房价下跌，外商直接投资10月份继续放缓

    过去10年拉动中国经济增长的两大引擎已经风光不再，中国消费者的坚挺表现则可圈可点。

    国家统计局于周二公布，全国房价10月份继续呈下跌趋势，月环比下降0.8%，同比降2.6%。虽然环比降幅小于9月份的1%，但是房地产行业的下行趋势丝毫未变。

    70个大中城市中，新建住宅价格下跌的有69个。同比来看，67个城市房价下跌，而9月份这个数字仅为58个。

    今年第三季度，官方公布的中国整体经济年化增长率降至7.3%，这是2009年以来的最低水平，建筑业和房地产滑坡可以说是最重要的原因。中国政府已开始暗示，明年增速将进一步放缓。习近平主席上周表示，7%的增长率“没那么可怕”。

    经济放缓的另一个原因是，随着反垄断监管持续收紧、商业腐败行为受到打击，以及中央反腐措施造成奢侈品需求下降，外商对华投资下降。

    商务部周二公布的其他数据显示，10月份外商直接投资同比下降1.2%，但略好于9月份1.4%的降幅。路透社报道称，美国对华投资同比下降16%，来自于欧盟的投资下降了24%。报道认为，随着中国政府把重心转移到促进国内消费，服务业将更多的受益。10月份这个行业吸引的投资最多，达到531亿美元，制造业吸引的投资为325亿美元。

    为促进经济持续增长，中国政府已经签署了三项重大自由贸易协定——中美、中韩贸易协定上周签字，周一又和澳大利亚签署了自贸协议。

    中澳自贸协定将取消或大幅下调众多澳大利亚农产品的关税，包括葡萄酒，以及许多澳大利亚自然资源和药品也将享受优惠关税。同时，该协定还大大提高了中国服务业的开放程度，包括法律和金融服务领域。

    澳新银行（ANZ）的分析师表示，中澳贸易是世界上规模最大、增长最快的贸易关系之一，这份协议将大大有利于两国贸易。协定全面实施后，95%的商品贸易将免征关税。（财富中文网）

    译者：Jennifer

    审：Charlie

    It’s a good job that Chinese consumers are holding their end up, because two of the engines that have driven the economy for the last 10 years just aren’t firing any more.

    The National Bureau of Statistics said Tuesday that the nationwide real estate slump continued in October, as prices fell 0.8% on the month and were down 2.6% from a year earlier. Although that’s a slower decline from the 1% drop posted in September, it still leaves the sector firmly on a downward path.

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    Of 70 large and medium-sized cities, prices for new residential buildings fell in 69. In year-on-year terms, prices were down in 67 cities, compared to only 58 in September.

    The slowdown in construction and real estate has been arguably the biggest single factor in China’s overall official growth rate slowing to an annualized 7.3% in the third quarter of this year, the lowest since 2009. Beijing has already started to drop hints it will slow further next year, with President Xi Jinping saying last week that a rate of 7% “would not be a disaster.”

    Another factor behind the slowdown has been a fall in foreign investment into the country, against a background of tightening antitrust regulation, a clampdown on corrupt business practises and slowing demand for luxury goods due to Xi’s anti-corruption campaign.

    Other data released Tuesday by the Ministry of Commerce showed that foreign direct investment was down 1.2% year-on-year in October, albeit that was a slight improvement from a drop of 1.4% in September. Investment from the U.S. fell 16% on the year, and flows from the E.U. fell 24%, Reuters reported. Reuters said the service sector, which stands to gain more from the authorities’ new focus on developing domestic consumption, attracted the most investment, with $53.1 billion, while the manufacturing sector attracted $32.5 billion.

    To help sustain growth, Beijing has made three major deals on trade liberalization in the last week–with the U.S., South Korea and, on Monday, Australia.

    The Australian deal, signed on Monday, will scrap or sharply reduce tariffs on a wide range of Australian agricultural products, including wine, as well as on many natural resources and pharmaceuticals. It also gives much freer access to the service sector, including legal and financial services.

    Analysts at ANZ said the deal will bring major benefits to one of the world’s biggest and fastest-growing trade relationships, with 95% of goods between traded tariff-free when the deal is fully implemented.