China’s average daily home sales during the major May Day public holiday sank 47% from a year earlier, and were down around 30% from pre-pandemic levels in 2019 for the same holiday period, according to a private survey on Monday, reports Reuters. Home sales fell in 19 of 22 surveyed cities during the five-day May Day compared to the same period of 2023, and were down more than 60% in mega cities of Guangzhou and Shanghai, according to data from the China Index Academy, one of the country’s largest independent real estate researchers.
Chinese authorities have been ramping up measures to prop up the troubled sector, but analysts say many of the policies are piecemeal in nature or have a limited, short-term impact.
The policymakers at a politburo meeting last week highlighted they would improve policies to clear housing inventory.