
Noting the concerns about high debt levels and inflated real estate values causing regulators in Beijing to take action, the central bank’s latest Financial Stability Report said the stresses could cause “a sudden correction of real estate prices” and impact China’s financial system.
As one of China’s biggest property developers, fears around Evergrande’s debt mountain have battered investor sentiment and shaken the country’s mammoth real estate market, but the firm recently met an interest payment it was expected to miss.
“Given the size of China’s economy and financial system as well as its extensive trade linkages with the rest of the world, financial stresses in China could strain global financial markets through a deterioration of risk sentiment, pose risks to global economic growth, and affect the US,” the report said.
The issue was one of several possible financial risks the Fed said had the potential to impact the USs.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell in September downplayed the situation noting the lack of direct US exposure, but said it could hit global consumer confidence.