KUALA LUMPUR: After a gruelling week last week, investors can expect another volatile week, starting today following the negative note on Wall Street after the Greece sovereign debt crisis.

US stocks turned negative for the year last Friday on fears of another credit crisis stemming from Greece’s souring finances and lingering questions about what triggered the previous session’s dramatic plunge, according to Reuters.

The major stock indexes finished Friday’s volatile session from 1% to 2% lower.

At Bursa Malaysia, stocks to watch this week are the call warrants issued by AmInvestment Bank Bhd on MISC Bhd and Tan Chong Motor Holdings Bhd (TChong)
and Seremban Engineering Bhd, which will make its debut today.

On the watchlist also are CSC Steel Holdings Bhd, General Corp Bhd (GCorp), Ho Hup Construction Co Bhd and Fraser & Neave Holdings Bhd (F&N).

AmInvestment Bank said apart from the nine-month, cash-settled call warrants on MISC and Tan Chong, it continues its focus on thematic plays and on stocks well-supported by AmResearch calls. The issue price for the MISC-CI is 15 sen and for Tan Chong-CD 16 sen.

Seremban Engineering, under its IPO, issued 19.9 million new shares and offered 8.1 million vendor shares of 50 sen each at an issue price of 85 sen a share.

It is tendering for RM50 million worth of contracts. Up to March 31, it had an order book of RM13.9 million.

While the palm oil sector remains the company’s main focus, it is diversifying into other high-growth sectors, namely oil and gas (O&G), waste management, food processing and pharmaceuticals.

Meanwhile, CSC Steel Holdings Bhd’s earnings surged to RM30.59 million in the first quarter ended March 31, 2010 from RM5.71 million a year ago following favourable prices for steel products and it expects to continue to stay profitable this financial year.

Revenue rose 63% to RM281.59 million from RM173.16 million a year ago. Earnings per share were 8.2 sen versus 1.53 sen.

GCorp’s independent and non-interested directors had requested another two weeks from Consistent Record Sdn Bhd to study the latter’s takeover offer.

Consistent Record had offered to acquire the entire business and undertaking of GCorp for RM505 million.

Ho Hup Construction Co Bhd will not be suspended after it submitted its outstanding annual audited financial statements for the financial year ended Dec 31, 2009 to Bursa Malaysia Securities last Friday.

F&N plans to launch 50 new drinks within two years as part of its strategy to compensate for the loss of its Coca-Cola business on Sept 30, 2011. The strategy included the five-year distribution agreement with Red Bull on April 1 to distribute its drinks. The Red Bull distribution agreement is expected to generate RM120 million to RM140 million in annual revenue.

This article appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, May 10, 2010.