戴德梁行：今日全球楼市速览(2010.04.08)

2.Great Eagle Holdings Ltd – a Hong Kong property and hotel company, announced on Tuesday that it plans to pay about HK$569.7m for a one-third interest in one of the twin hotel towers in Shanghai's Xintiandi, which is owned by Shui On Group. Completion of the acquisition is still subject to the fulfillment of various conditions, including the approval of independent shareholders, Great Eagle said in a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange. The 24-story luxury hotel, with 357 guest rooms, is still under construction but is set to be complete in about the 3rd quarter of this year. Langham Hotels (Shanghai) Co Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Great Eagle, will have the exclusive right to manage and operate the hotel for 20 years from its opening, according to the announcement. Great Eagle and Shui On Group are related. Lo Ka Shui, chairman and managing director of Great Eagle, and Vincent Lo, chairman of Shui On Group, are brothers. Construction of the twin hotel towers in Xintiandi finally resumed around the beginning of 2010 after being suspended for nearly a year after Hong Kong-based Shui On Group, which originally held a 15% stake in the development, agreed to acquire the remaining 85% from Leo Investment, according to earlier media reports. (Shanghai Daily).

3. Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd – said yesterday it has received preparatory approval to be the 1st Australian bank to be locally incorporated in China as it follows its American and European rivals to deepen roots in the market. The group has the preparatory green light to set up a wholly owned subsidiary - Australia and New Zealand Bank (China) Co - and it expects to complete the local incorporation within this year to propel it to be "a super regional bank." ANZ has 3 branches in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou, a sub-branch in Shanghai as well as a rural bank in Liangping in Chongqing. It has applied to set up a branch in Chongqing. Australia's 4th biggest bank said earlier it will open more than 20 outlets by 2012 on the mainland after it is locally incorporated. (Shanghai Daily).

4. Tostem Corp – Japan's largest building material producer, plans to invest US$53m in Chinese mainland over the next 5 years and will open a show room in Shanghai today - its 1st on the mainland. Tostem plans to expand its presence to Beijing this year. Its plant set up in 2002 in Dalian, Liaoning Province, is one of Tostem's 28 manufacturing bases globally. The plant, which produced products mainly designed for Japanese consumers and exported to Japan, will make products to cater to Chinese customers. (Shanghai Daily).

5. UBS Global Asset Management is poised to enter China's housing market after raising about US$100 million for a joint venture. (The Standard).

6. Shimao Property said first- quarter contracted sales rose 21 percent from a year ago to 5.5 billion yuan. (The Standard).

Hong Kong

1.The banking sector made 13,198 mortgage loans for completed homes last month, up 21.6 percent from February. (The Standard).