9 h. ago Hong Kong’s equity market revival helps lift property sector sentiment

Is the tide turning for Hong Kong’s ailing property market? When second-hand home prices are down almost 30 per cent from their peak in August 2021 and rents for grade A offices are more than 40 per cent lower than in the second quarter of 2019, talk of a recovery seems wildly premature. But expectations, sentiment and the prism through which the performance and outlook for the sector are viewed are important. Since the beginning of this year, the mood in Hong Kong has improved markedly. Much of...

Politics

9 h. ago Hong Kong property market’s sources of resilience finally getting noticed

Is the tide turning for Hong Kong’s ailing property market? When second-hand home prices are down almost 30 per cent from their peak in August 2021 and rents for grade A offices are more than 40 per cent lower than in the second quarter of 2019, talk of a recovery seems wildly premature. But expectations, sentiment and the prism through which the performance and outlook for the sector are viewed are important. Since the beginning of this year, the mood in Hong Kong has improved markedly. Much of...

Politics

3 d. ago Bull market in stocks fills Hong Kong’s coffers, plugs holes from property woes

Hong Kong’s stock market stamp duty income is filling the city’s financial coffers at the fastest pace since 2021, amid a bull run on the local bourse that has attracted scores of initial public offerings (IPOs) and fuelled frenzied trading. Duties from transactions and transfers rose to HK$29.69 billion (US$3.78 billion) in the first five months of 2025, according to calculations by the Post based on government data. Contributions from the stock market jumped 42.5 per cent to HK$52.17 billion...

Politics

5 d. ago Hong Kong’s South Lantau ecotourism plans could harm environment: green groups

Hong Kong’s South Lantau ecotourism plans could be reduced to property projects that threaten the environment if authorities fail to set clear guidelines, green groups and academics have warned ahead of Wednesday’s deadline for developers to express their interest. Greenpeace, the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society, seven other groups and an academic also said on Wednesday that the government’s approach, which includes allowing developers to propose ecotourism projects with residential...

Politics

6 d. ago Emperor’s US$2 billion debt woes reflect Hong Kong’s property market risks

Hong Kong developer Emperor International Holdings’ inability to repay HK$16.6 billion (US$2.1 billion) in loans highlights a growing debt crisis among small and medium-sized developers in the city, prompting analysts to warn of more defaults. “High debt ratios have become a mainstream condition among Hong Kong developers, particularly mid-sized developers” amid dropping valuations, low demand, high vacancy rates, falling rental income and high interest rates, said Glen Ho, national turnaround...

Economics

7 d. ago Rebound in Hong Kong’s home prices unlikely to come this year: analysts

The improving sentiment in Hong Kong’s property market has spurred hope for a sustainable recovery in home prices, but analysts suggest the rebound is unlikely to come this year due to an uptrend in mortgage rates and a nagging supply glut. As of Friday, about 9,150 first-hand transactions had been recorded so far this year, a 3.9 per cent increase from a year earlier and a six-year high since 11,580 transactions were recorded in the first half of 2019, according to agents. Growth for lived-in...

Politics

1 week ago Hong Kong tops global list for priciest homes despite slump: Deutsche Bank

Hong Kong remains the world’s most expensive city to buy a home, despite a 20 per cent decline in prices over the past five years, according to the Deutsche Bank Research Institute’s Mapping the World’s Prices report. Despite economic headwinds and high mortgage costs, the average price for a flat in the city centre stood at US$25,946 per square metre – keeping Hong Kong ahead of rivals like Zurich, Singapore and New York, according to the report released on Tuesday, which covered 69 cities...

Politics

1 week ago Japanese manga Chiikawa exhibition to be held in Hong Kong in August

An exhibition centred on the hugely popular Japanese manga series Chiikawa will be held in Hong Kong in the summer, with the event to include eight localised characters created in the form of dim sum such as har gow and siu mai as part of the city’s latest efforts to cash in on the intellectual property economy. The exhibition’s organiser, Hong Kong design studio AllRightsReserved, will sell tickets and distribute free ones for the three-week “Chiikawa Days” show in August. The show will have...

Politics

2 w. ago China’s property slump drives Hong Kong investors to Japan amid yen weakness

Global investors, including those based in Hong Kong, are channelling their funds into Japan’s residential property market as returns from assets in mainland China sag in the midst of a four-year slump, according to market consultants. They ploughed in US$11.2 billion of capital into Japanese real estate in the first quarter, or 6 per cent above the five-year average, according to data compiled by Colliers, making it the fifth largest recipient globally. Investors from the US, Singapore and Hong...

Economics

2 w. ago Hong Kong home market on brink of turnaround, Morgan Stanley says

Hong Kong’s residential property segment is on the verge of a turnaround that could last between four and five years, with home prices likely to rise starting in the second half of the year, according to Morgan Stanley. The US investment bank said the first half of the year would end with prices down 2 per cent from a year earlier, while prices in the second half would rise 2 per cent year on year. The call essentially moves the recovery forward in time and smooths it out compared with the...

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong wealth legacy academy portal links rich patrons with charitable causes

The Hong Kong Academy for Wealth Legacy (HKAWL), chaired by Adrian Cheng Chi-kong, launched a web portal on Tuesday to connect wealthy families with philanthropic initiatives, giving them access to high-impact projects. The Impact Link Online Portal (iLink) will serve as a repository for philanthropic projects that wealthy families can participate in, as well as an online community where they can connect and learn from one another, said Cheng, a former CEO of Hong Kong property giant New World...

Politics

3 w. ago Hong Kong homebuyers snap up Deep Water Pavilia flats amid discounts

The first batch of flats on offer at the Deep Water Pavilia project on the south side of Hong Kong island are expected to sell out, according to property agents, as homebuyers rushed to snap up available units this weekend on the back of discounted pricing and low interest rates. As of 1pm on Saturday, 75 of the 138 flats on offer at the New World Development (NWD)-led luxury residential project in Wong Chuk Hang were snapped up, about four hours after sales started, property agents said. All...

Politics

3 w. ago Hong Kong homebuyers snap up all Deep Water Pavilia flats on offer this weekend

The first batch of flats on offer at the Deep Water Pavilia project on the south side of Hong Kong island sold out on Saturday, according to property agents, as homebuyers rushed to snap up available units on the back of discounted pricing and low interest rates. As of 4 pm, all 138 flats on offer at the New World Development (NWD)-led luxury residential project in Wong Chuk Hang were sold for a grand total of HK$1.53 billion (US$196 million), just seven hours after sales started, property...

Politics

3 w. ago Indebted owner’s luxury property on The Peak on sale at 30% discount

Distressed sales in Hong Kong’s luxury property market persist, with a mansion on The Peak now listed at two-thirds the purchase price six years ago. The three-storey detached house in Twelve Peaks at 12 Mount Kellett Road, developed by Sun Hung Kai Properties, has been put up for sale for HK$330 million (US$42 million) by the creditor, according to Colliers, which has been appointed as the sole agent for the asset. Yip Yuen Sai bought the property for HK$450 million in 2019, according to the...

Economics

4 w. ago Hibor plunge a bigger deal for stock market than Hong Kong’s property sector

Hong Kong needs all the help it can get. Since 2018, the city has suffered one shock after another, preventing a meaningful recovery from taking hold and fuelling concerns about its position as a global financial centre. As an importer of US monetary policy with an economy that is far more synchronised with that of mainland China, Hong Kong has been the biggest casualty of economic and policy divergence between the world’s two largest economies, prompting renewed questions about the suitability...

Economics