HK's financial secretary warns bubble risks after QE2

HONG KONG: Hong Kong could face heightened risks of a property bubble forming after the United States announced a second round of quantitative easing, Financial Secretary John Tsang said.

"I worry about the possibility of the rising risk of a property bubble forming, especially from speculation brought about by the latest quantitative easing," he said in a blog on a government website on Sunday, Nov 14.

Tsang said the Hong Kong government would not hesitate to unveil a new round of measures to cool the property market, although he stopped short at providing details.

Hong Kong's housing prices have risen 50% since the start of last year because of purchases by wealthy mainland Chinese and low mortgage rates. The territory tracks US monetary policy as the Hong Kong dollar is pegged to the US currency.

There were some signs of prices easing, but the market was still quite bubbly in general, analysts said.

In early November, Hong Kong sold a piece of land at a lower-than-expected price because of uncertainty over whether the government would announce further tightening policies.

By 0242 GMT on Monday, Hong Kong's property subindex was up 0.36%, outperforming broader Hang Seng Index's 0.04% gain. — Reuters