M'SIA'S PROPERTY OUTLOOK BLEAK - SURVEY

KUALA LUMPUR, March 6 (Bernama) -- A survey by thinkproperty.my shows
Malaysia's negative property outlook has deteriorated further, currently at 51
percent, the lowest since the survey began in May 2008.

"Clearly we saw a sharp drop in the index in February.

"With unemployment rising and Malaysia's trading partners suffering from
the economic slowdown, we believe the index will possibly fall further before it
rises again," said Think Media Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Asim Qureshi.

The survey also showed the popularity of fixed deposits has fallen
to a 10-month low at 27 percent.

"Most investors will look for alternative investment opportunities to fixed
deposits given that fixed deposits yield around two to 2.5 percent," he said in
a statement.

The survey however showed there has been a continued shift in
preference to landed property.

Thirty percent of the respondents favoured link houses in February while the
retail and office sectors were less favoured with eight percent compared to 21
percent in June 2008.

Some 1,500 participants responded to the survey which provided the current
status of the property market and revealed some interesting trends.

Thinkproperty.my is a property related content website owned by Think Media
Sdn Bhd.

-- BERNAMA