The troubles of the Chinese real estate sector

Article Excerpt

The Chinese real estate sector has been struggling since 2021. That’s when the authorities introduced measures to curb debt levels at large real estate development companies. Since then, more than 50 Chinese property developers have defaulted on their international debts. In January 2024, Evergrande—which is the world’s most indebted property developer—was ordered to be liquidated by a court in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, some 20 million housing units across China have been left unfinished, and an estimated $440 billion is needed to complete them. Recent figures released by the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics show that new home prices have declined on average by 4.3% over the past year. Existing home prices fell by 7.5%. Home sales by value dropped 31% in the first five months of this year compared with the same period last year. Critically, real estate investment overall is down by 15% year-over-year, while new home sales were down by 45% year over year in April 2024. In mid-May 2024, the…