MNI 5 THINGS: China Housing Prices Rise Jump Most This Year

     BEIJING (MNI) - MNI highlights five key points from data on housing prices

released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS):

     - The average new home price in 70 Chinese major cities, excluding

subsidized units, grew 1.5% from July, up from the 1.2% m/m gain in July from

June. It was the biggest monthly rise this year. The annual price gain was the

biggest in year at 8.0% from August 2017, up from 6.6% gain in July, MNI

calculations show. 

     - More cities saw housing price increases on a monthly basis than the

previous month. Out of the 70 cities monitored by the NBS, 67 had housing prices

risen, while price in only one city fell. 

     China: Residential Property Prices - No. of cities where prices are

rising/falling

No. Cities Rising/Falling                 Aug  Jul  Jun  May  Apr  Mar  Feb  Jan

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

15-Top cities M/M                   Rise    6   11   10    9    8    6    1    5

                                    Fall    7    2    2    5    7    7   12    7

                                Net Rise   -1    9    8    4    1   -1  -11   -2

70-Large and medium Cities M/M      Rise   67   65   63   61   58   55   44   52

                                    Fall    1    3    4    7   10   10   16   13

                                Net Rise   66   62   59   54   48   45   28   39

15-Top cities Y/Y                   Rise    5   11    8    7    5    6    5    4

                                    Fall   10    4    7    8   10    9    9   11

                                Net Rise   -5    7    1   -1   -5   -3   -4   -7

70-Large and medium Cities Y/Y      Rise   68   65   61   62   59   60   59   59

                                    Fall    2    4    9    8   10   10    9   11

                                Net Rise   66   61   52   54   49   50   50   48

     Gains in housing prices in the top 15 accelerated in August. The average

price of 15 cities rose 1.1% m/m, a 20-month high, in line with the 70 cities'

average price. On a yearly basis, the price rose 2.9%, compared with 1.6% gain

in the previous month, and was the most increase since August 2017.

     China: Residential Property Prices - Average Price Increases

Average Price Chg %              Aug  Jul  Jun  May   Apr   Mar   Feb   Jan

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

15-Top cities               M/M  1.1  0.8  0.9  0.5   0.0   0.0  -0.2   0.0

                            Y/Y  2.9  1.6  0.8  0.0  -0.5  -0.4   0.0  -0.5

70-Large and medium Cities  M/M  1.5  1.2  1.1  0.8   0.6   0.4   0.2   0.3

                            Y/Y  8.0  6.6  5.8  5.4   5.3   5.5   5.8   5.4

     - New home prices in all city sizes increasing monthly. Four tier-1 cities

led the increase, with prices in three of them gained and the other one

unchanged. About 29 in 31 tier-2 cities had price gains, and only one

experienced a decline. In tier-3 cities, all 35 (or 100.0%) experienced rising

home prices. 

     - New home price in Wuxi of eastern Jiangsu province, one of 15 top cities,

came at first place on a monthly basis with 3.4% gain. On a yearly basis, Sanya,

in tropical Hainan province, recorded the most gain of all cities at 44.3%. The

beach city benefited from a policy announced in April calling for further

opening up the island in the South China Sea. 

--MNI Beijing Bureau; tel: +86 (10) 8532-5998; email: flora.guo@marketnews.com

--MNI Beijing Bureau; +86 10 8532 5998; email: william.bi@mni-news.com

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