New York / Bloomberg Confidence among U.S. homebuilders dropped in February to a nine-month low as potential buyers stayed away, interrupting the steady progress residential real estate had built over the course of 2015. The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo builder sentiment index decreased to 58 in February from a revised reading of 61 the prior month, figures from ...

DOHA / Bloomberg UrbaCon Trading & Contracting Co., the construction firm building the Mall of Qatar, is considering an initial public offering in Doha that may raise about $1 billion, people familiar with the matter said. UCC, as the Qatari company is also known, has spoken to advisers about managing an IPO, which could occur by the fourth quarter of ...

Riyadh / Bloomberg Saudi Arabia is creating a “one-stop shop” for housing developers as it tries to relieve bureaucratic gridlock that is stalling plans to build half a million affordable homes for its soaring population. The Real Estate Developers Center will bring together various government agencies involved with the review and approval of housing projects, reducing the time and effort ...