How will the US debt crisis affect Hong Kong property prices?
The anxiety of the US debt crisis caused mayhem on the world's stock markets last week, and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong was no exception, dropping nearly 2000 points. The fear of an economic slowdown also apparently affected property sales in Hong Kong, with there being a number of reports of recent buyers of apartments forfeiting deposits and failing to complete purchase agreements for fear that property prices might fall. So called property "experts" in Hong Kong appear divided on whether the recent crisis will have any effect on the continued growth in property prices Hong Kong has seen over the last few years. My own view is that prices are likely to keep rising, after perhaps a month or two of short-term uncertainty. The US Fed said at its last policy meeting that it will keep its benchmark short-term interest rates at close to zero through to at least mid-2013. This ensures continued super-cheap borrowing in HK (due the the HKD peg to the USD), and it means we wil