Next View Sdn Bhd Chief Market Strategist Benny Lee sees crude palm oil price supported by wide spread with soyoil despite bearish sentiment over palm oil stocks being at the highest level since December. Soyoil has volatile trading patterns, but continued uptrend, charts show may increase a little bit more.

Though  sharp pull back in crude oil prices from $113 to $109 yesterday, decline hasn't changed bullish uptrend pattern of crude oil prices.Maintain target at $120 per barrel for crude oil.

Minimal impact from Japan earthquakes today and yesterday in short term.

Sees CPO trading sideways this week due to uncertainties, with a slight upward bias. Price to range from RM3,300 to RM3,500 per tonne.

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OSK Research Analyst Eing Kar Mei tells us why she thinks the offer price for Mamee-Double Decker (M) Bhd is fair and attractive and explains why the Neutral call on the stock. With consumer-driven companies facing rising raw material prices, as long as they have strong balance sheets, not difficult to privatise. However, also need to take a look at shareholding structure. 

Mamee-Double Decker (M) Bhd's major shareholders have proposed a selective capital repayment of RM4.39 a share to the remaining shareholders under a corporate exercise to take it private. RM4.39 is 22% above the last traded price of RM3.60 on Wednesday, April 6th.

OSK explains Neutral call on Consumer/F&B sector while Overweight on Retail sector.

Top picks are Parkson Holdings (TP: RM6.40) as it has overseas exposure in high-growth countries and QL Resources (TP: RM3.51) whose business has a resilient nature. Investors could still look at buying these stocks now as share prices are quite stable.

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Dodge O. Dorland, Chairman and Chief Investment Officer of Landor & Fuest Capital Managers in New York is not really satisfied with the 'worthwhile compromise' in the United States though the Federal Government is open for business. Negotiations could have begun earlier but were not possible politically. He also talked about how it would affect talks over raising the debt ceiling in July. Bigger deficit fights expected, especially over how funding will be raised.

This should be a positive week as 1st quarter US corporate earnings season start now. He tells us which companies in particular he'll be watching out for.

This week is also critical in terms of market data - keep a close eye on US March retail sales and US Feb business inventory which indicate what Thursday's US March Feb Producers Price Index (PPI) excluding food and energy, PPI core and jobless claims will be like. These will set the tone for the next 2 to 4 weeks in terms of earnings.

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Chris Eng of OSK Research explains how the Mitsui purchase fits into Khazanah's long term strategy and indicates good potential in healthcare in this region. With expertise from Japan's healthcare; one of best in world, lower cost than United States, local entities could learn from them about retirement care, age care and medical devices.

For hospitals under Integrated Healthcare, it's business as usual for the time being, and it gets to leverage on Mitsui connections. Will wait and see in medium term where Mitsui plans to take this 30% investment.

Mitsui & Co Ltd of Japan has bought a 30% stake in Integrated Healthcare Holdings Sdn Bhd, which controls Parkway and Pantai hospitals, for RM3.3 billion, in the largest Japanese investment in healthcare in the region.

Healthcare sector in Malaysia due for rerating as with integrated health city coming up and Iskandar wellness centre, a lot of potential. KPJ Healthcare's share price reached a 52-week high on Thursday of RM4.20, enjoying a halo effect from Mitsui deal and Goldis' plans to sell stake in Hoepharma Holdings.

At this point, not much further upside to KPJ's target price of RM4.62 from OSK. Would not advise buying aggressively at this level, while waiting for KPJ's Q1 results to be announced.

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Phillip Futures Investment Analyst Ker Chung Yang in Singapore talked about why corn stocks are falling to the lowest level in a decade - due to strong export demand, increasing use of ethanol and steady buying by domestic livestock users.

Growing middle class in Asia are switching to protein-rich diet, hence rising demand for corn as livestock feed, while ethanol is becoming more economically viable. Livestock producers switching from corn to wheat as corn is expensive, contributing to food inflation.

Investors may opt to invest in grain futures, to play this theme.

Corn prices have climbed to the highest since July 2008 on speculation that U.S. inventories will tighten as demand increases for food, livestock feed and fuel.

On crude palm oil (CPO) for the next one week, he'll take cues from data release on coming Monday - MPOB March output stocks data, cargo surveyors issuing export estimates. 15% gain expected in output stocks due to good weather in Johor and Perak. CPO price has lost forty per cent since beginning of this year due to rising production. Support seen at RM3,200 per tonne level.

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Dr Michael A. Yoshikami, President & Chief Investment Strategist at YCMNET Advisors in California says Fed Reserve tightening isn't necessarily a bad thing for stocks. More optimistic about gold rather than silver, as central banks translate currency reserves into gold. Expects gold to hit $2,000 an ounce within the next five years a return of 14-15%. He explains why he favours technology and dividend-oriented stocks. He's watching out for Eurozone trade balance for Feb as it reflects what's happening with currencies.

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Malcolm Polley of Stewart Capital Advisors gives his expectations for ISM non-manufacturing index data for March, whether rising food prices will significantly crimp consumer spending, earnings forecast for second quarter, and what happens if QE2 ends in the second quarter. Also he says a federal shutdown is possible if there is a prolonged impasse in Congress on budget cuts. If this happens, the credit markets will sell off going into the weekend, and there will be a negative reaction from the equity markets, but followed by a mild rebound with the market ending modestly lower.

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Dodge Dorland of Landor & Fuest Capital Managers expects the second round of quantitative easing to fall below its original target and US may experience a stagflation and we may see a pullback in May. Sectors that could see upside are in resources, industrial and oil-related while losers would be airlines.

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OSK Research Head Chris Eng expects short term volatility in the FBM KLCI, but the market performance should be stronger in the second half of the year. His strategy would be to buy big caps, and small defensive stocks. He also discussed announcements anticipated during Invest Malaysia this month, the M&A theme, and talk of ESSO and property companies being privatised. Rather than focus on Sarawak election play, he explains why he's keener on the Iskandar region.

KLCI target for year end remains at 1,680. Favourite sectors remain Banks, Oil &  Gas, Property and Construction in the mid to short term while the longer term buys are Media and Healthcare. Top 2011 buys are CIMB, Maybank, Genting, Axiata (for Big Cap rebounds), SP Setia, Kencana, KimLun (for trading O&G, Construction and Property) and QL Resources, KPJ Healthcare and Media Chinese (for defensive Smaller Caps).

For April, top buys strategy comprises a similar mix of Big Cap rebounds, trading on sectoral news flow and Defensives.

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Chicago-based China-America Capital Company Managing Director Tim Mulholland feels the US economy could be turning the corner, but don't read too much into it as unemployment is still well above 8%. For Q2 2011, he'll be into large caps, especially energy, dividend-paying stocks and commodity producers like Alcoa as he likes aluminium stocks quite a bit.

It'll be a long arduous process for Protugal and Ireland, as ECB is likely to raise rates on April 7, so that's going to be important to watch.

Fund management outfit Superfund Financial in Hong Kong predicts coffee, sugar and cocoa prices will rise 5 to 10 fold by 2014 due to shortages. Mulholland thinks it's highly possible given supply demand dynamics in commodity prices.

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