https://www.scmp.com/rss/10499/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Evian, Badoit, Bonaqua - even one of life's most basic essentials carries a brand name. Bottled water is drunk at least occasionally by half of us, a recent study shows, and about one in six Hongkongers are "heavy users". The consequences of this madness are clear to anyone hiking in our rubbish-strewn city, or visiting a beach. Is it any wonder when Sinopec gives me two free bottles of water whenever I fill up? The recent scare over lead levels in the tap water on public estates is only going... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1843050/hongkongers-wean-yourselves-bottled-water?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1843050/hongkongers-wean-yourselves-bottled-water?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Jul 2015 05:45:15 +0000 A property developer in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region was last month jailed for eating meat from at least three tigers and drinking their blood. A tiger penis was found in his fridge and he admitted to spending big bucks in Guangdong to have the tigers slaughtered. Hongkongers like to think they're above the stranger appetites of their mainland cousins, but there are still some antiquated ideas here about our relationship with wild animals. Take the hypocrisy surrounding the city's... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1679882/hong-kong-outrage-over-tiger-consumption-pure-hypocrisy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1679882/hong-kong-outrage-over-tiger-consumption-pure-hypocrisy?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Jan 2015 14:10:55 +0000 Hong Kong taxis are great, right? They're cheap, plentiful and fuelled with eco-friendly liquid petroleum gas. There are a few pioneering electric cabs out there, too. There's one problem: they don't take you where you want to go. You'd think this was a key - indeed the only - role of a taxi. Pity the poor tourist who has spent a little too long in Lan Kwai Fong and needs a ride back to an island-side hotel when the Kowloon-based drivers want to clock off. Every night, there are frustrated,... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1595288/rant?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1595288/rant?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Sep 2014 01:09:58 +0000 Amid a climate that remains harsh for property fund managers, the focal point for sourcing capital is shifting inexorably to the East. Asia-based institutions are by far the most likely to award new mandates to private real estate investments next year, according to figures from data provider Preqin. In all, 71 per cent say they are likely to make new commitments to the sector over the next 12 months, double the rate of United States investors and triple the rate of European investors. More than... https://www.scmp.com/property/international/article/1354442/fund-managers-look-towards-asia-real-estate-investment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/property/international/article/1354442/fund-managers-look-towards-asia-real-estate-investment?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Nov 2013 20:01:23 +0000 It has been a schizophrenic year for the equity capital markets, with initial public offerings being pulled day after day at one moment, only for the gates to open on share offerings weeks later. The main cause has been the intense volatility of the Hang Seng Index, which has been hurt by three years of poor performance by mainland stocks and, this year, the mainland's slowing economy. Hong Kong was also hammered along with the rest of Asia following Ben Bernanke's announcement that the United... https://www.scmp.com/business/money/markets-investing/article/1352636/smoother-road-seen-listings-hong-kong-after-bumpy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/money/markets-investing/article/1352636/smoother-road-seen-listings-hong-kong-after-bumpy?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Nov 2013 21:17:05 +0000 It has not been a good year for the largest listings in Hong Kong. The top 10 initial public offerings fell an average 1.5 per cent on their first day of listing, and were showing a 6.5 per cent decline from their offer price at the end of September. China Huishan Dairy dropped as much as 9.7 per cent on the first day of listing, on September 23, in a US$1.3 billion deal. As the second-largest public offering of the year so far, its performance has been much-watched in the way of guidance for... https://www.scmp.com/business/money/markets-investing/article/1352639/mid-tier-initial-public-offerings-perform-best-slow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/money/markets-investing/article/1352639/mid-tier-initial-public-offerings-perform-best-slow?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Nov 2013 21:17:05 +0000 Short seller Carson Block, thorn in the side of numerous Chinese companies listed in North America, is in a reflective mood. He and his wife are expecting their first child, and the prospect of fatherhood seems to have tamed him. "There are no great stories of kite surfing off the Maldives," Block, 37, says with a laugh about his recent activity. "I'm keeping up with friends and family. And of course I'm also running a business - that takes time." Impending fatherhood or not, when it comes to... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/money/article/1309089/chopping-block?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/money/article/1309089/chopping-block?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Sep 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Chris Chan, a Singaporean who works for a property fund manager in Hong Kong, is looking for attractive real estate in the city. But like many expatriates he currently finds it impossible to buy, and given the raft of restrictions placed on property purchases, and the high prices, he has instead invested a little over US$1 million in US property over the last year or so. He's not alone. Although prices have dipped in Hong Kong, and developers are offering discounts on new projects, it's not... https://www.scmp.com/property/international/article/1302667/non-permanent-residents-look-outside-hong-kong-real-estate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/property/international/article/1302667/non-permanent-residents-look-outside-hong-kong-real-estate?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Sep 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Southern Europe's economies, ravaged by recession, are attempting to lure capital with attractive visa programmes that are already drawing attention from wealthy Chinese executives. Portugal last year introduced a "Golden Visa" scheme that allows investors to qualify for residency if they spend €500,000 (HK$5.2 million) on property or stocks; Cyprus and Greece have similar schemes and Spain is planning one as well. The Portuguese programme is already attracting buyers from China, drawn by... https://www.scmp.com/property/international/article/1299821/southern-european-states-offer-property-investors-residency?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/property/international/article/1299821/southern-european-states-offer-property-investors-residency?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Aug 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Warehouse space in China and Japan continues to appeal to institutional investors despite concerns over the impact of China's slowing economic growth. Leading the investment charge in the sector are such powerful institutions as the Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), Dutch pension fund Stichting Pensioenfunds APG, and Global Logistics Properties, the Singapore-based warehouse operator backed by Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC Private. Asia has some of the most expensive... https://www.scmp.com/property/hong-kong-china/article/1293123/asian-warehouse-space-attracts-international-fund-interest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/property/hong-kong-china/article/1293123/asian-warehouse-space-attracts-international-fund-interest?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Jul 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Last year was all about bonds. Hong Kong investors overwhelmingly put their cash into debt funds, particularly those focused on high yield. Now 2013 is shaping up to be the year of the balanced fund, also known as multi-asset. The funds invest in everything: bonds, equities and commodities, property and the like. But the focus is on bonds and dividend stocks. They are, in other words, income funds, sitting somewhere in the risk spectrum between high-grade bond funds and dividend-focused equity... https://www.scmp.com/business/money/investment-products/article/1267329/hong-kong-caught-balance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/money/investment-products/article/1267329/hong-kong-caught-balance?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Jun 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Follow @scmpmoney Step into a financial adviser's office in Hong Kong, or go in for a financial review with one of the banks, and there is likely to be one result. They will sell you insurance. Why? Because insurance pays some of the highest fees for instruments sold by an agent or bank. As well as an upfront commission, many insurers make an annual payment to the sales company for as long as the policy is in place. Bank staff and other advisers are motivated to sell insurance products because... https://www.scmp.com/business/money/investment-products/article/1246675/hong-kong-weighed-down-cost-insurance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/money/investment-products/article/1246675/hong-kong-weighed-down-cost-insurance?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Investors have much to ponder. Interest rates remain absurdly low. Hong Kong investors who bought high-yield bonds in record volumes now worry rising interest rates may devalue these assets. Share prices are increasing in Hong Kong and globally, but investors must determine whether or not this is a false rally built on overly expansive central bank policies. Hong Kong property is another wild card. Prices continue to go up and transaction volumes climb, despite aggressive government cooling... https://www.scmp.com/business/money/markets-investing/article/1151002/snakes-and-ladders-upcoming-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/money/markets-investing/article/1151002/snakes-and-ladders-upcoming-year?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Feb 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Philately may not be a word that trips off too many tongues in Hong Kong, but there are signs that stamp collecting is catching on in this part of the world. Rare stamps can prove a decent hedge against inflation - and buyers with the right knowledge can make good profits. Venerable stamp shop Stanley Gibbons, at 399 Strand in London, has seen the first signs of strong interest in stamp collecting in Asia over the past year or two. That has resulted in several records being broken, including the... https://www.scmp.com/business/money/spending/article/1114481/philately-will-get-you-everywhere?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/money/spending/article/1114481/philately-will-get-you-everywhere?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Dec 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Disgruntled expatriates living and working in Hong Kong believe they have become collateral victims of government measures aimed at curbing demand for property from mainland buyers. "It has basically kicked us off the property ladder," said Chris Lane. "They are discriminating against all the people who live and work here, and want to buy their own home and don't want to rent," said Lane, a California-born property agent who specialises in selling overseas properties to Hongkongers. He is a keen... https://www.scmp.com/property/hong-kong-china/article/1103058/expats-hong-kong-say-property-measures-discriminate-against?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/property/hong-kong-china/article/1103058/expats-hong-kong-say-property-measures-discriminate-against?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Dec 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Hong Kong has followed Singapore's lead in trying to curb its residential property market by diktat. It has imposed its first restrictions targeted at non-locals, charging non-permanent residents a special stamp duty of 15 per cent. The administration also toughened existing measures designed to cool the property market, boosting the stamp duty from 15 to 20 per cent on the sale price on properties held for less than six months. The volume of home sales has slowed dramatically, and prices are... https://www.scmp.com/business/money/investment-products/article/1100007/strategies-beating-housing-bust?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/money/investment-products/article/1100007/strategies-beating-housing-bust?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Dec 2012 16:00:00 +0000 As a tumultuous year in the Hong Kong property market comes to a close, many owners and investors are assessing their options for 2013. Plenty expect a decline in prices, perhaps even a crash at some stage. But that's not useful information. We all know Hong Kong property will crash at some stage. The question is, when? If you wait for a crash of 30 per cent, and property prices increase by 400 per cent in the meantime, that expectation doesn't do you a lot of good. Given the rapid and largely... https://www.scmp.com/property/hong-kong-china/article/1097456/hong-kong-property-buyers-look-2013-uncertainty?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/property/hong-kong-china/article/1097456/hong-kong-property-buyers-look-2013-uncertainty?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Dec 2012 16:00:00 +0000 For sale - a beautiful British early-Victorian restored house of an incredibly spacious 5,500 sq ft, with wrought-iron supports for the cute veranda, right on the water; a snip at £1.35 million (HK$16.65 million) and overhauled by an interior designer and her psychiatrist husband. But it's in Norfolk? It's been common for British developers to seek Hong Kong buyers for their properties. Now entrepreneurial and well-travelled expats are doing the same. In this case, it's Anji and Barry Connell -... https://www.scmp.com/property/international/article/1086824/hong-kong-buyers-tempted-tap-english-old-world-property?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/property/international/article/1086824/hong-kong-buyers-tempted-tap-english-old-world-property?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Nov 2012 16:00:00 +0000 With China's economic growth stalling and regulators there and in Hong Kong and Singapore trying to restrain their property markets, investors are turning their attention to Southeast Asia, and particularly Indonesia. John van Oost, managing partner of Singapore-based Yishan Capital Partners, visited Hong Kong recently on a fund-raising mission. His company has launched a fund to invest in Southeast Asia, targeting US$250 million in assets, and has already committed US$25 million. Indonesia is... https://www.scmp.com/property/international/article/1081716/indonesias-strong-economic-growth-lures-property-investment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/property/international/article/1081716/indonesias-strong-economic-growth-lures-property-investment?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Nov 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Gough Street, a quiet thoroughfare on the blurry boundary between Central and Sheung Wan, was once dominated by printing businesses. But high rents brought by gentrification have seen most of those establishments replaced by boutiques and bistros. One of the few remaining shops is Wai Ho Printing Labels and its sister company, Keung Hing Printing Press. Boss Cheung Siu-wai says Wai Ho has been in business for 35 years, printing labels, letterheads and envelopes. 'Before there were many... https://www.scmp.com/article/983270/gough-street-central?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/983270/gough-street-central?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Oct 2011 16:00:00 +0000 Route Twisk, the narrow road that winds its way over the western shoulder of Tai Mo Shan, is a popular route for Hong Kong's motorcyclists and there is often evidence of an accident or two on some of its many corners. Halfway down the southern slopes of Route Twisk, towards Tsuen Wan, sits Chuen Lung Tsuen (Dragon Stream Village). Tai Mo Shan - at 957 metres Hong Kong's highest peak - gets more rainfall than any- where else in the city, and the clear mountain stream brings fertile abundance to... https://www.scmp.com/article/982596/chuen-lung-tsuen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/982596/chuen-lung-tsuen?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Oct 2011 16:00:00 +0000 The trees lining Fan Kam Road provide welcome shade along a route that cuts through the heart of the northern New Territories. Trees were planted by the British along most main roads in the New Territories and add a pleasantly medicinal scent to the fresh air in this green part of Hong Kong. Fan Kam Road takes its name from its northern starting point in Fanling, and its southern destination, Kam Tin, near Yuen Long. At its northern end, the road cuts through the twin courses of the Hong... https://www.scmp.com/article/981976/fan-kam-road-fanling?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/981976/fan-kam-road-fanling?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Oct 2011 16:00:00 +0000 Stanley Street slices through Central, stretching from D'Aguilar Street and the heart of the business district to Graham Street on the fringe of Sheung Wan. Narrower than the thoroughfares of Queen's Road Central and Wellington Street, which lie on either side, the pavements of Stanley Street don't leave a lot of space for dawdling. Drivers carefully manoeuvre delivery vans into cramped parking spaces, creating a chorus of beeps as they reverse. After unloading their goods, they somehow... https://www.scmp.com/article/981274/stanley-street-central?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/981274/stanley-street-central?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Oct 2011 16:00:00 +0000 At the entrance to Tate's Cairn Tunnel lies a neighbourhood that's little more than 10 years old in its current form but has roots that stretch back centuries. If you can block out the roar of the traffic heading in and out of the city from the New Territories, Fung Tak Road offers a welcome respite from the urban mayhem that stretches across the Kowloon peninsula below. The road's Chi Lin Nunnery, a vast temple complex modelled on Tang-dynasty architecture, attracts surprisingly few visitors.... https://www.scmp.com/article/980656/fung-tak-road-diamond-hill?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/980656/fung-tak-road-diamond-hill?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Oct 2011 16:00:00 +0000 When CHI International executive director Pilar Morais considers taking on a new serviced-apartment project, whether it involves building from scratch or refitting an existing building, she usually has one main concern. 'Design is the most important thing,' she says. 'You see so many buildings where it isn't done right. You lose your storage space, you don't have a good flow through the apartment, you get off your bed and stub your toe on something.' To avoid those pitfalls, CHI International... https://www.scmp.com/article/980319/lessons-maximising-use-your-space?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/980319/lessons-maximising-use-your-space?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Sep 2011 16:00:00 +0000 The traffic thunders down Ma Tau Wai Road into the neighbourhood of To Kwa Wan. The blocks southwest of the old airport are gritty, tightly packed and still dominated by the air freight, storage and mechanical-repair businesses that grew up around Kai Tak. Sung Wong Toi Road marks one boundary of the airport, which closed in 1998. To the south, ageing 10-storey warehouses and walk-ups hark back to the 1960s and 70s, when jumbo jets roared in low over the roofs, rattling windows and... https://www.scmp.com/article/979996/sung-wong-toi-road?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/979996/sung-wong-toi-road?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Sep 2011 16:00:00 +0000 Mid-autumn celebrations came to Tai Hang last week with the usual riot of incense smoke and clang- ing cymbals brought by the fire dragon, which sets off every year from Lin Fa Kung temple and winds its way through the district. On a recent visit, it seemed appropriate that a white Porsche was parked in front of the temple. The narrow streets south of Tung Lo Wan Road were once lined with shops run by mechanics and traditional chop carvers, but the area is being gentrified fast and is... https://www.scmp.com/article/979298/wun-sha-street-tai-hang?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/979298/wun-sha-street-tai-hang?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Sep 2011 16:00:00 +0000 Design is a family affair for Jake Dyson. He uses the bagless vacuum cleaners invented by his father, James, who in turn has his son's lights fitted in the dining room of his stately Gloucestershire mansion. Passing through Hong Kong, the younger Dyson is wearing a white T-shirt crafted by his brother-in-law, who runs a Notting Hill shop above the boutique run by Jake's sister, Emily, a fashion designer. So it is not surprising to hear Jake Dyson acknowledge that he has to work extra hard to... https://www.scmp.com/article/978985/innovator-strives-stay-light-years-ahead-rest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/978985/innovator-strives-stay-light-years-ahead-rest?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Sep 2011 16:00:00 +0000 When Italian deli Il Bel Paese saw the lease for its Happy Valley shop come up earlier this year, it was in for a nasty surprise. The landlord, who holds a number of shops in the area, asked for rent of HK$140,000 per month - nearly twice what it had been. Founder Massimo Sfriso says the company was lucky to find a space nearby, which meant customers did not get lost in the shuffle of a major move. Still, the company went from a store that was just under 2,000 square feet to less than half that... https://www.scmp.com/article/978765/backs-mall?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/978765/backs-mall?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Sep 2011 16:00:00 +0000 Kwun Tong is a dramatic example of Hong Kong's transformation into a modern metropolis. South of Kwun Tong Road, the old factory buildings of this former industrial neighbourhood are being gradually bought up and replaced by gleaming glass-and-steel skyscrapers. In the morning, the streets leading off Hoi Yuen Road bustle with delivery vans and couriers. But, come lunchtime, Hong Kong's shift away from trading and man- ufacturing and into service industries becomes clear: white-shirted and... https://www.scmp.com/article/978639/hoi-yuen-road-kwun-tong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/978639/hoi-yuen-road-kwun-tong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Sep 2011 16:00:00 +0000 If you were to leave the industrial blocks of eastern Tsuen Wan and cross Yeung Uk Road, you'd find yourself at the centre of a bustling new town. The once-fading Sha Tsui Road and Tsuen Wan Market Street have been given a new lease on life thanks to an influx of mainland tourists and the town's proximity to Chek Lap Kok airport. As recently as the second world war, the former Hakka fishing village of Tsuen Wan had only about 3,000 residents. But its population boomed after the 1949 communist... https://www.scmp.com/article/978066/sha-tsui-road-tsuen-wan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/978066/sha-tsui-road-tsuen-wan?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Sep 2011 16:00:00 +0000 A stroll around the streets south of Cheung Sha Wan Road, in Sham Shui Po, where shophouses from the 1920s and 30s survive in significant numbers, offers a glimpse into early-20th-century Hong Kong. The area is best known for the Apliu ('duck coop') Street market, where shoppers can pick up cheap electronic gadgets of all shapes and sizes - and the occasional illegal satellite television decoder. The government has tried to brand the market as Hong Kong's answer to Tokyo's neon-pulsing... https://www.scmp.com/article/977353/apliu-street-sham-shui-po?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/977353/apliu-street-sham-shui-po?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Aug 2011 16:00:00 +0000 The business that saw Penang's George Town boom in the 1800s passed the small island by long ago. The former Straits Settlement is now a little sleepy, with a future that lies with the shipping and tech parks across the bridge in Butterworth. The Eastern & Oriental Hotel (E&O) has pride of place along the waterfront. It opened in 1884 as the Eastern Hotel, under the auspices of the Sarkies brothers, Tigran and Martin. The E&O was born after they opened the Oriental Hotel next door, eventually... https://www.scmp.com/article/977124/grand-ambition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/977124/grand-ambition?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Aug 2011 16:00:00 +0000 George Town is a place to while and wander, its narrow streets still full of old Chinese shophouses in various states of repair. The scents of Peranakan food - the perfect mix of Straits Chinese and Malay - waft down Jalan Penang as you head towards the sea. At Kafe Kheng Pin, office workers crowd around grey marble tabletops and make quick work of Hokkien shrimp noodles and friend won tons. Gurney Drive is where the locals eat. It's a short drive from Lebuh Leith, down Jalan Sultan Ahmad... https://www.scmp.com/article/977125/taste-sensations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/977125/taste-sensations?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Aug 2011 16:00:00 +0000 Look past the sky-high towers and retail outlets around Tsuen Wan's MTR station and you'll find hints of the area's rich history. At the foot of the Luk Yeung Sun Chuen estate is a nearly 300-year-old temple dedicated to sea goddess Tin Hau, a reminder that the district was once a stone's throw from the sea. Next door is the village of Sam Tung Uk, which dates back more than two centuries and has been beautifully preserved as a testament to the Hakka people who first settled the area. Still,... https://www.scmp.com/article/976694/luk-yeung-sun-chuen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/976694/luk-yeung-sun-chuen?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Aug 2011 16:00:00 +0000 Julia Washbourne recalls a life-changing moment in Ivory Coast five years ago, when she was on her way to visit a coffee plantation. Her vehicle was bumping down a dirt road towards a huge 'tunnel' made of thick, tree-tall bamboo trunks. 'That was where I fell in love with bamboo,' says Washbourne, the founder of Central-based design store Bamboa, which uses the plant in innovative ways to create, among other things, household products. 'It really is a miracle how versatile it is.' The... https://www.scmp.com/article/976381/making-design-statement-eco-friendly-bamboo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/976381/making-design-statement-eco-friendly-bamboo?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Aug 2011 16:00:00 +0000 Investors in Hong Kong are known for chasing growth stocks and only calculating their capital gains. When the market's hot, they buy in droves. But what do they do when just about all the world's main indexes are in the red? The Hang Seng Index is down 15 per cent for the year and global equities seem to lurch from crisis to crisis on a weekly basis. Just in the past week, the Dow Jones Industrial average dropped 5.6 per cent the previous Monday and the Hang Seng slumped 7.7 per cent last Monday... https://www.scmp.com/article/976207/consolidate-and-hold-line?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/976207/consolidate-and-hold-line?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Aug 2011 16:00:00 +0000 Estate agents, all smiles despite the blazing heat, are likely to pounce on you before you've gone very far in West Kowloon. They're trying to flog the Imperial Cullinan, a high-end housing complex taking shape on Hoi Fai Road and due to be completed next year. However, looming above and around Kowloon station, other massive towers in the 13.5-hectare development project known as Union Square are already open for business - and habitation - and represent some of the city's most expensive real... https://www.scmp.com/article/976086/union-square?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/976086/union-square?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Aug 2011 16:00:00 +0000 Cross Hung Hom Road away from the tight streets and oddly named buildings of Hung Hom Estate - is Jumper Mansion really an appropriate name for a high-rise residential building? - and you're in Hutchison Whampoa's 'garden city'. Welcome to the wonderful world of Whampoa Garden, where the shopping malls are bright and the housing stacks sound arboreal: the 'mansions' are Palm, Cherry, Oak, Banyan, Bamboo, Bauhinia. Of course, they contain much more concrete than plant life - this is a... https://www.scmp.com/article/975536/whampoa-garden?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/975536/whampoa-garden?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Aug 2011 16:00:00 +0000 The price of one kind of property continues to see massive escalation this year - the Discovery Bay golf cart. The latest transactions for the highly prized and highly restricted vehicles broke the HK$2 million mark. 'You can pick up a studio apartment here for around HK$2 million,' said Brian King, the principal of property brokerage Headland Homes. 'So how ridiculous is that? Your golf cart may cost more than your apartment.' The surge in demand for the carts pushed their value above what... https://www.scmp.com/article/975223/golf-carts-roll-past-hk2-million?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/975223/golf-carts-roll-past-hk2-million?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Aug 2011 16:00:00 +0000 Sheung Wan is a neighbourhood in flux, a district where traditional dried seafood and paper offering stores sit next to gleaming new residential buildings, boutique stores and international restaurants overflowing from Central. The streets between Des Voeux Road West and Queen's Road West once ended on the shoreline and were home to some of the first hongs (business houses) set up by Chinese traders. That influence is still felt in the wholesale-food businesses found here today. The... https://www.scmp.com/article/974969/sheung-wan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/974969/sheung-wan?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Jul 2011 16:00:00 +0000 Tucked into a valley off the Wilson Trail and at the foothills of Tai Mo Shan are a cluster of villages known collectively as Tai Po South. The megatowers of Tai Po can be seen in the distance but, here, the landscape is tranquil and green. Lead Mine Pass carves a notch into the hills overlooking the valley. Like the pass, the nearby village of Ta Tit Yan, or 'iron- beating cliff', references the region's mining heritage. At the base of the valley, there's Lai Chi Shan, or 'lychee hill',... https://www.scmp.com/article/974276/wun-yiu-and-tai-po-south?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/974276/wun-yiu-and-tai-po-south?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Jul 2011 16:00:00 +0000 Will and Nicole Toye wanted room to entertain and display their sizeable collection of art, so, when they bought their Pok Fu Lam penthouse three years ago, the young couple decided a renovation was in order. Working with designer Richard Blight, the Toyes picked a muted colour scheme of greys and browns to draw attention to their collection of colourful modern Chinese art. That decision, like several others, required some give and take. 'If I had had my way, every inch of space would be... https://www.scmp.com/article/974265/master-strokes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/974265/master-strokes?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Jul 2011 16:00:00 +0000 Hong Kong's bull market for residential property has been the world leader in growth by many measures, even if it's showing signs of peaking. But it's been far from uniform. The returns seen by homeowners have varied dramatically according to the location of the property in which of the territory's 18 districts. In the past five years, neighbourhoods on Hong Kong Island have outperformed their counterparts in the New Territories by as much as 50 per cent, as upgraders home in on better quality... https://www.scmp.com/article/973767/trends-high-places?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/973767/trends-high-places?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Jul 2011 16:00:00 +0000 Drive down Tai Po Road from the hills of Sha Tin and suddenly you're in the thick of the city, Hong Kong proper, a neighbourhood that thrives and bustles with street commerce. Life bursts out of small apartments in walk-up buildings and onto the roadside, thick with foot traffic. Sham Shui Po (or 'deep water pier') was once close to the water's edge. It's long been one of Hong Kong's poorer neighbourhoods, full of recent immigrants making a living through small-scale commerce - and more... https://www.scmp.com/article/973639/fuk-wing-street?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/973639/fuk-wing-street?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 Jul 2011 16:00:00 +0000 Victoria Road takes a leisurely curve heading southwest from Kennedy Town, and the crumbling residential buildings and hard-scrabble feel of the city give way to greenery and sea views. Close by the westernmost point of Hong Kong Island stand what once were the barracks of the Royal Engineers. Later, the blocks - which can be glimpsed through railings - were used to imprison Taiwanese spies and, during the 1967 riots, anti-British agitators. Post-Tiananmen mainland refugees were the last... https://www.scmp.com/article/973085/victoria-road?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/973085/victoria-road?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Jul 2011 16:00:00 +0000 When Will Toye and Nicole Schoeni bought a top-floor apartment in Pok Fu Lam, they wanted to make the most of the roof, with its panoramic views of Mount Davis and Victoria Harbour. But they were not happy about the black metal staircase that spiralled down from the rooftop - it descended smack into the living room, wasting space and making the whole place feel small. And it was illegal. They bought the place 'as is', like most buyers do in Hong Kong, accepting the potential problem of existing... https://www.scmp.com/article/972663/reworking-homes-legal-way?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/972663/reworking-homes-legal-way?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Jul 2011 16:00:00 +0000 Hikers scaling Cloudy Hill along the Wilson Trail are greeted by an incongruous sight: nestled among the mountains is a suburban outpost of Spanish-style villas with terracotta roof tiles. Hong Lok Yuen (which translates as 'happy healthy garden' or 'leisure garden') is a large-scale development of standalone homes built on land once owned by Li Fook-lam, a Guangdong military general after whom a Tai Po sports centre is named. The mountains behind Hong Lok Yuen apparently give it some of the... https://www.scmp.com/article/972362/hong-lok-yuen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/972362/hong-lok-yuen?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Jul 2011 16:00:00 +0000 When Heather Wedl and husband Monte moved to Hong Kong from the United States three years ago, they knew they would be in for a shock when it came to renting a flat. They'd come from a four-bedroom house with two-car garage in downtown Memphis, Tennessee, the headquarters of Federal Express, where Monte Wedl works as a pilot for the company's freight planes. They settled on a 1,000 sq ft apartment in Chianti, Discovery Bay, which gave them just enough space for themselves and their daughter Ava,... https://www.scmp.com/article/972088/soaring-rents-pile-pressure-expats-expats-feel-pressure-rents-keep-climbing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/972088/soaring-rents-pile-pressure-expats-expats-feel-pressure-rents-keep-climbing?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Jun 2011 16:00:00 +0000 Peel Street was one of the first thoroughfares - along Cochrane, Wyndham and Aberdeen streets - leading to what is now known as Mid-Levels. In the 1840s, when it was built, it was a sweaty climb up from Queen's Road Central - and it still is, so it's best to explore the street downhill, from the top. Unlike its rowdy, escalator-lined neighbour, Shelley Street, Peel Street is quiet and a little forgotten. The views from the upper reaches towards the harbour would be San Franciscan if they... https://www.scmp.com/article/971668/peel-street?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/971668/peel-street?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Jun 2011 16:00:00 +0000