SHENZHEN’S new home prices exceeded 55,000 yuan (US$8,382) per square meter on average last month, the highest on record, but the trading volume slumped by 62.8 percent year on year, the Shenzhen Economic Daily reported Thursday.

    Data from the city’s urban planning, land and resources commission showed that new home prices in Shenzhen soared to a record high of 55,817 yuan per square meter on average last month, 11.9 percent higher than in April and 95.9 percent higher than a year ago.

    The average housing price in Futian District hit 90,000 yuan per square meter last month, the highest citywide, with a year-on-year growth of 93.2 percent.

    Home prices in Nanshan District climbed by 30.6 percent to 80,180 yuan per square meter last month over a year ago, while home prices in Bao’an District saw a year-on-year growth of 106.1 percent and reached 51,467 yuan per square meter on average.

    But the housing prices in Luohu and Yantian districts saw a month-on-month decline of 3.4 percent and 7.7 percent, respectively.

    Several new estates with expensive apartments, with prices ranging from 80,000 to 110,000 yuan per square meter, were put on sale last month, which was the main reason driving up the average new home prices citywide, according to the report.

    A total of 2,259 new apartments were traded last month in Shenzhen, declining by 3.5 percent compared with April and by 62.8 percent over a year ago. The trading volume in Longgang and Bao’an districts dropped by 11.8 percent and 20 percent, respectively.

    Fourteen new homes were traded in Yantian District last month, the lowest citywide, while 21 new apartments were sold in Futian District, a month-on-month decrease of 8.7 percent. Only Nanshan and Luohu districts saw an increase in new home transactions last month.

    Preowned housing trading volume climbed slightly last month, but the market remained sluggish. Preowned home prices bounced back after a decline of 2.39 percent month on month in April. In 63 percent of 188 sample estates, the pre-owned housing price went up by 18 percent last month compared with April, according to the report.

    (Zhang Yang)