Klang Valley Property Market Shows Signs Of Recovery: HLIB
According to HLIB, the sector continues to demonstrate resilience despite early-2025 headwinds stemming from the US tariffs and AI chip export restrictions. In the Klang Valley, high-end residential demand is showing early signs of recovery, with premium projects such as TA Global's Clouthaus and E&O's Conlay Signature Suites recording encouraging sales.
This improving sentiment, especially among investment-focused buyers, is expected to support better margins for developers, while the proposed Urban Renewal Act may unlock redevelopment potential in mature, high-value areas.
In Johor, the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) and enhanced connectivity to Singapore are driving robust property demand. Developers, including Sunway, Mah Sing and UEM Sunris,e have lined up major launches, although HLIB cautions that the surge in investor-driven projects near the RTS Link corridor may lead to oversupply and eventual price correction if not matched by genuine end-user demand.
In Penang, a stronger Ringgit and ongoing trade uncertainties are seen as potential drags on the high-end market, particularly for developers like E&O, due to weaker tech-sector income. Negeri Sembilan, while facing intensified competition from Selangor and internal players, could benefit from the longer-term upside of MVV 2.0, which is being positioned as a cost-competitive industrial hub that could eventually lift residential demand.
Outside the 2024 data centre boom, HLIB sees cooling demand in that segment as land acquisition has tapered and regulatory approvals have become more stringent, with feasibility further pressured by rising costs and regulatory concerns.
However, industrial property demand beyond the data centre segment remains firm, supported by steady foreign direct investment, government backing and increasing attention to secondary growth hubs like Johor and Negeri Sembilan.
The retail and hospitality segments are expected to weather the new 8% SST on leases, with most of the burden shared across tenants and consumers.
The recent OPR cut and salary adjustments for civil servants are anticipated to boost consumer spending, helping retailers absorb the impact. Tourism strength continues to underpin the hospitality segment, with IOIPG well-positioned to benefit from its expanded hotel offerings and enhanced connectivity at IOI Resort City.
HLIB noted that despite external headwinds, the KLPRP Index has staged a rebound, and the research house believes the broader industrial market remains on solid footing. With rising incomes and supportive policies, Malaysia's pivot toward a high-value economy supports the research house's Overweight stance, with IOIPG, OSK, Sunway and Sime Darby Property named as its top sector picks. Related
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
33 minutes ago
- Malay Mail
Aifeex Accelerates Global Strategy with Seven AI Ecosystems to Lead the Future of AI Finance
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - Media OutReach Newswire - 28 July 2025 - On July 22, 2025, Aifeex hosted the '2025 Global Artificial Intelligence Summit' in Kuala Lumpur, unveiling its strategic layout of seven innovative AI financial ecosystems. Attended by top experts and institutions, the event marked a key milestone in global AI finance. From high-frequency AI trading funds to smart DeFi systems and personalized AI agents, Aifeex showcased its strong technological capabilities and forward-looking vision. This move underscores Aifeex's commitment to shaping an AI-driven financial future and advancing global intelligent asset #Aifeex The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Daily Express
an hour ago
- Daily Express
Caution on AI in arbitration
Published on: Monday, July 28, 2025 Published on: Mon, Jul 28, 2025 By: Sisca Humphrey Text Size: Moderator and panelists during the talk session. Kota Kinabalu: Legal experts are urging the arbitration community to tread carefully as Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools become increasingly integrated into dispute resolution processes. The warnings were delivered during the final panel session at the Bicam Global ADR Horizon 2025 event, themed 'Opportunities and Risks of Generative AI in Arbitration.' The discussion, moderated by High Court of Malaya (Commercial Division) Judge Justice Atan Mustaffa Yussof Ahmad, brought together senior practitioners from across Asia to examine both the practical applications and legal grey areas surrounding the use of AI in arbitration. 'An arbitrator's responsibility is to apply judgment, not to rely on auto-generated text. 'We can benefit from technology, but we cannot delegate our core function,' he said. Senior Partner at EPLegal Tony Nguyen emphasised on how generative AI is already being used to streamline legal workflows, including drafting, document review and issue spotting. 'There's no doubt that these tools improve efficiency, especially for large-scale commercial disputes. 'But speed cannot come at the expense of accuracy or legal coherence,' he said. Tony cautioned against uncritical use of AI-generated content in formal submissions, stressing that most tools are trained on datasets that do not reflect regional legal practices or current arbitration rules. 'We need to ask, is this tailored to the tribunal before us or is it just generic output that sounds plausible?' he said. Head of International Litigation and Arbitration at Skadden Asia Friven Yeoh warned of the risks of factual errors and fabricated references often produced by generative systems. 'What concerns me most is not the occasional mistake. It's that these tools present their results with a tone of certainty, which can mislead even experienced users,' Friven said. He stressed the need for legal practitioners to retain full accountability for any materials produced with AI assistance. 'If you submit it, you're responsible for it. That doesn't change just because you used a machine to help draft it,' he said. He also urged the arbitration community to develop internal guidelines rather than wait for regulation to be imposed externally. Dispute Resolution Lawyer from Singapore Chew Kei-Jin highlighted the limitations of AI in assessing human factors which is a key element in many arbitrations. 'No machine can interpret tone, facial expressions or a witness's hesitation during cross-examination. 'These things influence credibility and outcomes. That's not something AI can replicate,' he said. He acknowledged that AI may be useful in certain backend functions, such as document translation and legal research, but insisted these benefits should not be confused with legal judgment. 'It's a tool, not an advisor, not an advocate and certainly not a decision-maker,' he said. Partner at Kim & Chang in Seoul Matthew Christensen raised concerns over a lack of consistent guidance across jurisdictions. 'Some courts are asking whether AI was used to draft legal documents. Others haven't even considered the question,' he said. He maintained that in arbitration, where confidentiality is crucial that even limited use of AI warrants full disclosure, especially when sensitive data is involved. 'If arbitrators or counsel use AI, parties deserve to know. That transparency matters. 'And we should be careful not to expose client data to third-party systems without clear safeguards,' he said. The panel closed with a reminder from Atan that Malaysia and the wider Southeast Asian region, must engage in structured discussions to clarify expectations around the use of AI in legal practice. 'This is not about rejecting technology. It's about developing a responsible approach to its use in proceedings that affect rights, reputations and businesses,' he said. While no clear consensus was reached on how to regulate AI in arbitration, all speakers agreed that the conversation must continue and that human oversight will remain essential for the foreseeable future. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
China warns of AI ‘monopoly' as US effort quickens
International cooperation: People watch a robot performing tasks at an exhibition during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai. Premier Li says going forward, China will seek to propel AI development in the Global South. — AFP SHANGHAI: China will spearhead the creation of an international organisation to jointly develop artificial intelligence (AI), the country's premier says, seeking to ensure that world-changing technology doesn't become the province of just a few nations or companies. AI harbours risks from widespread job losses to economic upheaval that require nations to work together to address, Premier Li Qiang told the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on Saturday. That means more international exchanges, Beijing's No 2 official said during China's most important annual technology summit. Li didn't name any countries in his short address to kick off the event. But Chinese executives and officials have taken aim at Washington's efforts to curtail the Asian country's tech sector, including by slapping restrictions on the export of Nvidia Corp chips crucial to AI development. On Saturday, Li acknowledged a shortage of semiconductors was a major bottleneck, but reaffirmed President Xi Jinping's call to establish policies to propel Beijing's ambitions. The government will now help create a body – loosely translated as the World AI Cooperation Organisation – through which countries can share insights and talent. 'Currently, key resources and capabilities are concentrated in a few countries and a few enterprises. 'If we engage in technological monopoly, controls and restrictions, AI will become an exclusive game for a small number of countries and enterprises,' Li told hundreds of delegates huddled at the conference venue on the banks of Shanghai's iconic Huangpu river. China and the US are locked in a race to develop a technology with the potential to turbocharge economies and – over the long run – tip the balance of geopolitical power. Last week, US President Donald Trump signed executive orders to loosen regulations and expand energy supplies for data centres – a call to arms to ensure companies like OpenAI and Google help safeguard America's lead in the post-ChatGPT era. At the same time, the breakout success of DeepSeek has inspired Chinese tech leaders and startups to accelerate research and roll out products such as open-sourced models, robots and AI agents. That parade of technology represents Chinese developers' efforts to set world standards and benchmarks, and grab a bigger slice of the global market. They also dovetail with Beijing's broader efforts to ensure self-reliance on critical technologies in the face of tensions between the world's economic superpowers. The weekend conference in Shanghai – gathering star founders, Beijing officials and deep-pocketed financiers by the thousands – is designed to catalyse that movement. This year's attendance may hit a record because it's taking place at a critical juncture in the global race to lead the development of generative AI. It's already drawn some notable figures: Nobel Prize laureate Geoffrey Hinton and former Google chief Eric Schmidt were among industry heavyweights who met Shanghai party boss Chen Jining last Thursday, before they were due to speak at the conference. Going forward, China will seek to propel AI development in the Global South, Li said, referring to a loose gathering that includes Brazil and Africa. Schmidt later echoed Li's call for nations to work together – particularly China and the United States. 'The upsides are phenomenal,' he told delegates. 'As the largest and most significant economic entities in the world, the United States and China should collaborate on these issues,' he said. 'We have a vested interest to keep the world stable, keep the world not at war, to keep things peaceful, to make sure we have human control of these tools.' — Bloomberg
