Shares of CHINA OVERSEAS (00688.HK) plummeted 5.33% during the morning trading session, contributing to a broad decline across the Chinese property sector.

The sell-off was triggered by the release of diverging April housing and credit data, which raised investor concerns about the sustainability of the property market's recovery. While data showed a year-on-year increase in online second-hand home transactions in key cities, signaling some market resilience, a sharp contraction in mortgage demand overshadowed this positive signal. Notably, the latest figures from the People's Bank of China revealed a significant decrease in household loans, with medium to long-term loans—a key indicator for mortgage demand—falling substantially.

Analysts suggest that this data divergence has injected uncertainty into the market outlook, necessitating close monitoring of future transaction trends. The weak credit figures are seen as a potential warning sign that the recent recovery in housing activity may not be sustained, leading to the downward pressure on property stocks like China Overseas.