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Seaview Garden

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RM620K / RM 3500

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Leader Garden

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Miami Green

RM 450K / RM 2000

Uptrend in loan applications, approvals seen

PETALING JAYA: Both loan applications and approval amount for February increased month-on-month by 4.8% and 7.8% respectively, reversing their downward trend since September last year.
In February, loan applications and approvals rose to RM33.1bil and RM18bil respectively. However, the overall loans approval for the period still showed a negative annual growth of 15.9%.
The loan-to-deposit ratio was hovering at 73.6%.
Bank Negara in its February’s monetary and financial development report on Tuesday said the increase in the amount of loan applications was primarily from business sectors such as education, health and real estate. Business loan disbursements on the other hand, had moderated.
“For the household sector, the amount of loan applications and approvals was relatively stable on a month-on-month basis, supported by demand for housing loans. Loans disbursed to the household sector, especially for consumption credit, moderated during the month. Household loans outstanding expanded by 9.1% as at end February,” it said.

The credit market in Malaysia started to tighten after the Lehman Brothers’ collapse. In November, loan activities showed a very small sign of stabilisation but the one-month uptick was unsustainable, as global financial crisis continued to deteriorate. Thus, domestic financial institutions became more cautious on lending.
Apart from this crisis of confidence, Bank Negara has repeatedly assured that the banking system in Malaysia remained sound, with risk-weighted capital ratio and core capital ratio improving to 13% and 11.1% respectively in February. The net non-performing loans (NPL) amounted to RM15.8bil and remained unchanged at 2.2% of the total net loans, it said.
Bank Negara added that financing to the private sector through banking system loans and private debt securities (PDS -bonds, notes, loan stocks and commercial papers) outstanding increased at an annual rate of 10.9% in February.
“Gross financing raised by the private sector from the banking system and capital market amounted to RM45.2bil in February,” it said.
During the month, net funds raised in the capital market recorded a net redemption of RM3.9bil.
In the public sector, gross funds totalling RM10.5bil was raised through the issuance of 10-year Government Investment Issues and 3.5-year Malaysian Government Securities.
Meanwhile, gross funds raised by the private sector were higher at RM1.9bil.
The bulk of PDS issuances was to finance new activity and for refinancing purposes.
By TheStar

Property Fair kicks off in Penang.

TOUTED as the biggest one-stop property, home and lifestyle exhibitions in the northern region, The Star Property & Home Fair 2007 is certainly an event not to be missed.
Occupying both the concourse and arena area of the Penang International Sports Arena (PISA), the three-day fair starts Friday from 11am to 9pm daily. Admission is free.
There are more than 200 booths showcasing the products of over 100 exhibitors with the biggest being Henry Butcher (32 booths) which is also the technical advisor for talks and forums.
Be it residential, commercial or industrial units, the choices are aplenty depending on one’s budget and preference.
Purchasers who sign up for their home sweet home during the fair will also enjoy great benefits and freebies.
Among the developers are IJM Properties, Emerald Capital Development, Ideal Homes Properties, Setia Promenade (S P Setia), Richmont Sapphire, Asia Green Development, Bertam Properties, CP Landmark and DNP Land.
The event promises to be an exciting day for prospective homebuyers as everything is under one roof including home financing packages and other home-related services.
Exhibitors are expecting a great response following the announcement in Budget 2008 that EPF contributors would be allowed to make monthly withdrawals from their Account Two for housing loan repayment.
And don’t miss the property auctions conducted by Henry Butcher. It is going to be bargains galore with choice residential and commercial properties going under the hammer at unbelievably low prices.
On the home fair front, there will be all types of new home products ranging from furnishings to decorations, lighting, security systems, electrical appliances, gardening products as well as personal computers and home theatres.
Get inspired by the many innovative inventions that are bound to light up your lives.
The talks and forums by property and property-related professionals are something visitors can also look forward to.
Heritage enthusiasts should not miss the talk on The Inner City of George Town: Conservations and Values at 3pm tomorrow by director of Valuation & Property Services Department, Ministry of Finance, Sr Lau Wai Seang.
This is followed by New Housing Laws – Property Management & Transactions by advocate and solicitor Lena Leong (4pm and also at noon on Sunday) and Feng shui – How to select a good feng shui property by Professor Master David Koh from the Malaysian Institute of Geomancy Science (5pm).
The forums will kick off on Saturday with The Health of the Penang Residential Market (11am) by Sr. Lau, Everything You Should Know About Property Protection (12pm) by Ong Whee Wei of GSA International Sdn Bhd and Buying Smartly From A Developer (1pm) by Chok Keng Vui of Ivory Properties Group.
Expatriates looking to live in Malaysia should attend the Malaysia My 2nd Home Programme talk by The Expat magazine pub- lisher Andy Davison at 2pm and again at 11am on Sunday.
Glean useful information from the forums on Property Management – What are your rights & obligations by Associate Professor Dr Tiun Ling Ta and Taxation & You by tax consultant Loraine Kijvanit.
Lastly, the ever popular topic of Feng shui – How does it affect the value of your property? will be covered by Master David Koh at 5pm.
Sunday will have talks touching on Eight Ways to Smart Financing by Simon Tan Hooi Hwa of RHB Bank (1pm), Indian Feng Shui by T. Selva (2pm), The Future of Penang – Real Estate & Government Planning by director of Planning and Development MPPP Maimunah Mohd Sharif (3pm).
Other interesting topics are Comparing NCER with IDR & Klang Valley by Ho Chin Soon (4pm), Property & Landlords – Targeting the Japanese Market by Shotaro Ishihara of Tropical Resort Lifestyle (MM2H) Sdn Bhd (5pm) and Auspicious Home Feng Shui by Master Phang Zhong Hwa (6pm).
The property fair also promises prizes galore with RM40,000 worth of goodies sponsored by IJM and Gintell up for grabs daily.
Simply cut out the contest form from StarMetro on Thursday (national edition), and Friday and Saturday (northern edition). The completed form must be rubber-stamped at eight property exhibitors’ booths with IJM and Gintell being compulsory.
Each visitor is allowed to redeem only one gift while stocks last and on a first-come-first-serve basis (terms and conditions apply).
By TheStar

Bank negara cuts OPR by half percentage point

KUALA LUMPUR: Worried about a growing risk of an economic contraction this year, Bank Negara has cut the overnight policy rate (OPR) by 50 basis points, or half a percentage point, to 2% as the global economy continues to deteriorate.
In a statement yesterday, the central bank announced the statutory reserve requirement (SRR) would also be cut from 2% to 1% from March 1 to reduce the cost to banks.


The ceiling and floor rates of the corridor for the OPR were correspondingly reduced to 2.25% and 1.75% respectively.
“The major advanced economies are experiencing a deepening economic contraction, while the regional economies are experiencing a rapid slowdown,’’ said Bank Negara in its monetary policy statement.
“The impact of the rapid decline in global demand on trade, production and investment activities in the Asian region has intensified.”
It said domestic economic conditions were expected to continue to remain challenging in the coming quarters with the continued deterioration of the global economy.
“While this has raised the risk of an economic contraction in 2009, the prospects remain intact for an economic recovery once global conditions stabilise given that the economy is not over-leveraged, the financial system remains sound, and the external position is healthy,’’ Bank Negara said.
The central bank said the turmoil in the international financial markets had also been protracted and that while a number of economies had put in place stimulus measures to manage the downturn, their impact on the economy had yet to take effect.
“The downside risks to the global economic outlook have increased significantly,’’ it added.
On Jan 21, Bank Negara cut the OPR by 75 basis points to 2.5% and slashed the SRR from 3.5% to 2%.
“This is the first time since the crisis erupted that the central bank has acknowledged the possibility of the economy registering a contraction this year,’’ said Maybank Investment Bank chief economist Suhaimi Illias.
“They are also reacting to the fourth quarter GDP number that will be released this week.’’
Bank Negara said the international economic and financial environment had deteriorated sharply in the recent quarter and that the Malaysian economy had been adversely impacted by these global developments.
“Exports and industrial production have declined steeply, while private investment activities have slowed down in recent months as businesses scaled back their spending. Consumer sentiment has also been affected by the weakening conditions in the labour market,’’ it said.
With inflation on a moderating trend, Bank Negara said the task of macroeconomic policy was to support domestic demand until conditions in the global economy show signs of normalisation.
“Further measures will be introduced to ensure continuous access to credit as well as to minimise the impact of the economic downturn on specific affected groups,’’ it said.
By The Star

Property market to rebound in two years

Rahim & Co: Sector likely to weaken further
KUALA LUMPUR: The property sector in the country is likely to weaken further amid worsening economic conditions with the market expected to rebound in two years, said property consultanty firm Rahim & Co Chartered Surveyors.
Executive chairman Datuk Abdul Rahim Rahman said people were getting more prudent with their spending, adopting a wait-and-see attitude that has resulted in the property market getting softer.
“(The price of) luxury condominiums in Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) for example are down 15% to 20 %,” he said. “Apart from that, the ongoing buildings development activities outside the central business district may push down the rental rate for offices when they are ready by 2010 - 2011 as a result of oversupply of office space.”
Abdul Rahim said he expected the Malaysian economy to recover in 12 to 16 months but the property market would take another two years to rebound after the economy recovered.
“This all will depend on the Government’s strategy and initiatives to strengthen the economy.
“We are not as bad as in 1997 when the property market needed 4-5 years to recover. “We believe this time around, the property market would be stable again within two years after economic recovery,” he said.
Savills Rahim & Co Real Estate Agents’ managing director Robert Ang said buyers were now asking for a yield guarantee from developers before buying properties.
“Last year, the yields were 4% to 5%. As the market weakens, buyers want guarantee from developers to give them higher yields at 6% to 7%,” he said.
He added that due to weak demand, some of the company’s clients were advised to defer their new launches, especially the higher-end projects, to the third quarter.
Nevertheless, the property sector remains relatively well supported at the moment, Rahim noted.
“Banks are still providing loans to buyers and developers. Apart from that, sellers are getting more flexible on pricing their properties.
“However, the demand is not as strong as before,” he said.
Rahim & Co will be organising a seminar called “Looking Beyond: Challenges & Opportunities In The Malaysian Property Market” on March 3 at Hotel Istana Kuala Lumpur.
The seminar will feature talks on the property market situation in the country by local and international speakers.
By The Star

Real estate sector still has upside despite downturn

REAL estate investors should look at the positive side during the current economic uncertainty, as there is still some upside in this sector, says MGPA Asia Developments chief executive officer Michael Wilkinson.
“Construction cost is now at a moderate rate and with careful selection of investment, we can still benefit,” he said during the launch of The Intermark, a fully integrated world class mixed-use development, yesterday. MGPA will invest RM2bil (including acquisition and construction costs) in The Intermark.
The amount involves the complete refurbishment of 62-storey landmark grade A office building Vista Tower (formerly known as Empire Tower), a new international grade A office building Integra Tower, retail centre Intermark Mall (formerly known as City Square) and Malaysia’s first Doubletree by Hilton Hotel.
MGPA - through it’s Asia Fund 2 - acquired the Empire Tower, City Square, the Crown Princess Hotel and Plaza Ampang in 2007 for about RM760mil.
Wilkinson says the reason to refurbish and build the grade A office buildings was because such buildings were limited in the city.
“Besides that, the location of the development - at the junction of Jalan Tun Razak and Jalan Ampang - is very strategic, just 500 metres from the Petronas Twin Towers and also about a two-minute walk to the Ampang Park LRT,” he says.
The company is comfortable with the investment in Malaysia and will be here for a long time, he says, adding: “In fact, we are looking for more investment opportunities in Malaysia and will announce that when the time comes.”
He says Malaysia was fortunate to be still resilient in the current climate and, with a strong market, the country was still attractive to investors.
Vista Tower is expected to be completed by year-end while the Intermark Mall and DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel will be completed in the first quarter next year. The other building, Integra Tower, is scheduled for completion by end-2012.
which is an independently managed private equity real estate investment advisory company.
By The Star

More job losses expected in 2009

As the country’s real economy continues to take hits from the global financial bear, the question of how Malaysian jobs will roll with the punches is beginning to creep into the forefront after showing signs of weakness towards the end of 2008.
The worst hit will be the manufacturing sector, which has shed more than 10,000 jobs since the beginning of the second half of 2008. The export-driven economy has reported slowing orders in all sectors, especially in electrical and electronics (E&E).
One particularly drastic measure taken since the start of the financial crisis is the closure of Western Digital’s (WD) media substrate plant in Sarawak. If it goes according to plan, some 1,500 workers will find themselves jobless by March.
Citing weaker demand and a more competitive market, the hard-disk manufacturer said earnings were being mauled by the economic tailspin and it needed to restructure to survive. The closure of the plant is the largest job cut in Malaysia that can be directly attributed to the global financial pandemic.
Although the loss of the 1,500 WD jobs pales in comparison to the 533,000 jobs lost in the US for November alone, the lost jobs are worrying because captains of industry are unequivocal that things will get worse in 2009 before they get better.
Case in point is Human Resource Minister Datuk Dr S Subramaniam’s statement earlier this month that at least 4,749 workers would be retrenched in the first quarter of 2009, with the majority coming from the electronics sector.
To put things in context, the manufacturing sector has already retrenched 13,677 workers by the end of the third quarter (3Q) this year with the majority of jobs (10,182) being cut in 3Q, according to Bank Negara Malaysia.
Retrenchment in 3Q08 alone, which stood at 11,561 workers, was up more than three times the number of workers retrenched in 2Q08 (2,821 workers).
What’s worse is that macro trends aren’t promising a quick rebound either — Malaysia’s industrial production index is continuing its decline and the global purchasing manufacturing sentiment is experiencing its steepest drop. The market-leading US Purchasing Managers Index contracted at its fastest pace in 26 years in November.
Data from Japan, the world’s second largest economy, is also indicating a bearish future shrouded in uncertainty. The latest sentiment index for manufacturers, compiled by Japan’s Cabinet Office, was -44.5 in 4Q08 compared to -10 in the previous quarter. This was the fastest drop in its manufacturer’s confidence ever recorded.
With the economy of two of Malaysia’s biggest trading partners in crisis, the prospects of a quick recovery in Malaysia are bleak at best.
Employment likely to be further hit in 2009 as manufacturing slumps Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers president Datuk Mustafa Mansur told The Edge Financial Daily that the country’s manufacturing sector was not expected to recover until at least 3Q of next year.
In that respect, the forecast of some 4,700 workers being retrenched in 1Q of next year by the human resources minister was a low ball-park estimate, he said.
“I believe that the full impact of the crisis will be felt by the middle of next year,” Mustafa said. “In the first quarter, unemployment would definitely be higher.”
Some of the plants, Mustafa said, employed about 2,000 to 3,000 workers each, so a significant downturn would send retrenchment rates up if their orders remained in the basement.
However, he noted that uncertainty was still the keyword as no one foresaw the pandemic effect of the US credit crisis. As suddenly as the crisis gripped the world, he said, it could also as suddenly end.
“Who would have expected at the start of 2008 that the US economy would tumble down the way it did?” he said. “Manufacturers who supply directly to the US have been hit, as well as those who supply components and parts to manufacturers in other markets such as Japan, Korea, Taiwan and China.”
Another indicator that retrenchment could rise next year is the fact that layoffs had yet to be fully explored as a viable option for companies, said the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) secretary-general G Rajasekaran.
Not only was retrenchment expensive for companies, but employers are also reluctant to let go of workers whom they have trained and invested in.
“The companies are uncertain. They don’t want to let their workers go because it is uncertain how much longer the global crisis situation will continue,” Rajasekaran said. “They need them available for when the economy rebounds because things will move very fast then.”
Instead, he added, companies are still trying to institute cost-saving measures such as cutting down on shifts and putting a stop to overtime. This is not to say that employees have not felt the sting of the crisis even if they had so far avoided retrenchment, he added.
“Many of the workers have grown dependent on the extra income from overtime,” he said. “The average is usually about 60-70 hours of overtime a month, which is about 30% of their take-home income. That’s now gone completely.”
Contract workers have also been forced to bear the brunt of the impact as they are the first to go when there is insufficient work for everyone.
Rajasekaran warned that because the dismissal of contract workers was not technically considered “retrenchment”, the number of workers who were out of work could not be accurately estimated from the official numbers.
He said he suspected that the number of workers laid off were higher than the officially reported numbers. Nonetheless, he agreed with Mustafa that the global economic situation would have to improve before manufacturing, and by extension jobs in manufacturing, recovered.
The silver lining was that the current crisis also provided Malaysian manufacturers with the opportunity to restructure and become less dependent on exports for their fortunes, Mustafa said.
“I am a strong believer in import substitution whereby local manufacturers produce homegrown products for the domestic market,” he said. “I hope that with this setback in the economy, enterprises will become more innovative and look to diversifying products in the local economy.”
The government also needed to emphasise the diversity of Malaysia’s export markets so that a similar crisis in future would not affect Malaysia as severely. Malaysia, he said, needed to be more competitive in that respect.
This means reducing the tariffs of utilities, better product promotion and placements, and further stimulus spending.
Protection of local workers a priority With about 2.1 million foreign workers in Malaysia — about 760,000 of them (36%) employed in the manufacturing sector — local employees are understandably concerned that employers would prefer to retain foreign workers as they tend to work for lower wages.
However, Shamsuddin Bardan, the executive director of the Malaysian Employers Federation, asserted that foreign workers would be the first to go should retrenchment become necessary.
“Our Malaysian workers need not worry very much because, by law, we as employers are required to end the employment of foreign workers first before local employees,” he said.
“We still have to treat them (foreign workers) humanely. We cannot just terminate them without remitting some compensation. We know when they come to Malaysia, they have to spend money to travel and to obtain visas.”
Rather than send them back, he added, they should be allowed to be re-deployed in other sectors where Malaysians were not keen to work in, such as plantations, agriculture and construction. Presently, Malaysian laws governing foreign workers do not allow their re-deployment into other work sectors.
Ultimately, the cost of hiring a foreign worker — by providing housing and other facilities — meant that the cost was equivalent to hiring local Malaysians.
As for the MTUC, Rajasekaran said the union was lobbying for a freeze on the import of foreign workers although many employers had sought and received permits to bring foreign workers in prior to the crisis.
The freeze, he added, would help protect both local and foreign workers. “Many employers, during the good times, sought permits for foreign workers and got approval. So what some of these guys are doing is going ahead to bring them in, but they don’t see the trend.
“They bring the foreign workers in without considering what would happen to them six months down the road when the production demand is no longer there. They’re not thinking about that”.
Rajasekaran said as a labour union, the MTUC had a mandate to protect the rights and welfare of workers everywhere, although local workers had a priority over foreign labour.
By The Edge

Fettes Residences

Let the sea, that stretches across the horizon, stretch your imagination. Recollect your thoughts as you gaze at the lush greenery of Tanjung Tokong. Spark inspiration while being dazzled by the night lights of Gurney Drive and the Esplanade. Find Serenity within the embrace of the 24,000 sq. ft. landscaped area accentuated with soothing water features. With four wonderous views to enjoy, there is only one place to enjoy them all - Fettes Residences, luxury residences by the shores of Penang Island. A modern facade accented with oriental influences. A unique architecture inspired by the rich history of Penang island. while echoing the affluence of residents. Offering two living layouts to suit your statue, made spacious so it has the flexibility to change according to your tastes.

35-stoery, 195 high-end units
Suites built-up from 2,000 sq. ft.
Penthouse with lanai, built-up from 4,000 sq. ft.
Equipped with Smart Home system - security alarm system, home automation system, smart card access and intercom system

Price range from RM818K onwards

Size 1990sqf, 2002sqf and 2470sqf

Penang to order two hillslope projects stopped.

PENANG: The state government will issue a stopwork order on two development projects in Tanjung Bungah as they involved the safety of people living near the hillslopes, said Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.
He said the order was being made following a discussion with several residents’ associations in the vicinity of the area who were worried about their safety.
Lim, however, declined to expose the two projects concerned to give an opportunity to the developers to hold discussions with the residents and the state government to resolve the issue.
“The order was being issued as there were several matters concerning safety on the hillslopes which should be tackled by the developers.
“The meeting between the three parties concerned will be held next week,” he told reporters at a media conference here Sunday.
Lim hoped a decision that took into consideration the interests of all parties could be achieved at the meeting which would enable sustainable development to go on in the state.
He said the stopwork order was also to demonstrate the state government’s concern for the safety of the people particularly those living near hillslopes. -- Bernama

Gurney Paragon Mall delayed

Hunza will review the situation in March
GEORGE TOWN: Hunza Properties Bhd has delayed the construction of the RM400mil Gurney Paragon shopping mall on Penang island, said group executive chairman Datuk Khor Teng Tong.
Construction work on the mall was originally scheduled to begin in September, Khor said.
“But we decided to hold back because the cost of building materials is still high,” he told reporters after the group AGM yesterday.

“Although the price of steel has dropped, the other aggregates such as sand and cement are still costly.
“We will review the situation in March before setting a fresh target (for the) completion date.”
He added that “the present cost of building the shopping mall, taking into consideration also the cost of land, is about RM400mil.”
The Gurney Paragon shopping mall, with a gross built-up area of over one million sq ft with 700,000 sq ft of lettable area, was originally scheduled for completion in 2010.
But the construction of two condominium blocks in the Gurney Paragon project, which had a a gross development value of RM400mil, would continue and should be completed in 2010, as planned, Khor said.
“We started work last July and (work) has been going on non-stop since. Some 50% of the 220 units have been sold,” he added.
On the soft property market environment ahead, Khor said the group would still look for land for new projects in prime locations on the island and in the Klang Valley.
“We are also planning new residential projects in Tanjung Bungah on the island, Bertam on the mainland, and in Segambut (in Kuala Lumpur),” he said.
The group still has about 755 acres of undeveloped land in Tanjung Bungah (nine acres), Bertam (400 acres), Juru (40 acres), Sungai Petani (300 acres) and Segambut (six acres).
On its 36-storey “super-condominium” Infinity project in Tanjung Bungah, Khor said the group had recently completed the 26th storey. “It is scheduled for completion next year. About 60% of the project has been sold.”

By TheStar