In Focus

The two sectors are eyed as market focus, with prospective rental growth of 25% in 2011 for the Office Sector and 20% for Retail Sector.

Yet the prevalence of optimistic business expectations among respondents remained unchanged as the proportion of respondents with a favourable business outlook rose up 26%.

The year-on-year rate of increase in the underlying inflation rate in March was 4.4 per cent.

The labour force expanded by 3,100 from Dec-Feb period to the Jan-Mar period, and the job market absorbed more than half of the increase, with total employment up 1,800.

The annualised rate of return recorded by the MPF system outperformed the 0.7% average annual inflation rate and the 1% one-month Hong Kong dollar deposit rate over the same period.

HKMA predicts Interest rates to go up as Hong Kong is seen to follow several Asia economies raising of interest rates to combat inflation.

The Government tabled the Dutiable Commodities (Amendment) Bill 2011 at the Legislative Council.

Under the National 12th Five-Year Plan will also explore further collaboration between the laboratories of Mainland and Hong Kong approved under the Partner State Key Laboratory Programme.

Widening gap between the first and second highest office occupancy costs seen as prices continue to soar.

Consumer price inflation rose to a two-and-a-half year high of 3.7% in February.

This accounts for 38% of total deals globally and valued at US$18.3 billion.

PMI bounced back from the Lunar New Year into solid expansion territory as the March headline PMI jumped to 54.9.

On a month-on-month basis, property sales increased 8.9 per cent.

The Immigration Department processed 270 applications between March 17 and 31.

This is to prevent the abuse of new-trend psychotropic drugs and to hinder the production of ketamine.

The Labour Department will offer aid to grassroots workers who are having problems after the launch of the statutory minimum wage.