Overview

• New home prices in China fell again in January, with existing home sales experiencing the steepest decline in nine years.
• Beijing's attempts to revive the market, including deregulating home purchases and cutting loan rates, have not succeeded.
• Local governments and lenders face mounting debts as major real estate companies verge on collapse.
• Some analysts see signs of stabilization in a few markets, but the overall outlook remains bleak with expectations of a worsening trend.
• The International Monetary Fund suggests more market-based adjustments and insuring homebuyers against incomplete projects to restore confidence.