HONG KONG: Just how cash-strapped embattled Country Garden Holdings is will be the focus when China's largest private property developer is due to report its first-half results on Wednesday.
The liquidity stress in the company became public this month after it missed two dollar coupon payments and sought to extend an onshore private bond repayment, deepening contagion fears in China's struggling property sector, and the wider economy.
Country Garden's total liabilities stood at about $194 billion at the end of 2022. It has already flagged a net loss of up to 55 billion yuan ($7.55 billion) in the first six months, a staggering slide from the 6.7 billion yuan loss it posted in the second half of 2022 and from the net profit of 1.9 billion yuan it posted a year earlier.
Like its peers, the company, which was China's largest property developer by sales volumes until this year, has been hurt by a drop in margins as property sales and the value of the homes themselves plummeted in China's slowing economy. Lower sales, coupled with tighter access to fresh funding in recent years, worsened its cash squeeze.
An analyst with a foreign investment bank said investors were looking for details on short-term debt and new bank loans to better understand Country Garden's cashflow.
Because most of its funds are locked up in the escrow accounts of project contractors to ensure the delivery of homes over the next two years, there is little cash left for repaying debt at the group level, a company official said.
About 60% of the company's total onshore bonds mature over the remaining months of the year, and if the company is able to extend its repayment deadlines, it could be able to improve its operations and cashflow, the official added. They declined to be named because they were not authorised to speak to media.
JP Morgan has estimated it would cost about 316 billion yuan to finish all the company's projects under construction, including both sold and unsold flats.
Country Garden declined to comment ahead of its earnings. The company will also not hold meetings with analysts and the media after the earnings announcement, the first time it skips these conferences in many years.
On Tuesday, Country Garden proposed adding a 40-day grace period for the repayment of a 3.9 billion yuan private onshore bond due Saturday. Creditors will have until Thursday to approve a proposal to extend the full repayment by three years.
China International Capital Corporation (CICC) has been hired as a financial adviser to Country Garden and the developer was expected to kick off a restructuring process soon, Chinese news outlet Yicai has reported.
Last Friday, the developer sold its 26.7% stake in Guangzhou Asian Games City for 1.3 billion yuan to state-owned peer China Overseas Land & Investment. The company, however, said on Monday it would go ahead with a $100-billion project in Malaysia.
Reuters
Tue Aug 29 2023
![All eyes on Country Garden's cash flow as troubled firm set to report loss All eyes on Country Garden's cash flow as troubled firm set to report loss](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2023-08/41693301305_ForestCity.jpg)
A view of the residential apartments in Country Garden's Forest City development in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. - REUTERS
![Bekas pengawal peribadi Wan Azizah cedera kemalangan Bekas pengawal peribadi Wan Azizah cedera kemalangan](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/51721109015_bekaspengawalperib.jpg)
Bekas pengawal peribadi Wan Azizah cedera kemalangan
Bekas anggota polis wanita yang kini bekerja sebagai pengawal peribadi cedera setelah motosikal ditunggangnya melanggar sebuah SUV di lebuh raya PLUS.
![Rang Undang-undang Kebebasan Maklumat dijangka dibentang akhir tahun ini - Kulasegaran Rang Undang-undang Kebebasan Maklumat dijangka dibentang akhir tahun ini - Kulasegaran](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/81719996195_MKulasegaran.jpg)
Rang Undang-undang Kebebasan Maklumat dijangka dibentang akhir tahun ini - Kulasegaran
RUU Kebebasan Maklumat dijangka dibentangkan di Parlimen pada akhir tahun ini selepas cadangan ketetapan bagi penggubalan Akta Kebebasan Maklumat dibawa ke Jemaah Menteri untuk kelulusan.
![Azizi dilantik Ketua Polis Perak baharu Azizi dilantik Ketua Polis Perak baharu](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/51721108438_azizi.jpg)
Azizi dilantik Ketua Polis Perak baharu
Timbalan Ketua Polis Perak Datuk Azizi Mat Aris dilantik sebagai Ketua Polis Perak yang baharu hari ini.
![ADUN Rembia sertai Pas, tak 'lompat parti' - Takiyuddin ADUN Rembia sertai Pas, tak 'lompat parti' - Takiyuddin](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/51721108165_ADUNRembiaPN.jpg)
ADUN Rembia sertai Pas, tak 'lompat parti' - Takiyuddin
Menurut Takiyuddin, keahlian Muhamad Jailani yang juga wakil rakyat UMNO diterima pada 10 Jun tahun lalu, namun diumumkan secara rasmi hari ini.
Kita perlu belajar hidup dengan COVID-19 - Pakar
Itu kata Pakar Perubatan Kesihatan Awam, Bahagian Kawalan Penyakit, Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia (KKM), Dr Aznida Mohamad Zaki yang berkata pihaknya akan berusaha semampu mungkin dalam menggalakkan praktis kendiri dikalangan orang awam bagi mencegah penularan wabak seperti mana yang pernah dilakukan sebelum ini.
LHDN lulus 141,406 permohonan PKPS 2.0
Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri (LHDN) telah meluluskan sebanyak 141,406 permohonan program khas pengakuan sukarela (PKPS) 2.0 yang melibatkan 102,572 bilangan kes pembayar cukai individu, 27,707 bilangan kes syarikat dan selebihnya melibatkan lain kategori seperti pertubuhan.
![Pelan Transformasi Air sasar tingkatkan air bersih, liputan sistem kumbahan - Fadillah Pelan Transformasi Air sasar tingkatkan air bersih, liputan sistem kumbahan - Fadillah](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/81721017239_TBFADILLAH.jpg)
Pelan Transformasi Air sasar tingkatkan air bersih, liputan sistem kumbahan - Fadillah
Pelan Transformasi Air sasar tingkatkan air bersih, tingkatkan liputan sistem kumbahan - Fadillah
![Warga Thailand mengaku tidak bersalah seleweng diesel Warga Thailand mengaku tidak bersalah seleweng diesel](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/41721103547_WargaThailandWitt.jpg)
Warga Thailand mengaku tidak bersalah seleweng diesel
Seorang warga Thailand mengaku tidak bersalah di Mahkamah Sesyen Alor Setar atas pertuduhan menyeleweng 322 liter minyak diesel.
Lilitan reben putih tak langgar peraturan - Timbalan Speaker
Ramli berkata, perkara itu juga adalah merupakan keputusannya dan bukan dibuat oleh Yang Dipertua Dewan Rakyat, Tan Sri Johari Abdul.
Kos pampasan tanah fasa 1B proses projek LPB Sabah RM1.2 bilion - Alexander
Anggaran kos pengambilan balik tanah bagi keseluruhan Fasa 1B proses pengambilan tanah dan penilaian pampasan tanah bagi Projek Lebuh Raya Pan Borneo Sabah (LPB Sabah) berjumlah RM1.2 bilion.