Across The BorderWhat kind of Chinese property stocks should you buy?
A rapid surge in home prices in China’s largest cities has stirred worries over a speculative property bubble and a potential credit crisis, with the central bank and regulators mulling new measures to tighten lending policy for real estate to curb financial risks.
While policymakers struggle to control diverging home prices in different regions, analysts expect the government to continue providing policy support in smaller cities to revive the sluggish property market. But they caution against risks in investing in developers with high exposure to tier-one cities, which may suffer as a result of new tightening measures.
Property prices in Chinese cities have shown signs of divergence in the past month, with home prices in tier-one cities such as Shenzhen, Shanghai and Beijing soaring while remaining flat in smaller cities.
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Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), acknowledged at a press briefing over the weekend that housing prices in some big cities have “gone wild” and “attracted considerable public attention”, after the government loosened monetary policies and relaxed mortgage rules to stimulate housing demand. He urged commercial lenders to stay vigilant and assess solvency and financial risks when extending loans to homebuyers.
Pan Gongsheng, vice-governor of the PBOC, said the central bank is working with other authorities, including the top banking regulator and the housing ministry, on a plan to crack down on illegal loans offered to homebuyers by property agencies, developers and online lending platforms.
“Property developers and agencies are not qualified to conduct financial business. They are illegally doing it,” Pan said.
“The financial products they offer, including loans for down payment, have not only increased the leverage of people’s home purchases, weakened the government’s policy controls and increased financial risks, but also added to risks in the housing market,” Pan said.
Property prices in tier-one cities are partly driven up by speculative buying, said Tony Tsang, an analyst for Deutsche Bank, adding that the speculation is supported by loans for down payments that are given out without collaterals.