HONG KONG: Swire Pacific said it expects its property arm to report an underlying net profit of at least HK$4.2 billion (RM1.77 billion) this year as it prepares for the unit's US$3 billion (RM9.67 billion) initial public share offering.

BANGKOK: Amata Corp, Thailand's biggest seller of industrial land, said some Japanese clients had delayed signing land deals because of political unrest.

Bloody street clashes on April 10 left 25 people dead. Further trouble is in prospect after "red shirt" protesters threatened to march into a business district and troops were deployed in the area to stop them on Monday (April 19).

• Pre-qualified parties for the first package of civil works under the RM7bil-Klang Valley Light Rail Transit (LRT) extension works are to be announced soon, said The EdgeWeekly in a report last Saturday.

SINGAPORE: Southeast Asia's biggest property developer, CapitaLand said on April 16 it will seek more opportunities in China and Vietnam after its 1Q net profit more than doubled.

KUALA LUMPUR: JAKS Resources Bhd is finally poised for a change in fortunes, with its property and dam projects as well as the US$1.6 billion (RM5.12 billion) independent power plant in Vietnam underpinning a positive outlook.

PETALING JAYA: Takaful Ikhlas Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of MNRB Holdings Bhd has allocated between RM100 million and RM150 million to acquire more commercial buildings within the Klang Valley this year.  

KUALA LUMPUR: The Housing and Local Government Ministry is reviewing the Uniform Building By-Laws including provisions on structural, constructional and fire requirements, in an effort to set higher quality and safety standards of buildings.

LONDON: Britain's housing market gathered pace in April, with sellers asking 6% more for their homes than a year ago, up from 5.3% in March, property website Rightmove showed on Monday April 19

The rise in prices came despite a pick up in supply, with more sellers putting their homes up for sale than at any time since August 2008.

BEIJING/SHANGHAI: China's cabinet on Saturday April 17 laid out further detailed measures for keeping the property sector in check, empowering and ordering local governments to take steps to control speculative buying.

Upbeat mood - Industry experts at The Edge Investment Forum on Real Estate 2010 are optimistic about the outlook for the residential sector, property stocks and REITs this year. The Malaysian property market has certainly bounced back from the slowdown over a year ago.