REGIONAL markets traded mixed yesterday, despite positive leads from the US market overnight. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.79% to close at 17,868.76 while the S&P500 surged 1.07% to close at 2,068.59 on Tuesday. Crude oil prices held steady after a smaller-than-expected rise in US crude stocks as refineries cut output. At the point of writing, Brent crude was trading marginally higher at US$56.70 per barrel while the WTI crude was hovering around US$50.38 per barrel. Closer to home, the benchmark FBM KLCI closed 0.67% lower at 1,798.95. Market breadth was negative, with decliners outpacing gainers by about1.6 to 1. As highlighted in The Edge Markets (www.theedgemarkets.com), I purchased 10,900 shares of Evergreen Fibreboard Berhad for 91 sen per share on Wednesday. I bought Heveaboard Berhad for RM2.48 per share on Tuesday. Yesterday, the stock rose as high as RM2.78. Given the gains, I disposed of my entire stake of 2,800 shares for RM2.71 per share, yielding a decent return of 9.3%. I also sold my entire holdings of 5,800 shares in Focus Lumber Bhd for RM1.29 per share, making a return of 8.4%. I continue to hold Hovid Bhd (-3.4%), TMC Life Sciences Bhd (-6.1%),and MPI Bhd (-1.4%). The portfolio now has a total value of RM101,367.40 and is up 1.4% on initial capital of RM100,000. It has outperformed the FBM KLCI by 6.3%.

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on February 12, 2015.