US Real Estate Agency Studley Opens in China – and more of Today’s China Real Estate Links | May 10, 2013

Here is a list of the day’s latest China real estate news collected from around the web:

• US Real Estate Agency Studley Opens in China

  In a move that dramatically expands the company’s global real estate presence, Michael Colacino, president of international commercial real estate firm, Studley, announced the opening of its office in Shanghai, China.

  Studley’s Shanghai office, located at Central Plaza, 381 Huaihai Mid Road, is expected to be the first of several Studley offices set to open across Asia throughout the coming months and years.

  “We are committed to strategically expanding our international presence while providing the same caliber of customer service Studley is known for,” said Colacino. “Our new Shanghai office will serve as a gateway for businesses in Asia looking to open offices and make investments in the United States and for Studley clients interested in expanding into China.”

• Consolidation in China’s Property Sector Appears Underway

  A long time coming, consolidation in China’s property sector seems to finally be starting.

  State-owned Greenland Holding Group Co. late Wednesday said it bought a 60% stake in luxury property developer SPG Land Holdings Ltd. 0337.HK +86.91% for US$389 million, the largest-ever acquisition of a controlling stake in a Hong Kong-listed Chinese real estate developer by value.

• SPG Land to Sell Control, Peninsula Stake, Pay Special Dividend

  SPG Land Holdings Ltd. (337) said it will sell both a controlling stake in itself and its half interest in Shanghai’s Peninsula hotel, raising $561.5 million to repay bank loans, fund projects and distribute a special dividend.

  Greenland Holding Group Co. will pay HK$3 billion ($386 million), or HK$1.90 a share, for new stock representing a 60 percent stake in the developer, SPG said yesterday in a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange.

• Sharp rise in China exports sparks concerns about data

  Chinese exports rose by 14.7 percent in April compared to the same month last year, indicating a recovery in demand for the Asian giant’s products but also prompting skepticism about the data.

  Chinese exports in April were valued at 1.17 trillion yuan ($187.1 billion), the country’s General Administration of Customs said Wednesday. The data exceeded economists’ forecasts and was up relative to March, when exports rose 10 percent.

• DTZ Says N. America Most Attractive Market

  China and other Asian countries have attracted lots of interest, but DTZ researchers say that North America remains the most attractive market. The Chicago-based firm has just released their study “Money into Property 2013 North America,” the first such edition produced on the region. They found that global investment transaction values of commercial real estate in 2012 increased 3.5% to $475 billion US with North America seeing a 15% increase, making it the fastest growing region.

• China’s Shadow Banking Sector Tops $5.8 Trillion, Report Says

  Just how big is China’s shadow banking sector? According to JPMorgan Chase (JPM) it is as large as 36 trillion yuan ($5.86 trillion). That’s equivalent to 69 percent of China’s gross domestic product and almost double what it was two years earlier. “It is the rapid growth in shadow banking (instead of its size) that could generate systemic risk,” JPMorgan’s Chief China Economist, Haibin Zhu, wrote in a May 3 economic research note.

This list is updated daily, so tune in again tomorrow for more up to date information.