The world went into real uncharted territories in 2020, starting with a pandemic no one had foreseen, and one the world had not experienced in decades. And while the subsequent slump in the equity markets was expected, the wild surge upwards as bulls dominated including in Bursa Malaysia was rather not, especially with the yet-to-dissipate shadows cast by the coronavirus.
Moving forward, the availability of vaccines raises optimism of a better year ahead.
The Edge contacted fund managers and analysts to tap their expertise in picking the stocks for 2021. Below is the list of stocks they highlighted:
IHH Healthcare Bhd
IHH Healthcare Bhd, which has operations in various parts of Asia, has been touted as a proxy for regional recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
THE July-September quarter earnings of the 10 public-listed banking groups were a mixed bag. But there was a common factor: heavy loan loss provisions particularly pre-emptive provisions that are expected to remain at elevated levels over the next few quarters.
“The third quarter of 2020 was a provisions affair,” remarks AllianceDBS Research. “Net credit costs were still high at 89 basis points in 3Q2020, with more than half for dampened macro indicators and overlays, and more to come in 4Q2020.”
Of the 10 banks, four Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank), Public Bank Bhd, RHB Bank Bhd and Alliance Bank Malaysia Bhd turned in better-than-expected earnings relative to analysts’ consensus estimates. This was mainly on the back of higher-than-expected investment gains, cost controls and, for some, a quicker pace of recovery in net interest margin (NIM).
Potential upsides in store for Sime Darby Property in 2021 thestar.com.my - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thestar.com.my Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.