WASHINGTON: Sales of previously owned US homes fell unexpectedly sharply in February and prices fell to their lowest in nearly nine years, an industry group said on Monday, Mar 21.

KUALA LUMPUR: AmResearch has reiterated the "buy" recommendation on Benalec Holdings Bhd with a fair value of RM1.90 per share, as the company is estimated to have clinched new contracts worth RM608 million for the financial year-to-date, compared to RM77 million in 2010.

KUALA LUMPUR: PJI Holdings Bhd has entered into a tenancy agreement with Pan Pacific Enterprise Sdn Bhd for the rental of two adjoining units of 3-storey semi-detached factories known as Wisma PJI in Damansara, Petaling Jaya.

KUALA LUMPUR: Harbour-Link Group Bhd's wholly-owned subsidiary Eastern Soldar Engineering & Construction Sdn Bhd (ESEC) has accepted a letter of intent from Chiyoda Sarawak Sdn Bhd for the Tokuyama Malaysia project in Sarawak for a sum of RM29 million.

KUALA LUMPUR: Benalec Holdings Bhd's wholly-owned subsidiary Benalec Sdn Bhd has bag a job from Glenmarie Cove Development Sdn Bhd to undertake the proposed earthworks, river protection works and its associated works worth RM37,007,416.

SINGAPORE: Alpha Investment Partners unit Macro Trends Fund and NTUC Income will acquire Grade A+ commercial development Capital Square from Germany's ERGO Insurance Group for S$889 million (RM2.14 billion), in what may be the largest commercial property deal in the island republic this year.

KUALA LUMPUR: Could Boustead Holdings Bhd be considering a real estate investment trust (REIT) soon?

With The Curve NX and the Royale Bintang Damansara hotel slated for completion in the burgeoning Mutiara Damansara commercial centre in Petaling Jaya later this year, Boustead's property portfolio in the prime area may be reaching a tipping point.

S P Setia Bhd (Mar 18, RM6.14)

KUALA LUMPUR: Local hotel room prices rose 17% to average US$118 (RM359.90) per night in 2010 from a year ago, thanks to a strong recovery in corporate travel coupled with a resurgence of international tourists, according to the latest Hotel Price Index (HPI) by major international hotel accomodation provider Hotels.com.

SHAH ALAM: Setia City Mall, located in S P Setia Bhd's thriving 4,000 acre Setia Alam township that is set to open by mid-2012, has welcome its first few shoppers despite still being under construction after the shoppers' won a competition run exclusively on Facebook.