Foreign investors have net sold $9.8 billion of Chinese stocks in August 2023 – the highest amount recorded in a single month. The move comes from China’s worsening property market crisis and its contagion impact on the local stock market.

August Registers Highest Net Sales of Chinese Stocks Since 2014

Foreign investors offloaded 71.6 billion yuan ($9.8 billion) of Chinese stocks in August, underscoring the concerns surrounding the deteriorating property market crisis in the country. The figure represents the greatest value of shares sold since the launch of the stock trading link between mainland China and Hong Kong in November 2014.

Institutional investors from the mainland have announced plans to purchase Chinese stocks. However, the move has yet to boost the embattled market significantly. Overseas investors hold less than 10% of A-shares by market cap, but they could significantly impact the local stock market as they prefer buying top-weighted stocks tracked by the CSI 300 index.

CSI 300, which tracks the performance of Shenzen and Shanghai stock exchanges, rose 0.72% on Thursday to 3,723 at the time of writing. However, the index remains over 7% down since July 31 amid the ongoing economic challenges in China.

Last week, China’s securities regulator proposed a set of measures aimed at reviving the nation’s embattled stocks. Among the unveiled steps, the regulator proposed trimming trading costs, supporting stock repurchases, stimulating long-term investments, and facilitating the development of equity funds.

China’s Property Crisis and Odds of Global Recession

The sharp sell-off in Chinese stocks among foreign investors comes amid the worsening debt crisis in the country’s real estate sector, which accounts for around 25% of its economy.  The market has been losing steam rapidly due to a housing slump and sluggish consumer spending.

As a result of these headwinds, the Chinese property giant Evergande filed for bankruptcy protection last week, sending shockwaves through global financial markets. The move came after the company’s debts accumulated to more than $300 billion, making it the world’s most heavily indebted property developer.

China’s embattled property market and a slowdown in its broader economy have added to concerns over a potential global recession, which many have been predicting in recent months. Jeffrey Klingelhofer, co-head of investments and managing director at Thornburg Investment Management, said earlier this week that the “recession is delayed, not canceled” amid slower consumer spending and tightening loan conditions.

This article originally appeared on The Tokenist

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