Core Viewpoint - The construction industry is experiencing a decline in prosperity, with a slowdown in fixed asset investment growth [2] Group 1: Construction Industry Indicators - In July, the construction industry Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) was 50.6, a decrease of 2.2 percentage points from the previous month [2][1] - The construction business activity index was also 50.6%, down 2.2 percentage points from last month [2][1] - The new orders index for the construction industry was 42.7%, reflecting a decline of 2.2 percentage points from the previous month [2][1] - The input price index for the construction industry rose to 54.5%, an increase of 6.2 percentage points from last month [2][1] - The sales price index for the construction industry was 49.2%, up 0.9 percentage points from the previous month [2][1] - The employment index in the construction industry was 40.9%, an increase of 1.0 percentage point from last month [2][1] - The business activity expectation index was 51.6%, down 2.3 percentage points from the previous month [2][1] Group 2: Fixed Asset Investment - From January to July, national fixed asset investment (excluding rural households) reached 288,229 billion yuan, with a year-on-year growth of 1.6%, a decrease of 1.2 percentage points compared to January to June [2] - The broad infrastructure investment growth rate was 6.67%, down 2.31 percentage points from the previous value, while the narrow infrastructure investment growth rate was 2.89%, down 1.57 percentage points [3] - In the first seven months, investment in electricity, heat, gas, and water production and supply increased by 21.5%, while investment in transportation, warehousing, and postal services grew by 3.9% [3] Group 3: Real Estate Sector - From January to July, national real estate development investment was 53,580 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 12.0%, with the decline expanding by 0.8 percentage points compared to January to June [4] - The sales area of commercial housing was 51,560 million square meters, down 4% year-on-year, with the decline expanding by 0.5 percentage points [4] - The area of new housing starts was 35,206 million square meters, down 19.4% year-on-year, with the decline narrowing by 0.6 percentage points [4] - The area of completed housing was 25,034 million square meters, down 16.5% year-on-year, with the decline expanding by 1.7 percentage points [4] Group 4: Infrastructure Projects - The establishment of the New Tibet Railway Company with a registered capital of 95 billion yuan is expected to boost infrastructure investment [5] - The total investment for the New Tibet Railway is estimated at approximately 175.4 billion yuan per year over a 10-year construction period [5] - The approval of the Yaxia Hydropower Project, with an investment of 1.2 trillion yuan, is expected to further enhance long-term infrastructure investment expectations [5] Group 5: Investment Recommendations - Recommendations include companies involved in stable growth, construction, and regional development such as China Power Construction, China Energy Construction, and Shanghai Construction [5] - Focus on companies benefiting from infrastructure investment and those with high dividends, including Anhui Construction, China National Materials, and China Railway Construction [5] - Attention is also drawn to growth sectors such as low-altitude economy and welding robots, with suggestions to monitor design and engineering firms [5]

Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Buy" recommendation for the construction industry [1] Core Viewpoints - Infrastructure investment growth remains robust, with a broad infrastructure investment growth rate of 8.9% in the first half of 2025, despite a slight decline from previous values [3][30] - Real estate investment continues to face pressure, with a 11.2% year-on-year decline in real estate development investment in the first half of 2025 [44] - The construction sector is experiencing a slight increase in fund holdings, with a fund holding market value ratio of 0.43% in Q2 2025, which is still below the standard allocation ratio of 1.77% [65][66] Summary by Sections Special Debt Issuance - The pace of special debt issuance has accelerated, with a total of 2.16 trillion yuan issued in the first half of 2025, a year-on-year increase of 45% [6][3] - The government plans to issue 4.4 trillion yuan in new local government special bonds in 2025, focusing on investment construction and land acquisition [6] Infrastructure Investment - Fixed asset investment growth has slowed, with a total of 248,654 billion yuan in the first half of 2025, reflecting a 2.8% year-on-year increase [27] - Infrastructure investment remains resilient, with significant growth in the electricity, heat, gas, and water supply sectors, which saw a 22.8% year-on-year increase [35][30] Real Estate Market - Real estate investment and sales continue to decline, with a 3.5% decrease in commodity housing sales area in the first half of 2025 [44] - New construction and completion areas have seen a narrowing decline, with new construction down 20.0% year-on-year but improving from previous months [46] Fund Holdings in Construction - Fund holdings in the construction sector have slightly increased, with a market value of 132.95 billion yuan in Q2 2025, reflecting a 9.24% increase from Q1 2025 [65] - The construction sector remains underweight compared to the standard allocation, indicating potential for growth [65][66] Recommendations - The report recommends focusing on stable growth, high dividends, overseas expansion, and regional construction projects, highlighting companies such as China State Construction, China Railway, and others [3][1]

Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Recommended" rating for the construction industry [1] Core Viewpoints - Infrastructure investment growth remains robust, with special bond issuance accelerating to support major projects [3][6] - Real estate investment and sales are under pressure, but the decline in new construction and completion has narrowed [3][44] - The construction sector is experiencing a slight increase in fund holdings, indicating a low allocation compared to standard benchmarks [3][65] Summary by Sections Special Bond Issuance - The pace of special bond issuance has accelerated in 2025, with a total of 2.16 trillion yuan issued in the first half of the year, a 45% year-on-year increase [6] - The government plans to issue 4.4 trillion yuan in new local government special bonds this year, focusing on infrastructure and housing projects [6] Infrastructure Investment - Fixed asset investment (excluding rural households) reached 24.87 trillion yuan in the first half of 2025, with a year-on-year growth of 2.8% [3][27] - Broad infrastructure investment growth was 8.9%, while narrow infrastructure investment growth was 4.6% [30] - Investment in electricity, heat, gas, and water supply grew by 22.8%, while transportation and storage investment increased by 5.6% [3][35] Real Estate Market - Real estate development investment totaled 46.66 billion yuan, down 11.2% year-on-year, with sales area declining by 3.5% [44] - New construction area decreased by 20.0%, but the decline rate has narrowed [46] - The policy measures are expected to improve the supply-demand structure in the real estate market [3][44] Fund Holdings in Construction - As of Q2 2025, the fund holdings in the construction sector accounted for 0.43% of the total market, slightly up from the previous quarter [65] - The construction sector remains underweight compared to the standard allocation ratio of 1.77% [65] - Institutional investors are increasingly favoring segments such as housing construction, decoration, and engineering consulting [65][71]