Secondary-market transactions over the long weekend fell to a second record low in the past six months ahead of the policy address announcement on Wednesday.

Property agency reported a 50 percent drop in the number of transactions among its top 10 housing estates.

Only four deals were struck in Ap Lei Chau's South Horizons, Quarry Bay's Kornhill and Tin Shui Wai's Kingswood Villas. A total of 11 deals were done over the National Day weekend starting Friday.

A wait-and-see attitude prevailed among secondary home buyers over the right time to enter the market with stronger indications of the government's housing policies on Wednesday casting uncertainty over the market, agent said.

A stark contrast to the dull secondary market was the primary-market frenzy.

Koko Reserve in Lam Tin saw inquiries from families planning to move from east Hong Kong Island and east Kowloon, and investors after the opening of show flats Saturday, said developer Wheelock.

The first batch of the low-rise Koko Reserve, the second phase of the Koko Hills development, will be sold via tenders from October 10 to December 31.

The round includes 24 three-to-four-bedroom flats with sellable areas of 776 to 1,171 square feet, and three penthouses with sellable areas of 1,755 to 1,992 sq ft and a rooftop.

That came as another two deals worth HK$32.9 million were terminated at the to-be-rebuilt Pavilia Farm III atop the MTR's (0066) Tai Wai Station.

A total of 53 deal terminations was reported as of yesterday at the New World Development (0017) project, 6 percent of the total number of flats sold.

In the secondary market, La Cite Noble in Tseung Kwan O saw the first-ever loss in three years. A 643-sq-ft flat with three bedrooms was sold after HK$1.3 million was shaved off the price. It was sold for HK$10.2 million, 12 percent lower than the HK$11.55 million paid in 2018.

In the commercial market, the number of deals at top 50 grade-A offices saw a 160 percent jump to 131 in the past three quarters, data from property agency showed.

US Federal Reserve vice chair Richard Clarida traded between US$1 million (HK$7.8 million) and US$5 million out of a bond fund into stock funds one day before chairman Jerome Powell issued a statement indicating potential policy action due to the worsening of the pandemic, Bloomberg News reported.

Clarida's trades were described in his 2020 financial disclosures, showing the shifting of funds out of a Pimco bond fund on February 27, 2020, and buying the Pimco StocksPlus Fund and the iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor exchange-traded fund in similar dollar ranges, on the same day.

The next day, Powell released a statement that said coronavirus "poses evolving risks to economic activity." He added that the Fed was "closely monitoring developments and their implications for the economic outlook."

"Vice chair Clarida's financial disclosure for 2020 shows transactions that represent a preplanned rebalancing to his accounts, similar to a rebalancing he did and reported in April 2019," a Fed spokesman said.

The Bloomberg report comes as two other Fed officials came under scrutiny for investment trades they made last year and announced their retirements on Monday.

Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund's executive board will intensify its probe of managing director Kristalina Georgieva this week by separately interviewing her and investigators who said she pressured World Bank staff to alter data to favor China, insiders said.

The board will question lawyers from the WilmerHale firm today about their World Bank investigation report, three insiders said. The report alleged that Georgieva, as the bank's CEO in 2017, applied undue pressure on staff to alter data in the flagship "Doing Business" report to benefit China.

Georgieva, who has strongly denied the accusations, will appear before the board tomorrow, the day she is to deliver a virtual speech about the IMF and World Bank annual meetings October 11-17, two of the sources said.

The interviews could prove pivotal in either building or eroding IMF shareholder support for Georgieva.

(The Standard)

50大甲廈首三季錄131宗買賣

有代理行數據顯示，今年首三季五十大指標甲廈合共錄得131宗買賣，較去年同期的51宗增1.6倍，成交樓面涉56.25萬方呎，按年升2.1倍。

按年升1.6倍

該行指出，今年首三季的成交量集中於九龍，期內共錄得78宗，佔整體約6成，其次為港島的27宗及新界的26宗。若以大廈劃分，沙田石門京瑞廣場共錄14宗，屬表現最好的大廈，其次為葵涌新都會廣場及中環中心，期內均各錄得12宗買賣成交。九龍區的成交較為分散，最多為尖東新文華中心的11宗及觀塘寧晉中心的7宗。

該行代理表示，本地疫情緩和，加上受惠去年低基數效應，令到今年首三季的指標甲廈交投大幅反彈。不過，近期的指標甲廈買賣成交有放緩的迹象，主要因為早前股市表現波動，加上近期多個甲廈新項目推出拆售，包括觀塘道368號、長沙灣荔枝角道888號，以及快將推出的黃竹坑宏基匯等，吸去部分市場購買力，令到二手指標甲廈交投略為放緩，但整體而言商廈市場氣氛仍然平穩。

該行另一代理指出，港島核心區甲廈成交量持續偏低，因為上述地區甲廈涉及銀碼較大，在商廈市況尚未復甦下，投資者偏向審慎，不欲斥巨資入市，反觀九龍及新界等地區甲廈銀碼較細，較易吸引新晉投資者入市，因而令到港島與新界九龍交投呈現兩極化。

(星島日報)

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今年暫錄24宗大手工廈成交 基金主導市場 屯門荃灣葵涌成目標

今年工廈交投熾熱，根據本報統計，今年以來市場暫錄24宗大手工廈買賣，較去年同期僅6宗，上升3倍，涉資高達171億，更是急升3.3倍。當中，外資基金主導市場，並以屯門、葵涌及荃灣為目標，頻購入全幢及大手工廈。

今年以來，市場暫錄24宗逾億元工廈買賣，除了有14宗全幢買賣，更不乏分散業權的大手成交，數目共10宗，最新一宗為SilkRoad Property Partners購入屯門恒威工業中心C座約九成業權，作價11.6億，根據土地註冊記錄，該廈地廠及多層全層樓面以9.46億成交，還有，該廈約187個車位以逾2.14億易手，業內人士指出，大廈樓面及車位分別登記，方便會計上安排，買家日後或不排除拆售車位。

上述該宗交易，論金額之高，於今年以來工廈排行榜，位踞第五位，至於最大宗買賣為，施羅德資本房地產與Bentall Green Oak買入荃灣有線電視大樓及One Midtown一籃子貨，排行第二位的為，東亞紗廠工業大廈全幢，由華潤物流以22.4億承接。

金額171億急升3.3倍

今年以來，大手工廈買賣以屯門、葵涌及荃灣最多，基金主導大市，數目共有6家，施羅德、嘉民亞洲基金、SilkRoad Property Partners、安祖高頓基金、黑石基金及ESR都相繼出手，可見他們看好工廈前景。

當中，ESR購入葵涌光輝凍倉，作價18億，安祖高頓基金斥14.35億，購入葵涌佳寶集團中心全幢。嘉民亞洲基金更先後購入位處觀塘、九龍灣及葵涌的物流中心及一籃子工廈，悉數為分散業權，合共涉資13.2億。

地產界人士表示，散業權工廈依然有價有市，基金打算在重新打造後，為物業增值，從而收取可觀回報，日後或轉售。

全幢及散業權皆受捧

代理表示，受惠於活化工廈2.0及標準金額先導計畫，全幢工廈交投明顯活躍，近月開始陸續有工廈在標準金額先導計畫下完成補地價，在比傳統補地價需時更短，大大降低補地價金額的不確定性下，將有助工廈加快活化，同時提升工廈物業的吸引力，有助支持工廈交投。此外，本港經濟逐漸復甦，但由於香港恢復全面通關仍未見明朗化，相信工廈租售價將保持平穩發展。

(星島日報)

淺水灣地估值逾八億

近年政府全方面覓地，大幅增加房屋供應漸見成效，其中，南區淺水灣南灣道住宅地皮將於新一季推出，據業內人士指出，該項目屬市場罕有豪宅地皮供應，料掀大中小財團競逐，市場估值逾8億至14億，每呎樓面地價4萬至7.5萬。

罕有豪宅地皮供應

南區淺水灣南灣道地皮，地盤面積約為21097方呎，估計可建樓面約為18988方呎。有測量師指出，該住宅地皮位處南灣道上的一幅斜坡地，可步行往沙灘地皮，坐享開揚海景，屬市場罕有供應，加上項目投資金額不算高，故對大中小型發展商均具吸引力，預期估值約12.3億至14.2億，每呎樓面地價約6.5萬至7.5萬。

另一測量師稱，豪宅市場近期有價有市，料各大發展商對該地皮以積極態度競投，料每呎地價約4.1萬，市場估值約8億。

測量師表示，該項目位處傳統豪宅地段，屬市場罕有供應，料項目備受各大發展商垂青，尤其於區內具豪宅發展經驗的發展商參與意會較高，料以興建低密度洋房作主導，每呎地價約5萬，市場估值約9.5億。

(星島日報)