Some of Asia’s biggest companies are putting off investments as weakening consumer demand and slowing economic growth bite into their capital expenditure plans.

CapitaLand, Singapore’s biggest property developer, said it would delay investments until the global credit crunch eased, while Hong Kong’s Hutchison Whampoa, the port-to-telecoms conglomerate controlled by tycoon Li Ka-shing, has put a freeze on new spending it has not already committed to until June.