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Housing wealth effects in China

Author

Listed:
  • Benoit Mojon
  • Han Qiu
  • Fang Wang
  • Michael Weber

Abstract

We estimate the effects of changes in house prices on consumption using unique data of Alipay transactions from Chinese households, spanning from January 2017 to March 2023. We find significant housing wealth effects: changes in house prices are positively associated with future changes in consumption in 33 Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities. Specifically, in these cities, a 10% increase in house prices leads to a 1.6% increase in consumption. However, this relationship is not observed in smaller Tier 3 and Tier 4 cities. We also find that housing wealth effects are more pronounced among older households and homeowners, while renters show no such effect. Additionally, in Tier 3 and Tier 4 cities, higher house prices tend to crowd out consumption among younger households.

Suggested Citation

  • Benoit Mojon & Han Qiu & Fang Wang & Michael Weber, 2025. "Housing wealth effects in China," BIS Working Papers 1319, Bank for International Settlements.
    • Handle: RePEc:bis:biswps:1319
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • R2 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis
    • R3 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Real Estate Markets, Spatial Production Analysis, and Firm Location

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