W.E.F 1st August 2009: Dearer Public Transport

Public transport fares will go up by 30% from 1st August 2009!

Taxi Rates
Current
RM2 for first 1km/2 minutes
RM0.10 for every subsequent 150m/45 seconds

New
RM3 for first 1km/3 minutes
RM0.10 for every subsequent 115m/21 seconds.

Express Bus Fares
Current
6.5 sen/km

New
8.5 sen/km

Stage Bus Fares in Kuala Lumpur
Increase by 25 to 75 sen according to zones

School Bus Fares
Current
RM21.10 for the first kilometre
RM1.55 for every subsequent kilometre

New
RM27.43 for the first kilometre
RM2.02 for every subsequent kilometre

http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=35869

Savings Return turned negative? Unit Trust is your answer!

Let's see this simple equation:

Real Interest Rate = Rate-(tax+rate of inflation)

Based on the article published on The Star ( the link to the article here)

Based on the January 2009 Consumer Price Index of 3.9%, savings which offer the best rate (Fixed Deposit offers the rate of 2.50%) are already in the red!!! Which means, even if you save all your money safely in the bank, your money is losing value every moment. This is the POWER OF INFLATION!

So why are you keeping your money there? Oh ya.. I know, you will said it's safe, no risk..ya, sure! Of course no risk, cause it's a CERTAINTY that you will be losing the value of your money!

Sure enough, when Fixed Deposits offer interest rates of more than 10%, you will go for FD and deemed unit trust a risk..but now?

FD always offer certainty, and now it's certain to LOSE, and unit trust is the opportunity (instead of risk) to earn REAL INTEREST.

Price of Public Mutual- 8th July 2009

For the convenience of the investors under the Direct Debit Instruction (DDI), the price of Public Mutual on the 8th and 18th every month will be posted to this blog, so that investors can conveniently check their units obtained for the particular day of DDI purchase

Special Campaign for Public China Ittikal Fund (PCIF) - 16 June 2009 to 31 July 2009

Just in case u missed the ad on the newspaper, Good News! Public Mutual will be running a special campaign for Public China Ittikal Fund (PCIF) from 16 June 2009 to 31 July 2009.

During this period, investors will enjoy a special promotional service charge as low as 5.00%! The normal charge rate is at 5.50%

For investment of RM10,000 & above, the service charge will be at 5.00%

As for investment from RM5,000 to RM9,999-99, the service charge will be at 5.25%

Besides, you will be contributing to charity, while investing!

For every successful transaction above RM500 into PCIF during the promotional period, RM1 will be donated by Public Mutual to Baitulmal, an authorized body to accept and manage funds for the benefits of the society.

Will PCIF perform? They have been dissapoiting thus far..

In the current economic crisis, if there is any country who can lead the rest of the world out of this crisis, it has to be China. The Chinese economy is expected to lead emerging markets in a period of economic recovery throughout 2009 and 2010. The Chinese economy is projected to grow by 6.5% in 2009 and 7.5% in 2010 supported by the government’s US$586 billion stimulus package and accommodative monetary policy.

Based on the quarterly report (as at 31 March 2009) by Public Mutual, PCIF invest 44.64% of their money in China, 25.54% in Taiwan, 17.81% in Malaysia and 12.01% in Hong Kong.

Within the stock markets of Greater China, there is a wide range of listed companies which may provide good opportunities for investors to participate in the future growth of the region. PCIF is positioned to tap into the long-term growth opportunities of the Greater China region of China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Public Mutual: Malaysia’s Most Trusted Brand

Sometimes, awards won are gauged as to whether the company is a reputable or not. Therefore, it is tempting for companies to “buy” some award to help them gain some reputation.

So how do we gauge which is good? There are no definite answers to our doubts, so we can only observe. While some awards that are not so reputable can be easily “bought”, award such as the renowned Reader’s Digest Trusted Brand award is simply one of the awards that can’t be easily “bought”!

For over a decade, the Reader’s Digest Trusted Brands survey has been recognized as Asia’s most comprehensive and credible measure of consumer confidence, based on scientific, structured and transparent research.

So when Public Mutual, the country’s biggest Private Investment Fund Company was named as Reader’s Digest Trusted Brand 2009: Investment Fund Company along side the government’s Amanah Saham Nasional Berhad, we can be sure that this is one company that has performed, and up until now, has the faith of the Malaysians!

If their funds are performing badly, surely, the investor would not have been happier to vote them into this award!

Distribution For the Financial Year ending 31 May 2009

Public Mutual Bhd has declare gross income distributions for five funds for the financial year ended May 31, 2009.

They are:

1) Public Ittikal Fund (6.00 sen per unit)
2) Public Islamic Equity Fund (1.75 sen per unit)
3) Public Dividend Select Fund (2.00 sen per unit)
4) Public Balanced Fund (5.00 sen per unit)
5) Public Select Bond Fund (2.50 sen per unit).

Despite the financial crisis, Public Mutual still able to generate double digit three-year return rate, and outperform the respective benchmark! The three-year return rate is as follows (based on The Edge-Lipper Fund Table dated May 18, 2009)

1) Public Ittikal Fund 16.87% (Benchmark 7.92%)
2) Public Islamic Equity Fund 19.26% (Benchmark 7.92%)
3) Public Dividend Select Fund 23.33% (Benchmark 6.30%)