BEIJING: China will speed up reforms of resource and property-related taxes as well as the bank interest rate system this year, the China Securities Journal reported on Thursday, April 21, citing a cabinet meeting.

WASHINGTON: US home resales volumes bounced back in March, a hopeful sign for recovery in the housing market, but prices continued to decline. The wave of foreclosed properties is keeping supply up but prices down.

IPOH: The Perak Malay Contractors Association Malaysia (PKMM) is urging the state government to ensure that 30 per cent of works in mega projects in the state be channelled to local Bumiputera contractors.

KUALA LUMPUR: IGB Bhd will commence the building of Mid Valley City's third phase in the next few months, while two other development projects are also set to take off.

KUALA LUMPUR: The property market was sizzling hot last year with the value of transactions surpassing RM100 billion, the first-time ever in history. Both transaction volume and value enjoyed double-digit growth of 11.4% and 32.4% respectively in 2010.

PETALING JAYA: TRC Synergy Bhd's wholly-owned construction arm Trans Resources Corp Sdn Bhd has been awarded a RM43.8 million contract to undertake the construction of two types of public housing at Precinct 8 in Putrajaya.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) is preparing to implement the National e-Tendering Initiative (NeTI) as the platform to process online job tenders under the Works Ministry.

HONG KONG: Billionaire Li Ka-shing's Hui Xian REIT raised 10.48 billion yuan (RM4.8 billion) in an IPO, pricing the first ever yuan-denominated equity offering outside mainland China at the low-end of its indicative range, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said on Wednesday, Apr 20.

CANBERRA: Residential land values continued to rise and sales volumes sunk further in the December 2010 quarter, said the Housing Industry Association (HIA).

The HIA-rpdata.com Residential Land Report found the volume of land sales fell sharply in the December 2010 quarter (4Q2010), reaching the lowest level in a decade. Sales were down by 40.4% compared to the same quarter in 2009.

IPOH: The Perak Malay Contractors Association Malaysia (PKMM) will be investing RM50 million to develop a complex building in Bandar Meru Raya here this year, its Chairman Datuk Wira Jamaluddin Abdul Rahim said.