Lijia Ge (Commercial Property): In August, the transaction volume of commercial properties in Hong Kong decreased by 15.2% month-on-month.

Ricacorp Properties' director Huang Yingnian stated that the overall transaction registrations for commercial properties have experienced a market boom over the past few months, but there is a slight off-peak period during the summer. After adjustments, the market may gradually regain momentum. According to preliminary figures from the Land Registry, Hong Kong recorded a total of 408 registrations for commercial property transactions in August 2026, a decrease of 15.2% from July's 481 registrations, marking a decline for two consecutive months and setting a new low in nearly six months. As for the total registered value for the month, it stood at HKD 4.818 billion, a decrease of 16.8% month-on-month. All three major categories of property registrations fell in August, with industrial buildings experiencing the largest drop of over 28%, while commercial buildings and shops saw slight decreases of 2.1% and 2.9%, respectively. Ricacorp Properties' Senior Sales Director for the industrial department, Zhu Liangheng, pointed out that the transaction volume for industrial buildings has declined during the summer off-peak season, falling below the 200 mark. The data shows that there were 171 registrations for industrial building transactions in August, a month-on-month drop of 28.2%, hitting a new low in nearly nine months and representing the most significant decline among categories; in August, the proportion of industrial building registrations accounted for 41.9%, down 7.6 percentage points from 49.5% in July. The total registered value for industrial buildings in August was HKD 1.317 billion, a decrease of 5.4% month-on-month, making it the lowest in the last three months; the average price for each industrial building transaction was approximately HKD 7.702 million. Regarding transactions for commercial buildings, Huang Yingnian mentioned that the registration volume has hovered around the high level of over 100 for three consecutive months. Although the volume in August saw a slight decline, it remained the second-highest in the last 67 months (over five and a half years) since February 2021. In August 2023, there were 138 registrations for commercial building transactions, a slight decrease of 2.1% from 141 in July; however, the total registered value for transactions decreased by 19%, recording HKD 2.520 billion, mainly due to the majority of registrations being for lower-priced commercial buildings. In terms of shop performance, Ricacorp Properties' Senior Sales Director for shops, commercial, and investment department, Zheng Daming, pointed out that the registrations for shop transactions have recently remained on the brink of 100, waiting for a breakthrough. The data indicates that the presence of many owners and buyers traveling during the summer has led to a lackluster trading environment, maintaining a narrow range. In August 2023, there were a total of 99 registrations for shop transactions, a slight drop of 2.9% month-on-month, falling below the 100 mark; additionally, the total registered value for shops saw a significant reduction of 23.8%, dropping below HKD 1 billion, with only HKD 0.981 billion recorded, making it the second-lowest month of the year, lacking any notable high-value registrations during the month.