Malaysia bigest gainer of fund inflow in the region
Malaysia has gained the most in terms of the inflow of foreign funds in the region due to the nation’s strong fundamentals and the valuation of companies, said Bursa Malaysia. Over the last 18 months, there was a lot of movement of foreign funds outside the country. Investors left and came back to find the best returns in terms of dividend yields. Foreign net inflows to Malaysian equities totalled RM5.6bil for the three months to March 2016. Foreign shareholdings accounted for 23% of Malaysia’s market capitalisation of RM1.7 trillion as at end-March 2016. (The Star Online)

5,553 PR1MA houses to be built in Perlis
A total of 5,553 units of 1Malaysia People’s Housing (PR1MA) will be built in Kangar, Arau and Padang Besar under the 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP) in Perlis starting this year, along with the application for the construction of two People’s Housing Programme (PPR) projects in Chuping and Padang Besar with a total of 1,000 housing units. A total of 11,160 people have applied for the housing units. (The Sun Daily)

Eco World still focused on Malaysia
Even as Eco World International Bhd (EWI) expands its overseas exposure, Malaysia will still remain on the radar of Eco World Development Group Bhd now and in the long term. “Eco World will continue to focus on Malaysia, while EWI will look into further opportunities in the UK and Australia,” said its president and CEO Datuk Chang Khim Wah. EWI’s projects in London and West Sydney had secured cumulative sales of £712.5 million (RM4 billion) as of January 31. (New Straits Times Online)

MTUC: Provide subsidy for housing loan interest
The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) has called for private sector employers to provide a subsidy for the housing loan interest to help lessen burden on workers. This would aid the government’s efforts in providing affordable housing for low- and middle-income workers. Servicing housing loans is one of the core expenditure of workers, and a subsidy by employers would help ease their financial woes. MTUC also supported the call by its affiliate the National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE) in seeking interest-free housing loans for its members. NUBE had earlier submitted a proposal to the Malaysian Association of Banks (MAB) to consider providing interest-free loans for its employees for houses costing between RM300,000 and RM 500,000. (New Straits Times Online)

EPF/KWSP (image from Free Malaysia Today)

KWAP to double property investments
The Employees Provident Fund (KWAP) is planning to double its US$178 billion real estate assets in the next few years, as it seeks to diversify its holdings that are mostly invested in bonds and stocks. The pension fund’s property investments include 11-12 St James Square and the Battersea Power Station project in London, and is looking at buying more assets in continental Europe. “Our real estate exposure is very small, less than 4 per cent, at this point in time,” said CEO Shahril Ridza Ridzuan. The fund reported RM44.2 billion (S$15.45 billion) of gross income from investments last year, 13 per cent more than it earned in 2014, helped mainly by its strategy to invest in multiple asset classes globally. (Business Times SG)

Malaysia Property Incorporated ceases operations
The government has decided to cease the operations of Malaysia Property Incorporated (MPI) as the company has managed Malaysia’s property overhang issue and successfully branded its real estate sector overseas. MPI is a non-profit company set up in 2008 to achieve the two aforementioned objectives through promotional activities to local and foreigners. It worked with the Ministry of Tourism and Culture in promoting Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme as well as investment promotion agencies such as the Malaysia Investment Development Authority (MIDA) and Invest KL in attracting foreign investors to establish their presence in Kuala Lumpur. (The Star Online)

Govt targets 70% usage of pre-fab materials in projects by 2020
The government is targeting that all public projects costing over RM10 million, and private projects over RM50 million, use at least 70% pre-fabricated materials by 2020, in line with Malaysia’s goal to become a developed nation. This was announced by Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadilah Yusof onTuesday during his opening speech for the International Construction Week 2016. The push for the mass adoption of Industralised Building Systems (IBS) will reduce reliance on foreign workers in the construction industry while creating skilled jobs for locals. IBS can also reduce construction costs, enhance worker safety, and ensure that all building components conform to stringent quality assurance requirements, as well as help the government build 653,000 affordable homes under the 11th Malaysia Plan. So far, only 25% of private construction projects have an IBS score of 50 or above, due to lack of interest on cost concerns and easy availability of cheap foreign labour. (The Sun Daily)

Residents fear criminals hiding in abandoned Highland Towers
Residents of Taman Hillview and Taman Sri Ukay are living in fear of criminals who are using the abandoned Highland Towers as their “headquarters” to plan robberies and other criminal activities. The towers are perfect for these unsavoury characters to hide in, as there are two convenient “escape routes” leading to Jalan Bukit Antarabangsa or Ukay Heights, and the height of the towers provide them a bird’s eye view of the whole housing area, allowing them to monitor and stake out targets. Another worrying concern for nearby residents is the presence of drug addicts who have made the abandoned buildings a drug den where they gather for their “fix”. Some residents have also complained of noisy “ghost watchers” who enter the area to experience paranormal activities. (The Malay Mail Online)