Unsinkable LPI

It really punches through today!

After announcing a bonus of one share for every two shares held, London Pacific Insurance saw hyper-space action this morning ramping up its price to RM 20.68 for a RM 2.18 increase.

Tracing its share from the prior 13th GE period in 2013 to the effects of  oil slumping in mid 2014 till today, the price did have short-term weaknesses every now and then but every time there was positive news, it ran ahead of the pack.

I expect some price correction as we approached the ex-date.

Assuming someone has 1000 shares, would it mean that  he will be better off with an additional 500 shares at a new price?

His holding at current price is RM 20,000. If he sells it today, he will reap RM 20 K.

However, if he doesn't, then this will be his risk scenario.

If the theoretical ex-price is about RM 10.00 per share, then his holding of 1.5 K shares will be worth RM 15 K. He will then take on a paper loss of  RM 5 K.

However, in the event that it ends at yesterday's price of RM 18, then his 1.5 K holdings will translate to a cool RM 27 K.

If and when this comes true, then it will one super bonanza of RM 9 K for such a holder!

So can this one Teh Hong Piow stock be the one with the kapow effect?

Doldrum Oil Prices

Crude Gold No More?

It's approaching the end of January 2015 and yet there is no respite.

OPEC has met and refused to cut production and shale oil is still rattling the market.

The Saudi King has changed and King Salman is in charge.

So, what is the crude oil position today(29 January)?

As expected, oil prices opened up weak in Asia after record US stockpiles sent it tumbling to near six year lows in the previous session.

To most analysts, the outlook truly looks bleak.

On Wednesday, the US reported record high inventories elevating further anxieties in the market.

According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), domestic crude oil stocks rose by almost 9 million barrels last week to reach nearly 407 million, their highest since the government began keeping records in 1982.

"The market expects stockpiles to keep rising, pushing front-month prices further down as refineries enter maintenance season and are likely run at lower utilisation rates," ANZ said in a morning note on Thursday.

Brent crude traded at US$48.60 (RM176) a barrel at 0131 GMT (9.31am Malaysian time) while US crude was at US$44.43 a barrel, both close to six year lows.

As a corollary, Swiss bank UBS said in a note on Thursday that cheap oil would not have a major boosting impact on Asian economic growth.

"Big, big drops in oil; small effects on economies... Cheap oil should give a small boost to Asian GDP, but not really enough to warrant major changes in growth forecasts," it said.

Researchers at Energy Aspects said in a note to expect a "a new normal  in the making for China-slower and less oil intensive growth".

They added that "oil consumption in China will become more efficient, leading to slower demand growth of around 0.2-0.3 mb/d (million barrels per day) compared to expectations of above 0.5 mb/d."

So, for the whole year of 2015, what can you see through the looking glass, Alice?"

Stephen' Hawking's Theory of Everything

Love and Sacrifice

This all-catching title for a movie encapsulates the space sciences and quantum physics and one man's mission to prove that there is a theory of time and the creation of the universe.

His Best Selling Book

Stephen Hawking's doctoral thesis is about the existence of black holes and the death of falling stars. His later theories were to demonstrate how stars burnt to their death in the black holes.

Generally, the movie tells us of the love life of Stephen and his wife, Jane Wilde and the love triangle that finally emerged when Jane fell astray in love with the pastor Jonathan Jones and married him.

Romance in Cambridge

As for Hawking, life  goes on as he lived with his ravaging motor neuron disease till this day

Good portrayals by Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones.

Redmayne and Jones in the lead

Hope it can garner some Oscars this time around.

The GST Terror!

Come April 1, be ready to pay the piper like a fool.

With the imposition of GST, many items that are currently tax-free will attract 6% GST tax.

The chart below shows you how you will be hit.

The Unbroken Olympian

Unbroken Valour

Anjelina Jolie's movie, Unbroken showcasing the life and times of Louis Zamperini from his rowdy childhood days, his rigorous training in track and field and to his triumph in the 5,000 meters track event at the Berlin Olympics in 1936 set the stage ahead for the second half of his life as a bombardier shot down over the Pacific Ocean, lost  at sea in a life-boat with two comrades and finally his incarceration and brutal torture  at the hands of a sadistic commandant in a Japanese hard labour camp in Tokyo.

Capturing Olympic Gold in Berlin 1936

The incessant torture by the commandant of the camp named Bird Watanabe who took an instant dislike of him and the challenges he was put through physically and mentally can be quite graphic and nerve-shattering to witness. Louis Zamperini was only completely sure of his peace of mind when the Allied Forces took Tokyo.

The real Louis Zamperini who died in 2014

This movie was directed by Angelina Jolie and she co-produced it as well.

Quite a good movie to watch especially the agony and triumph of Louis.

Good Directing

A Weekend Escapade in Danang

5th Most Populous City

   My daughter had a week-end resort in Danang, Vietnam from 23rd to 25th January 2015.

Danang Street Food

Travelling on Air Asia, the journey began with a hitch. The plane that was supposed to fly them developed fuel leakage from one of its tanks. So, after a long wait, they got on board the plane that have just got in from Danang.

Danang Beach Hotel

Arriving almost two hours late, she had a late lunch with her colleagues from the office.

Heritage Cham site

So the office skipped the team building exercise but managed to pursue the rest of their Danang agenda.

Pristine Beaches

On reflection she told me that the two-nights 3 days stay was a breather and she managed to enjoy the cool climate of Vietnam, the ambiance of the hotel, historical Cham artifacts. good food as well as some shopping for Vietnamese coffee.

Messy Traffic

From Selma to Montgomery

The Civil Rights Classic

 The movie;Selma, chronicles the civil rights fight of Martin Luther King against the state of Alabama where Blacks were denied the right to register to vote.

Standing between Lyndon B. Johnson the President of America and King is  the racist Governor George Wallace who made it his personal mission to curtail the rights of the Blacks.

David Olewoyo as King and Carmen  Ejogo as Coretta Scott King

A moving docudrama, it is well paced and keeps the audience longing in anticipation for the next thing to happen in this volatile quest by King to secure voting rights for the Blacks from President Johnson through a Bill of Rights.

The walk across the bridge from Selma to Montgomery by King and the protesters as they faced the local police force bent on beating them down is the climax of this movie.

This movie has great stars both in starring roles and in cameos.

Attractive Ejogo

David Olewoyo stars as King while Carmen Ejogo stars as his wife Coretta. Johnson was played by Tom Wilkinson with cameos from Cuba Gooding Jr,Giovanni Ribisi and Wendell Pierce. Oprah Winfrey acted as  Annie Lee Cooper and also co-produced Selma.

Great movie to enjoy if you like witty dialogue.