HONG KONG: Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, the owner of Peninsula hotels around the world, saw yields increase in the first quarter of this year, with its Hong Kong business weathering the economic downturn best.

HONG KONG: Shopping mall operators in Hong Kong are offering free hotel rooms, gourmet dinners prepared by Michelin chefs, facial treatments and abalone breakfasts to compete for late-night shoppers during the football World Cup, which kicks off next month.

KUALA LUMPUR: The most expensive office market in the world is currently London’s West End, followed by Hong Kong’s Central Business District (CBD) and Tokyo’s Inner Central, according to CB Richard Ellis Group, Inc (CBRE) Global Research and Consulting’s semi-annual Global Office Rents survey.

KUALA LUMPUR: Putrajaya Perdana Bhd saw its net profit for the first quarter ended March 31, 2010 (1QFY2010) rise 46.6% to RM10.9 million, from RM7.4 million over the same period last year despite lower revenue.

KUALA LUMPUR: Asia Pacific Land Bhd (AP Land) and HELP International Corp Bhd has formed a joint-venture company to conduct and provide education across the whole spectrum of educational levels and fields.

SHAH ALAM: WCT Bhd is targeting a RM2 billion order book this year, said its deputy managing director Goh Chin Liong.

The projects the group is bidding for will be for local and international contracts, he told reporters after WCT's annual general meeting here on Wednesday, May 12.

KUALA LUMPUR: Mudajaya Group saw profit after tax and minority interest of RM50.6 million for 1Q2010, a rise of 260% compared with RM14 million over the same period last year. The construction company released its financial results for the quarter to Bursa Malaysia on May 12.

KUALA LUMPUR: A substantial increase of US$80 (RM256.6) per tonne was noted in the MEPS-Global All Products Composite price last month. Advances were also recorded for all categories in all regions researched during April, according to a statement by MEPS on May 11. This was due, mainly, to considerable increases in mill input expenditure coupled with supply shortfalls in some areas.

SYDNEY: Australian demand for loans to buy houses sank to nine-year lows in March, providing further evidence that rising interest rates and a roll back in government cash handouts were hurting the mood of home buyers.

HONG KONG: A slowdown in domestic demand for homes in the US and Europe is prompting property developers there to search for buyers in Asia, particularly in Hong Kong and on the mainland.

The address list of foreign cities that find favour among Asian buyers includes London, Sydney and Singapore. More recently, it has expanded to Europe, particularly in Italy.