WASHINGTON, DC (Dec 21): Production of new single-family homes and apartments rose 9.3% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 685,000 units in November, according to figures released by the US Commerce Department on Tuesday. This marks the fastest pace of housing starts since October 2008.

KOTA BHARU (Dec 21): The estimated 2,000 staff of the National Audit Department is adequate for the department to undertake its tasks well, Auditor-General Tan Sri Ambrin Buang said on Tuesday.

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 21): Owners of historical buildings along stretches of the Klang and Gombak rivers affected by the River of Life project are encouraged to cooperate with City Hall to beautify the buildings.

Federal Territories and Urban Well-being Minister Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin said they would not lose out because the value of the buildings will double.

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 21): 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), the master developer for the Kuala Lumpur International Financial District (KLIFD), has started its tender process for the main foundation works for the project.

Sunway Bhd (Dec 20, RM2.43)
Maintain neutral with target price of RM2.55 from RM2.28: Sunway Bhd's wholly-owned subsidiary Sunway City Sdn Bhd (Suncity) has entered into an agreement with Dayang Bunting Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Khazanah Nasional Bhd to establish a JV company, Semerah Cahaya Sdn Bhd (SCSB).

WASHINGTON, DC (Dec 20): Builder confidence in the US market for newly built, single-family homes edged up two points from a downwardly revised number to 21 on the US National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) for December, released on Monday.

NEW YORK/LONDON (Dec 20): Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc (RBS) and private equity giant Blackstone Group LP are set to finalise a deal in which the British bank will relinquish control of £1.4 billion (RM6.93 billion) of distressed property loans to the American group, a source familiar with the matter said on Monday.

LONDON (Dec 20): Copper slipped on Monday in thin trading as signs that the property market was cooling in top metals consumer China worsened the outlook for industrial metals demand and weighed on market sentiment.    

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 20): Property developer LBS Bina Group Bhd, whose landbank consists mostly of leasehold land in Selangor, has welcomed the state government's move to allow owners of leasehold properties to renew their leases for a nominal sum of RM1,000.

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 20): Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB), the country's largest state asset manager, is still waiting for the Securities Commission's (SC) approval of its proposed management agreement, which will be part of PNB's takeover of S P Setia Bhd.