HONG KONG: Hong Kong's retail property market may be hit by the possible closure of Japanese restaurants as a result of concerns over Japanese food safety, industry observers have warned.

HONG KONG: Soaring main street rents and property prices have pushed up rents of mini-offices in industrial buildings by over 10% in the past few months, property agents say.

HONG KONG: Have you ever grumbled your way out of bed after a hard day's work because you forgot to turn the lights off in the apartment before you settled down to sleep?

Imagine being able to simply reach out to the bedside table, pick up your mobile phone and punch in a couple of keys to turn off the lights — or turn on the air-conditioner.

BEIJING: The number of overseas property projects exhibited at the spring session of the Beijing Real Estate Expo doubled to more than 80 from last year, organisers have said.

The expo, which began last Thursday, Apr 7, attracted overseas vendors from more than 20 countries and regions, including the United States, Australia, Canada, Britain, Singapore, Thailand and Hong Kong.

HONG KONG: Hong Kong home sales rose strongly for a second week as a push by developers to market new projects had a spillover effect, fuelling interest in the secondary market.

KUALA LUMPUR: Eastern & Oriental Bhd (E&O) has received approval for Phase 2 of its proposed mixed integrated development in Tanjong Tokong, Penang.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) is pondering the viability of a 500km Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) project in the sprawling development region which would provide a direct link to Johor Bahru.

Investment Highlights

• We maintain our BUY rating on SP Setia and raise our fair value from RM7.38/share to RM8.10/share, at parity to our revised fully-diluted (FD) NAV of RM8.10/share.

KUALA LUMPUR: Mah Sing Group Bhd, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Mah Sing Properties Sdn Bhd, acquired 206 acres of freehold tract in Johor Bahru, according to a statement released by the developer on Tuesday, Apr 12.

DUBAI: Demand for office space in Dubai could get a boost in the medium term from the recent unrest in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) as companies from volatile places relocate to relatively more stable markets like the emirate, according to Jones Lang LaSalle.