Analysis: China developers launch funds to bridge finance gap

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s fledgling real estate investment fund market could see a surge of activity in 2012 as property developers launch their own vehicles in a desperate bid to bridge an estimated $111 billion financing gap in the year ahead.
A government-led clampdown on bank, bond, equity and trust market financing for real estate has left developers with little choice other than to set up their own funds, which have raised barely 10 percent of the sum in the past two years that needs to be found to refinance maturing debt in 2012.
On the upside, China‘s high net-wealth families still favor property investment and funds give them an alternative to buying the physical asset while retaining exposure to the sector.
“Of course, it will take time, but in the next decade, you will see the Chinese property market become more institutionalized,” Frank Marriott, Savills’ senior director of real estate capital markets for the Asia-Pacific, told Reuters.
Time is not on the developers’ side. Slowing sales and falling prices are hitting just as refinancing pressures are soaring. Analysts widely expect industry consolidation to accelerate in 2012 and some players, even big ones, will have to sell assets and quit the market.
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Reuters China Property Watch http://r.reuters.com/deh85s
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About $2.2 billion of syndicated property loans and club deals will become due this year, according to Thomson Reuters data, while a further 117 billion yuan ($18.6 billion) needs to be found to repay maturing real estate trusts.
Add in the other credit lines that need repaying and developers need to find over 700 billion yuan this year, according to Hua Xia Times, a Chinese business newspaper in Beijing.
Major developers such as China Overseas Land & Investment , Gemdale Corp and Forte, are among the first firms to have launched their own funds.
Others including China Vanke , the country’s biggest listed property firm by sales, chose to set up funds jointly with their peers to help each other survive tough times.
And more will follow.
“We must make more friends and widen our financing sources. That will help our future growth,” Zhu Tong, chairman of Sun Real Estate, a mid-sized developer in Beijing, told an industry forum in Beijing last week.
A total of 29 property funds raised $4.1 billion in 2011, a big improvement on the $2.9 billion raised by 28 vehicles in 2010, according to consultancy Zero2IPO.
Industry analysts expect more than $6 billion will be raised in 2012 and that the property fund market will expand at an annual rate of 40-50 percent over the next few years.
The funds target wealthy entrepreneurs, with an investment threshold of 10 million yuan and above and are expected to offer annual returns of at least 25 percent, said Fu Zhe, a Zero2IPO analyst in Beijing.
“Private investors still have a strong interest in the property sector as there are really not many other options for them,” Su Xin, chairman of Go-high Investment, which invests in commercial real estate, told an industry forum last week.
His company’s recent survey in Wenzhou, Ordos and some coal-rich cities in northwestern Shaanxi province — places with some of the biggest speculative property bubbles in the last decade — shows that investment interest in property remains robust.
FUNDING CONSTRAINTS
That’s lucky for Chinese developers given the funding constraints in the wake of government pledges to pull home prices back to a reasonable level after a decade of rocketing real estate inflation that saw prices surge 10-fold in 10 years in key cities across China.
Not only have the major state-backed banks been told to cut credit lines, the government has also halted all financial innovations to channel money into its targeted property sector. These include non-public trust funds launched by Chinese trust firms in private placements to channel funds to the sector and the long-awaited exchange-traded real estate investment trusts (REITs).
But it’s going to take more than luck for developers to survive the financing drought.
Banks have prolonged mortgage loan approvals, forcing developers into a hand-to-mouth existence of surviving on downpayments and then seeing the bulk of the cash from sales going directly to the accounts of contractors and suppliers.
“That means even after you’ve sold residential units at a cheaper price, the cash in your hand still does not increase,” Ren Zhiqiang, the outspoken chairman of Huayuan Property , told a forum last week.
As a result, the balance sheets of many Chinese developers deteriorated in 2011. Greentown China , a major player in eastern China, is now struggling to survive and having to sell assets to do so.
Developers are compelled to dig deep into internal reserves for working capital. Internal funding, including new property funds raised, was 41 percent of total financing in the industry in the first 11 months of 2011, up from 38 percent and 33 percent in the same period of 2010 and 2009 respectively, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
New loans to the property sector accounted for only 17.5 percent of banks’ total new local-currency lending in the first three quarters of 2011, down from 31.1 percent in the year 2007, according to data from the People’s Bank of China.
With Beijing showing no mercy in cracking down on property speculation, developers like Greentown China that expanded rapidly in the past few years and have the high gearings to prove it, will have to sell land and half-built projects to repay debt.
That is why the real estate fund route is considered to have so much potential. It helps developers keep control of their assets and gain control of their finances.
Cao Shaoshan, chairman of Orizon Capital, is excited about the outlook of Chinese property funds.
He believes China’s maturing real estate market means developers will specialize more on construction while outsourcing fundraising. But it won’t happen fast enough for many struggling developers.
“The Chinese property fund sector is still at an infancy stage,” Cao said. “It’s unable to change the financing landscape a lot in the short term.”
(Reporting by Langi Chiang and Nick Edwards; Editing by Matt Driskill)
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China developers launch funds to bridge finance gap

BEIJING, Jan 16 (Reuters) China’s fledgling real estate investment fund market could see a surge of activity in 2012 as property developers launch their own vehicles in a desperate bid to bridge an estimated $111 billion financing gap in the year ahead.
A governmentled clampdown on bank, bond, equity and trust market financing for real estate has left developers with little choice other than to set up their own funds, which have raised barely 10 percent of the sum in the past two years that needs to be found to refinance maturing debt in 2012.
On the upside, China’s high netwealth families still favour property investment and funds give them an alternative to buying the physical asset while retaining exposure to the sector.
“Of course, it will take time, but in the next decade, you will see the Chinese property market become more institutionalised,” Frank Marriott, Savills’ senior director of real estate capital markets for the AsiaPacific, told Reuters.
Time is not on the developers’ side. Slowing sales and falling prices are hitting just as refinancing pressures are soaring.
Analysts widely expect industry consolidation to accelerate in 2012 and some players, even big ones, will have to sell assets and quit the market.
About $2.2 billion of syndicated property loans and club deals will become due this year, according to Thomson Reuters data, while a further 117 billion yuan ($18.6 billion) needs to be found to repay maturing real estate trusts.
Add in the other credit lines that need repaying and developers need to find over 700 billion yuan this year, according to Hua Xia Times, a Chinese business newspaper in Beijing.
Major developers such as China Overseas Land & Investment , Gemdale Corp and Forte, are among the first firms to have launched their own funds.
Others including China Vanke, the country’s biggest listed property firm by sales, chose to set up funds jointly with their peers to help each other survive tough times.
And more will follow.
“We must make more friends and widen our financing sources. That will help our future growth,” Zhu Tong, chairman of Sun Real Estate, a midsized developer in Beijing, told an industry forum in Beijing last week.
A total of 29 property funds raised $4.1 billion in 2011, a big improvement on the $2.9 billion raised by 28 vehicles in 2010, according to consultancy Zero2IPO.
Industry analysts expect more than $6 billion will be raised in 2012 and that the property fund market will expand at an annual rate of 4050 percent over the next few years.
The funds target wealthy entrepreneurs, with an investment threshold of 10 million yuan and above and are expected to offer annual returns of at least 25 percent, said Fu Zhe, a Zero2IPO analyst in Beijing.
“Private investors still have a strong interest in the property sector as there are really not many other options for them,” Su Xin, chairman of Gohigh Investment, which invests in commercial real estate, told an industry forum last week.
His company’s recent survey in Wenzhou, Ordos and some coalrich cities in northwestern Shaanxi province places with some of the biggest speculative property bubbles in the last decade shows that investment interest in property remains robust.
FUNDING CONSTRAINTS
That’s lucky for Chinese developers given the funding constraints in the wake of government pledges to pull home prices back to a reasonable level after a decade of rocketing real estate inflation that saw prices surge 10fold in 10 years in key cities across China.
Not only have the major statebacked banks been told to cut credit lines, the government has also halted all financial innovations to channel money into its targeted property sector.
These include nonpublic trust funds launched by Chinese trust firms in private placements to channel funds to the sector and the longawaited exchangetraded real estate investment trusts (REITs).
But it’s going to take more than luck for developers to survive the financing drought.
Banks have prolonged mortgage loan approvals, forcing developers into a handtomouth existence of surviving on downpayments and then seeing the bulk of the cash from sales going directly to the accounts of contractors and suppliers.
“That means even after you’ve sold residential units at a cheaper price, the cash in your hand still does not increase,” Ren Zhiqiang, the outspoken chairman of Huayuan Property , told a forum last week.
As a result, the balance sheets of many Chinese developers deteriorated in 2011. Greentown China, a major player in eastern China, is now struggling to survive and having to sell assets to do so.
Developers are compelled to dig deep into internal reserves for working capital. Internal funding, including new property funds raised, was 41 percent of total financing in the industry in the first 11 months of 2011, up from 38 percent and 33 percent in the same period of 2010 and 2009 respectively, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
New loans to the property sector accounted for only 17.5 percent of banks’ total new localcurrency lending in the first three quarters of 2011, down from 31.1 percent in the year 2007, according to data from the People’s Bank of China.
With Beijing showing no mercy in cracking down on property speculation, developers like Greentown China that expanded rapidly in the past few years and have the high gearings to prove it, will have to sell land and halfbuilt projects to repay debt.
That is why the real estate fund route is considered to have so much potential. It helps developers keep control of their assets and gain control of their finances.
Cao Shaoshan, chairman of Orizon Capital, is excited about the outlook of Chinese property funds.
He believes China’s maturing real estate market means developers will specialize more on construction while outsourcing fundraising. But it won’t happen fast enough for many struggling developers.
“The Chinese property fund sector is still at an infancy stage,” Cao said. “It’s unable to change the financing landscape a lot in the short term.”
($1 = 6.3155 Chinese yuan)

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For euro zone, the heat is on again

BERLIN (Reuters) – The euro zone crisis seemed to vanish from the headlines for a brief moment as 2011 ticked over into 2012, but it is about to return with a vengeance.
The coming months will be decisive in determining whether European leaders can hold their increasingly fragile currency bloc together or will stumble in the face of a daunting set of political, economic and financial obstacles lined up in their path at the start of the new year.
In Greece, where the crisis started over two years ago, the government is in a race against time to agree a bond-swap deal with banks that is crucial to a new 130 billion euro bailout package from European partners and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Without that package, Athens faces the threat of a debt default in March.
But talks with the banks and investment funds that are being asked to accept 50 percent losses on their Greek bonds to help pay for the bailout have dragged on for weeks, sowing doubts about whether Athens can really deliver.
“The risk of a disorderly Greek default is once again on the rise, with the threat of contagion to Italy and others,” economists at Barclays Capital said last week.
Compounding the challenge, both Greece and France face elections within months that could complicate decision-making at the national level in two key states and thwart the broader bloc’s ability to act swiftly at a time when pressure is high to bed down agreements sealed at an EU summit last month.
A key element of the summit package was a deal to funnel 200 billion euros to the IMF, money that could be used to offer precautionary credit programmes to Italy and possibly Spain.
But the euro zone is struggling to get the 50 billion euros it needs from nations outside the currency bloc to meet its goal. A senior German official told Reuters on condition of anonymity that securing the participation of Britain, which has shown no inclination to contribute, was absolutely crucial.
Even if those funds are secured, neither Italy nor Spain have shown any willingness to accept aid — and the stigma and greater fiscal oversight that would come with it.
Italian 10-year bond yields have pushed back above the 7 percent mark over the past week, approaching record euro-era highs, and both Rome and Madrid must sell bonds this week in the first major market tests of 2012 for the euro zone’s third and fourth biggest economies.
END OF MERKOZY
The Greek election, expected by the end of March, seems unlikely to produce an outright winner, meaning coalition talks could drag out and prolong uncertainty.
In France, polls suggest there is a good chance President Nicolas Sarkozy, who has steered Europe‘s crisis response along with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, could be pushed out of office by his Socialist challenger Francois Hollande.
While Merkel and Sarkozy have polar-opposite temperaments and clashed frequently when the Frenchman first took power in 2007, they are both conservatives, born just half a year apart, and have developed an effective, even close, partnership after years of high-pressure crisis summits.
And after years of frustration with the French president’s shoot-from-the-hip style, government officials in Berlin say they are now worried about the end of “Merkozy”, the most important relationship in Europe, in the middle of the crisis.
A cut in France’s triple-A credit rating in the weeks ahead could also upset the delicate Franco-German balance, although some economists believe it could force the French to accept more far-reaching fiscal reforms, regardless of who wins the two-round election in April and May.
“It won’t be Merkozy anymore. It will be Angela Merkel and (IMF chief) Christine Lagarde dictating policy in Europe,” said French economist Jacques Delpla.
“The next French president, whether its Hollande or Sarkozy, won’t have many options. The deficit will need to be cut, taxes increased and spending cut.”
RECESSION RISK
Fittingly, Merkel and Sarkozy kick off 2012 with a Monday meeting in Berlin to prepare an EU summit scheduled for January 30 that is expected to focus on efforts to boost growth.
That is perhaps the biggest challenge of all for the bloc. After several years of fiscal consolidation to push down debts and deficits swollen by the global financial crisis of 2008/09, the euro zone is headed for recession — a factor that has pushed the euro down to 16-month lows against the dollar.
Even the bloc’s economic powerhouse Germany is at risk of recession. Greece is entering its fifth straight year of contraction, with no hope of paying down its massive debt.
But restoring market confidence in the finances of struggling euro area countries and getting their economies working again seem like contradictory goals at this point.
“In the current market environment there is no room for using a Keynesian-type expansionary fiscal policy to boost demand in countries with low growth – the markets will simply not accept such a strategy,” Deutsche Bank said in a confidential note on the crisis prepared for the German government late last year.
One bright spot is the European Central Bank (ECB), which is showing greater flexibility under its new President Mario Draghi, euro zone officials say.
The ECB’s decision last month to provide cheap long-term loans to banks has helped assuage fears about the financial sector and could support sovereign debt sales going forward.
“We’re already seeing that Draghi is more flexible than Trichet,” the senior German official said, referring to the Italian’s French predecessor Jean-Claude Trichet. “He won’t put a bazooka in the window for everyone to see but he’ll do what it takes.”
The big question is whether this buys Europe’s leaders the time they need to overcome the formidable challenges they face in the new year.
(Reporting by Noah Barkin; Editing by Rosalind Russell)


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New Loans for People With Bad Credit Offered With Highest Dollar Amounts

Beginning 2012, ReallyBadCreditOffers.com will provide new personal loans for bad credit with higher loan amounts to help people who have had their credit damaged during the economic downturn and seeking easy to get approved loan offers with higher payouts.
Fort Lauderdale, FL (PRWEB) January 02, 2012
Money has become difficult to come by whether it is for refinancing mortgages, paying off credit card debt, car loans, college tuition, or just cash to help pay household expenses and stay even with the rising costs of food and gas. For people seeking bad credit loans, new offers will be provided by ReallyBadCreditOffers.com with higher loan amounts approved than previous offers.
The website offers visitors easy to follow guides to help people fix their finances and improve their credit. Additionally, visitors can read through what to expect when facing bankruptcy, foreclosure, or other matters commonly associated with money problems and bad credit scores.
“Getting people approved for what they need is our goal, making the lending process easier for borrowers” said Ariel Pryor, loan expert. “We work to help people through emergency financial situations, and then provide the help to rebuild their finances on more solid footing.”
The Federal Reserve has reported sub-prime consumer debt for the 3rd quarter of 2011 at $792.3 billion revolving debt and $1,665.2 billion non revolving debt. These debt amounts have showed little movement throughout 2011 as consumers continue to borrow to get by.
“The average American consumer is facing a perfect storm financially,” reported Pryor. “Getting approved for traditional financing is harder than ever, while more people than ever are facing unemployment, inflation, and high interest bills, all while carrying a bad credit history.”
The U.S. Department Of Agriculture has projected that the costs for all food to increase 3.25 to 3.75%. Grocery store prices are forecast to rise 4.25 to 4.75%. For those fortunate enough to have jobs in this economy, the average wage increase in 2011 was between 2.5% and 3%, which did not keep up with the increase in food costs. This occurred while housing prices fell an additional 3.4% from October 2010 to October 2011.
Rising gas prices, increased food costs and other economic woes hit consumers in the pocketbook, leaving many without the means to stay afloat financially. The website gives bad credit advice and compares the various resources available to help people facing these financial challenges.
“Good people are facing incredible challenges. It is important that people know there are resources to help provide relief.” said Pryor.
The website offers the beleaguered consumer guides to help reduce a households debt burden, tips to pay off high interest credit card debt and a number of bad credit personal loans that are easy to get approved and fund quickly for emergency needs.
About ReallyBadCreditOffers.com

A leading industry source of bad credit services since 2007, ReallyBadCreditOffers.com is continues to work to make rebuilding after bad credit easy and hassle free. The website provides information for lending and credit repair for the consumer to compare as well as loans that offer people easy approvals and quick funding.
Contact:

Ariel Pryor, Financial Expert

http://www.reallybadcreditoffers.com

(520) 344-2001
###
Ariel Pryor
ReallyBadCreditOffers.com
(520) 344-2001
Email Information


http://tourism9.com/

New Loans for People With Bad Credit Offered With Highest Dollar Amounts

Beginning 2012, ReallyBadCreditOffers.com will provide new personal loans for bad credit with higher loan amounts to help people who have had their credit damaged during the economic downturn and seeking easy to get approved loan offers with higher payouts.
Fort Lauderdale, FL (PRWEB) January 02, 2012
Money has become difficult to come by whether it is for refinancing mortgages, paying off credit card debt, car loans, college tuition, or just cash to help pay household expenses and stay even with the rising costs of food and gas. For people seeking bad credit loans, new offers will be provided by ReallyBadCreditOffers.com with higher loan amounts approved than previous offers.
The website offers visitors easy to follow guides to help people fix their finances and improve their credit. Additionally, visitors can read through what to expect when facing bankruptcy, foreclosure, or other matters commonly associated with money problems and bad credit scores.
“Getting people approved for what they need is our goal, making the lending process easier for borrowers” said Ariel Pryor, loan expert. “We work to help people through emergency financial situations, and then provide the help to rebuild their finances on more solid footing.”
The Federal Reserve has reported sub-prime consumer debt for the 3rd quarter of 2011 at $792.3 billion revolving debt and $1,665.2 billion non revolving debt. These debt amounts have showed little movement throughout 2011 as consumers continue to borrow to get by.
“The average American consumer is facing a perfect storm financially,” reported Pryor. “Getting approved for traditional financing is harder than ever, while more people than ever are facing unemployment, inflation, and high interest bills, all while carrying a bad credit history.”
The U.S. Department Of Agriculture has projected that the costs for all food to increase 3.25 to 3.75%. Grocery store prices are forecast to rise 4.25 to 4.75%. For those fortunate enough to have jobs in this economy, the average wage increase in 2011 was between 2.5% and 3%, which did not keep up with the increase in food costs. This occurred while housing prices fell an additional 3.4% from October 2010 to October 2011.
Rising gas prices, increased food costs and other economic woes hit consumers in the pocketbook, leaving many without the means to stay afloat financially. The website gives bad credit advice and compares the various resources available to help people facing these financial challenges.
“Good people are facing incredible challenges. It is important that people know there are resources to help provide relief.” said Pryor.
The website offers the beleaguered consumer guides to help reduce a households debt burden, tips to pay off high interest credit card debt and a number of bad credit personal loans that are easy to get approved and fund quickly for emergency needs.
About ReallyBadCreditOffers.com

A leading industry source of bad credit services since 2007, ReallyBadCreditOffers.com is continues to work to make rebuilding after bad credit easy and hassle free. The website provides information for lending and credit repair for the consumer to compare as well as loans that offer people easy approvals and quick funding.
Contact:

Ariel Pryor, Financial Expert

http://www.reallybadcreditoffers.com

(520) 344-2001
###
Ariel Pryor
ReallyBadCreditOffers.com
(520) 344-2001
Email Information

http://tourism9.com/

Financial Tips For A Budget Friendly New Year

(CBS Detroit) It’s almost the New Year and a challenging economy has taken a toll on many Americans, especially metro Detroiters, over the last few years.
Make 2012 the year you get a fresh start by making sound financial decisions and saving for the future to help weather financial storms. To start off the New Year right, the FINRA Investor Education Foundation is offering 12 practical tips that can help keep your finances on course in 2012.
Here are some of the 2012 financial education tips to consider:

1. Start a Rainy Day Fund. Set aside at least one month of your current salary (and work your way up to three months) in a federally insured savings account. This will give you a cushion to handle medical bills, a short job loss, a surprise car repair or other financial emergency—and help keep your finances under control.
2. Handle Credit Cards With Care. Keep your credit card spending in check and try to pay your credit cards in full. If you have accumulated holiday debt, pay it off as quickly as possible. If you cannot pay your whole monthly bill, at least pay more than the minimum due. Every dollar you pay above the minimum payment can reduce the amount of interest you will pay.
3. Do a Background Check on Your Financial Professional. Far too few investors have reported checking the background of their investment professional with a state or federal regulator. Investing a few minutes of your time to take this free and easy step could save you time, money and other trouble down the road. FINRA BrokerCheck is a free tool that allows investors to check the professional background of brokerage firms and individual brokers.
4. Shop Around For Financial Products. Comparison shopping for financial products—including credit cards, loans and investments—is as crucial as shopping around for a television or phone plan. Saving even a percentage point or two on a loan can make a big difference to your bottom line.

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