Hi Investor:
I can try to answer your second question. In simple terms, stock prices are a function of market sentiments, valuation of underlying assets (in UEM Case - landbank), and the estimates of future profitability.
1) Given the recent HSR announcements and the proposed stop at Nusajaya, market sentiments have turned positive towards UEM given their landbank and developments at Nusajaya. Of course, tomorrow if they decide not to have the station at Nusajaya, sentiments will turn south and so will the stock price - as a risk factor.
2) As per analysts, the current stock prices of UEM Land are based on land price assumptions that are below market value. Ex. Residential Land at Nusajaya at RM 20 psf. See the page 3 report on the link below. So as land gets transacted at higher prices, the perceived valuation of land increases, driving up the stock price.
http://research.maybank-ib.com/pdf/document/UEM_Land_20120229_MIB_1_1436.pdf
3) Another method of stock valuation is Discounting Future Cash flows to the present (DCF valuation). Simply stated, present value of all future cash profits. UEM land posted stronger than expected earnings in Q4 2012 and beat analyst estimates. This in turn, increased analyst estimates of future earnings further driven by higher potential property prices due to the announcements, hence valuation, hence the stock price.
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2013/2/23/business/12749160&sec=business
Of course, all 3 of the reasons above are mutually inclusive. Good news leads to improved perception, that leads to higher property price and that in turn leads to increased profitability for developers who have land banks.
Not all is rosy. There are risk factors. Elections risks, for example as well as project cancellation risks. Some of these risks are already factored in the prices. These risks are one of the reasons why the implied land valuation is so low. Once these risks are mitigated (such as poitive election results), the prices may rise more or fall if the results are adverse.