BofAS Research: CN Property Sector Indicators Decline, Prompting Policy Responses; CHINA RES LAND, CHINA OVERSEAS, and Others Preferred
Market Concerns: The Ministry of Finance's potential prioritization of resources away from mortgage subsidies raises doubts about the effectiveness of short-term subsidies in altering buyer expectations, according to a BofA Securities report.
Government Policies: BofA Securities suggests that coordinated central government policies could positively influence the market, especially as current macro indicators have weakened to levels that typically prompt policy changes.
Developer Preferences: The broker favors developers with strong asset quality, such as CHINA RES LAND, CHINA OVERSEAS, and C&D INTL GROUP, which are expected to sustain growth in net asset value, all rated as Buy with specific target prices.
Target Price Adjustments: BofA Securities has lowered its target price for YUEXIU PROPERTY from $5 to $4.6 while maintaining a Buy rating, reflecting ongoing adjustments in market expectations.
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HSI Gains 12 Points, Yet Software Stocks and Dotcoms Decline; Coal and Chinese Developers Surge
Market Performance: The HSI closed slightly up at 26,847, while the HSCEI and HSTECH saw minor declines, with total market turnover dropping to $285.433 billion.
Sector Struggles: Software and dotcom sectors faced significant losses, with major companies like TENCENT and MEITU experiencing declines of 3.96% and 11.4%, respectively.
Resource Stocks Rise: Gold and silver prices rebounded, with companies like CHINAGOLDINTL and ZHAOJIN MINING seeing gains, while coal stocks like YANKUANG ENERGY surged by over 10%.
Financial Sector Movements: HSBC and AIA saw slight increases, while HKEX experienced a minor decline; Chinese property developers generally performed well, with several stocks rising between 5% and 10%.
CICC Anticipates Continued Pressure on CN Developers' 2025 Earnings; CHINA RES LAND, CHINA OVERSEAS, and C&D INTL GROUP Maintain Significant Profit Levels
Earnings Forecast: China's real estate sector is expected to see a significant decline in earnings for covered companies in 2025, with firms like CHINA RES LAND, CHINA OVERSEAS, and C&D INTL GROUP projected to experience a 15-20% year-on-year decrease.
Market Sentiment: Despite the anticipated earnings drop, CICC maintains a positive outlook on the real estate sector for 2023, suggesting potential for positive returns and good value in stock selection for 2026.
Company Performance: Some companies, including GREENTOWN CHINA and YUEXIU PROPERTY, may report marginal profits, while others like LONGFOR GROUP and URBAN CONS DEV could face slight losses, with a few firms expected to see steady core profits.
Stock Ratings: CICC has kept its ratings and target prices unchanged for various Chinese developers, highlighting stocks such as BINJIANG GP and SEAZEN HOLDINGS as outperformers in the market.
<M Stanley Research>: Recent Growth in China's Property Market May Not Last; Home Sales and Prices Expected to Decline in the Coming Months
Market Sentiment and Predictions: Morgan Stanley attributes the recent rise in Chinese property developers to improved investor sentiment and increased residential sales, but warns that optimism may be misplaced as seasonal factors and policy effects could lead to a decline in sales and property prices.
Investment Ratings Overview: The report includes investment ratings and target prices for various Chinese property developers, indicating a mix of "Overweight," "Equalweight," and "Underweight" ratings based on their performance and market conditions.
Impact of Lunar New Year: The firm anticipates that the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday will negatively impact residential sales, further complicating the market recovery.
Policy Stimulus Likelihood: With the recent uptick in sales in Tier 1 cities, the chances of additional policy stimulus to support the property market are considered to be diminishing.
Citi's Ratings and Target Prices for Chinese Developers (Table)
Citi's Ratings for Chinese Property Developers: Citi has provided investment ratings and target prices for various Chinese property developers, with ratings ranging from "Buy" to "Sell/High Risk" based on their performance and short selling ratios.
Target Prices Overview: Target prices for selected developers include Agile Group at HKD 0.53, C&D International Group at HKD 22.5, and China Overseas at HKD 17.2, reflecting varying levels of investor confidence.
Citi's Ratings for Brokerage Platforms: The investment ratings for Chinese brokerage platforms and project managers also indicate a "Buy" recommendation for companies like KE Holdings and Greentown Management, with target prices set at USD 22.6 and HKD 3.45, respectively.
Market Reactions and Short Selling: The report highlights significant short selling activity across various stocks, indicating market volatility and investor caution, particularly in the context of the Chinese real estate sector.
Daiwa: 'Three Red Lines' Phase-out Provides Minimal Enhancement to Credit Conditions in China's Property Sector
Chinese Property Developer Stocks Rally: Stocks of Chinese property developers surged following reports that authorities will no longer require the monthly "Three Red Lines" reports, which were initially aimed at controlling excessive debt.
Impact of "Three Red Lines" Policy: Daiwa noted that the "Three Red Lines" policy has become irrelevant to most developers' financing, as bond issuance remains frozen for many, pushing developers to rely on operational loans.
Normalization Signs in Credit Environment: Despite the limited improvement from the removal of the "Three Red Lines," there are signs of normalization in the credit environment, highlighted by successful offshore bond issuances from several developers.
Market Sentiment and Future Outlook: Analysts, including those from JPM, remain optimistic about the Chinese property sector's performance, expecting it to continue outperforming until April.
HSI Rises by 141 Points on Settlement Day as Chinese Developers Soar; Consumer Stocks Improve After Noon
Market Performance: Hong Kong stocks rose on the settlement date, with the HSI increasing by 141 points (0.5%) to close at 27,968, while the HSCEI gained 40 points (0.4%) to finish at 9,552. The HSTECH, however, fell by 59 points (1%) to close at 5,841.
Chinese Developers Surge: Significant gains were observed among Chinese developers, attributed to reports that they are no longer required to report the "Three Red Lines" metrics monthly. Notable increases included KWG GROUP (+40.96%), CHINA AOYUAN (+32.88%), and SUNAC (+29.13%).
Short Selling Activity: The short selling activity was notable, with various developers experiencing high ratios, such as SHIMAO GROUP (6.765%) and CIFI HOLD GP (1.472%), indicating a mix of investor sentiment in the market.
Consumer Stocks Rise: Consumer stocks also saw increases, with ZJLD surging by 12.35% and CTG DUTY-FREE by 7.98%, alongside other notable gains in companies like TSINGTAO BREW (+5.63%) and ANTA SPORTS (+4.80%).
HSI Gains 12 Points, Yet Software Stocks and Dotcoms Decline; Coal and Chinese Developers Surge
Market Performance: The HSI closed slightly up at 26,847, while the HSCEI and HSTECH saw minor declines, with total market turnover dropping to $285.433 billion.
Sector Struggles: Software and dotcom sectors faced significant losses, with major companies like TENCENT and MEITU experiencing declines of 3.96% and 11.4%, respectively.
Resource Stocks Rise: Gold and silver prices rebounded, with companies like CHINAGOLDINTL and ZHAOJIN MINING seeing gains, while coal stocks like YANKUANG ENERGY surged by over 10%.
Financial Sector Movements: HSBC and AIA saw slight increases, while HKEX experienced a minor decline; Chinese property developers generally performed well, with several stocks rising between 5% and 10%.
CICC Anticipates Continued Pressure on CN Developers' 2025 Earnings; CHINA RES LAND, CHINA OVERSEAS, and C&D INTL GROUP Maintain Significant Profit Levels
Earnings Forecast: China's real estate sector is expected to see a significant decline in earnings for covered companies in 2025, with firms like CHINA RES LAND, CHINA OVERSEAS, and C&D INTL GROUP projected to experience a 15-20% year-on-year decrease.
Market Sentiment: Despite the anticipated earnings drop, CICC maintains a positive outlook on the real estate sector for 2023, suggesting potential for positive returns and good value in stock selection for 2026.
Company Performance: Some companies, including GREENTOWN CHINA and YUEXIU PROPERTY, may report marginal profits, while others like LONGFOR GROUP and URBAN CONS DEV could face slight losses, with a few firms expected to see steady core profits.
Stock Ratings: CICC has kept its ratings and target prices unchanged for various Chinese developers, highlighting stocks such as BINJIANG GP and SEAZEN HOLDINGS as outperformers in the market.
<M Stanley Research>: Recent Growth in China's Property Market May Not Last; Home Sales and Prices Expected to Decline in the Coming Months
Market Sentiment and Predictions: Morgan Stanley attributes the recent rise in Chinese property developers to improved investor sentiment and increased residential sales, but warns that optimism may be misplaced as seasonal factors and policy effects could lead to a decline in sales and property prices.
Investment Ratings Overview: The report includes investment ratings and target prices for various Chinese property developers, indicating a mix of "Overweight," "Equalweight," and "Underweight" ratings based on their performance and market conditions.
Impact of Lunar New Year: The firm anticipates that the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday will negatively impact residential sales, further complicating the market recovery.
Policy Stimulus Likelihood: With the recent uptick in sales in Tier 1 cities, the chances of additional policy stimulus to support the property market are considered to be diminishing.
Citi's Ratings and Target Prices for Chinese Developers (Table)
Citi's Ratings for Chinese Property Developers: Citi has provided investment ratings and target prices for various Chinese property developers, with ratings ranging from "Buy" to "Sell/High Risk" based on their performance and short selling ratios.
Target Prices Overview: Target prices for selected developers include Agile Group at HKD 0.53, C&D International Group at HKD 22.5, and China Overseas at HKD 17.2, reflecting varying levels of investor confidence.
Citi's Ratings for Brokerage Platforms: The investment ratings for Chinese brokerage platforms and project managers also indicate a "Buy" recommendation for companies like KE Holdings and Greentown Management, with target prices set at USD 22.6 and HKD 3.45, respectively.
Market Reactions and Short Selling: The report highlights significant short selling activity across various stocks, indicating market volatility and investor caution, particularly in the context of the Chinese real estate sector.
Daiwa: 'Three Red Lines' Phase-out Provides Minimal Enhancement to Credit Conditions in China's Property Sector
Chinese Property Developer Stocks Rally: Stocks of Chinese property developers surged following reports that authorities will no longer require the monthly "Three Red Lines" reports, which were initially aimed at controlling excessive debt.
Impact of "Three Red Lines" Policy: Daiwa noted that the "Three Red Lines" policy has become irrelevant to most developers' financing, as bond issuance remains frozen for many, pushing developers to rely on operational loans.
Normalization Signs in Credit Environment: Despite the limited improvement from the removal of the "Three Red Lines," there are signs of normalization in the credit environment, highlighted by successful offshore bond issuances from several developers.
Market Sentiment and Future Outlook: Analysts, including those from JPM, remain optimistic about the Chinese property sector's performance, expecting it to continue outperforming until April.
HSI Rises by 141 Points on Settlement Day as Chinese Developers Soar; Consumer Stocks Improve After Noon
Market Performance: Hong Kong stocks rose on the settlement date, with the HSI increasing by 141 points (0.5%) to close at 27,968, while the HSCEI gained 40 points (0.4%) to finish at 9,552. The HSTECH, however, fell by 59 points (1%) to close at 5,841.
Chinese Developers Surge: Significant gains were observed among Chinese developers, attributed to reports that they are no longer required to report the "Three Red Lines" metrics monthly. Notable increases included KWG GROUP (+40.96%), CHINA AOYUAN (+32.88%), and SUNAC (+29.13%).
Short Selling Activity: The short selling activity was notable, with various developers experiencing high ratios, such as SHIMAO GROUP (6.765%) and CIFI HOLD GP (1.472%), indicating a mix of investor sentiment in the market.
Consumer Stocks Rise: Consumer stocks also saw increases, with ZJLD surging by 12.35% and CTG DUTY-FREE by 7.98%, alongside other notable gains in companies like TSINGTAO BREW (+5.63%) and ANTA SPORTS (+4.80%).
