Chinese property stocks were among the top gainers in Hong Kong trading. At the time of writing, CIFI HOLD GP (00884) rose 8.33% to HK$0.078, SUNAC (01918) gained 5.98% to HK$1.24, CHINA VANKE (02202) advanced 3.85% to HK$3.51, and COUNTRY GARDEN (02007) increased 3.23% to HK$0.32. The rally follows a policy adjustment from the People's Bank of China Shanghai Headquarters, which lowered the minimum down payment requirement for commercial property loans in Shanghai to no less than 30%, effective March 16, 2026. Financial institutions are required to determine the specific down payment ratio for each loan based on their operational conditions and the borrower's risk profile. This marks the first adjustment to Shanghai's commercial property loan policy in over a decade, with other cities expected to follow suit. Additionally, data from the National Bureau of Statistics indicated that from January to February, the year-on-year decline in real estate development investment narrowed by 6.1 percentage points compared to the full-year 2025 figure. However, the declines in sales area and sales value of new commercial housing expanded compared to the full-year 2025 numbers. By the end of February, the growth rate of unsold commercial housing inventory slowed by 1.5 percentage points compared to the end of 2025. Industry analysts suggest the significant narrowing of the real estate development investment indicator compared to 2025 reflects a gradual stabilization of supply-side adjustments in the market.
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