Business

Affordable housing: How to own it?

Dream home: HBA has consistently called for government intervention to prevent a ‘homeless generation of young adult Malaysians’ from emerging, especially in urban and sub-urban areas, who, if not for wild speculation, would have been able to buy their own houses.

THE National House Buyers Association (HBA) acknowledges the challenges faced by our Prime Minister in tabling Budget 2017 in view of the slowdown in the global and regional economies and also the weaker ringgit.

3 September 2016 | 12:00AM |

Property

Rules for investing

THINKING about the importance of “practice what you preach” and “put your money where your mouth is”, I wanted to share a few rules I follow, when I invest the little savings I have.

3 September 2016 | 9:21PM |

EcoWorld’s version of British Graham Garden

The upcoming Eco Grandeur township development with its signature roundabout in Ijok, Kuala Selangor. This is an artist’s impression.

ECO WORLD Development Group Bhd’s (EcoWorld) newest modern integrated green township is located in the North-West of Klang Valley, or Ijok in Kuala Selangor.

3 September 2016 | 12:00AM |

Property

Indonesian firefighters backed by police and military troops fight fires in Southern Kalimantan province on Borneo island on September 23, 2015. - AFP/File

Korean firm burns rainforest for palm oil in Indonesia

JAKARTA: A South Korean-owned company is cutting down primary rainforests for timber and then setting fires to clear the land to plant oil palm in apparent violation of Indonesian law, according to an investigation by environmental groups.

3 September 2016 | 9:02PM |

Plantations

In the absence of “breakthrough, collective” policies, global growth is likely to remain weak, Gurria says. - Reuters pic

Central banks nearing limits of ability to stimulate growth - OECD

HANGZHOU, China: The world’s central banks are “pretty close” to the limits of their ability to stimulate economies, Angel Gurria, head of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), said on Saturday.

3 September 2016 | 8:46PM |

Foreign News

An artist’s impression of Danau Perintis apartments in Kuala Selangor. The units are selling from RM347,000 each.

IJM defines affordability

AFFORDABILITY is a relative term. A buyer may find a house at RM500,000 affordable, while another buyer may find a RM250,000 property too expensive.

3 September 2016 | 12:00AM |

Bintai Kinden’s subsidiary gets RM169mil S’pore hospital job

KUALA LUMPUR: Bintai Kinden Corp Bhd’s subsidiary Bintai Kindenko Pte Ltd has clinched a S$56.13mil (RM168.7mil) subcontract to supply and install air-conditioning and mechanical ventilation system at the proposed 19-storey Outram Community Hospital, which will be linked to Singapore General Hospital, as well as at its Campus Logistics Centre.

4 September 2016 | 2:26AM |

Bursa may suffer more losses

REVIEW: Taking the cue from an uninspiring performance of overnight US equities the previous Friday, shares on Bursa Malaysia kicked off the new week on a soft platform, with the FBM Kuala Lumpur Composite Index (FBM KLCI) falling a significant 3.85 points to 1,679.24 in the wake of renewed profit-taking liquidation pressure.

3 September 2016 | 12:00AM |

Property

Ong says if the outcome of the US election unleashes a worst case scenario, the likelihood of an OPR cut will rise.

Maybank IB expects FBM KLCI at 1,710 pts by year-end

PETALING JAYA: Maybank Investment Bank (Maybank IB) expects Bursa Malaysia to be flattish this year with the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) pegged at the 1,710 points level at end-2016.

3 September 2016 | 8:31PM |

Maybank partners CGC in RM1.5bil financing deal

Let’s shake hands: (from left): Maybank SME banking head Mohd Zaini Aris, Hamirullah, Zamree and CGC chief business officer Leong Weng Choong at the ceremony.

KUALA LUMPUR: Maybank has partnered with Credit Guarantee Corporation Malaysia Bhd (CGC) to avail up to RM1.5bil of financing to the small and medium enterprises (SME).

3 September 2016 | 12:00AM |

Banking

Bintai Kinden’s subsidiary gets RM169mil S’pore hospital job

4 September 2016 | 2:26AM |

US nonfarm payrolls rise less than expected; wage growth moderates

WASHINGTON: U.S. employment growth slowed more than expected in August after two straight months of robust gains and wage gains moderated, which could effectively rule out an interest rate increase from the Federal Reserve this month.

3 September 2016 | 10:16PM |

British PM hails "golden era" for UK-China ties as nuclear power row looms

LONDON: British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Saturday Sino-British relations were in a golden era but made no mention of a looming row with Beijing over her suspension of a partly Chinese-funded nuclear power station deal.

3 September 2016 | 10:12PM |

Rules for investing

THINKING about the importance of “practice what you preach” and “put your money where your mouth is”, I wanted to share a few rules I follow, when I invest the little savings I have.

3 September 2016 | 9:21PM |

China must rely on reforms to keep fast economic growth

U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands during their meeting ahead of the G20 Summit at the West Lake State Guest House in Hangzhou, China, September 3, 2016. REUTERS

HANGZHOU, China: China must rely on reforms to help maintain a medium-to-high rate of economic growth over the long term, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Saturday, as the country undergoes structural changes, including reductions in excess factory capacity.

3 September 2016 | 9:10PM |

Korean firm burns rainforest for palm oil in Indonesia

3 September 2016 | 9:02PM |

Plantations

Central banks nearing limits of ability to stimulate growth - OECD

3 September 2016 | 8:46PM |

Foreign News

Government to continue monitoring GLCs

SEGAMAT: The Government, through the Finance Ministry, will continue to monitor government-linked companies (GLCs) and those owned by it, via the Ministry of Finance Inc (MoF Inc), from time to time.

3 September 2016 | 8:38PM |

Maybank IB expects FBM KLCI at 1,710 pts by year-end

PETALING JAYA: Maybank Investment Bank (Maybank IB) expects Bursa Malaysia to be flattish this year with the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) pegged at the 1,710 points level at end-2016.

3 September 2016 | 8:31PM |

Oil up 3% as US jobs data hits dollar; tumbles on week

Brent crude futures settled up $1.38, or 3 percent, at $46.83 a barrel. For the week, Brent was down 6 percent, its biggest drop in five weeks. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures rose $1.28, also 3 percent, to settle at $44.44. WTI fell nearly 7 percent on the week, its largest decline in eight weeks.

NEW YORK: Oil settled up nearly 3 percent on Friday after a weak U.S. jobs report hurt the dollar and boosted commodities, but crude prices still ended the week sharply lower on concerns about oversupply.

3 September 2016 | 7:30AM |

Oil & Gas

The investors will receive warrants to buy an additional 4 percent stake in Yum China in two tranches at valuations of $12 billion and $15 billion, the company said on Friday. A Yum spokesman said the use of the proceeds from the deal will be determined by the future Yum China board of directors.

KFC and Pizza Hut owner Yum to sell stake in China business ahead of spinoff

KFC and Pizza Hut owner Yum Brands Inc said Chinese investment firm Primavera Capital and an affiliate of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd will buy a stake in Yum China for US$460 million as Yum prepares to spin off the business.

3 September 2016 | 7:11AM |

Slower US payrolls growth dims September Fed rate hike prospects

"It reduces the likelihood that the Fed will raise rates in September, but the labor market remains strong enough to support a rate hike in December," said John Silvia, chief economist at Wells Fargo Securities in Charlotte, North Carolina

WASHINGTON: U.S. employment growth slowed more than expected in August after two straight months of robust gains and wages were tepid, which could effectively rule out an interest rate increase from the Federal Reserve this month

3 September 2016 | 7:04AM |

Malaysian palm oil price rises most in over two weeks lifted by weaker ringgit

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian palm oil futures rose by the most in more than two weeks on Friday, ifted by a weaker ringgit and tracking better-performing rival oils on China's Dalian Commodity Exchange.

3 September 2016 | 6:56AM |

Palm Oil

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 72.66 points, or 0.39 percent, to 18,491.96, the S&P 500 gained 9.12 points, or 0.42 percent, to 2,179.98 and the Nasdaq Composite added 22.69 points, or 0.43 percent, to 5,249.90. For the week, both the Dow and S&P 500 rose 0.5 percent and the S&P gained 0.6 percent.

Wall Street advances as US payrolls report tamps down Fed interest rate increase

NEW YORK: U.S. stocks advanced on Friday as a weaker-than-expected payrolls report tamped down expectations for a September rate hike from the U.S. Federal Reserve, although hawkish comments from another Fed official kept expectations for one this year intact

3 September 2016 | 6:48AM |

Push for efficiency

BESIDES the high-compliance cost imposed by the local authorities for infrastructures like roads and drainage, water and electricity, high land cost is another contributing factor to high prices.

3 September 2016 | 12:00AM |