Household lending sparks fear in China of a debt time bombBEIJING -- Chinese household debt has risen at an "alarming" pace as property values have soared, analysts say, raising the risk that a real estate downturn could send shockwaves through the world's second largest economy. Skyrocketing real estate prices in major Chinese cities in recent years have seen families' wealth surge. "The notion that Chinese people do not like to borrow is clearly outdated," said Chen Long of Gavekal Dragonomics. The share of household loans to overall lending hit 67.5 percent in the third quarter of 2016, more than twice the share of the year before. But the transition is proving painful as growth rates sit at 25-year lows and key indicators continue to come in below par, weighing on the global outlook.

Source: The China Post November 27, 2016 16:28 UTC