3196 0.3200Yen 100: 25.1992 25.2240Euro: 0.2113 0.2116Chinese Renminbi: 1.5435 1.5450Ringgit Malaysia per foreign currency

OPENING RATES BY MAYBANK ON NOV 29, 2016____________

SELLING BUYING BUYINGTT/OD TT OD

1 US Dollar..................................4.5160 4.3970 4.38701 Australian Dollar.....................3.3920 3.2850 3.26901 Brunei Dollar...........................3.1810 3.0800 3.07201 Canadian Dollar.......................3.3750 3.2740 3.26201 Euro...........................................4.8010 4.6590 4.63901 New Zealand Dollar................3.2210 3.0910 3.07501 Papua N Guinea K ina............. 1.5300 1.2910 1.27501 Singapore Dollar.....................3.1805 3.0800 3.07201 Sterling Pound........................ 5.6030. 5.4640 5.44401 Swiss Franc..............................4.4590 4.3430 4.3280100 UAE Dirham.....................124.7500 117.9200 117.7200100 Bangladesh Taka................. 5.7900 5.4570 5.2570100 Danish Krone..................... 66.3300 60.8500 60.6500100 Hongkong Dollar...............59.0800 55.8500 55.6500100 Indian Rupee....................... 6.7160 6.2800 6.0800100 Indonesian Rupiah.............. 0.0347 0.0312 0.0262100 Japanese Yen.......................4.0500 3.9130 3.9030100 Norwegian Krone..............54.4100 49.8900 49.6900100 Pakistan Rupee................... 4.4000 4.1100 3.9100100 Philippine Peso....................9.2400 8.6800 8.4800100 Qatar Riyal.......................125.4600 119.3400 119.1400100 Saudi Riyal.......................121.9000 115.7200 115.5200100 South Africa Rand.............33.8900 31.1700 30.9700100 Sri Lanka Rupee.................. 3.1400 2.8600 2.6600100 Swedish Krona..................50.7600 46.1000 45.9000100 Thai Baht............................ 13.5900 11.5000 11.1000

N8T

3 0 NOV 2016

Govt urged to extend i|I^ tax incentivesFinance Ministry on raising allowance limit M ,

OOI TEE CHINC reinvestment allowance extension,” duction lines, develop more inno- U ~ f§- i -il. \ A B B B B SPORT KLANC he said after touring Karex Bhd’s vative medical gloves and seize a m- I 0 H | S k f

btfflmediaprimacommv condom factory, here, yesterday. sizeable slice of the lucrative global ’- J 1 1 ■ W S t * ?’ Under the 2016 Budget, the gov- condom market. I tSmSm1* f ' ’ J| I : 1 , j B g | ’ WHf-

ernment accorded reinvestment al- Healthcare practitioners cate- T”’*** ! j l f w I

PLANTATION Industries and lowance to manufacturers, with up gorise the manufacture of condoms Karex Bhd ch ie f executive officer Goh M iah Kiat (left) briefing Planta- Commodities Minister Datuk to 60 per cent of the allowed capital under Class 2B, which requires high- tion Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Mali Siew Seri Mah Siew Keong has as- expenditure, for the 2016-2018 pe- er safety criteria than Class 2A’s Fo- Keong during a visit to Karex’s condom factory in Port Klang yesterday.

sured medical device manufactur- riod. ley catheters and surgical gloves. Pic by Faiz Anuarers that he is in talks with the Fi- Karex Bhd has pumped a lot of Goh said condom-making was anance Ministry to raise the limit and money, time and effort into au- lot more detailed compared to rub- and continues to lead with exports. lower foreign exchange gain, extend reinvestment allowance for tomating many processes along its ber gloves because they need to According to the Malaysian Rub- The lower profit was attributed to manufacturers beyond 2018. production lines. meet the ISO 4074:2002 standard. ber Export Promotion Council, higher operating, administration

The medical device manufactur- "Automation is key to ramping up . A lot of investment is also needed Malaysia exported RM282 million and one-off corporate exercise ex- ing sector will, however, be pressing productivity. Government incen- to ensure that the condoms comply worth of condoms in the first nine penses with the consolidation of ahead with its appeal to the gov- tives, such as raising the limit of the with stringent requirements under months of this year. newly-acquired Pasante Healthcareernment to extend tax incentives de- reinvestment allowance and extend- the ISO 4074:2002, World Health Or- Meanwhile, Karex said in a filing Ltd.spite them being rejected under 2017 ing it beyond 2018, are vital for cap- ganisation and ASTM D3492-03 to Bursa Malaysia its first quarter Revenue, however, rose 5.2 per Budget. ital-intensive businesses such as standards. profit ended September fell 63.5 per cent to RM80.04 million, from

"We're in talks with the Finance ours,” said Karex chief executive of- Malaysia has been the world’s cent to RMS.14 m illion, from RM76.09 million, largely due to salesMinistry to reconsider the appeal for fleer Goh Miah Kiat. largest condom producer since 2009 RM22.28 million a year ago, due to a consolidation from Pasante.

Utosan

3 0 NOV 2016

Keputusan OPEC tentu^n n ila^ i^ g i^

Research. seirfng dengan mata wang negara KELEMBAPANhargaminyakdunia yangmemberi kesan kepada ringgit secaraberterusanakanmenjejaskansentimenterhadap“Terdapat kemungkinan per- pengeluar minyak yang lain. pasaran tempatan. - GAMBAR HIASAN

setujuan dicapai untuk mengu- Bagaimanapun menurut firma Keengganan Arab Saudi untuk sil daripada paras harga minyak pasaran tempatan. rangkan pengeluaran minyak, itu, usaha mencapai kesepakatan mengurangkan pengeluaran min- yang tinggi, jelas MIDF. Harga minyak Brent yang diru-walaupun tidak banyak maklumat bagi mengurangkan pengeluaran yaknya sebagai halangan utama Sem entara itu Penganalisis juk oleh pasaran Eropah dan Asia yang didedahkan bagi menyuntik minyak bakal melalui laluan ber- untuk OPEC dan bukan ahli men- HLIB Research, Sia Ket Ee berka- kini menurun 0.5 peratus kepadakeyakinan ke dalam pasaran. liku memandangkan ..terdapat capai persetujuan. Ekonomi ter- ta, kelembapan harga minyak du- AS$47-99 (RM214.03) setong, di-

“Firma masih mengekalkan beberapa ahli OPEC yang tidak besar Asia Barat itu tidak mahu nia yang memberi kesan kepada sebabkan keraguan pelabur ter-unjuran purata harga minyak du- mahu kehilangan jum lah eksport pengeluar minyak di Amerika ringgit secara berterusan akan hadap keputusan yang bakal di-ma pada AS$50 (RM223) setong minyak masing-masing. Syarikat (AS) meraih faedah ha- m enjejaskan sentimen terhadap capai esok.

Son

Ringgit could weaken further, focus on dollar* - ' levels is difficult to suggest. The milestone local economy must remain supportive,”

• - - . , low for the ringgit was around 4.55-4.60 so if he added.. . . . we cross those levels, there can bem ore Jameel said while headline growth is

concern, but until then, I won’t focus on slowing, the Malaysian economy is still4-8o or 5, that is speculation,” he told a performing at robust levels. Growth rates

b Y tE NN NEE media briefing here yesterday. in Malaysia are still seen as significantlysunbiz@thesundaiiy.com Jameel said if the ringgit does weaken to stronger than those in the developed world

. . these levels, so would other global and could reach above 4% if the domestic■ the ringgit could currencies, and the ringgit would still be economy performs,

weaken further on the strength of the US consistent against the basket of currencies. “The emerging markets have to acceptdollar, which is expected to continue its “Don’t be intimidated by the recent the netv normal, that growth, at least onmomentum until Donald Trump is ringgit movements. This is a global trend. headline is indeed slowing. There aremauguratedm January 2017. Malaysia is not alone.” going to be challenges from a stronger US

ForexTime vice-president o f corporate Jameel said in the mid to longer term, dollar and other risks such as slowingdevelopment and market research Jameel however, slower global growth continues to trade, but the emerging markets are stillAhmad said the US dollar is going to direct pressure the price of oil, aiid slowing global recording stronger growth rates than thehow the ringgit is going to play and how trade, higher import prices and higher developed world.”global currencies trade in the coming inflation does mean the Malaysian economy The US dollar has moved to levels not seenm°<?A , . will continue to sit lower in terms o f growth, in over 12 years and the dollar index, which

At the moment the market is long dollar “I would not be heavily concerned if it tracks the dollar against a basket of currencies this could last a couple more months. (GDP) drops below 4%, What is important is trading above 100, which was previously

Could the rmggit go lower? Yes, but to what is domestic spending continues and the seen as a psychological top for US dollar.

NST

3 0 NOV 2016

‘Weaker ringgit does not reflect state of economy’

RUPA DAMODARAN Malaysia will also not be alone infacing inflationary risks early next

KUALA LUMPUR: The recent ringgit year as a weaker currency generally woes are not a reflection of the state means expensive import costs, of Malaysia’s economy, as the coun- “It would be more of a concern if try’s fundamentals remain intact, the recent (currency) moves lead to said an international foreign ex- no inflation as this would mean con- change (forex) broker. sumers are not spending money and

The economy has been growing boosting domestic expenditure,” he reasonably well above four per cent said, adding that Bank Negara despite a challenging global envi- Malaysia was not likely to raise bor- ronment fraught with depressed oil rowing costs with rising inflationary prices as well as a strong US dollar pressures.and United States interest rate out- Next year will see a more chal- look. lenging global environment and the

“It is now a period of a strong US currency volatility will continue, dollar and Malaysia If the US econo-is not alone facing i . ‘ ; ! my grew by five perth e h e a d w i n d s ~ ■ p s a a ;n a th p : cent under presi- when it comes to dent-elect Donaldcurrency pressure,” : ringgit IS not the j Trump administra-said ForexTime Ltd | approach to take OS it | t i o n ’s propose dchief market analyst ! would tell investors ! stimulus measures, Jameel Ahmad at a j , , . , , . there were also con-me di a br i e f i ng , i that the central bank tagion risks if the here,yesterday. i expects the ringgit to I w o r l d ’s l a r g e s t

In the face of a US I remain depressed for a l economy was un­interest rate hike ! nrolonapd nerind" 1 able to maintain thenext month, the j proiongea perioa. | growth paC6; heringgit and other i , „, i warned,em erging market j Ja m eel A hm ad P r o t e c t i o n i s tcurrencies are expe- I Chief m arket analyst, j t r a d e p o l i c i e sriencing volatility. ForexTime Ltd \ w o u l d a l s o m e a n

T h e r i n g g i t ' that the US wouldslipped from RM4.20 to RM4.50 need to see a weaker dollar to boost within a short period, raising the exports.headline whether it had been over- In the “long dollar” period, the sold. But if that was so, all the cur- ringgit is likely to cross the RM 4.50 rencies had also been oversold, said to RM4.60 level per dollar.Jameel. In Europe, many countries will be

He said emerging markets like holding their general elections and Malaysia should not be intimidated all these political risks will have by the dollar strength as all emerg- stronger impact on investor send­ing market currencies had been ment.punched in recent weeks. Despite the currency woes, Bank

C u r r e n c i e s o f a d v a n c e d Negara can afford to stay calm as it economies, namely the pound, euro has foreign reserves to protect the and yen, have all hit historic lows ringgit.since events such as the referendum “Pegging the ringgit is not the ap-on Britain leaving the European proach to take as it would tell in- Union in June and the surprise US vestors that the central bank expects presidential election results. the ringgit to remain depressed for a

Just like the other currencies, the prolonged period,” said Jameel. weaker ringgit is no indication that Any knee-jerk reaction would leadthe economy is losing steam. investors to believe that the central

Any weakness in the currency bank had panicked and the local should be weighed against a basket markets would see further turbu- of currencies, said Jameel. lence, he added.

NST

r r 7 * | l 1 j • ■ ■ § § § ? ;*£■ ^gfsME stitutional reforms, especially in ar-\ A / 1 I I 4 / ^ l ^ a l 1 /1 / ”T B B H b I J j W^Wk ^mwi eas of forced labour and freedom of1 / 1 / 1 1 1 I I f 1 1 a f a l g a \ J B H B ?? l|gB| association. With regard to forcedr f %/ %/ f / V .x a %/ a / a ^||| labour, Malaysia commits to fully

v —/ '^ ^ H H jjH B B . ^ ^ mj T AH f e g ^ tH implement the recently passed#'"»■■'■ *| p v T * v • 1 ^ j H h B 1 amendments to the Anti-Trafficking

I I J I J / 1 1 / * 1 T / ^ I / J • ■; Law to allow trafficking victims to1 I f “ I f ' / f / f / / travel, work and stay in non-gov-

- * - -*»- a %/1 - / 1 / facilities. Due to pressure

K~JL^C C/V\ i iLl/Ly k- * - f|||k '\ on the TPP be to allow

____T T f f { '" v jP T B , China to write the rules in globalZ "T " 1 /~ \ l / \ 1 1 ^ j J economic engagement. This was

I I I f s i l l I 1 / * confirmed at the recent Asia-Pacific^ ^ v / t / !✓ f z 1 / • Economic Cooperation CEO Summit

^ ^ Peru. Chinese President Xi Jinping■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ i H I I ^ B B i S B B B H said China will to open up

n i M I N K U I M r | M C I M C U r C i T h p w n l i j p n f U n ited S ta t e s P r e s id e n t B a r a c k O b a m a greeting C h in a ’s P r e s id e n t its economy amid recent develop-U i m i n i d m i H U i n r L U C I M l* C « I I It! V d l U c Ul x i J in p in g before the G20 lead ers ’ fam ily ph oto in H angzhou in ments, such as the election of Donaldrn n n p r^ tin n \A/ith 3 np\A/ in w ^ rrl-ln n k in c j Septem ber. O bam a has stressed that fo r the US to tu rn its b a c k o n th e Trump as the next US president andL U U p c l a U U I I VVIUI a I l c v v H l VV a l U l U U M I I g T r a n s -P a c if ic P a r tn e r s h ip would be to a l lo w C h in a to w r ite th e ru le s Brexit in Europe, as rising protec-U S a D D O a r S l i m i t G d W r i t G S A r u n o i c e t K o u r in g loba l econ om ic engagem ent. AFPpic tionism around the world leads to a

r r 1 ' global slowdown in trade.ployment opportunities in US ex- education, technology as well as de- Xi laid emphasis on the Regional port-related sectors, the TPP is sup- fence policy that concentrated on Comprehensive Economic Partner-

HE Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is posed to increase inward FDI, which education, a skilled workforce, ship (RCEP), a proposed free tradeH " not simply a trade agreement among was anticipated to bring jobs, cap- knowledge, energy and expertise to agreement (FTA) between 10 Asean|f 12 Asia-Pacific countries. It is a strate- - ital, research and development compete in the global marketplace, member states and six states that<Jjj gic arrangement using free trade as spending, technology and produc- diplomacy and development. Asean has existing FTAs with—Aus-

an anchor. It was signed on Feb 4 in tivity improvements to the US econ- Applying “21st Century compo- tralia, China, India, Japan, South Ko-New Zealand after seven years of omy. However, anti-TPP quarters ag- nents” entails recognising that the rea and New Zealand,hard negotiations. TPP originated itated that- if the TPP would have deal goes beyond a mere free trade RCEP is seen as a rival to the TPP.from the P4 free trade regime set up positive effects, these would only be agreement. It enables foreign govern- While the RCEP seeks to facilitateby Brunei, Chile, New Zealand and a small percentage of the overall size ments to change respective national trade and services, unlike the TPP,Singapore. The United States seized ofthe US economy as the TPP stands policies on government procure- there are no provisions for labouron the pact to erect an economic to bring greater gains to the US part- ment, SOEs (including government- enhancement and non-trade issues,edifice to complement the American ners instead. linked companies, as known in Negotiations within the RCEP hassecurity umbrella in the region. TPP promises strong protection Malaysia and Singapore) and the pro- come under criticism over its im-

The underlying assumption is for workers, requiring all parties to tection of intellectual property rights, plementation of copyright or relatedthat, as a wide-ranging partnership, adopt and maintain in their laws In Asean, three countries — Viet- rights over digital networks, flaggingTPP would serve as a counterweight practices of fundamental rights as nam, Brunei and Malaysia — have less than desirable values in globalto the ambition of a rising China, recognised by the International concluded bilateral implementation trade, business and multilateralism.TPP could also open exclusive sec- Labour Organisation. This includes plans with the US to ensure that their Is withdrawal from TPP a knee-jerktors in places like Japan, Vietnam freedom of association and the right laws and practices are consistent reaction by US president-electand Malaysia, where protectionism, to collective bargaining; elimination with international labour standards. Trump to reject anything Obama or astate-owned enterprises (SOEs) and of forced labour, abolition of child Vietnam’s plan includes commit- game of brinkmanship by the ide-ethnic-based affirmative action labour and the elimination of em- ments on its part to allow workers ologues in the US polity? Abandon-have restricted US commercial pen- ployment discrimination. It also the autonomy to form and operate ing tire TPP will undoubtedly un-etration. The bait was the lucrative comprises commitments for all TPP unions. Under the TPP, Vietnam will dermine the credibility of the US.US market. Consequently, Australia, parties to have laws governing min- allow workers to establish and join Henceforth, the value of any coop-Canada, Japan. Malaysia, Mexico, imum wage, hours of work and oc- an independent union, with full au- eration with the US appears limitedPeru and Vietnam joined the P4 cupational safety and health. These tonomy to elect leaders, adopt a con- as Washington turns inward-look-countries and the US. The TPP workers’ protection rights are fully stitution and bargain collectively. ing. The loss of the gains in deliv-agreement has 30 chapters that cov- enforceable by trade sanctions. Sceptics have questioned the en- ering on the 21st Century compo-

The underlying er issues far beyond a typical free This enhanced labour protection forceability of labour standards in nents maybe small, but implicationsassumption is that trade agreement, including the en- is in line with the Obama admin- Vietnam. Vietnamese authorities on could be an irreversible erosion of. , v . ' vironment, labour standards and istration’s policy of utilising “21st the other hand have admitted the the US role in the global system,

as a wide-ranging SOEs. Century components" to address possibility of rising labour costs, es-partnership , TPP w ould US negotiators pushed hard to governance and human security in pecially to the foreign investor com- The writer is a Visiting Research Fellows e rv e a s a c o u n te rw e ig h t have TPP Provisions facilitate a larg- multilateral trade deals. These refer munity, if it is to abide by the TPP with the Centre for Non Traditional Securityto thp am b itio n o f a * er flow of foreign direct investment to the Obama administration’s phi- regulations on labour enhancement. Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School ofl o t n e arriD m on o r a (FDI) into the US by partner country losophy with regard to domestic Meanwhile, the TPP commits International Studies, Nanyang Technolog-rising C hina. investors. Besides increasing em- governance in drug rehabilitation, Malaysia to significant legal and in- ical University, Singapore

. . . theswr i 0 NOV 2016 .

Malaysia needs to go for nuclear energyBy ZAZflLI MUSA “Malaysia needs a good mix of energy com- the balance would come from fossil fuel, gas,zaza@thestar.com.my ing from different sources to reduce its coal, hydro power, solar and wind.

dependency on only from one particular “South Korea is planning to build between JOHOR BARU: Malaysia has no choice but to source,” Dr Muhamad said at a briefing. three and five nuclear reactors to have 30% ofgo for nuclear energy in less than 13 years He said this after opening the three-day its power output made up of nuclear energy from now to ensure the country is able to 19th Radiation Protection Conference and by 2030,” said Dr Muhamad. cater for its energy needs in the future. Workshop 2016 attended by some 250 radia- He added that in France, 80% of the coun-

Malaysian Nuclear Agency (Nuclear tion practitioners nationwide. try’s power supply came from nuclear powerMalaysia) director-general’ Datuk Dr Dr Muhamad said one advantage of using and in the United States, there were about 101 Muhamad Lebai Juri said the idea of the. nuclear energy was that the authorities would nuclear power plants, country having nuclear energy had been dis- be able to keep the power tariff low unlike Dr Muhamad said that at the end of the day, cussed many years ago. using power from gas, coal or fossil fuel it is the prerogative of the Government to

He pointed out that nuclear energy would although the initial investment to set up a decide whether there is a need for the coun- not replace the existing energy in the country nuclear plant is costly. try to go for nuclear energy. “We will continuederived from fossil fuel, gas, coal or even He said if Malaysia were to go for nuclear educating and creating awareness among the renewable energy such as solar, wind and energy, it would made up between 10% and people that nuclear energy is safe if Malaysia hydro power. 30% of the country’s total energy output while decides to go for nuclear energy one day.”

Bright outlook seen for palm oil sector next yearKUALA LUMPUR: The outlook for the coun­try’s palm oil sector next year is bright on the back of higher global demand.

Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) direc­tor-general Dr A. Kushairi Din said the US and Indonesia’s commitment to boost biofuel usage, coupled with China’s positive response towards increasing oil palm import from Malaysia, would be a boon to the industry.

Apart from China, the European Union and the UK are among Malaysia’s top palm oil importers.

“This will help increase the exports of palm oil, including crude and processed palm oil from Malaysia,” he told Bernama on the side­lines of the 2016 National Seminar On Palm Oil Milling, Refining, Environment and Quality here.

A. Kushairi said the demand for vegetable oil still outpaced the supply, with the ratio of the world population to global vegetable oil production estimated at six biUion:200 mil­lion tonnes, while the global palm oil produc­tion was about 60 million tonnes.

Hence, besides rising demand of vegetable oil, more palm oil would be utilised and this helped increase its price, he said.

Meanwhile, A. Kushairi expressed confi­dence that Malaysia’s palm oil output would pick up in the second half of next year after slowing production in the first half of the year.

The El Nino and El Nina effects have curbed production this year, increasing the country’s stockpiles from 1.6 million tonnes to 1.7 mil­lion tonnes, but still lower than the threshold of two million tonnes.

This had helped maintained the price of the commodity between RM2.800 to RM2.900 per tonne at present, he said.

However, he reiterated that the board would continue to manage the inventory at the current level next year by continuing the replanting exercise, a practice implemented since five decades ago.

Earlier, Plantation Industries . and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong said the global palm oil demand is pro­jected to grow by another 40% to about 78 million tonnes by 2020. — Bernama

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Rubber production rise drives price reversal, Indian rubber now cheaper

333 words29 November 2016New Indian ExpressNIEXPREnglish(C)2016 The New Indian Express GroupRubber production rise drives price reversal, Indian rubber now cheaper

PRAMOD THOMAS

Kochi THE rubber import story in India will soon get a new script. The practice so far was domestic rubberprice was higher which encouraged industries to import latex in huge numbers. A trend reversal is happeningnow. The overseas price of rubber is `10 per kg is costlier than Indian prices for the past one week. Withduties the import cost of rubber is now `170/kg whereas the Indian price is `130 per kg. But, a shortfall in theNortheast Monsoon now remains a concern. According to industry players, it will reduce production which willbe visible from January. “Due to demonetisation there will be 30-40 per cent fall in tyre sales in the country.This may slow down the sector. But now Indian rubber prices are cheaper and hence it will be good forgrowers. The long term story of rubber is intact,” Tomy Abraham, President, Indian Rubber DealersFederation said Natural rubber production increased 15 per cent to 60,000 tonnes in October and theconsumption grew four per cent to 86,000 tonnes, according to Rubber Board data. “Production andconsumption stood at 52,000 tonnes and 82,650 tonnes, respectively, in the year-ago month. Imports ofnatural rubber went up three per cent to 44,520 tonnes in October. During April-October period of 2016-17,production increased nearly 11 per cent in the corresponding period of the previous year,” says the board.“Base effect is coming into play and real increase in production is yet to be felt. Moreover there aredisruptions in arrivals of new stock due to demonetisation. So availability of natural rubber continues to be aconcern even though production has gone up,” said Rajiv Budhraja, Director General, Automotive TyreManufacturers’ Association (ATMA), adding that the increase in natural rubber imports during April-Octoberperiod is affecting the growers.

Document NIEXPR0020161129ecbt0000g

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India's Natural Rubber production increases 15.4% in October

163 words29 November 2016Accord FintechHTACCFEnglishCopyright 2016. Accord FintechIndia, Nov. 29 -- India's natural rubber production increased by 15.4% during October compared to theprevious year. According to Rubber Board, the production volume of the country reached 60,000 tons duringthe month.The farmers have increased the tapping due to improvement in prices which lead to the rise inproduction during the month. Imports of natural rubber went up 3% to 44,520 tons in October from 43,276tons in the same month last year while exports rose marginally to 125 tons from 113 tons during the periodunder review.Consumption of Natural Rubber by India increased 4% to 86,000 tons, as per the RubberBoard. India mainly imports Natural Rubber from Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Published by HT Syndication with permission from Accord Fintech.

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Asian Rubber Futures End Mixed; Japanese Market Down

By Lucy Craymer208 words29 November 201619:32Dow Jones Institutional NewsDJDNEnglishCopyright © 2016, Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

Asian rubber prices ended Tuesday mixed with the Shanghai Futures Exchange contract breaching 19,000yuan ($2,755) a metric ton, while the Japanese contract ended the session lower.

The Tokyo benchmark contract likely came under some pressure on the stabilization of the yen andweakness in the Nikkei. Japanese stocks declined Tuesday, halting their recent ascent after this month's U.S.presidential election, as the market's focus shifted to the uncertainty over U.S. policy formation and Europeanpolitical stability.

However, rubber contracts on the Shanghai Futures Exchange continued to be buoyed by speculation in theChinese markets.

Asian Rubber FuturesNov. 29 Change from previous close

Tocom May RSS3 Y239.9/Kg Down Y3.4/KgShanghai May SCR5 CNY19,115/Ton Up CNY340/TonSicom Dec RSS3 US 203.5 cents/Kg Down US 0.5 cents/KgSicom Dec TSR20 US 174.8 cents/Kg Down US 1.8 cents/Kg

USS Nov THB65.9/Kg1-THB66.89/Kg THB65.38/Kg-THB66.56/Kg

Write to Lucy Craymer at lucy.craymer@wsj.com, @lucy_craymer

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 29, 2016 06:32 ET (11:32 GMT)

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RUBBER-TOCOM dips from 1-1/2 year high as investors book profit

305 words29 November 201617:15Reuters NewsLBAEnglishCopyright 2016 Thomson Reuters. All Rights Reserved.TOKYO, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Benchmark Tokyo rubber futures dipped from 1-1/2 year highs on Tuesday, asinvestors took profit after Shanghai futures pared earlier gains and as weaker metals prices weighed onmarket sentiment, dealers said.

"The market took a breather after the recent rally and as prices of base metals retreated from the recenthighs," said Toshitaka Tazawa, analyst at Fujitomi Co.

The Tokyo Commodity Exchange (TOCOM) rubber contract for May delivery <0#2JRU:> finished 3.4 yen, or1.4 percent, lower at 239.9 yen ($2.13) per kg. It hit a high of 245.6 yen, the highest since June 2, 2015, onMonday evening, which is considered part of Tuesday's trade.

The TOCOM futures, which set the tone for tyre rubber prices in Southeast Asia, have surged nearly 60percent since the end of August, helped by stronger Shanghai futures and a recovery in commodity prices.

The most-active rubber contract on the Shanghai futures exchange for May delivery fell 35 yuan to finish at18,740 yuan ($2,718.74) per tonne, pressured by profit-taking.

Industrial metals generally eased on Tuesday, with London copper falling 1 percent, giving up some gainsafter earlier strong support as the U.S. dollar softened, equities flatlined and political risk resurfaced inEurope.

"I think the market has come to a near peak though there is still uncertainty over Shanghai's move," Tazawasaid.

The front-month rubber contract on Singapore's SICOM exchange for December delivery last traded at 171.9U.S. cents per kg, down 2.9 cent. ($1 = 6.8929 Chinese yuan renminbi) ($1 = 112.4800 yen) (Reporting byYuka Obayashi; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)

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