We stole your money: How the big boys and insiders manipulate the stock market

We stole your money: How the big boys and insiders manipulate the stock market         

Written by Sam Chee Kong, Malaysia Chronicle    

Anything that has to do with investments will be subjected to risk and return. Normally, the higher the risk the higher will be the return. Is there any investment that will provide you the opposite, where the potential risk is reduced while the return will actually increased? The answer is YES and it is through Options.

Before we delve into how ‘Big money and Insiders’ use options to manipulate the Stock Market, I think we should educate ourselves on the inner workings of the options market so that we as an investor will also can benefit from the versatility that options can offer.



Understanding Options
The beauty about options is it offers limited downside (through premium) and unlimited upside potential (through profits). If you get too adventurous by speculating on ‘naked options’ or uncovered options then you are in deep trouble because your downside will be unlimited.

Another thing about options is that it enables you to play the market both ways and that is up or down. By buying a put option, you are hoping to for the price of underlying securities to go down.

 However, if the price of the security goes up, your losses will only be capped by the premium. If you are doing short selling on the physical securities, your downside will be unlimited because you don’t know what level the price of the securities will go up to. Hence it will give you sleepless nights.

Not knowing how to make money both ways in the market is like knowing how to drive ahead but don’t know how to reverse.

The thought of investing in Options actually terrified most people because to them anything that sounds sophisticated must be very risky. What is a stock option? A stock option gives the right to the to the owner to buy or sell a listed stock at an agreed upon price and an agreed future date. Stock options are contracts that consist of 100 shares of a particular stock.

Or we can put it in layman’s term, an option is simply a contract entered between two parties. One party is the buyer of the contract and the other is the seller of the contract.

For the sake of illustration, say you own a piece of land, and you want to sell it for $50,000. You can either sell it through the real estate agent or you can enter into an agreement (option) to allow someone to purchase your land for $50,000 for the duration of a year. You sell the agreement (option) to the person for a premium of $5000. During the duration of one year, the price of the piece of land may fluctuate. Under the terms of the contract, the purchaser has the right to exercise his right to purchase the land if the market price went up to say $70,000. You, as the seller will have to sell at the predetermined price of $50,000 plus the premium of $5000, which totaled up to $55,000. The buyer of the agreement will make $15,000 ($70,000 - $50,000 - $ 5,000) from this deal.

But what happens if the price of the property declined to $40,000 during the one year period. The purchaser of the agreement will have two options whereby;

1) To purchase the price of the land at $50,000
2) Abandon the deal and lose the $5000 premium

In this case the seller is the winner because even though the price of the land declined to $40,000, he will ended up being $5000 richer because the buyer did not exercise the option.

Types of Options
There are two types of options, either puts or calls options.

A put gives the holder the right to sell a specific number of shares (normally in 100 shares lot) at a fixed price and date in the future. A purchaser of a Put option is hoping for the stock price to go down.

Options are normally quoted in the following format;

1 IBM Jun 145 Put – Premium 9

Terminology explained
a) 1 – number of contracts of 100 shares
b) IBM – Underlying securities
c) Jun – the expiry month
d) 145 – the exercise or strike price
e) Put – type of options
f) 9 – denotes the premium paid by buyer to seller

Say an investor purchase the above option. What this means is it allows the investor the right to sell (put) 100 shares of IBM at $145 from now till June. For this privilege, the investor will have to fork out $900 ($9 x 100 shares) as a premium. The premium of $900 will be given to someone on the other side of the trade who already sold the contract.

A call gives the holder the holder the right to buy a specific number of shares at a fixed price and date in the future. A purchaser of Call option is hoping for the stock price to go up.

A normal Call option look like the following;

1 Microsoft Nov 300 Call – Premium 15
a) 1 – number of contracts of 100 shares
b) Microsoft – Underlying securities
c) Jun – the expiry month
d) 300 – the exercise or strike price
e) Call – type of options
f) 15 – denotes the premium paid by buyer to seller

Achieve Low Risk but High Return
This option allows the purchaser of the option the right to buy (Call) 100 shares of Microsoft at $300 from now till November. For this, the purchase had to pay $1500 ($15 x 100 shares) as the premium.

For this case if the price of Microsoft shares goes up above $300 say to $350, the purchaser can then exercise his option by buying at $300 and sell it at $350. The net profit will be $50 x 100 shares = $5000 and then minus off the premium which is $1500. Hence, net profit will be $3500 and so by investing $1500 the investor is able to realize a profit of $3500, which is more than 200%. If the price goes down below $300, the investor will not exercise the option and will lose his premium, which is $1500.

So this is what we call the limited downside ($1500), but unlimited upside (more than $3500) if Microsoft share price goes above $350.

Factors affecting Options Pricing

The following table shows a typical listing of an option data.

Below is a description of the above table;

1. Opsym Option Symbol
2. Bid buy price
3. Ask sell price
4. Extrinsic time premium to expiration
5. IV future volatility calculated by Black-Scholes Model
6. Delta see below
7. Gamma see below
8. Vega see below
9. Theta see below
10 Volume Volume
11. Open Int. Total amount of contracts that have been open but not offset
12. Strike Strike or Exercise Price

Five Factors affecting option pricing
Basically there are five factors that are affecting the options pricing and they are;

1. The current stock price and strike price
If you have purchase the below Call option, the amount of profit is determined by the amount in which the Stock price exceed the exercise price.
A normal Call option look like the following;
1 Microsoft Nov 300 Call – Premium 15
a) 1 – number of contracts of 100 shares
b) Microsoft – Underlying securities
c) Nov – the expiry month
d) 300 – the exercise or strike price
e) Call – type of options
f) 15 – denotes the premium paid by buyer to seller
Say if Microsoft is now trading at $320 then you will have a profit of $20 ($320-$300) x 100 shares, which is equivalent to $2000. Therefore, the Call option will be more valuable if the Stock price is increasing and less valuable if the Exercise price is increasing.

Put options behave exactly the opposite of Call options. If you have purchase the below Put option, the amount of profit is determined by the amount in which the Exercise price exceed the Stock Price. Buying Put options is like performing a ‘Short Selling’ of the underlying security. When you buy a put option at $145, to make a profit IBM share has to decline so that you can buy back at a cheaper price to cover your short position. The difference is the profit.

1 IBM Jun 145 Put – Premium 9

Terminology explained
a) 1 – number of contracts of 100 shares
b) IBM – Underlying securities
c) Jun – the expiry month
d) 145 – the exercise or strike price
e) Put – type of options
f) 9 – denotes the premium paid by buyer to seller

Say if the IBM share is now trading at $135 then you will have a profit of $10 ($145 - $135) x 100 shares, which is equivalent to $1000. Therefore, the Put option will be more valuable if the Stock price is decreasing and less valuable if the Exercise price is increasing because profit is equivalent to Exercise price – Stock Price.

The relationship between the Stock price and the Option price (premium), is measured by the Greek symbol Delta (Δ) . The Delta value indicates how much the Option price will move in response to a movement in the Stock price. If an option with a Delta value of 0.5, it indicates that a 1 cent movement in the Stock price will result in a ½ cent move in the Option price.
So, the higher the value of the Delta (Δ) , the closer will be the will be the movement of the Option price in relative to a change in the Stock price.

2. Time to Expiry Date (Time Decay)

As you can see from the above chart, the longer the time to expiry, the more valuable will be the option. Hence, an option with 120 days left to expiry will be more valuable than an option that has only 30 days to expiry. The holder of a 120 days to expiry option has more exercise opportunities than a holder of 30 days to maturity option.

Time decay is measured by the Greek symbol Theta (θ). The nearer to expiration date, the higher the Theta value and vice versa. The Theta value is an indication on how much a stock option’s value will lose by each day. A theta value of -0.02 indicates that the option will lose 2 cents per day.
So for the duration of a week, the option will lose a total of 14 cents because both Saturday and Sunday will also be included in the calculation even though there is no trading during those days.

3. Volatility of the Stock Price
The Volatility of a Stock is measured by the Standard Deviation of the return provided by the stock in a year and normally express in percentage terms. In other words the volatility of a stock price is a measure of how uncertain we are about the future movement of its price. As volatility increases the profit or loss of a particular stock also increases due to the wild swings of the stock price. How does this affect an options investor?

If a stock price increases, it will benefit the owner of a Call option while at the same time it will be detriment to the owner of a Put option.

Similarly, if a stock price decreases in its value, it will benefit the owner of a Put option and it will be detriment to the owner of a Call option.

The volatility of the Stock option can be measured with the Greek symbol Vega (υ).

If Vega is high then the stock option is very sensitive to changes to Volatility. Changes Vega value is determine by the changes in the volatility, which is expressed by every 1 percentage point. Suppose we have the following scenario;

- Vega value of 0.20
- Stock price at 2.00
- Volatility is at 15%

If the volatility increases from 15% to 16% then the stock price should move up 20 cents which will then be $2.00 + 0.20 = $2.20. Vega value of options with long expiry date (>= 90 days) tends to be larger than options with shorter expiry date (<= 30 days) because the implied volatility for long expiry options tends to be lower and hence risk.

4. Interest Rates movements
Movement in interest rates affects the stock price and hence the options price as well. Whenever there is an increase in the interest rate, stock prices tend to fall. A fall in stock prices will have detrimental effect to Call options. Holders of Call options will certainly lose out because if the exercise price is lower than the stock price then they will suffer losses. Holder of Put options will stand to gain when stock price decreases because their exercise price will be higher than the stock price
Similarly a rise in the stock price will have the opposite effect.
This relationship between the sensitivity of the movement of interest rate and the stock price can be measured with the Greek symbol Rho (ρ). If an option has a Rho value of 0.15, then a 1 % increase in the interest rate will raise the price of the option by $0.15.

5. Cash Dividends, Stock Dividends and Stock Splits
When a corporation declares a dividend, it establishes a record date. This record date will be used to record the owners of the stock on that date so that they will be entitled to the dividend. Since a normal transaction in the security industry requires 5 working days to complete, naturally the transaction need to be carried out 5 days before the record date. So, it is essential to establish that stocks had to be purchased 5 working days before the record date so as to qualify for the dividend and it is called the ‘ex-dividend date’.

Cash Dividends have the effect of reducing the price of the stock on the ex-date. The stock price will go down in relation to the amount of dividend declared. This will invariably have effect on the Option price.

For those who bought Call options, this will be bad news as the price of the option will also had to be calibrate downwards so as to reflect the changes in the stock price.

Whereas for those who bought Put options, then it will be good news to them as the decrease in the stock price will add up to their profits. Since by buying a Put option, you are hoping for the underlying stock price to go down.

Stock Dividends (or Bonus Issue) will greatly affect the terms of the options contract. Say if AAPL stock trading at $400 a share declares a Stock Dividend of 50%. What happened next is that each shareholder will receive extra 50 share for every 100 they owned. The amount of shares is also adjusted in this case from 100 shares to 150 due the extra 50 shares from the dividend. But then the price of the share will also need to be adjusted to reflect the additional new shares.

Hence the new price of the share will be $400/150, which is $266.67. This exercise, can be shown by the following.

1 AAPL Jan 400 Call becomes
1.5 AAPL Jan 266.75 Call
The .67 will be rounded to the nearest which is .75
Stock Splits will also works the same, with adjustment to the number of Shares and its price.

Options Trading Strategies
There are various strategies that can be employed using options to counter different market conditions. Equity Options can be used as a hedge and also speculate on the underlying securities. For example if an investor thinks that underlying security is getting bearish in the coming weeks. He can counter the downturn with the following moves.

a) Sell a call option
b) Buy a put option
If he is bullish on the underlying security then he may employ the following moves.
a) Buy a call option
b) Sell a put option

However there are more complex strategies that are available in trading options and it is not suitable for many investors.

Straddles
A Straddle is made up of one put and one call option on one underlying security that is having the same strike price and expiry. So in a straddle, the investor buys or sells two identical options except one is put and the other is call. The investor can either have a long or short straddle.

Long Straddle
After studying the volume accumulation of IBM and its price patterns, the investor feels that IBM is going to make a move but not sure whether up or down. What she can do is the following.

Buy 1 IBM Aug 130 Call - Premium 10
Buy 1 IBM Aug 130 Put - Premium 7

By this, it means that she will be participating in either an upward or downward movement of IBM. Please note that the total premium she paid was 17 points, and his initial investment is $1700 (10x100 shares + 7x100 shares).

So by August, IBM shares must be between 147 (130+17) for the call or 113 (130-17) for the put options for a break even. So the beauty about this strategy is that if the IBM stock goes above 147 or below 113, then it will start generating a profit. This represents an unlimited gain versus limited loss, which is the premium of $1700. However, the investor seldom loses all of the premium because the investor can cut loss in between.

Short Straddle
A short straddle is exactly the opposite. What she can do is the following.

Sell 1 IBM Aug 130 Call - Premium 10
Sell 1 IBM Aug 130 Put - Premium 7

Instead of paying for the premium, an investor who sells an option receives the premium. So, as long as the stock price hovers between 147 (130+17) for the call or 113 (130-17), the investor will retain some of the premium as profit. However the risk and reward for the investor who sells a straddle is different from the person who buys a straddle. This is because the maximum profit of the person who sold the above straddle is equivalent to $1700, but he will assume unlimited risk if say the stock price goes above 130.

In other words she is selling (writing in option lingo) an uncovered call in this case. So by selling a straddle, she will be exposed to limited profits but unlimited losses.

# If you are not familiar with options, it will better limit yourself, to buying and not selling options because the risk is too high.

Strip
If the investor feels that the market direction is bearish for IBM, instead of buying a straddle she can buy a strip. A strip consists of 2 puts and one call. An example will be the following.

Buy 1 IBM Aug 130 Call - Premium 10
Buy 2 IBM Aug 130 Put - Premium 7

So if IBM were to go down, the investor will have a bigger profit. Say if IBM dropped to 110, then there will be a profit of 40 points (2 put options x 20 points). The total premium paid is 24 points (1 call x 10 + 2 puts x 7). So the net profit gained will be 40 points – 24 points premium = 16 points.
It will be a different story if the stock price rose. The investor need at lease a 24 points gain in IBM stock to cover its premium so that she will be break even. In other words, IBM stock will need to rise to at least 154 so that so can exercise her call at 130 and sell the stock at 154.

Strap
If the investor feels that the market direction is bullish for IBM, instead of buying a straddle she can buy a strap. A strap consists of 2 puts and one call. An example will be the following.

Buy 2 IBM Aug 130 Call - Premium 10
Buy 1 IBM Aug 130 Put - Premium 7

So if IBM were to go up, the investor will have a bigger profit. The effect will be the opposite of our strip strategy earlier. These are different forms of straddle but varying the degree of puts and calls by capitalizing on the market condition whether it is bullish or bearish.

Combination
A combination will be an event where the underlying stock is the same but the strike price or the expiration date is different. An example of a straddle with a different strike price is shown below.

Buy 1 IBM Aug 135 Call - Premium 10
Buy 1 IBM Aug 130 Put - Premium 7

As you can see, the strike price for the call is 135, whereas the put is 130. To achieve a break even, the stock price had to be at least 152 for the call option or 113 for the put option. Anything above 152 and below 113 will represent ‘additional profits’. However if the stock price is exactly 135 or 130 then the investor will lose all of her premium of $1700. However, this is a highly unlikely scenario.

An example of a straddle with a different expiry date is shown below.

Buy 1 IBM Aug 130 Call - Premium 10
Buy 1 IBM Sep 130 Put - Premium 9

In this case, the strike price is the same at 130, but the expiry date is different. Call on August and Put on September. The extra month of expiry of the Put will raise the premium to 9. In this case the extra risk involve will be the extra month for the Put to expiry. If it is let uncovered, what happen when the stock price go up to 180 in September? The investor will have to bear the losses of 50 points (180-130). So the potential losses in this case will be unlimited.

Other Strategies
There are other more sophisticated strategies, which I think should reserve for professional options traders.

Some of them are dealing in more than 3 options at one time. An example will be the butterfly spreads whereby it involves buying 1 low price call option, 1 higher price call option and selling 2 call options with a price in between the buy call options.
It can be illustrated below.

Buy 1 IBM Aug 130 Call - Premium 10
Buy 1 IBM Aug 150 Call - Premium 12
Sell 2 IBM Aug 140 Call - Premium 9

In this case an investor will only make a profit if the stock price is trading in between 130 and 150. The premium paid by the investor is 10+12-(2x9) = 4 points. So if the stock price, move out of this range, then the maximum the investor can lose is 4 points. Other strategies include the following.

a) Spreads which can be divided to Bull, Bear, Butterfly, Calendar and Diagonal
b) Iron Condor when an investor believes the stock will trade in a range until expiry
c) Collar is used when an investor already own a stock but looking to,
- increase return by writing call option
- minimize downside by buying put option
d) Guts used when bullish in volatility. Buy 2 calls , one with higher strike price

Alright, that basically sums up our Trading Strategies and next we will look into how Big Money and Insiders manipulate the Stock Market using Options

BIG money and Insiders manipulate stock market
The stock market has always been in the influence of Big Money and Insiders. Most of volume generated from stock exchanges around the world are by quantitative or high frequency traders. It is estimated that more than 75% of all trades in New York, 60% of all trades in Europe and 50% of all trades in Asia are generated by Quantitative or High Frequency Traders.

However, there is one tool that escapes the attention of most traders (or rather amateurs) that professionals use, not only to reduce risk but also to influence trades in stock markets. The tool that they employ is Equity Options. How they use it to their advantage?

1. Block Trading
Block trading refers to the buying and selling of large number of shares in a particular security. It normally refers to hundreds of thousands or probably millions of shares and they are common in the security industry. That is why some brokers have a special department just to handle such trades because it is very profitable.
Take for example Broker Morgan Stanley (MS) receives an order from an investor to sell 500,000 shares of IBM at $100 a share. Their investor is not interested in staggered sales or selling by small amounts, which may take up to two months to dispose. The investor wants to get it done ‘all in one shot’. So, MS needs to call up other brokers if they are interested to take up 500,000 shares in IBM at $100 a share. Getting another investor to take up the offer is not easy. Say if they found someone who is interested in only buying 400,000 shares, so what is MS going to do with the remaining 100,000 shares?
MS will have the following options.
a) Sell 400,000 shares to the client and 100,000 in the open market
b) Sell 400,000 shares to the client and sell a call option on IBM
c) Sell 400,000 shares to the client and buy a put option on IBM

Option A will force MS to sell 100,000 shares of IBM at $100 in the open market. By selling such a large block in the open market will tend to arouse attention among other investors and hence might push down the price of IBM shares to below $100. In this case, MS will incur a loss on itself, which is not a good strategy.

Option B will be a better strategy and MS may execute the following.
Sell 1000 IBM Aug 100 Call – Premium 5

So, what the above strategy does is Sell 1000 IBM Call Options, which is100,000 shares (1000 x 100 shares) and in this case there is no risk because MS had already in possession of 100,000 IBM shares from the investor. By selling the 1000 options, it is in a position to receive a 5 points premium, which is amounted to (100,000 x 5 = $500,000).

But in this case, there is a downside risk associated with selling a call option. If the stock price of IBM shares were to go down to below $100 then MS will incur a loss.

Option C will be to buy a put option on IBM, which can be illustrated below.
Buy 1000 IBM Aug 100 Put – Premium 3

Say if the IBM share is now trading at $95 then you will have a profit of $5 ($100 - $95) x 100,000 shares, which is equivalent to $500,000. Therefore, the Put option will be more valuable if the Stock price is decreasing and less valuable if the Exercise price is increasing because profit is equivalent to Exercise price – Stock Price. But buying a put, MS’s profit will be lesser because it has to pay a premium of $300,000 (1000 x 100 shares) x 3 points premium. So, MS profit will only be $200,000 but his risk in protected should IBM share price rise above $100.

But professionals are different from amateurs because they will rather take a risk and make a profit than to just receive a commission for doing the trade. So, professionals will rather go for Option B rather than the rest because it is their job to manage risk. Amateurs probably, will be better of by buying the put and pay the premium, because their risks are protected.

Similarly, block trades can be employed to facilitate large buy orders of shares in a company.

2. Acquiring large position in a company
Investors may use options to disguise their activities in the stock markets. If they are interested to acquire a large position in a company (AB) say 1 million shares, they may do so in the following methods.
a) buy all of the shares in the open market
b) buy half using call options of AB and the other half through open market

Option A. The investors will need to buy all of its 1 million shares in the open market. By purchasing such a large amount of shares, will lead to an appreciation in the price of the target company. Moreover, by buying such a large block in the open market will tend to arouse attention among other investors because it will increase its volume. Hence this will induce other investors to participate into buying the shares and will push up the price of the shares of the targeted company. This will make this exercise very expensive and difficult and hence is not a good strategy.

Option B will be a better strategy and the investors may execute the following.
Buy 5000 AB Aug 100 Calls – Premium 3

So, what the above strategy does is to buy 5000 AB Call Options, which is 500,000 shares (5000 x 100 shares) and pay a 3 points premium, which amounts to (500,000 x 3 = $1,500,000).

In this case, he can buy the shares in the stock exchange without arousing any attention to his activities. He can slowly take his time to accumulate his shares quietly in the stock market while at the same time he purchase 5000 AB Aug 100 Call options.

Since purchase of option is not reported as part of AB’s trading volume and hence other investor’s will not know of his intentions. Also, purchasing of options will not alter the daily trading volume of AB, it will be ‘easier to collect’ his required amount of shares.

Hence, the use of options helped the investors to accumulate their required amount of shares in a particular company, without arousing much attention of other investors, which might make it difficult for them to achieve their goal.

3. Insider Trading
Company Directors, Financial Controllers and Insiders, may use options to hide their activities in the stock markets. If they are in the know that there are good news pertaining to their company such as a larger than expected profit, a Merger or Acquisition activity, a large find of mineral reserve and etc. Instead of buying or accumulating of shares of their company in the open market, they may buy call options of their company.

When the good news is reported, they can cash in their call options. But they might be under the scrutiny of the Securities Commission, as call options is also known as stock equivalents. Since call options can be converted to shares, they may be subjected to insider trading. However, they can get around it by purchasing it under someone else name such as their relatives or some sort.

Similarly, this also applies when Insiders may use options to capitalize on the bad news of their company. If they know that their company will be reporting a larger than expected loss or the canceling of a Merger and Acquisition agreement, they can buy a Put Option. So when the bad news is announced, the price of the underlying security will go down and hence the price of options. So they just exercise their put option for a profit.

4. Hostile or Management Takeover
Due to the diverse amount of shareholders, the ownership of some companies are rather thinly distributed. Sometimes, a 5-10% ownership of the company shares is considered substantial. These companies are prime target for hostile or management takeovers. If an outsider wants to gain control of the company, all they need is to quietly purchase a 10% stake in the company. They can do it through the options market without arousing the attention of the management. By the time they have accumulated enough options, they can exercise it and they will automatically become a substantial shareholder.
When they have gain control of the company, then can blackmail the current management by threatening to discharge the whole management. So in order not lose their jobs and the perks that come with it, management had to conformed to their demand by buying back their shares at a higher price.

The SEC in trying to control such activities enacted Rule 13D, which requires any individual that owns 5% or more of a corporation stocks to file a report. Again, investors can get around it by purchasing the stake with different names.

5. Selling large Block of shares in thinly traded stocks
If an investor is holding a block of 500,000 units ABC shares, which only trades about 2000-3000 shares a day. How can he get rid of his shares in a short time period of say one week? Should he dispose the whole block of ABC shares in the open market, it will crash the share price of ABC. Say if the price of ABC shares is trading at $30. What strategy should the investor employ to sell the shares without hurting its share price?

The answer is the following.
Buy 5000 ABC Aug 31 put – Premium 2

By buying the put it will cost him a 2 points premium. Always remember you will receive the premium when you sell an option and vice versa. So when August arrives, he will exercise his option and deliver his 500,000 shares at the price of $31. After subtracting the premium, he is actually getting $29 for his block of shares. It will be much better selling it in the open market because by doing so he might drive the shares price below $29 and most probably to $25.

So, finally as you can see, there are many uses of options, not only to trade but also to maneuver your trading strategies in the market. Another use of options is to help Multinational Corporations to hedge their risk in their global operations. This will require another article, which I will later address on how Multinational Corporations use Currency Options, Forward Contracts and Currency Swaps to hedge their foreign exchange exposure in international markets.

Marrybrown Fried Chicken ... a successful Malaysian fast food chain

Marrybrown chain prospering after many trials and tribulations

 

Zazali Musa | The Star ( Malaysia ), ANN | Thu Mar 29 2012

Today Marrybrown is flooded with requests from investors wanting to take up their fastfood franchise.

Malaysia, March 28, 2012

Thirty-one years ago, Lawrence Liew and Nancy Chan had dreams of investing in a fast food business but found it difficult to secure a loan for the purpose.

Bank officials were quite sarcastic as they flipped through the couple's business proposal and refused to approve a loan as they believed the plan was not feasible.

Even the suppliers the couple approached doubted the viability of their plan and were only willing to supply goods on a cash-on-delivery basis.

To make matters worse, owners of shoplots were reluctant to lease their premises to the pair.

Today, the couple are laughing all the way to the bank.

"Back then, we were treated like second-class citizens, they didn't even look at you," Marrybrown Sdn Bhd co-founder and managing director Chan told The Star.

Now, banks are knocking on their doors while mall operators and landlords are courting them to lease their units.

She said, in the past, the sceptics were brutal with their remarks.

"I can still remember their words until today, 'You can open a shop today and close tomorrow'," said Liew.

They have proven them wrong as Marrybrown is now flooded with requests from Malaysian and foreign investors wanting to take up the franchise.

Humble beginnings
Back in 1981, the couple took a gamble and started their business with capital of RM120,000 from their life savings and contributions from family members and close friends.

They opened Marrybrown's first restaurant serving burgers and fried chicken at a small rented shoplot along Jalan Wong Ah Fook in downtown Johor Baru.

Chan said when they started their fast-food business, Kentucky Fried Chicken, a US-based quick-service restaurant (QSR) chain offering fried chicken, was already a household name in Malaysia.

Chan said their venture into the QSR business at the time, was like David fighting Goliath.
With no business experience, they slogged day and night to build their business.

"The first five years were the toughest for us as we had to work hard to prove to our critics that we were going to make it," she said.

The company has grown over the years from a small rented shoplot to its own premises in Taman Pelangi.

Two months ago, the new RM6mil corporate headquarters in the Dewani industrial estate was opened.

Nurse turned entrepreneur
Chan, 56, left her job as a nurse and started the business at the age of 25 with her husband who is seven years her senior.

The former student of Sultan Ibrahim Girls School Johor Baru, completed her Malaysian Certificate Examinations and worked as a nurse for six years.

Hard work is not new to her as she had helped supplement her family's income from the age of 16 by giving English tuition after school and on weekends.

Chan remembered the money she earned from giving tuition was not much but it taught her to be more prudent in managing her finances.

The down-to-earth businesswoman said, although today she might have money to spend lavishly, she does not see the need to be extravagant.

Coming from a poor family, she missed out on a university education despite being one of the top students in school and opted for nursing instead. "Being a nurse helped me a lot in my business.

"As a nurse you have to have patience and be compassionate towards your patients and the same goes in running a business," she said.

A truly Malaysian brand, Marrybrown is now the largest home-grown QSR chain with over 300 restaurants in Malaysia, Azerbaijan, China, Bahrain, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kuwait, Maldives, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tanzania and the United Arab Emirates.

Twenty per cent of its restaurants in Malaysia are company-owned while 80% are franchised, while its overseas outlets are developed by its master franchisees.

The local and overseas restaurants are located at shopping malls, hypermarkets, theme parks, hospitals, universities, airports and neighbourhood estates.

When asked how she came up with the brand Marrybrown, Chan said the name popped into her mind when she decided to start the fast-food business.

"It is simple to pronounce, easy to remember and has an international appeal, as shown when we market the brand overseas," said Chan. She said it was important in the fast food business to adopt a name that was easy to pronounce.

Liew said most of the international fast food brands had three-syllable names such as Burger King, KFC and McDonalds, and so does Marrybrown.

The brand is so successful and the Government has decided to include it under the Malaysian Kitchen Programme to encourage Malaysians to open restaurants overseas.

Franchise model works
The couple realised that franchising was the way for them to expand their business locally and internationally, but back in 1986 it was something new in Malaysia and Singapore.

They looked at several franchising models from the US, UK and Japan and adopted the best to suit their business concept.

The company started its franchising system in 1986 for Malaysia and in 1992 in China, the first country outside Malaysia to adopt the Marrybrown business.

Marrybrown's franchising fee is priced at RM100,000 per outlet in Malaysia and the fee differs for international franchisees depending on the country's population size and market prospects for QSRs.

It was also the first international fast food restaurant to open in Tanzania and Maldives and the first Malaysian fast-food operator to open in Urumqi, in China's autonomous Xinjiang region.

Again, in the early days of franchising, they were turned down by locals when they proposed the system as many did not have confidence in the couple.

But this has not hampered them from working even harder. Today, the majority of its franchised outlets in the country are owned by the same franchise holders.

"Among the words uttered by them were how on earth can a local company like ours compete with the big boys from the US," recalled Chan.

Stand out from the rest
"We had to be different. Instead of fried chicken and burgers, we also offer local favourites such as nasi goreng, nasi lemak, rice porridge and satay," she said
.
Chan said the Malaysian dishes are not only the main attractions among its local customers, but also popular at its overseas shops.

She said even her competitors in the QSR business from the US started copying the business model, to include rice dishes and other local foods on the menu list at their restaurants in Malaysia.

Chan said apart from promoting Malaysian dishes at its overseas stores, the company's franchised businesses also offer local dishes from the respective countries in which they operate.

Going forward, she said the Middle East is the most promising for the franchising business, aside from emerging economies in Asean, China and India.

Chan said being a local brand serving halal food is a bonus especially with the master franchisees in the Middle East.

She added that for years, customers in these Middle Eastern countries only knew of fast-food products and brands from Europe and the US.

"Feedback from our master franchisees there shows they are more comfortable dealing with Malaysian companies as we are trustworthy and reliable," said Chan.

She said the next market for Marrybrown is the African continent as many big boys in the fast-food business are not keen to go there.

Chan said having set foot in Tanzania, the company sees the long-term growth prospects in African countries as tremendous.

"To us, the African continent is like a diamond in the rough waiting to be cut and polished for the shine and sparkle to emerge," she said.

Accountant, 27, shares her wealth strategy

		Saturday, Mar 24, 2012 The Star (Malaysia ) Asia News Network
Accountant, 27, shares her wealth strategy  -  Pooling resources in property investment
By Daniel Sim Singapore-based accountant Melissa Low, 27, wants more than just a fixed salary in her working life and property investment offers a way to financial security. While many professionals in her age-group are enjoying life, Low spends her weekends visiting showrooms, properties for re-sale and seminars to enhance her knowledge. Growing up in Malaysia, Low has always been a go-getter. She was a scholar, an avid chess player and also a valedictorian in school. Despite being employed full time, she still finds time to follow in her father's footsteps in business ventures and property investment. Melissa graduated with a degree in accounting and finance from Nilai International College with the help of a scholarship from the Star Education Fund in 2003. One of her latest property purchases is a 37sq m (400sq ft) studio apartment in Johor Baru. Her investment acumen has been honed by previous business ventures. "I started with selling bags online but the market was too competitive. I also started a bubble tea business with a partner that I met online. But things didn't work out, so we closed it after six months," recalls Melissa. " I began reading property investment books by Milan Doshi and Ho Chin Soon. I was attracted to the idea of earning passive income from investing in property. "What's more interesting, is the fact that it offers me flexibility and time to focus on my work in Singapore while enjoying good rental returns with my properties in Malaysia," points out Melissa. Landlady The young landlady bought her first property two years ago. It was a 115sq m (1,200sq ft) condominium unit in Mont' Kiara in Kuala Lumpur. The property value has since appreciated more than 20%. Stock vs property "When I explored the possibility of investing in something that would give me a stable rate of returns over the long run, many people told me to invest in the stock market. I did that once but it was not my cup of tea," says Melissa. "Unlike the stock market where shares are traded through a piece of paper and prices fluctuate - and hard to predict - property is tangible and would not suddenly lose its value overnight. If the company goes bust, the shares would be worthless. On the other hand, if you can't sell your property, you can always rent it out while waiting for the property price to appreciate. "Buying property allows you to leverage on money borrowed from the bank where you can borrow up to 90% of the purchase price. This multiplies the buying power of your investment and makes your money work harder. Investing in shares usually involves little or no leverage at all, hence, it is more difficult for your capital to grow. "Investing in property is more focused on location. Based on your budget, you can choose to invest in high-end property or mid-range property. Then zoom in on the location with the property type you want, either with the help of a real estate agent or, in my case, I would Google property portals, such as www.starproperty.my. "But investing in property has its downside too, as it is not as liquid when compared to shares. A property buyer needs to be able to hold the property to generate a profit on a greater scale before selling it. "This is particularly true in times of an economic downturn and there is an oversupply in a particular location that you have invested." Calculated risk It is generally hard for some people to take the first step in property investment because they lack practical guidance and the willingness to take a calculated risk. "The difference between successful people and average people is that besides having ideas that are larger than life, successful people make things happen." For example, one investor would take up personal loans to invest in four units of a particular property development, if he thought the project was a good buy, reveals Melissa. "It is true that you can learn a lot on property investment through books and seminars. But it is different to have someone who not only recommends good properties but also invests with you. "Fortunately, I met Roy Teo who became not only my mortgage broker, real estate agent but also my mentor," says Melissa. According to her, Roy who has five years experience in property investment, changed her perception about studio apartments. Through Roy, she realised how profitable it was if she chose the right studio apartment to invest. To date, she has invested in four properties, one of which, is a commercial unit located near the Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC). MISS Club Besides being an accountant and property investor, Melissa has also ventured into event management. In 2010, she started a club called Malaysia Investors in Singapore (MISS). She uses the social media such as Facebook to network with other Malaysians working in Singapore. They all share a common interest in property investment. MISS was formed by Melissa to leverage on group investment power where members can share their knowledge and pool their resources to get better deals. Currently, the group has about 260 online members who meet every three to four months. Millionaire property investors such as Juanita Chin and map-maker Ho Chin Soon are among the personalities invited to share their insight with MISS members.

8 tips for staying healthy while travelling

Monday, Aug 15, 2011
AsiaOne

It's the little things that matter when you travel.

Some of these travel tips will ensure you eat and stay healthy while travelling overseas, while also ensure that you maintain a hygienic environment so that you don't fall sick or have an allergic reaction.

Whether you travel for leisure or business, you'd be surprised how far some of these will practices go to ensure a healthy, comfortable trip.

1. Opt for the non-smoking floor

The non-smoking floor of a hotel room would have better air quality, and you won't have the smell of cigarette smoke lingering in the room or on the carpet and sheets.

2. Don't touch the mini bar

Refrain from snacking and drinking from the mini bar. It's expensive, and you should save the cash (and avoid the calories).

3. Set aside the bed cover

Hotel bedspreads are known to have dust mites and more. Stash it in the corner of the room or in the cupboard.

4. Disinfect

Wipe the TV remote control and telephone with an anti-bacterial wipes before using.

5. Avoid reuseable glasses

Avoid using the glasses in the hotel room - you can't tell whether they were properly cleaned before your check-in. Stick to drinking bottled water. If you must use the glasses, wash them thoroughly before use.

6. Bring your own snacks

Keep fruit, bottled water and healthy snacks such as nuts, raisins and muesli bars in your room. It'll ensure a balanced diet, especially if you're eating out often. If you take vitamins and health supplements on a regular basis, remember to bring these along when you travel.

7. Create your own fitness centre

If your hotel doesn't have a gym or pool, bring your yoga mat and do simple yoga routines to destress.

8. Renovation check

Renovations are disruptive, and will bring out dust and dirt. Call ahead or read recent reviews on travel websites to ensure that parts of the hotel you're staying at aren't under construction. You don't want construction noise depriving you of sleep, or having to deal with unpleasant surroundings.

If you've already made a booking, ask for a room further away from the construction if possible.

Technology affecting Singaporeans' work-life balance

		Tuesday, Mar 06, 2012 AsiaOne ( Singapore )
Technology affecting Singaporeans' work-life balance
Whether you're holding an iPhone, a BlackBerry, an Android or any other kind of smartphone, chances are that your gadget is letting your work life creep into your personal time. According to the Randstad Workmonitor Report for Q1 2012 released today, majority of employees in Singapore struggle to achieve a work-life balance as technology permeates daily lives. Of 405 employees surveyed in Singapore, around seven in ten (71 per cent) receive calls or emails outside regular office hours, and 67 per cent when they are on annual leave. Nearly half (45 per cent), say their employers expect them to be available 24/7, with the figure rising for people aged 45-54 (50 per cent) and for people aged 25-34 (49 per cent). Randstad Regional Director, Singapore & Malaysia, Ms Karin Clarke says that modern technology is having a significant impact on the way we work. Sixty per cent of workers say they feel they fall short of their own expectation if they don't respond to an email or phone call immediately. "The increasing popularity of smartphones means more and more people are connected to the internet on the go. This accessibility has a knock-on effect where workers feel obliged to answer emails and calls outside of work hours," said Ms Clarke. Conversely, close to 2/3 of respondents are bothered by people who answer their phone or respond to emails during a meeting, yet about a third admit to doing so. At the same time, however, more than half who replied to the survey prefer face-to-face contact rather than phone or email. The same proportion also feels that they receive more information on a daily basis than they can process. Said Ms Clarke: "Business leaders should be clear in their expectations for how 'switched on' they expect their staff to be. For example, for people in a client-facing role there may be a need to respond instantly around the clock but for others, replying on Monday morning is soon enough. "At the same time, employees should set their own boundaries and ensure they spend uninterrupted time with friends and family and allow themselves the chance to relax," she continued. The survey also showed that employee mobility remains high, with one-in-five (22 per cent) people having changed roles in the past six months, despite 44 per cent having been in their previous role for less than two years. This is mainly due to better employment conditions, which include higher pay or better work-life balance. The Workmonitor Mobility Index, which tracks employee confidence and captures expectations surrounding the likelihood of changing employers within a six month time frame, provides a comprehensive understanding of job market sentiments and employee trends. In addition to measuring mobility, it provides insights into employee satisfaction and personal motivation, as well as explores sentiments around key trends shaping the world of work for employees each quarter.

Report from AFP dated 5 March 2012 :-

Website lets people shine light on dark secrets

TELLING TALES: Some of the postings on PostSecret.com, which posts confessions from people around the world. Warren launched the site as a diversion from his 'lucrative but unsatisfying' document delivery company.

CALIFORNIA: People around the world share their deep secrets with Frank Warren and he, in turn, reveals them to all.

Confessions drawn, pasted or written on postcards flow relentlessly into his mailbox and Warren provides as many as possible with time in the spotlight at his website, PostSecret.com.

"I've never been a person growing up that people told their secrets to," Warren told AFP after a presentation at the prestigious TED conference that wrapped in southern California on Friday.

"In my life now, people don't walk up to me and tell me secrets, but I never get tired of getting postcards. I still go to the post box early."

The Maryland man described himself as a typical suburban dad and small business owner whose life was turned around by a project launched in 2004 as a diversion from his "lucrative but unsatisfying" document delivery company.

Warren began by printing 3,000 postcards and handing them out in the Washington DC area, asking people to anonymously share a heartfelt secret they had never told anyone.

The idea spread virally, with people making or buying their own postcards and sending them to PostSecret from countries around the world.

Warren showed a postcard made from half of a Starbuck's coffee paper cup and bearing the message "I give decaf to customers who are rude to me."

Another postcard was from someone who confided "I used to work with a bunch of uptight religious people so sometimes I didn't wear panties and just smiled and chuckled to myself."

One confession arrived in the form of a sealed envelope bearing a message that inside were the torn bits of a suicide note "I didn't use - I feel like the happiest man on Earth now."

A postcard bearing a collage of pictures of Hollywood actors bore a message that one of them was "the father of my son, he pays me a lot to keep his secret."

Many secrets sent to the website involve loneliness, self-harm, or eating disorders, according to its creator.

"One of the biggest surprises is that when we find the strength to share a deep secret, instead of making us weird it connects us to our deepest humanity," Warren said. "Everyone has a secret that could break your heart."

Warren displayed a picture of him next to a pyramid of a half million postcards bearing secrets. He updates PostSecret.com every Sunday, trying to create a theme with the confessions.

"I tapped into something full of mystery and wonder," Warren said. "Secrets can remind us of the countless human dramas playing out in the lives of people around us."

PostSecret claims the distinction of being the most visited advertising-free blog on the Internet and is credited with inspiring a student in Canada to launch IFoundYourCamera.net website that connects people with lost pictures.

Warren supports the website with money from his document shipping business, and successful books featuring collections of confessions. Some PostSecret postcards have made it to the Museum of Modern Art.

How to buy and sell safely online

How to buy and sell safely onlineOnline shopping is a hot trend but is it everyone’s ideal way to shop?

By Tengku Sofiah Aishah,
New Straits Times ( Malaysia ) | 02-03-12      

THESE days, window shopping is no longer just about looking at window displays but LCD screens. You don't need a pair of comfortable shoes to trawl the shops, just a notebook or tablet.

Welcome to the world of speed shopping where every transaction is just a click away.

Virtual shopping used to be an exclusively eBay domain but with online businesses rapidly evolving, the choices have become massive.

"Since I've had my twins, it's inconvenient for me to go out but with so many online stores, I can shop while cooking for them!" says Rohana Jalil, 27, mother of two.

EVERYONE CAN SELL
With Blogger and Facebook, everyone can set up his or her own shop and that means business opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Online business can be financially rewarding. Some owners even quit their jobs to focus on their businesses. Estee Chong, co-owner of Whitesoot, is very passionate about fashion. "My boyfriend, Bryan Lim, and I saw the opportunity when online shopping became popular, so we started Whitesoot."

Previously, Lim and Chong were a financial analyst and a marketing executive respectively. Online businesses benefit both sellers and customers. Shop owners do not have to go through the legal hassle of setting up a business and it is also not location specific.

"Having a virtual store means you're reaching out to an unlimited market, not just the people in your location," says Vivy Yusof who is currently eyeing the Indonesian market as part of her online venture Fashion Valet's business expansion.

On the other hand, customers save a lot of time and energy through online shopping. In addition to customers browsing at their own convenience and in comfort, online shops are technically open 24 hours a day.

EASY DOES IT
Browsing online is easy. "I have no time to spend hours at the mall looking for the right design and colour but I can easily specify my search with a click on the Internet," says banker Joanne Tan.

The best part is not having to walk around with heavy shopping bags but having them delivered to our doorsteps. Law student Subana Keris, 21, finds online shopping more convenient. "There is no need to drive, park, walk to the store or queue to pay. "Plus, there is the added security of not having to walk around with bundles of cash. The shipping costs cancels out the cost of petrol, toll and parking tickets. And don't forget the heavy traffic."

NOT JUST CLOTHES
Online business platforms are dominated by, but not limited to fashion lines. They are slowly expanding to include fragrance, gadget accessories, DIY products, textiles, or even made-to-order foodstuff such as festive cookies and cakes. Items sold online range from fresh-from-the-factory goods to secondhand items in excellent condition.

The online community is so large now it even has its own networks where members can connect and advertise. Online shop review blogs such as www.yourshoppingkaki.blogspot.com and shoppers-network.blogspot.com are recognised by online shoppers and being reviewed by them is like getting the Superbrands Malaysia's choice stamp.

OLD SCHOOL
Online shopping, admittedly, takes away the novelty of conventional shopping. Arina Azhar, 20, an engineering student believes that seeing is believing. "If I'm going to pay for it, I want to be sure an item fits me well and online shopping cannot offer that." The quality time we would otherwise spend with our families is also lost through online shopping. "My mother used to pick out my clothes when we go on a shopping spree but we hardly do that anymore," says business student Shella Stepanie, 20. There's also the possibility of getting conned by scheming opportunists, so think before you click!

Tips for virtual shoppers
1. Check for credibility. This can be done via customers' testimonials and feedback. Before making a payment, ensure that the seller has a valid contact person and number.

2. Ask for measurements (for clothing items). As most online shops do not adopt an exchange policy and fitting is not possible, ask for the exact measurements instead of the size.

3. Details, details, details. Always ask for every detail you want to know. This is important to avoid impulse purchases and regrets in the future. You can't touch or feel the item. The colours, models, materials and sizes may look different than on the screen.

4. Double-check the authenticity. This is for purchases of branded items, new or pre-loved. Be careful to not fall victim to Grade A imitation products when they claim to be authentic.

5. Request for postal tracking number. This is to ensure that your purchase is really on its way when the vendor says so. It's also for you to track the movement of your parcel.

6. Do not overspend. Youngsters especially, tend to get carried away with online shopping. Remember, do not spend money you don't have.

7. Be wary. Never, under any circumstance, divulge your personal information, such as your bank account password to anyone.