BEIJING/HONG KONG: In a latest salvo aimed at its property market, China is getting ready to launch a real estate investment tool that will give investors an alternative to bricks and mortar, and move to cool a market where prices have risen at the fastest pace in five years.

HONG KONG: Shares in Hong Kong and China fell on Thursday, April 22 as government measures to cool surging home prices weighed on property and banking stocks.

HONG KONG: Shanghai property investor Bob Gu faces a dilemma. He is planning to sell some assets to take advantage of the current market peak and, later during the anticipated home price correction, buy a high-end property to upgrade his portfolio."But I am afraid my plan may not be working as it is not easy to re-enter the market, with banks starting to tighten lending.

BEIJING: China must tackle its property bubble for the sake of economic health and social stability, even if the market feels some short-term pain in the process, an official financial newspaper said on Thursday, April 22.

BEIJING: China will adopt a stricter standard in identifying whether a house is a "second home" when approving mortgage loans, a senior banking regulator said in remarks published on Thursday (April 22).

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian conglomerate Hong Leong Group's unit GuocoLand Ltd may double its real estate  investments in China to some 66 billion yuan (RM31 billion) within two years in anticipation that lawmakers move to cool the property market in the world's third largest economy will create viable investment opportunities, Bloomberg reported.

Regional real estate funds have been very quiet in Asia since mid-2008 — cautious about the impact of the US’ economic woes, besides the slowdown in the Singapore and Hong Kong markets then.

However, the middle of last year saw the mood change. Funds started buying into strategic real estate investments in Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan and China.

SHANGHAI: Greenland Group opened four luxury hotels -- Intercontinental Hotel, Green Eaton Hotel, and two Howard Johnsons on April 20, reported Shanghai Morning Post.

(From left) Ho, Bernard Sebastian, Residence Manager of
Somerset and Lim in front of Tiffani by i-Zen

SHANGHAI: A new rule about real estate investment by insurance companies is under discussion, and will be at an appropriate time released, said China's insurance industry regulator on April 20, reported Xinhua.