Core Viewpoint - The HSBC 12th China Conference in Shenzhen gathered global business leaders, executives, and investors to discuss macro trends, economic landscape, and business transformations in China [1] Group 1: Investment Environment - The discussion highlighted the new situation facing Chinese stock market investments amid global market volatility, U.S. tariff uncertainties, and monetary policy [1] - Key industry hotspots include technology driven by the "DeepSeek Moment," AI investment enthusiasm, real estate recovery prospects, changing consumer trends, and structural reforms in traditional industry sectors [1] Group 2: Market Challenges - The complexity of market themes includes the impact of deflation and "involution" on market profitability, with the effectiveness of policy responses and industry consolidation still under observation [1] - The "Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect" southbound capital flow introduces new issues regarding asset allocation, market dynamics, and capital repatriation for mainland investors [1] Group 3: Conference Insights - The roundtable discussion provided diverse perspectives and professional insights on new investment opportunities in the Chinese market [1] - The conference serves as an important opportunity for investors to understand the Chinese market and seize investment opportunities, promoting deeper integration of the Chinese market with global capital [1]

Core Insights - Goldman Sachs predicts that the current decline in China's real estate market, which began in 2021, has only completed 40% of its total expected drop, with an additional 60% decline anticipated before reaching the bottom by the end of 2027 [5][6][18] Market Analysis - The report evaluates the current state of the Chinese real estate market by comparing it to historical global real estate crashes, forecasting a potential further decline of 10% in property prices [6][9] - Since the peak in Q4 2021, Chinese property prices have already dropped by 20%, and the market is expected to follow a typical crash pattern, indicating a prolonged downturn [6][14] Supply and Demand Dynamics - The current oversupply in the housing market is significant, with a reported 750 million square meters of unsold residential properties, suggesting that it could take two to three years to digest the existing inventory [7][9] - The demographic shift indicates a decrease in the primary home-buying age group (25-39 years), with a projected reduction of 42 million individuals by 2027, leading to diminished demand [7][9] Financial Strain on Consumers - The household debt-to-GDP ratio has reached 63.5%, comparable to developed nations, with housing affordability becoming a critical issue, particularly in major cities like Beijing and Shanghai where the price-to-income ratio exceeds 12 times [7][9] Policy Response and Market Stability - Despite numerous government measures aimed at stabilizing the housing market, such as lowering down payment ratios and interest rates, the fundamental issues of population decline, high inventory, and elevated debt levels remain unresolved [9][11] - The government's approach has shifted from attempting to boost prices to merely preventing a rapid decline, indicating a more cautious stance in policy implementation [9][11] Regional Variations - Different cities are experiencing varying degrees of impact, with first-tier cities expected to stabilize by late 2025 after a cumulative drop of up to 20%, while second-tier cities may see declines of up to 25% [14][16] - In contrast, third and fourth-tier cities are facing severe challenges, with potential price drops of 40% or more, making recovery to 2021 peak prices unlikely [14][16] Future Outlook - The real estate sector is anticipated to see a more pronounced recovery by 2026, contingent upon successful debt restructuring and improved market confidence [6][9] - Investors are expected to reassess valuations post-debt resolution and inventory clearance, with a gradual normalization of credit conditions benefiting leading private developers [6][9]

Group 1: Market Recovery Insights - Key cities show better-than-expected recovery, with a 3% year-on-year decline in new residential sales in the first four months of 2025, compared to a national average of -2.8%[13] - After the 926 policy, the cumulative decline in the industry has narrowed significantly, indicating a positive trend in the market[6] - The supply-demand situation continues to improve, with sales area exceeding new construction area, completion area, and land acquisition area[16] Group 2: Policy and Economic Factors - The policy cycle is on an upward trend, potentially accelerating recovery, with the possibility of synchronized monetary policy cycles between China and the US[38] - The average loan interest rate for public housing funds in some cities has decreased to around 2.6%, making monthly payments comparable to rental levels, which supports first-time homebuyers[44] - The overall funding retention rate in the industry turned positive in March 2025 after 12 months of decline, indicating improved financial health[17] Group 3: Inventory and Construction Trends - As of April 2025, the monthly available housing inventory in 35 sample cities decreased by 5.5 million square meters from the peak in January 2022, with an inventory clearance cycle of 20.33 months[27] - New construction continues to decline, with total new starts in 2024 approaching levels seen in 2006, indicating a persistent supply shortage[31] - The construction area has decreased from 9.8 billion square meters in December 2021 to 6.2 billion square meters in April 2025, reflecting a significant contraction in the industry[19] Group 4: International Recovery Comparisons - Historical data shows that recovery cycles generally last longer than downturn cycles, with an average recovery period of 9 years compared to 6 years for downturns[73] - Factors such as urbanization rate, M2 growth, population growth, and GDP growth significantly influence the duration of recovery cycles[74] - Current urbanization rate in China is 67%, below the international benchmark of 75%, suggesting potential for further recovery in the real estate market[75]

Investment Rating - The industry investment rating is "Positive" (maintained) [1] Core Viewpoints - The sales area decline has continued to narrow in the first four months of 2025, with high-energy cities showing higher transaction heat [5][14] - The new housing starts have decreased significantly, impacting construction data, while completion areas are still declining year-on-year [6][19] - The decline in real estate development investment has expanded, with weak willingness to start new projects [7][20] - Domestic loan growth has turned positive, but sales collection pressure remains significant [24] Summary by Sections Sales Performance - In the first four months of 2025, the national commodity housing sales area was 283 million square meters, down 2.8% year-on-year, with residential sales area down 2.1% [5][14] - The sales amount for commodity housing was 2.70 trillion yuan, down 3.2% year-on-year, with residential sales amount down 1.9% [5][14] - In April 2025, the sales area and amount were down 2.1% and 6.7% year-on-year, respectively, with a monthly average price decline of 4.7% [5][14] Construction and Investment - The new housing starts in the first four months of 2025 were 178 million square meters, down 23.8% year-on-year [6][19] - The completion area was 156 million square meters, down 16.9% year-on-year, indicating continued pressure on construction [6][19] - Real estate development investment in the first four months was 2.77 trillion yuan, down 10.3% year-on-year, primarily due to declining new starts [7][20] Financing and Market Outlook - The total funds available for real estate development enterprises were 3.26 trillion yuan, down 4.1% year-on-year, with domestic loans showing a positive growth of 0.8% [24] - The investment suggestion indicates a recovery trend in core cities since March 2025, with a recommendation for companies that can capture improvement-driven customer demand [30]