Concrete Analysis | China's housing market shows signs of stabilisation
Outlook for the second half brightens as prices in first-tier cities reverse declines amid an improvement in affordability
In terms of the real economy, the stock market is not the only important asset market in China. The housing market is just as consequential.
Concerns over the Chinese economy have intensified in the past two months following the losses incurred in the stock market, with the Shanghai Composite Index falling 25 per cent between June 12 and July 17. There are fears that the weakening sentiment in the stock market is likely to extend to the housing sector.
Dating back to 2012, the boom in house prices in the first-tier cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou was led by the post-crisis bounce in economic growth and urbanisation. The slowdown since last year was induced by tighter monetary policy and other "administrative" measures, such as restrictions on second-home purchases and reselling. Until recently, it looked as if these government actions had derailed urbanisation, a significant component of China's growth model.
The country's growth is closely correlated to the housing market. First, there is the direct link through construction activity. The National Bureau of Statistics indicates that about 7 per cent of China's gross domestic product is contributed by construction projects. This may well be underestimated, but on the assumption that 70 per cent of this is residential output, it can be said that about 5 per cent of GDP is attributed to the production of housing.
In contrast, residential construction made up about 6 per cent of GDP in the United States just before the global financial crisis. Since then, it has averaged about 2.5 per cent, according to the Centre for Economic Policy Research. When the US housing bubble burst, construction activity slumped and its failure to revive over the following five years was a significant drag on economic activity.