Chinese housing prices continued to soar in December but at a slower pace than in previous months, Reuters reported, citing National Bureau of Statistics data. Prices in the capital Beijing rose 16% in December from a year ago, easing slightly from November’s year-on-year increase of 16.3%, and the second month of slowing gains after a record jump in October. In Guangzhou and Shenzhen, gains eased to 20.1% and 19.9% respectively from 20.7% and 20.6% in November, their first slowdown this year. Nationwide new home prices rose 9.9% in December from a year ago, the same pace as a month earlier.