Taiwan’s property market weakened last month, with transaction volumes across the six major municipalities falling to their lowest level for the same month in years, as geopolitical tensions and a strong rally in local equities damped buying momentum.
Data compiled by local land administration offices showed that property transfers in Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung totaled 15,685 units, down 14.2 percent from March and a retreat of 7.1 percent from a year earlier. The figure marked the weakest April performance in eight years.
Cumulative transfers for the first four months of this year in the six cities reached 62,688 units, down 3.4 percent year-on-year and the lowest for the same period in nine years, underscoring persistent cooling despite the traditional spring peak season.
Photo: CNA
All six cities posted monthly declines, with transactions falling 17.9 percent in Taipei and 20.7 percent in New Taipei City, while Taoyuan dropped 15.3 percent and Taichung saw a milder 1.7 percent decrease. Tainan and Kaohsiung declined 13.7 percent and 14.1 percent respectively.
The data typically lag deals by about a month and largely reflect market conditions from March to early last month, when escalating tensions in the Middle East roiled global markets, Evertrust Rehouse Co (永慶房屋) deputy research manager Chen Chin-ping (陳金萍) said.
“Heightened uncertainty led prospective homebuyers to adopt a more cautious stance, which in turn suppressed transaction momentum,” Chen said.
Although financial markets began to stabilize this month and some end-user demand has started to return, particularly in the secondary market, a lack of large-scale new housing completions continued to weigh on overall volumes, she said.
The subdued performance is notable given that March and April are usually peak months for housing transactions, suggesting demand has been unusually restrained this year.
Chinatrust Real Estate Co (中信房屋) attributed part of the decline to fewer working days due to holidays and reduced handovers of new projects.
More significantly, a strong rally in Taiwan’s stock market drew investor attention and diverted capital away from the property market, it said, adding that prospective buyers have opted to remain in equities in search of higher returns, delaying home purchases.
The benchmark TAIEX continued to set new closing records yesterday, closing up 64.15 points, or 0.16 percent, at 40,769.29.
While the crowding-out effect from equities might persist in the near term, Chinatrust said medium to long-term fundamentals remain supportive.
A more accommodative stance by the central bank toward owner-occupiers, along with Taiwan’s stable economic backdrop, should help underpin confidence, it said.
Upcoming local elections, infrastructure projects and pent-up demand could also provide support, allowing transaction volumes to recover modestly later this year, it added.
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