On HCM City bourse, investors fancy property stocks

The recovery in the property sector has see trading in real estate stocks shoot up, delegates tell a seminar on why investors find listed property companies attractive in HCM City on Monday.-VNS Photo Xuan Huong

Dang Tran Hai Dang, deputy director of Vietinbank Securities Joint Stock Company's Research Centre, said this was much higher than sectors like resources (730 million), construction materials (637 million) and food and beverages (385 million).

There are 28 real estate companies listed on the HCM City Stock Exchange, accounting for 13 per cent of its market capitalisation.

The prices of real estate stocks have risen by 4.2 per cent in the period, compared to 2.61 per cent for chemical companies and 2.56 per cent for the medical sector, he said.

Le Hoang Lan Nhu Ngoc of CBRE Viet Nam said the recovery in the property market has made the stocks of real estate companies more attractive.

The supply of mid-level apartments surged 33 per cent in the second quarter, while that of luxury apartments increased by 18-20 per cent, she said.

She listed the factors stimulating demand, saying the amendments to the housing law allowing foreigners to buy property has created a euphoria in the market, with 700 foreigners buying houses by the end of the first quarter.

The prospects for the economy, especially the real estate market, are good, she said.

Some 600 new real estate firms sprang up in the first quarter, an increase of 146 per cent year-on-year, she said.

The real estate inventory shrank by 26 per cent in the first half, she said.

Infrastructure development, including metro lines, has created a surge in both supply and demand, especially in the eastern part of the city (along route No. 1), she said.

A young population with high marriage and divorce ratios means large demand for housing, she added.

Dang said the middle-income segment has seen an increase in demand, accounting for 54 per cent of all apartment sales in HCM City in the first quarter.

He provided investors with information about ongoing property projects by listed companies, especially projects for middle- income people.

Delegates agreed that the mid-level segment would see solid growth in the coming time.

The seminar was organised by the HCM City Stock Exchange, VietinBank Sc, Thu Duc Housing Development Corporation, and CBRE Viet Nam.