THE HOUSING Developers Sentiment Index (HDSI) dropped to 50.4 in the second quarter of this year, reflecting operators'retreat in confidence, while the HDSI expected in the next six months rose to 67.8 on expectations for future improvement, according to the Real Estate Information Centre.
Samma Kitsin, director-general of the unit of the Government Housing Bank, said yesterday that the current HDSI was slightly above the median, but fell from the first quarter's 52.2, showing that real estate operators still had confidence but saw a slight decline.
The centre surveyed 168 companies, of which 32 were listed and 136 were not listed on the stock exchange.
The listed respondents'current HDSI stayed at 55.7, while the non-listed respondents'was 45.0, below the 50 line.
The real-estate developers surveyed were found to lack confidence in performance, sales, investment, employment and new projects or phases.
Projects and phases have been launched with more caution, given the gloomy economy. The 67.8 six-month HDSI in the second quarter was up from the first quarter's 64.8. This reflects operators'expectations for real-estate market improvement in the future.