Oriental Daily News, Hong Kong’s number one newspaper in circulation since 1976, recently reported that, although the Hong Kong government announced a complete withdrawal of the housing market, the decline in real estate prices has not stopped. Many Hong Kong residents’ assets have evaporated and they have fallen into the black hole of insolvency. Hong Kong’s Official Receiver’s Office just announced the latest bankruptcy and liquidation petition data for May. The number of bankruptcy petitions in May rose to 871, the highest in more than two years, an increase of more than 17 percent month-over-month, and a year-over-year surge of nearly 35 percent. In the first five months to May, a total of 3,797 bankruptcy petitions were filed, an increase of 25 percent from the same period last year. There were 61 compulsory liquidation petitions in May, up nearly 85 percent year-over-year. Experts pointed out that the unemployment rate in Hong Kong is currently at a low level, and the chance of bankruptcy due to unemployment is expected to be low. It is more likely that the increase in the number of bankruptcies may be related to the bank’s collection of loans. The borrowers went bankrupt due to temporary inability to repay.
Source: Oriental Daily, June 22, 2024
https://hk.on.cc/hk/bkn/cnt/news/20240622/bkn-20240622033026593-0622_00822_001.html