<div id="readability-page-1"><div> The decline in China's home prices showed signs of narrowing in April, but the overall picture of the country's real-estate sector remained bleak. Home prices in the country's 70 biggest cities fell 0.19% in April from the prior month, compared with the 0.21% drop in March, according to calculations by The Wall Street Journal based on data released Monday by the National Bureau of Statistics. Of the 70 cities, 49 reported a month-over-month decline last month, down from 54 cities in March. On an annual basis, home prices in these cities declined 3.7% in April, worsening slightly from the 3.6% fall in March. Sixty-five cities reported year-over-year price declines, the same as the month prior. In the first four months of 2026, home prices in the 70 cities dropped 3.5% from the previous year. Data released Monday also showed that China's property investment continued to slump, suggesting that the yearslong real-estate malaise is far from over. Property investment dropped 13.7% from a year ago in January to April, while construction starts fell 22.0% during the same period. Home sales by value slid 14.6% during the first four months of the year. <pre></pre> Write to Singapore Editors at singaporeeditors@dowjones.com <pre></pre> (END) Dow Jones Newswires May 17, 2026 22:52 ET (02:52 GMT)Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones &amp; Company, Inc.</div></div>

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China's home prices fell 0.19% in April, a slight improvement from March's 0.21% drop, but the real estate sector remains weak. Year-over-year, prices declined 3.7%. Property investment dropped 13.7% from January to April, with construction starts down 22% and home sales by value falling 14.6%.

China's Home Prices, Property Investment Continued to Fall — Update