Vanke had a short-term refinancing gap of about 12 billion yuan ($1.69 billion) at the end of June due to a spike in long-term debt within a year, according to Bloomberg calculations based on company data. That’s the first time Vanke’s cash balance has failed to cover interest-bearing debt maturing in less than a year since at least 2014.
As a bellwether for China’s real estate crisis, Vanke’s debt troubles underscore how even the highest quality developers have been ensnared by the unprecedented property downturn. While it’s managed to avoid a default so far, Vanke’s connections with the nation’s financial and government-backed entities means its distress could eclipse the turmoil wreaked by defaults at rivals China Evergrande Group and Country Garden Holdings Co.
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China’s housing rescue package in May is losing steam as home sales slump deepened in August and prices are expected to plummet further. Concerns intensified in recent weeks after a string of disappointing earnings reports from consumer companies and a cut to China’s growth forecast by UBS Group AG. The downgrade reflects an emerging consensus that the country may miss its growth target of around 5% in 2024.
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Vanke’s earnings report on Friday showed how much the extended housing slump is taking its toll on China’s fourth-biggest developer by sales. The company posted a net loss of 9.85 billion yuan for the six months ended June 30, its first semi-annual loss since at least 2003. That’s higher than the upper range flagged by the firm in July, and compares with an annual profit of 12.2 billion yuan last year.
Vanke’s loss signals its finances took a sharp hit in the second quarter, considering it lost just 362 million yuan in the first three months. The slowdown in China’s market has deepened since then, as sales and prices continue to fall. Local governments are dialing back intervention over pricing of new residential projects, driving developers to offer deep discounts to lure buyers.
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