KUALA LUMPUR (April 22): Ekovest jumps the most since 1998 to lead rally in Malaysian construction stocks after govt revives property and transport hub worth RM140 billion ($34 billion).

* Ekovest shares soar 39%, while Iskandar Waterfront rises 29% and Econpile climbs 21%

* Gamuda, IJM rally more than 4% while YTL Corp up 2.6%; Bursa Malaysia Construction Index surges 4.6%, most since Jan 9

* “This is definitely a positive surprise for the construction sector. We are certainly more positive on the sector now,” Alliance DBS Research writes in report. “Over the past week, two projects have been revived – ECRL and Bandar Malaysia - potentially adding some RM88b worth of order book replenishment opportunities”