HONG KONG: The housing market here seldom sleeps, as Louis Leung and his wife know all too well.

It was not until 11.55pm on Friday (March 26), nearly 11 hours after they began, that they signed a preliminary agreement to buy a 980 sq ft flat for HK$9.6 million at Festival City, a joint venture of Cheung Kong (Holdings) and MTR Corp in Tai Wai near Sha Tin.

HANOI: The Lion Group plans to open more Parkson shopping centres in Vietnam, to maintain the chain's development as well as expand their retail network, according to Vietnam news agency on March 30.

The group currently manages 82 Parkson stores, with five in Vietnam, 42 in China and 35 stores in Malaysia.

IGB Corp: Lack of new launches a disappointment

We have downgraded IGB Corp Bhd (IGB) from BUY to HOLD and cut our fair value to RM2.20/share from RM2.80/share based on a 45% (previously 30%) discount to our NAV estimate at RM4.00/share. Historically, IGB has traded at 50% discount to its NAV.

S P Setia: Venturing “Down Under”

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G’day mate

S P Setia: Buying land in Melbourne Australia

LONDON: British mortgage approvals fell to their lowest level in nine months in February, Bank of England figures showed on March 29, in another sign that the recovery in the housing market is stalling.

KUALA LUMPUR: The board of Ho Hup Construction Company Bhd will meet with Malton Bhd on Tuesday, March 30, to discuss the proposed joint-development agreement (JDA) between its subsidiaries.

KUALA LUMPUR: The initial tender of foreclosed properties under Pengurusan Danaharta Nasional Bhd this year will see an indicative value of some RM235 million worth of real estate up for grabs.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian government and the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) will be forming a joint-venture to promote the development of 3,000 acres of land in Sungei Buloh into a new hub for the Klang Valley.

Several parcels of land in Jalan Stonor, Jalan Ampang, Jalan Lidcol, all in Kuala Lumpur have also been identified to be tendered out for development by the private sector.