More on China's February house prices - up at slowest pace in 10 months

The headline result was a slower rise for m/m house prices in February than in January:

• All China new home prices (Feb) +0.5% m/m and 10.4% y/y

This is the slowest pace in 10 months for growth in new home prices.

The background to the slower rise is a cooling economy (exports suffering due to trade wars, domestic demand weaker also), and curbs on speculative investment

More from the data (via Reuters):)

• Average new home prices in China's 70 major cities +0.5 percent in February
• the 46th straight month of price increases
• 57 of the 70 cities surveyed by the NBS reported monthly price increases (58 in January)

And, on responses:

• Policymakers appear keen to avoid dealing a sharp knock to the real estate market as it directly influences 40 other business sectors in China and is key to tempering the economic slowdown
• Over recent months some smaller cities have quietly loosened curbs to prop up sentiment and demand