The central bank's latest interest rate hike by 0.27 of a percentage point may be insignificant beside the 16.8 percent investment return ratio seen by the average Chinese enterprise, even more so beside the fat profits reaped by real estate developers. But the interest rate rise is aimed at gradually changing the government's low-interest-rate policy, upgrading the government's macroeconomic readjustment tools and bringing down enterprises' and individuals' expectations for easy profits.

Taking all this into account, the role played by the interest rate hike is important.

Take Taiwan. Real estate prices shot up three times in a short period of time in the 1980s and 90s, fueled by a low interest policy and appreciation of the Taiwan dollar. This trend was, however, reversed by the rise of interest rates in the 1990s. By 2003, the housing price had dropped by more than 60 per cent.

In Hong Kong, real estate prices plummeted by 67 percent between 1997 and 2003. The price has, however, shown signs of rising in the last couple years when interest rates are lower.

The same can be expected on the Chinese mainland. An interest rate hike not only increases costs for real estate developers and investors but also dampens the high expectations of individuals who buy housing for themselves or for investment. Particularly, when they anticipate that the central bank will adopt a package of austerity policies with respect to the property market, they are likely to withdraw from the market. Their pullout will bring down the demand for housing. If the supply remains the same, the dwindling demand naturally brings down real estate prices, helping to cool the overheated housing market.

In sum, the interest rate is the most effective instrument for macroeconomic readjustment. Although a small margin hike in interest rates plays more of a warning role than actually cooling off the market, it has great influence on the real estate market, especially on people who borrow money from the bank to buy houses.

It is hoped that, with this as a turning point, the central bank will really switch to implementing price-mechanism-oriented tools in macroeconomic readjustment.

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