Snapshots

MPI: MPI shares rose for a fifth consecutive trading day yesterday, gaining a further 40 sen to close at RM12.40. The stock has risen nearly 12% since May5. 

Dealers said expectations of a recovery in the global chips market, fuelled by positive news from the US, were largely behind the buying interest in the stock of late. 

Also, MPI's recently-announced third-quarter results suggested that the worst may be over for Malaysia's largest contract chip maker.  

MRD Infra: SHARES of MTD Infra (formerly known as Dewina), which resumed trade yesterday after having been suspended since October last year, fell 16.5 sen to close at 75.5 sen.  

Volume was heavy, with 4.4 million shares changing hands.  

A construction industry analyst said MTD Infra, which holds the concession for the East Coast Highway project, would appeal to investors looking for defensive stocks, given the company's good recurring income prospects once the highway is completed in 2004. 

Dealers said expectations of a recovery in the global chips market, fuelled by positive news from the US, were largely behind the buying interest in the stock of late.