CNBC INTERVIEW WITH ECONOMIST Andy Xie
http://www.cnbc.com/id/100350239
Hong Kong, Singapore Home Prices to Halve?
A consequence of rising prices will be an inevitable hike in interest rates by the U.S. Federal Reserve as well as central banks in Asia. This may finally burst a property bubble that's been fuelled by low interest rates in cities such as Singapore and Hong Kong, Xie said.
"The Fed has basically outlined a 2.5 percent inflation limit and so when inflation rises above that, they have to explain why they are not raising interest rates," Xie said.
"In Hong Kong and Singapore, the issue is very much about interest rates. So it's going to be similar to
1998," he added, referring to the property bubble that burst at the peak of the Asian financial crisis.
House prices in the two cities could plunge by half if interest rates go up, he added.
Private home prices in Singapore have risen 56 percent since 2007 and most analysts expect this upward trajectory to continue into the New Year, citing record low benchmark rates for home loans.
In Hong Kong, house prices climbed by about 20 percent in 2012, after gaining 60 percent over the past decade. This was also driven by record low mortgage rates and an inflow of foreign money."