UPDATE 1-China property shares jump as major cities ease buying curbs

Reuters09-30

(Adds policy details, stocks performance, analyst comment)

By Clare Jim

HONG KONG, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Shares of China property developers surged on Monday after first-tier cities eased curbs on home purchases, soon after the Politburo pledged to halt declines in the housing market.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng Mainland Properties Index jumped more than 10% in early trading, and the mainland's CSI 300 Real Estate index gained around 9%.

The Hong Kong sub-index has surged 40% since last Tuesday after China's central bank unveiled its biggest stimulus since the pandemic.

By 0212 GMT, Shenzhen-based Kaisa Group and Fantasia rallied 45% and 32%, respectively, while Guangzhou-based R&F Properties rose 20%.

Vanke shares in Shenzhen were up 9.5%, and Shanghai-listed Greenland increased 10%.

Guangzhou on Sunday became the first top-tier city to lift all restrictions on home purchase, while Shanghai and Shenzhen said they would ease curbs on housing purchases by non-local buyers and lower the minimum downpayment ratio for first homebuyers to no less than 15%.

Reuters reported on Friday that Shanghai and Shenzhen were planning to lift key remaining restrictions to attract buyers.

China's central bank separately said on Sunday it would tell banks to lower mortgage rates for existing home loans before Oct. 31, as part of sweeping policies to support the country's beleaguered property market as the economy slows.

The easing comes after Chinese leaders pledged on Thursday at a Politburo meeting to strive to achieve the 2024 economic growth target of roughly 5% and halt declines in the housing market, state media reported.

"We see it as a good and swift start to achieving the central government's target," investment bank CLSA said of the easing in a research note.

"We expect more liquidity injections from central government to help destock the property market and thus fix the oversupply issues, which takes time," it added.

The brokerage expected the property market to bottom out in the second half of 2025.

(Reporting by Clare Jim; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Himani Sarkar)

((clare.jim@thomsonreuters.com;))

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