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(Business Times) MALAYSIA’S first home-grown multipurpose vehicle (MPV), the Exora, has received more than 6,800 orders since bookings were opened in February. Proton Holdings Bhd (5304) managing director Datuk Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir said the bookings reflects the customers’ confidence in the MPV and in Proton.

(The Edge) SHARES of Malaysia’s budget carrier AirAsia slid nearly 9 per cent to RM1.14 today after fears that further spread of swine flu would hit the travel industry, analysts said. State-owned Malaysia Airlines’ (MAS) shares were also down 3.2 per cent at RM3.04, slightly better than AirAsia because of a lower level of foreign shareholders, an analyst with a local brokerage whose policy does not allow him to be named, said.

(Business Times) MALAYSIA today announced new measures to boost the country’s financial services sector. The limit on foreign ownership of investment banks and insurers was raised to 70 per cent but the cap on commercial banks was kept at 30 per cent, counter to expectations among some financiers that the sector would be liberalised further.

(Business Times) KRISPY Kreme Doughnuts officially opened its flagship store in Kuala Lumpur today. Berjaya Krispy Creme Sdn Bhd, which holds the master franchise for Krispy Kreme Doughnuts in Malaysia, plans to open its second store at the Mid Valley Megamall by the end of next month, executive director Datuk Francis Lee said. Krispy Kreme Doughnuts originated in the United States from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. There are 525 outlets in 17 countries around the world.

(Business Times) RHYTHM Consolidated Bhd is now a PN17 company, said Bursa Malaysia Bhd in a statement in Kuala Lumpur today. PN17 essentially means a company is in financial trouble either because successive losses have eroded its shareholders’ funds, receivers and managers have been appointed, or the company has ceased business operations.

(The Edge) The latest human resources (HR) trend survey by global consulting firm Watson Wyatt shows that the average salary increase budget for 2009 is 3.9%, a drop from November 2008’s forecast of 6.2%. Some of the popular cost-cutting measures taken or to be taken in the next 12 months include hiring freeze, increasing restrictions to company travel policies, downgrading or cancelling company holiday or staff social events. Watson Wyatt Malaysia said nearly three-quarters (71%) of the companies surveyed were already in hiring freeze mode or planned to do so this year.

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