Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Hong Kong Bubble?: Hong Kong Residential Property Prices January 2011

There has been much speculation recently about an ongoing price bubble occurring in the Hong Kong residential property market.

The University of Hong Kong’s Residential Real Estate Series (HKU-REIS) indicated that, in January, the price of residential properties increased a whopping 2.89% since December climbing 22.12% above the level seen in January 2010.

The “Hong Kong Island” index, “Kowloon” and “New Territories” sub-components also showed notable year-over-year increases with "New Territories" outpacing the pack with notable 4.15% monthly increase while the "Hong Kong Island" series indicated that prices have now far outpaced the prior 1997 peak.

The HKU-REIS is a set of property price indices constructed monthly using a “modified” repeat-sale methodology similar to that of the S&P/Case-Shiller indices yet suited to the Hong Kong property market.