Effect of Ownership Composition on Property Prices and Rents: Evidence from Chinese Investment Boom in US Housing Markets Jung Sakong August 16, 2021 WP 2021-12 https://doi.org/10.21033/wp-2021-12 *Working papers are not edited, and all opinions and errors are the responsibility of the author(s). The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago or the Federal Reserve System. FederalReserve Bank Chicagoof Effect of Ownership Composition on Property Prices and Rents: Evidence from Chinese Investment Boom in US Housing Markets Jung Sakong∗ August 16, 2021 Abstract A capital influx into local housing markets would be expected to increase house prices, but the spillover effect onto rental prices is theoretically ambiguous. I estimate both price impacts in U.S. residential housing markets using data from a boom in real estate purchases by buyers from China, which amounted to $200 billion of purchases made between 2010 and 2019. Using a novel method to measure these purchases and an instrumental variable for where purchases are made, I find a large positive house price impact. Consistent with investment q-theory, rents fall as constructions rise, especially in areas with elastic housing supply. ∗Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago (email:
[email protected]). These views are those of the author and do not reflect those of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago or the Federal Reserve System. I am extremely grateful to my committee chair Amir Sufi and members Marianne Bertrand, Raghuram Rajan and Luigi Zingales for their continuous guidance and support.