Capital Steadily Entering the Market
The Chinese stock market has shown resilient behavior despite recent declines in the A-share index. This strength is marked by a few notable indicators: first, the trading volume remains robust; second, the Shanghai Composite Index has not breached any significant support levels, hinting at persistent investor confidence. Historical patterns suggest that during bullish trends, markets often experience a rhythm of advances and corrections before substantial momentum builds again. If the index can sustain its range-bound behavior without sharp drops, there is a strong possibility of a rally that could surge upwards, potentially breaking previous highs and drawing significant attention to China's market.
However, the attention of the market today has shifted away from stocks to the real estate sector. Recent press conferences conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and associated government bodies have reignited discussions about housing policies. These discussions, while reflecting on past achievements, also introduced some new initiatives. The details provide insight into the government’s approach to stabilizing and stimulating the housing market amidst ongoing challenges.
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Reflecting on historical achievements, the highlights include:
1. Aiming for a credit scale of 4 trillion yuan through the white list policy this year. This ambitious target is set against the backdrop of already limited credit availability as we enter the last quarter of the year.
2. In September, major cities like Beijing and Shanghai eased restrictions on purchasing, while Guangzhou’s limitations were removed entirely and partial adjustments were made in Shenzhen.
3. From January to September, the completion of 1.48 million units of affordable housing was noted, with a target of housing 4.5 million people by the end of the year.
4. Development loans saw an increase of 400 billion yuan in the first nine months of the year.
5. As of October 25, substantial interest rate reductions were implemented for existing housing.
Regarding new policies, several significant initiatives were outlined:
1. The inclusion of commercial housing in the expanded white list efforts.
2. Direct negotiations between banks and real estate companies to facilitate regulatory oversight of commercial loans.
3. Policy banks and commercial banks are encouraged to extend loans for purchasing idle land.
4. Local governments are tasked with acquiring existing residential properties as part of affordable housing initiatives.
5. Urgent revisions are to be made regarding differentiated tax policies for regular and premium residential properties.
6. Special bonds directed towards land reserves will also be utilized in these efforts.
7. A striking initiative involves the renovation of 1 million non-eligible housing units (core new policy). Five supportive measures for financial compensation (such as demolition payments) are also proposed, targeting major cities, utilizing specialized lending from policy banks, supporting with local bonds, offering tax incentives, and ensuring bank loan backing.
In summary, the government’s main strategies to revive the real estate sector include:
First, leveraging financial tools such as policy banks, special bonds, and commercial banks to increase financial flows into the housing market.
Second, addressing the supply of affordable housing through construction and purchases to manage inventory, underpinning the need for increased financial leverage.
Third, exploring tax reductions since a property tax is not yet in place; current tax reductions would mainly target transaction taxes such as VAT.
Fourth, urban renewal initiatives, commonly known as demolition projects, focus on larger cities. This strategy is particularly difficult to implement in smaller cities where increased housing supply would further challenge selling existing units.
Fifth, expanding the white list to increase bank lending quotas, which circles back to the initial strategy of leveraging financial resources.
Thus, the overarching conclusion might be summarized as: leverage to reduce inventory.
But will leveraging effectively reduce inventory? It can, but primarily if housing prices rise. Without price appreciation, new leveraged investments may create larger underlying issues without resolving the existing ones. Even as the government purchases some housing, the challenge remains that the overall inventory might still increase due to insufficient funds.
The ultimate factor resting on the shoulders of potential home buyers is their purchasing power. This ongoing debate brings us back to employment and income enhancement strategies.
Experts suggest that improving subsidy incomes would boost consumer spending, but the real estate market requires tangible capital, not just financial incentives. Homebuyers are not merely looking for discount coupons; they need the critical capital necessary for purchasing homes.
The ideal scenario would involve an increase in wage incomes, but with economic slowdowns, wage growth requires long-term development in emerging industries, rendering immediate relief unlikely.
Therefore, the pathway may lie in enhancing capital incomes—utilizing the wealth effect generated by the stock market as support for real estate demand. The recent boom in the housing market during the National Day holiday can be attributed partially to easing policies and excellent stock performance, as many investors capitalized on the stock market's gains prior to the holiday.
This brings us back to the pressing question of how the stock market can thrive. Current analysis from both technical and macroeconomic perspectives indicates a bullish tendency; however, predicting the duration of this bullish cycle remains contentious, with forecasts primarily suggesting 1-2 years rather than a decade-long upswing, particularly when juxtaposed against the S&P 500's prolonged surge.
What accounts for this disparity? The quality of listed companies in the stock market plays a crucial role.
Prominent global tech giants, such as the five leading companies and Nvidia, are conspicuously absent from the A-share market. An absence of iconic companies like BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent) further reflects supply-side structural issues within China's market. The prevailing focus of A-shares often contributes to facilitating fundraising rather than sharing operational success with equity holders.
Calls to curb shares’ reduction post-holiday are insightfully raised by numerous experts; however, the crux of the matter appears to stem from a need to enforce a more discerning approach to company listing within A-shares. Advocating for both stringent IPO regulations and effective delisting strategies is essential to improve stock market quality.
Successful IPOs should attract new investors, whereas poorly conceived issues might dilute market liquidity and lower valuations for existing equities. Hypothetically speaking, if a market powerhouse like Huawei were to go public on the A-share market, it could entice international investors from Wall Street, even if conventional sentiments lean towards avoidance of foreign investments.
Ultimately, the market operates with a sense of freedom and dynamism, devoid of foreboding anxiety. The paths of fortune and misfortune are interwoven, yet the essence remains substantial.