### Summary
The risk of a "real Lehman moment" is increasing in China due to a shadow banking crisis and declining property sales, according to Jefferies' global strategist Chris Wood.
### Facts
- 💣 Chinese asset manager Zhongzhi Enterprise's failure to make interest payments on wealth management products indicates a liquidity crisis and highlights the real estate sector's crisis.
- 💰 Chinese equities are a value trap, says Wood.
- 🏢 Evergrande's problems were not a "Lehman moment" because they were induced by the authorities through the "Three Red Lines" policy.
- 🚫 President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaigns and last year's lockdowns have dampened entrepreneurial spirits and damaged China's command economy model.
- 📉 The residential property market's biggest downturn since privatization in the mid-1990s was undermined by lockdowns, even after the relaxation of the "Three Red Lines" policy.
- 💼 For those who believe China is in a "balance sheet recession," owning a dividend index and long government bonds is a recommended strategy.
### Summary
China's economic crisis, particularly in the real estate sector, has far-reaching implications beyond economic sectors, impacting households, consumer confidence, and international investor sentiment, posing a significant challenge for President Xi Jinping's leadership.
### Facts
- 💰 Evergrande Group, one of China's highly indebted property giants, filed for Chapter 15 bankruptcy protection in the U.S., underscoring the gravity of the situation.
- 💣 Brahma Chellaney, a strategic affairs expert, believes that China's real estate crisis presents a significant challenge for President Xi Jinping's leadership and may lead to increased risk-taking and potential crackdowns on protests.
- 🔗 Evergrande's struggles are mirrored by Country Garden, another major player, which warned of up to a $7.6 billion first-half loss and apologized for misjudging market conditions.
- 🌍 The real estate slump in China is part of a larger economic crisis, with structural constraints like an aging population and mounting debt adding to the woes, potentially hindering China's ambition to become a global economic superpower.
- 📉 Zongyuan Zoe Liu, a Fellow for China Studies, highlighted concerns of foreign investors regarding contagion effects from the real estate sector's financing practices and the state of China's shadow-banking system. The trust industry, valued at $2.9 trillion, has attracted regulatory attention as authorities seek to manage potential risks.
China's real estate crisis, caused by a crackdown on risky behavior by home builders and a subsequent housing slowdown, is spreading to the broader economy, leading to sinking sales, disappearing jobs, and a decline in consumer confidence, business investment, and stock markets.
China's real estate market is experiencing a significant downturn, causing major developers to face massive losses and mounting debts, which is impacting the country's economy and global growth.
China's economic slump is worsening due to the prolonged property crisis, with missed payments on investment products by a major trust company and a fall in home prices adding to concerns.
China's largest private real estate developer, Country Garden, is in financial trouble, missing bond payments and posting a record loss, signaling further concerns about the country's property sector as housing prices and foreclosures continue to rise, while other economic indicators, such as industrial output and retail sales, fall short of expectations; these developments are raising concerns about the overall health of China's economy and its future growth prospects.
The collapse of Evergrande, China's second-largest property developer, has raised concerns about a potential financial crisis and a broader liquidity crisis in the country, as well as the impact on China's housing market and economy.
China should continue to prioritize the principle of "houses are for living in, not for speculation" to prevent potential negative impacts on economic and social development, according to an editorial in the state-run Economic Daily, as the country faces a downturn in the property sector and potentially unwinding some curbs.
China's economy is facing a number of challenges, including a property sector crisis, but experts believe it is unlikely to experience a "Lehman moment" like the US did in 2008 due to its state-owned financial system and government involvement in the economy. However, they do foresee a prolonged structural economic crisis.
China Evergrande Group, the world's most-indebted property developer, reported a narrower net loss for the first half of the year due to increased revenue, but it is still facing a crisis in China's property sector characterized by debt defaults and shattered consumer confidence in the country's economy.
China's property developers facing financial distress raises concerns about a debt crisis, potentially leading to a broader financial crisis, according to analyst Charlene Chu.
China's largest property developer, Country Garden, is on the brink of defaulting on its massive debts, reinforcing the deep slump in China's real estate market and potentially impacting the country's financial sector and global markets.
China has lowered requirements for homebuyers in an attempt to revive its struggling property market and address the financial crisis.
China is planning to relax home-purchase restrictions and implement new measures to address the debt crisis in its property sector, which accounts for a quarter of its economy, in an effort to boost consumer demand.
Chinese homebuyers remain skeptical about entering the property market despite the Beijing government's measures to revive the economy, including lower mortgage rates, due to concerns about the slowing economy and the deepening crisis in the debt-ridden property sector.
China's relief measures to support the property sector have spurred a home-buying spree in Beijing and Shanghai, with transaction volumes in both cities increasing significantly, indicating robust housing demand; however, concerns persist that this demand may not be sustained due to other restrictions and a faltering growth outlook.
China's real estate market slump raises the risk of developer defaults, potentially resulting in significant losses for Chinese banks and potential ripple effects beyond the country's borders.
China's property sector continues to struggle with deepening falls in new home prices, property investment, and sales in August, despite recent support measures, adding pressure to the country's economy.
China's housing crisis continues as thousands of building projects are halted or slowed, leading to defaults and restructuring, a loss of confidence in the market, and a decline in sales.
China's largest developer, Country Garden Holdings, is facing a major crisis as it struggles with a mountain of debt repayments, a slowing property market, and negative sentiment towards the sector following defaults by other Chinese peers; the company's focus on smaller cities has become a disadvantage as the housing market faces a potential decline.
China's property market is facing a crisis with an overwhelming amount of unsold homes, surpassing the number of people in the country, as the sector continues to slump since the default of China Evergrande group.
Chinese investors are rushing to sell their overseas properties, particularly in Southeast Asia, due to worsening financial conditions and the need for cash to solve domestic issues such as business failures and mortgage loan defaults. Uncertain economic conditions, low confidence in production and consumption, and tightening regulations on property developers in China have contributed to the struggle to offload these investments.
Distressed Chinese property developer Evergrande Group's debt fears weigh on Chinese stocks, raising concerns about the world's second-largest economy.
China is facing a housing crisis with rows of empty homes, leaving the country with an estimated 65-80 million vacant units, indicating a long-term decline in housing demand and raising concerns about the nation's economic growth.
President Xi Jinping's efforts to tackle the housing crisis in China face obstacles as multiple property developers, including Evergrande and China Oceanwide, deal with debt restructuring, liquidation, and potential defaults, leading to investor confusion about the government's plan to stabilize the market.
China's real estate giant, Evergrande, faces uncertainty as it defaults on debt repayment and undergoes investigation, raising fears of a major Chinese property crisis and potential impact on the global financial system.
China's property crisis, characterized by an excess of empty homes, could take up to a decade to resolve, according to economist Hao Hong, with the country's urbanization process stagnating and the property sector's contribution to GDP declining.
China's economic outlook, particularly for the real estate sector, is expected to become clearer in the last three months of the year, with potential government support and loosening of restrictions to stabilize the housing market and allow the economy to recover fully by mid-2024. However, economists predict that real estate growth will remain weak and prices may fall gradually, as significant price declines could have adverse social consequences.
China's property market blowup, which has led to major developers struggling and low housing sales, may not necessarily result in a financial crisis due to the unique characteristics of China's housing market and Beijing's control over the financial system, but it is expected to cause significant damage to bank balance sheets and potentially lead to widespread financial turbulence if support is not provided to local governments and small lenders.
China's property crisis poses significant challenges for an economy heavily reliant on real estate, although there are some sectors that may benefit from the situation.
The World Bank has lowered its GDP growth estimate for China in 2024 due to elevated debt and weakness in the property sector, which has been hit by a downturn leading to unfinished homes and a decline in housing prices. While the impact on the overall economy may be limited, smaller regional banks and local government financing vehicles (LGFVs) are at higher risk. Policymakers have signaled a shift in their approach to the property market, and the long-term prospects of the sector may be hindered by demographic factors and a high rate of home ownership. However, experts believe that real estate will remain an important industry in the future.
China's recent package of relief measures to boost the struggling property market has not yet had a significant impact on homebuyer confidence, leading experts to suggest that more stimulus policies may be needed to revive the market. Despite the government's efforts to lower mortgage rates and reduce down payments, weak sales data and further price declines are expected.
China's real estate crisis continues as Country Garden warns investors of a possible default on its $190 billion debt, highlighting the persistent weakness in the property market and posing a major threat to the country's growth prospects.
China's economic growth model, built on real estate speculation and debt, is starting to unravel as the property market collapses and other sectors show strain, leading to shrinking demand, unstable supply chains, and a more precarious global economic landscape.
China's real estate crisis and deepening economic woes are raising concerns of a "Japanization" scenario, similar to Japan's period of deflation and low growth, with potential global spillovers, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
China's housing crisis, triggered by the default of developer China Evergrande, is deepening, causing doubts about the future of China's economic growth and eroding trust in the government's promises, with economists and international institutions calling for actions to stabilize the situation and shift the country's reliance from real estate to consumer-driven growth.
Two major companies in China's property debt crisis, Country Garden Holdings and China Evergrande Group, are facing potential defaults and asset liquidation, which could exacerbate the turmoil in the country's housing sector and pose a threat to financial stability.
The Federal Reserve's semiannual report identified persistent inflation and potential losses in the commercial real estate market as the top concerns for financial stability, with economic weakness in China also being a major risk.
China's troubled property market is unlikely to recover in the short term, as economic uncertainty and low buyer confidence continue to hamper demand, despite government stimulus measures; home prices fell for the third consecutive month in September, and property sales and investment have also seen double-digit declines.
