〈The Standard, Apr 6, 2023〉House prices in the United Kingdom fell at the sharpest annual pace since 2009 after surging interest rates increased the cost of borrowing, one of the biggest mortgage lenders said.

The average cost of a home fell 3.1 percent from a year ago in March, steeper than the 2.2 percent drop expected by economists, Nationwide Building Society said.

Prices have fallen 4.6 percent from their peak in August, bringing the average value to 257,122 (HK$2.49 million).

The figures add to evidence that the Bank of England's rate increases are slowing a market that stayed buoyant through the recession that accompanied the pandemic. The central bank raised its key rate to 4.25 percent in a series of steps from near zero in.

〈Asian Post, Apr 5, 2023〉Hongkong Land’s Centricity Flex, flexible office space reported 90% occupancy of its 25,000-square feet workspace.

In a statement, Hongkong Land said the Centricity Flex was launched in 2021 and has been attracting financial and professional services tenants including Discover Financial Services, Toscafund and Argyll Scott.

Centricity Flex is a collection of spaces and services located “in the heart of Central to enhance and ease the working life of Hongkong Land tenants.”

The firm is also expecting that the full reopening of borders between mainland and Hong Kong will drive up flexible working space demand.

〈Hong Kong Business, Apr 4, 2023〉The total deposits with Hong Kong's authorised institutions decreased by 1.6% to $15.39t in February from $15.64t in January.

The city's Monetary Authority also recorded a 1.1% and 2.1% decrease in the US Dollar and foreign currency deposits to $5.80t and $7.82t from $5.87t and $7.99t, respectively.

〈The Standard, Apr 3, 2023〉The total retail sales value in January went up 7% year-on-year to $36.2b, which was supported by tourist arrivals, Knight Frank said.

The number of visitor arrivals and retail sales figures and tenants were more confident and willing to commit to large shops in areas.

Knight Frank added that the number of Chinese visitors also contributed to the growth as they go to casual shopping and dining in Hong Kong.

"We believe Hong Kong’s top position as a luxury shopping destination for Chinese tourists has changed slightly after the pandemic, so we expect retailers to adjust their sales strategies to focus more on affordable luxury goods to cater to growing demand from both locals and tourists," said Knight Frank in a report.

〈Shanghai Daily, Apr 2, 2023〉Among the 20,000 urban bank depositors surveyed in 50 cities across China, 54.2 percent said they expect almost no change in consumer prices from April to June, according to the survey conducted by the People's Bank of China.

Some 24.6 percent of respondents think prices may rise in the second quarter, while 9.5 percent forecast declines in prices.

As for the property sector, 18.5 percent of respondents believe housing prices will rise in the second quarter, while 54.1 percent expect prices will barely budge.