Property portals rise on recovery in real estate

Real estate Web portals Leju Holdings Ltd and SouFun Holdings Ltd are standing out among US-traded Chinese stocks, rebounding as government stimulus and a recovering property market improves the outlook for growth.

Leju has surged 44 percent over the past month in the best performance on the Bloomberg China-US Equity Index, which gained 4.6 percent during the same period. SouFun has rebounded 25 percent from this year's low in February. Both were among the 10 worst-performers on the gauge this year through early February, slumping at least 40 percent while the benchmark slid 23 percent.

The turnaround comes amid monetary stimulus from the central bank and an easing of housing market regulations. The companies are also benefiting from government policies geared toward increasing the role of privately owned technology and service businesses in China's economic development, said Brendan Ahern, managing director at Krane Funds Advisors.