A selloff in Chinese private education companies sent shockwaves through the equity market Monday, as investors scrambled to price in the growing risks from an intensifying crackdown by Beijing on some of the nation’s industries.
Stocks slumped on the mainland and in Hong Kong, with the benchmark CSI 300 Index dropping 3.2% and the Hang Seng Index tumbling 4.1%, the most since May last year. Steep losses in education stocks in the wake of a sweeping overhaul spilled over into other areas, with technology, health-care and property-related stocks falling.
“I see panic selling in the market now as investors are pricing in a possibility that Beijing will tighten regulation on all sectors that have seen robust growth in recent years,” said Castor Pang, head of research at Core Pacific Yamaichi. “I don’t think investors can do any bottom fishing at this point. We don’t know where the bottom is.”