China home prices barely fall in sign of hope for builders

Improved market: A pedestrian passes unfinished apartment buildings in Shanghai. Home prices have begun to pick up across China’s national hubs and regional economic centres. — Bloomberg

CHINA’S home price declines eased for a second month in January, offering a rare glimmer of hope to the embattled property sector.

New home prices in 70 cities, excluding state-subsidised housing, fell 0.04% last month from December, when they dropped 0.28%, National Bureau of Statistics figures showed. Prices in large cities rose.