In a joint statement today, the SC and Bursa Malaysia said they are closely monitoring recent market conditions in light of heightened volatility in certain stocks.
“The SC and Bursa Malaysia assure investors that the Malaysian stock market fundamentals remain strong and there should not be any cause for concern,” the statement said.
They claimed the recent significant decline in share prices is limited to “a few small-cap stocks” and not widespread.
“The affected stocks constituted around 0.17% of the total market capitalisation and 8.3% of total traded value for the year.”
The SC and Bursa Malaysia also said they are conducting proactive surveillance of corporate transactions and disclosures, as well as real-time monitoring of all trading activities to ensure an efficient, fair and orderly market.
“Where irregularities are detected, the SC and Bursa Malaysia will not hesitate to take the necessary regulatory actions to preserve the integrity of the market,” they added.
The regulators also reminded investors to also take note of companies’ replies to the unusual market activity (UMA) queries issued by Bursa Malaysia.
No end to sell-off
The “bloodbath” among the affected stocks does not seem to be abating. Five counters hit limit-down again in early trading today, extending the heavy losses they have suffered this week.
The stocks were Rapid Synergy Bhd, YNH Property Bhd, Jentayu Sustainables Bhd, Sarawak Consolidated Industrial Bhd (SCIB), and Silver Ridge Holdings Bhd.
A new name joined the “Limit Down Club” later in the morning when technology services provider Heitech Padu Bhd’s share price plunged 28.97% to hit its limit down at 76 sen.
The sell-off on Bursa has prompted investment banks to demand cash upfront from their retail clients for the purchase of stocks that have plummeted recently.
In a note to its dealer representatives yesterday, Affin Hwang Investment Bank said the cash-upfront requirement shall be imposed on all purchases on its list of designated stocks and warrants.
The list included stocks such as Mercury Securities Group Bhd, Jentayu Sustainables Bhd, Widad Group Bhd, and Artroniq Bhd, which hit their limit down this week.
It also included Globetronics Technology Bhd, Leform Bhd, Mestron Holdings Bhd, APB Resources Bhd, Pertama Digital Bhd, Dataprep Holdings Bhd, Silver Ridge Holdings Bhd, and Tanco Holdings Bhd.
AmInvestment Bank also implemented yesterday a similar cash-upfront requirement for affected stocks.
Its list included Rapid Synergy, YNH Property, SCIB, APB Resources, Widad Group, Artroniq, Mestron, and Tanco, a bank source confirmed.
Rapid Synergy and YNH Property are stocks linked to businessman and investor Yu Kuan Chon. Rapid Synergy has lost as much as 86.1% of its value since the start of the year while YNH has crashed 71.3%.