Following are the main stories in Malaysian newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
THE STAR (www.thestar.com.my)
* While some property consultants and analysts have been bullish on the overall impact of the mass rapid transit (MRT) on property prices, another group of property consultants has reservations about the blanket “price hike” touted by their counterparts and other parties, a source said.
* Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd’s net profit fell 29 percent to 100 million ringgit for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2010 against 140.9 million ringgit a year earlier, the company said.
NEW STRAITS TIMES (www.nst.com.my)
* Traffic compounds issued by the traffic police, Road Transport Department and local councils will be standardised from March 1, Transport Minister Kong Cho Ha said.
BUSINESS TIMES (www.btimes.com.my)
* Bursa Malaysia Securities Bhd’s plans to revamp some of its rules for securities brokers, even though welcomed, are found wanting by most industry players.
* Shares of oil and gas companies were mostly down on Wednesday despite news of a major find offshore Sarawak, but Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering Holdings Bhd bucked the trend.
THE SUN (www.sun2surf.com)
* Legal fees are expected to shoot up by 300-400 percent in the coming months. The reason: rising costs due to the better efficiency of the court system in disposing of cases, said Bar Council president Ragunath Kesavan.
* Glove maker Supermax Corp Bhd plans to build up a “third stream of income” this year by venturing into the global distribution of medical products in a big way, its executive chairman Stanley Thai said.
THE EDGE FINANCIAL DAILY (www.theedgemalaysia.com)
* Crude palm oil (CPO) prices took a major tumble on Wednesday, following the knock-on effect from falling soybean oil prices.
* Green packet Bhd , a wireless networking and telecommunication products provider, has deferred its target of breaking even at the earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) level to the end of this year as opposed to the first quarter of 2011, its chief executive officer Puan Chan Cheong said.
THE MALAYSIAN RESERVE (www.themalaysianreserve.com.my)
* The price of natural rubber (NR) latex may fall as early as the second-quarter of this year due to intense speculation by latex traders and processors, Supermax Corp Bhd executive chairman and group managing director Stanley Thai said.
* Malaysian Airports Holdings Bhd net profit for its fourth-quarter ended December 31, 2010, was adversely affected by the implementation of the FRS 139 accounting standards, the company said.
$1=3.118 Malaysian Ringgit Kuala Lumpur Newsroom