Kenanga Investors favours small-cap stocks, especially exporters and builders

Kuala Lumpur

MALAYSIA'S top-performing fund manager is adding to holdings of the nation's small-cap stocks, betting that a bull-market rally will continue as earnings improve and valuations trail larger peers.

Kenanga Investors Bhd favours exporters and builders as the US economy recovers and Malaysia boosts spending on infrastructure, chief investment officer Lee Sook Yee said in an interview. The FTSE Bursa Malaysia Small Cap Index is valued at 10.2 times estimated earnings, a 39 per cent discount versus the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI Index of the biggest stocks.

Smaller companies are involved in more diverse industries with better prospects than larger peers, which are dominated by banks and commodity producers, Mr Lee said. Profits at companies in the small-cap measure will incr…