Wild profit swings stand in way of Wilmar's consumer ambition

'IN the commodities business, if you're right every quarter, then you don't have to work for a living, you just stay home and speculate."

Wilmar International's chief executive officer Kuok Khoon Hong said this more than four years ago at a results briefing, in response to an unexpected loss in its oilseeds and grains division - similar to the one it warned about last week.

His stand on the matter this time round won't be known till the group releases its results on Aug 11. But if Wilmar intends to become a global consumer company, as it has said it wants to, such extreme swings in its earnings will have to be relooked.

The market was stunned last week by Wilmar's expectations of a large loss - to the tune of US$230 million - for the second quarter this year, and …