Share:


Bubbles or cycles? Housing price dynamics in China’s major cities

    Jing Li   Affiliation
    ; Yigang Wei   Affiliation
    ; Yat Hung Chiang   Affiliation

Abstract

Based on the monthly data of 35 cities during the period 2006−2017, this study adopts a recursive forward looking method to detect the presence of housing bubbles and investigate their potential cyclical patterns in China’s large and medium sized cities. Empirical results show that the number of cities reporting housing bubbles has been increasing since 2013, before it declined in 2017. Regarding regional disparities of housing bubbles, 1st-tier and 1.5-tier cities have higher probability than 2nd-tier cities for housing bubbles. In general, eastern region cities have more housing bubbles than central and western region cities, which may indicate the problem of shrinking cities China is facing nowadays. Bubble signals for market correction in major cities and municipalities seemed alarming in particular for the period 2013−2016, however it is difficult to conclude if the market adjustment in 2017 indicates a cyclical pattern.


First published online 19 December 2019

Keyword : housing bubble, price-to-rent ratio, turning point, cyclical adjustment, regional disparities, China

How to Cite
Li, J., Wei, Y., & Chiang, Y. H. (2020). Bubbles or cycles? Housing price dynamics in China’s major cities. International Journal of Strategic Property Management, 24(2), 90-101. https://doi.org/10.3846/ijspm.2019.11535
Published in Issue
Jan 9, 2020
Abstract Views
2318
PDF Downloads
1174
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

References

Ahuja, A., Cheung, L., Han, G., Porter, N., & Zhang, W. (2010). Are house prices rising too fast in China? (IMF Working Paper, pp. 1-31). https://doi.org/10.5089/9781455210817.001

Barberis, N., Shleifer, A., & Vishny, R. (1998). A model of investor sentiment. Journal of Financial Economics, 49, 307-343. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-405X(98)00027-0

Barberis, N., Huang, M., & Santos, T. (2001). Prospect theory and asset prices. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 116(1), 1-53. https://doi.org/10.1162/003355301556310

Benjamin, J. D., Chinloy, P., & Jud, G. D. (2004). Real estate versus financial wealth in consumption. Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, 29, 341-354. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:REAL.0000036677.42950.98

Black, A., Fraser, P., & Hoesli, M. (2006). House prices, fundamentals and bubbles. Journal of Business Finance and Accounting, 33(9/10), 1535-1555. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-5957.2006.00638.x

Hong, T., Xi, B., & Gao, B. (2007). Co-movement of real estate prices and spatial diffusion of bubbles: evidence from 35 metropolis in China from 2000 to 2005. Statistical Research, 24(8), 64-67.

Bourassa, S. C., Hoesli, M., & Oikarinen, E. (2019). Measuring house price bubbles. Real Estate Economics, 47(2), 534-563. https://doi.org/10.1111/1540-6229.12154

Brunnermeier, M. K. (2008). Bubbles. In S. N. Durlauf, & L. E. Blume (Eds.), The new Palgrave dictionary of economics (2nd ed.). New York: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95121-5_44-2

Campbell, J., & Shiller, R. (1988). The dividend-price ratio and expectations of future dividends and discount factors. Review of Financial Studies, 1(3), 195-227. https://doi.org/10.1093/rfs/1.3.195

Case, K. E., & Shiller, R. J. (1989). The efficiency of the market for single-family homes. American Economic Review, 79(1), 125-137.

Case, K. E., & Shiller, R. J. (2003). Is there a bubble in the housing market? Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, 34(2), 299-362. https://doi.org/10.1353/eca.2004.0004

Chen, T., Lang, W., Chan, E. H. W., & Phillip, C. (2018). Lhasa: urbanising China in the frontier regions. Cities, 74, 343-353. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2017.12.009

Choy, L. H., & Li, V. J. (2017). The role of higher education in China’s inclusive urbanization. Cities, 60, 504-510. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2016.04.008

Clark, S. P., & Coggin, T. D. (2011). Was there a U.S. house price bubble? An econometric analysis using national and regional panel data. Quarterly Review of Economics & Finance, 51(2), 189-200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.qref.2010.12.001

Coleman IV, M., LaCour-Little, M., & Vandell, K. D. (2008). Subprime lending and the housing bubble: tail wags dog? Journal of Housing Economics, 17(4), 272-290. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhe.2008.09.001

Deng, Y., Morck, R., Wu, J., & Yeung, B. (2011). Monetary and fiscal stimuli, ownership structure, and China’s housing market (Working Paper No. 16871). National Bureau of Economic Research. https://doi.org/10.3386/w16871

Deng, Y., Morck, R., Wu, J., & Yeung, B. (2015). China’s pseudomonetary policy. Review of Finance, 19(1), 55-93. https://doi.org/10.1093/rof/rfu026

Diba, B. T., & Grossman, H. I. (1988). Explosive rational bubbles in stock prices? American Economic Review, 78(3), 520-530.

Dreger, C., & Zhang, Y. (2013). Is there a bubble in the Chinese housing market? Urban Policy and Research, 31(1), 27-39. https://doi.org/10.1080/08111146.2012.711248

Du, Z., & Zhang, L. (2015). Home-purchase restriction, property tax and housing price in China: a counterfactual analysis. Journal of Econometrics, 188(2), 558-568. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeconom.2015.03.018

Englund, P., Hwang, M., & Quigley, J. M. (2002). Hedging housing risk. Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, 24, 167-200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeconom.2015.03.018

Evans, G. W. (1991). Pitfalls in testing for explosive bubbles in asset prices. The American Economic Review, 81(4), 922-930.

Feng, Q., & Wu, G. L. (2015). Bubble or riddle? An asset-pricing approach evaluation on China’s housing market. Economic Modelling, 46, 376-383. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econmod.2015.02.004

Fernández-Kranz, D., & Hon, M. T. (2006). A cross-section analysis of the income elasticity of housing demand in Spain: is there a real estate bubble? Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, 32(4), 449-470. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11146-006-6962-9

Flood, R., & Hodrick, R. (1990). On testing for speculative bubbles. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 4(2), 85-101. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.4.2.85

Glaeser, E. (2013). A nation of gamblers: real estate speculation and American history. The American Economic Review, 103(3), 1-42. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.103.3.1

Glaeser, E. L., Gyourko, J., & Saiz, A. (2008). Housing supply and housing bubbles. Journal of Urban Economics, 64(2), 198-217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jue.2008.07.007

Glaeser, E., Huang, W., Ma, Y., & Shleifer, A. (2016). A real estate boom with Chinese characteristics (Working Paper No. 22789). National Bureau of Economic Research. https://doi.org/10.3386/w22789

Goodman, A. C., & Thibodeau, T. G. (2008). Where are the speculative bubbles in us housing markets? Journal of Housing Economics, 17(2), 117-137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhe.2007.12.001

Helbling, T., & Terrones, M. (2003). When bubbles burst. In Word economy outlook (pp. 61-94). Washington, DC: International Monetary Fund.

Himmelberg, C., Mayer, C., & Sinai, T. (2005). Assessing high house prices: bubbles, fundamentals and misperceptions. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 19(4), 67-92. https://doi.org/10.1257/089533005775196769

Hou, Y. (2010). Housing price bubbles in Beijing and Shanghai? A multi-indicator analysis. International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis, 3(1), 17-37. https://doi.org/10.1108/17538271011027050

Huang, Z. (2013). A study of household finance in China (Doctoral dissertation, Lingnan University, Hong Kong). Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/1e08/3e553b818de258c5e623e1b2878ee3afa52b.pdf?_ga=2.196997669.881163299.1574068484-601170192.1535370806

Hui, E. C. M., & Ng, I. (2009). Price discovery of property markets in Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Construction Management and Economics, 27(12), 1175-1196. https://doi.org/10.1080/01446190903365640

Hui, E. C. M., & Shen, Y. (2006). Housing price bubbles in Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai: a comparative study. Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, 33(4), 299-327. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11146-006-0335-2

Hui, E. C. M., & Wang, Z. (2014). Price anomalies and effectiveness of macro control policies: evidence from Chinese housing markets. Land Use Policy, 39(3), 96-109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2014.04.003

Hui, E. C. M., Liang, C., Wang, Z., Song, B. T., & Gu, Q. (2012). Real estate bubbles in China: a tale of two cities. Construction Management and Economics, 30(11), 951-961. https://doi.org/10.1080/01446193.2012.714871

Hui, E. C. M., Ng, I., & Lau, M. F. O. (2011). Speculative bubbles in mass and luxury properties: an investigation of the Hong Kong residential market. Construction Management and Economics, 29(8), 781-793. https://doi.org/10.1080/01446193.2011.610329

Hui, E. C., Carisa, K. W., & Ip, W. C. (2010). Jump point detection for real estate investment success. Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 389(5), 1055-1064. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physa.2009.11.022

Hui, E. C., Wang, Z., & Wong, H. (2014). Risk and credit change in Asian securitized real estate market. Habitat International, 43, 221-230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2014.03.008

Kindleberger, C. P. (1978). Economic response: comparative studies in trade, finance, and growth. Harvard University Press.

Lang, W., Chen, T., & Li, X. (2016). A new style of urbanization in China: transformation of urban rural communities. Habitat International, 55, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2015.10.009

Lang, W., Chen, T., Chan, E. H., Yung, E. H., & Lee, T. C. (2019). Understanding livable dense urban form for shaping the landscape of community facilities in Hong Kong using fine-scale measurements. Cities, 84, 34-45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2018.07.003

Lang, W., Long, Y., & Chen, T. (2018). Rediscovering Chinese cities through the lens of land-use patterns. Land Use Policy, 79, 362-374. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2018.08.031

Lang, W., Radke, J. D., Chen, T., & Chan, E. H. (2016). Will affordability policy transcend climate change? A new lens to reexamine equitable access to healthcare in the San Francisco Bay Area. Cities, 58, 124-136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2016.05.014

Li, J. (2013). What causes China’s property boom? Property Management, 31(1), 4-21. https://doi.org/10.1108/02637471311295388

Li, J. V. (2016). Housing policies in Hong Kong, China and the People’s Republic of China (Working Paper No. 566). Asian Development Bank Institute. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2768070

Li, J., & Chiang, Y. H. (2012). What pushes up China’s real estate price? International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis, 5(2), 161-176. https://doi.org/10.1108/17538271211225913

Li, J., & Xu, Y. (2016). Evaluating restrictive measures containing housing prices in China: a data envelopment analysis approach. Urban Studies, 53(12), 2654-2669. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042098015594594

Li, J., Xu, Y., & Chiang, Y. H. (2014). Property prices and housing affordability in China: a regional comparison. Journal of Comparative Asian Development, 13(3), 405-435. https://doi.org/10.1080/15339114.2014.927747

Li, V. J., Cheng, A. W. W., & Cheong, T. S. (2017). Home purchase restriction and housing price: a distribution dynamics analysis. Regional Science and Urban Economics, 67, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.regsciurbeco.2017.08.002

Li, X. L. (2007). Analysis of the current high housing prices in China and possible policies (Master’s thesis, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden). Retrieved from https://docplayer.net/10779715-Analysis-of-the-current-high-housingprices-in-china-and-possible-policies.html

Lin, W. Y., & Tsai, I. (2016). Asymmetric fluctuating behavior of China’s housing prices. China & World Economy, 24(2), 107126. https://doi.org/10.1111/cwe.12153

Lind, H. (2009). Price bubbles in housing markets: concept, theory and indicators. International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis, 2, 78-90. https://doi.org/10.1108/17538270910939574

Liu, H., & Shen, Y. (2005). Housing prices and general economic conditions: an analysis of Chinese new dwelling market. Tsinghua Science and Technology, 10(3), 334-343. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1007-0214(05)70078-X

Liu, W. C. (2016). Do multiple housing bubbles exist in China? Further evidence from generalized Sup ADF tests. Journal for Economic Forecasting, 19(4), 135-145.

Lu, Y., Guo, H., Kao, E. H., & Fung, H. G. (2015). Shadow banking and firm financing in China. International Review of Economics & Finance, 36, 40-53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iref.2014.11.006

McCarthy, J., & Peach, R. W. (2004). Are home prices the next bubble? Economic Policy Review, 10(3), 1-17.

Meese, R., & Wallace, N. (1994). Testing the present value relation for housing prices: should I leave my house in San Francisco? Journal of Urban Economics, 35(3), 245-266. https://doi.org/10.1006/juec.1994.1015

Mikhed, V., & Zemčík, P. (2009). Testing for bubbles in housing markets: a panel data approach. Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, 38(4), 366-386. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11146-007-9090-2

Pitros, C., & Arayici, Y. (2016). How to identify housing bubbles? A decision support model. International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis, 9(2), 190-221. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHMA-01-2015-0002

Ren, Y., Xiong, C., & Yuan, Y. (2012). House price bubbles in China. China Economic Review, 23(4), 786-800. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chieco.2012.04.001

Ren, Z. P. (2016). Global real estate bubble: cause, boom, bust, and hindsight (in Chinese). Retrieved from http://wallstreetcn.com/node/261365

Shen, L. (2012). Are house prices too high in China? China Economic Review, 23(4), 1206-1210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chieco.2012.03.008

Shih, Y. N., Li, H. C., & Qin, B. (2014). Housing price bubbles and inter-provincial spillover: evidence from China. Habitat International, 43, 142-151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2014.02.008

Shiller, R. (1981). Do stock prices move too much to be justified by subsequent changes in dividends? American Economic Review, 71(3), 421-436. https://doi.org/10.3386/w0456

Shiller, R. (1992). Market volatility. Massachusetts: MIT Press.

Shiller, R. (2013). Speculative asset prices (Nobel price lecture) (Cowles Foundation Discussion Paper No. 1936). https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2391284

Shleifer, A., & Vishny, R. W. (1997). The limits of arbitrage. The Journal of Finance, 52(1), 35-55. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6261.1997.tb03807.x

Sun, W., Zheng, S., Geltner, D., & Wang, R. (2017). The housing market effects of local home purchase restrictions: evidence from Beijing. Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, 55(3), 288-312. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11146-016-9586-8

Tang, B. S., Wong S. W., & Liu, S. C. (2011). Institutions, property taxation and local government finance in China. Urban Studies, 48(5), 847-875. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042098010363497

The People’s Bank of China. (2016). Statistical reports on the loans destination of Financial institutions. Retrieved from http://www.pbc.gov.cn/rmyh/106866/index.html

Tsai, S. L., Kung, H. H., & Haga, K. Y. A. (2015). Testing for multiple bubbles in the 35 large and medium cities of real estate price in China. Theoretical and Applied Economics, 22(4), 275-290.

Wang, S., Chan, S. H., & Xu, B. (2012). The estimation and determinants of the price elasticity of housing supply: evidence from China. Journal of Real Estate Research, 34(3), 311-344.

Wei, Y. G., Huang, C., Li, J., & Xie, L. L. (2016). An evaluation model for urban carrying capacity: a case study of China’s mega-cities. Habitat International, 53, 87-96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2015.10.025

Wei, Y. G., Lam, P. T. I., Chiang, Y. H., & Leung, B. Y. P. (2010, June 1-2). Real estate private equity funds in China: a literature review. In Proceedings of the Second International Postgraduate Conference on Infrastructure and Environment (Vol. 2, pp. 155-165), Hong Kong, China.

Wei, Y. G., Lam, P. T. I., Chiang, Y. H., & Leung, B. Y. P. (2014). The effects of monetary policy on real estate investment in China: a regional perspective. International Journal of Strategic Property Management, 18(4), 368-379. https://doi.org/10.3846/1648715X.2014.971087

Wei, Y., Lam, P. T. I., Chiang, Y. H., Leung, B. Y. P., & Seabrooke, W. (2014). An exploratory analysis of impediments to China’s credit control on the real estate industry: an institutional perspective. Journal of Contemporary China, 23(85), 44-67. https://doi.org/10.1080/10670564.2013.809978

Weng, Y., & Gong, P. (2017). On price co-movement and volatility spillover effects in China’s housing markets. International Journal of Strategic Property Management, 21(3), 240-255. https://doi.org/10.3846/1648715X.2016.1271369

Wind Database. (2016). Retrieved from https://www.wind.com.cn/en/edb.html

Wu, J., Gyourko, J., & Deng, Y. (2012). Evaluating conditions in major Chinese housing markets. Regional Science and Urban Economics, 42(3), 531-543. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.regsciurbeco.2011.03.003

Wu, J., Gyourko, J., & Deng, Y. (2015). Real estate collateral value and investment: the case of China. Journal of Urban Economics, 86, 43-53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jue.2014.12.006

Wu, X. (2015). An introduction to Chinese local government debt. Retrieved from http://gcfp.mit.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Policy-Report-of-Chinese-Local-Government-Debt-final.pdf

Xie, Y., & Jin, Y. (2015). Household wealth in China. Chinese Sociological Review, 47(3), 203-229. https://doi.org/10.1080/21620555.2015.1032158

Xu, X. E., & Chen, T. (2012). The effect of monetary policy on real estate price growth in China. Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, 20(1), 62-77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pacfin.2011.08.001

Yang, J., Yu, Z., & Deng, Y. (2018). Housing price spillovers in China: a high-dimensional generalized VAR approach. Regional Science and Urban Economics, 68, 98-114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.regsciurbeco.2017.10.016

Yiu, M. S., & Jin, L. (2012). Detecting bubbles in the Hong Kong residential property market: an explosive-pattern approach (Working Paper No. 1). Hong Kong Institute for Monetary Research. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1988839

Yiu, M. S., Yu, J., & Jin, L. (2013). Detecting bubbles in Hong Kong residential property market. Journal of Asian Economics, 28, 115-124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asieco.2013.04.005

Yu, H. (2011). Size and characteristic of housing bubbles in China’s major cities: 1999–2010. China & World Economy, 19(6), 56-75. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-124X.2011.01266.x

Yu, H. (2015). The spillovers and heterogeneous responses of housing prices: a GVAR analysis of China’s 35 major cities. Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy, 20(4), 535-558. https://doi.org/10.1080/13547860.2015.1045527

Yu, H., & Huang, Y. (2016). Regional heterogeneity and the trans-regional interaction of housing prices and inflation: evidence from China’s 35 major cities. Urban Studies, 53(16), 3472-3492. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042098015617882

Zhang, Y., Hua, X., & Zhao, L. (2012). Exploring determinants of housing prices: a case study of Chinese experience in 1999– 2010. Economic Modelling, 29(6), 2349-2361. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econmod.2012.06.025

Zhou, W. X., & Sornette, D. (2003). 2000–2003 real estate bubble in the UK but not in the USA. Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 329(1), 249-263. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-4371(03)00600-9

Zhu, X., Li, Y., Wei, Y., Zheng, X., & Xie, L. (2019). Temporalspatial characteristics of urban land use efficiency of China’s 35 mega cites based on DEA: decomposing technology and scale efficiency. Land Use Policy, 88, 104083. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2019.104083

Zhu, X., Zhang, Z., Wei, Y., Li, Y., & Zhao, H. (2019). Measuring the efficiency and driving factors of urban land use based on the DEA method and the PLS-SEM model – a case study of 35 large and medium-sized cities in China. Sustainable Cities and Society, 50, 101646. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2019.101646