Yesterday, the China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) announced stress testing of banks with modeling to include a 60% price fall of house prices in China’s 7 top tier cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen.
Today, it has been reported the stress tests will not only include banks, but extend to other industries closely linked to housing such as cement and steel. The China Daily reported :
“The banking system has made quite a lot of loans to industries upstream and downstream from the real estate market and their risks are intimately connected to the real estate market,” the Shanghai Securities News said. “Therefore, regulatory agencies have demanded that corresponding stress tests should also be conducted for industries such as steel, cement and building materials.
The stress tests follow recent reports that 64.5 million urban electricity meters recorded zero electricity consumption over a 6 month period. Based on these numbers, it is predicted China could house 200 million people in these empty apartments. This should come as no surprise as in April, we reported on a China Reality Research report suggesting nearly a fifth of all recently sold properties were kept vacant.
Due to low interest rates, cash deposits in China fail to keep up with Inflation. As a result Chinese prefer to put their money into assets that “hold value” such as property. In a blog published by the Sydney Morning Herald, Malcolm Turnbull writes :
One property analyst was very candid when asked why there were so many apparently unoccupied flats in Beijing as there were no lights on at night: “The flats are occupied. Cash is living there.”
Stress testing on other industries should raise concerns back in Australia. How much of our resources and mining boom was a result of China’s housing bubble, and what will be the impact for Australia when it pops?
» China widens stress tests to steel, cement – media – The China Daily, 6th August 2010.
If that article is true – God save us all.
“If that article is true – God save us all.” …But there is no God.
– And, we notice that China is developing it’s OWN iron ore reserves, so significantly reducing their dependence on imported ore. Just look at the BIG FALL in spot iron ore prices, AND the BIG FALL in imports over the past three months. Seems that significantly fewer want our mineral resources as we’d like, and seeing as the “Resource Boom” is (allegedly) the driver behind the Aussie economy, then “times are looking interesting” for the future!
Its hard to say how true the artical is but I have been saying for some time now that if China starts to slow down its building programs Australia will crash. If the current government had not been so quick to put us into debt this would only result is a small correction to our econ, but due to the large debt we now have you bet hope we can pay it off quickly b 4 China puts its foot on the brake or our debt VS intrest will get out of control and it will take 10 years+ to pay our way out of debt, this will mean a lot of pain for Australians. Why do you think the Government has been so ready to wack a 40% tax on the big miners? is it to invest in the people of Australia as the current Government are trying to claim? “NO” its because they dont see any other bloody way to pay off the stupid debt they have created befor it all comes home to roost!
The Current government (K Rudd included) are a bunch of financial nitwits that could not manage a chook raffle! And it would seem the people of Australia have started to see this if the polls are to be trusted.
Vote informal as no major party will address the housing crisis.
Vote for any party who won’t meddle in the housing market.
They always said our Bubble would be popped by a pin made in China.