Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Homeowners in Shanghai Smash Showroom to Protest Falling Prices

Shanghai Homeowners Smash Showroom in Protest Over Falling Prices
A group of around 400 homeowners in Shanghai demonstrated publicly and damaged a showroom operated by their property developer after the company said it cut prices. Home buyers had wanted to speak with the developer to refund or cancel their contracts but were unsuccessful, according to local media. One report said the price cuts exceeded 25% per square meter.
Sentiment online was not supportive of the protesters.
“This is an immoral action,” Weibo user Xiaobai Yeyou Naxieshi wrote in one of the 7 million property-related posts Sina had collected Tuesday on a special topic page. “Buying a house is a form of investment and every investment involves risk. If prices didn’t fall, people who can’t afford to buy an apartment would really have to wait forever.”

“Dear Government, can you please cancel my purchase of Petrochina shares? A refund based on the IPO price would be fine,” joked Linshi Renyuan. Petrochina, which debuted on the Shanghai stock market at 16.7 yuan per share in 2007, was trading at to 9.85 yuan per share at the end of the day Tuesday.

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