Correction in Hong Kong’s property market gathers speed as prices fall 3.5 per cent in November
- The monthly home price index fell 3.5 per cent to 366.3 in November, up from 2.56 per cent in October
- Largest fall in a single month since November 2008
Prices of lived-in homes in Hong Kong saw the sharpest decline in a single month in November since the global financial crisis in 2008.
The monthly home price index, which represents movements in the secondary property market, fell 3.5 per cent to 366.3 in November, compared to the 2.56 per cent slide in October, 1.27 per cent in September and 0.05 per cent in August, according to data from the Rating and Valuation Department.
Home prices have slumped 7.2 per cent after peaking in July following a 28-month surge starting in April 2016, with analysts citing concerns over the US-China trade war, expectations of rising mortgage rates, accelerated launches of new flats and a volatile local stock market as the main reasons for the declines.
“It is the largest fall in a single month since November 2008,” said Derek Chan, head of research at Ricacrop Properties.
Home price plunged 8.22 per cent in November 2008 and hit the year’s low of 104.8 in December. After a three-month decline, home prices began to rebound in January 2009.
A number of investment banks and analysts have forecast that property prices will continue to fall, with some predicting declines of as much as 25 per cent next year.