KUALA LUMPUR: The Kuala Lumpur office market this year is expected to remain soft as occupancy and rents come under pressure.

Knight Frank executive director Sarkunan Subramaniam said rentals will trend downwards as supply from the completion of new and refurbished office buildings are expected to overshadow tenants' demand.

KUALA LUMPUR: The value of property transactions in Malaysia for the year 2011 is expected to exceed RM100 billion on the back of the Malaysian economy's recovery which has re-invigorated the overall property market.

KUALA LUMPUR: High-end condominiums and apartments in Kuala Lumpur are expected to remain generally flat this year but may see modest growth in the long term, said Henry Butcher Marketing Sdn Bhd chief operating officer Tang Chee Meng.

KUALA LUMPUR: Axis Real Estate Investment Trust (Axis-REIT) aims to enhance and reposition its assets to increase performance, said Axis REIT Managers Bhd chief executive officer Stewardt Labrooy.

Axis REIT Managers is the manager of Axis-REIT.

KUALA LUMPUR: AmResearch Sdn Bhd has maintained the overweight stance on the construction sector as there is greater illumination on new contract visibility.

The Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) project is one of the anchor projects under the government's Economic Transformation Program (ETP) and 10th Malaysia Plan, that is likely to be fast-tracked and with more to come.

WELLINGTON: New Zealand house prices and sales fell in December, offering another sign of a slow economic recovery and reaffirming expectations that rates will be on hold for months to come.

The Real Estate Institute of NZ's (REINZ) house price index fell 0.6% on the previous month, and was 1.6% lower than a year earlier.

LONDON: The European office sector stood out in an environment of broadly flat rents in 4Q 2010, recording the largest yield reduction and highest year-on-year (y-o-y) rate of rental growth of the three main sectors, according to CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) latest Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) Rents and Yields Indices.

Funds raising

4QFY10 : Within expectations

Of Bangsar Land and Corporate Exercises

THE BUZZ

On 17 Jan 2011, SP Setia announced the following: