falling non US realty (publicly traded) prices

The iShares FTSE/Xinhua China 25 Index (FXI - fell $10.02, or 6.6%, to $143.05. The SPDR S&P China (GXC - was losing $5.15, or 6.4%, to $75.35. The PowerShares Golden Dragon Halter USX China (PGJ -) was lower by $1.40, or 5.1%, to $26.39. The iShares MSCI Singapore Index (EWS -) was sliding by 49 cents, or 3.7%, to $12.81.

Homebuilders and real estate ETFs were suffering after the latest data on the health of the housing sector. Shortly before the opening bell, the S&P/Case-Schiller Index of home prices showed a 3.2% drop during the second quarter, the biggest decrease since the index began 20 years ago. The release comes one day after a disappointing report on existing home sales and inventories sank homebuilder and real estate ETFs.

The iShares Dow Jones U.S. Home Construction (ITB -) was down 96 cents, or 4.1%, to $22.66. The SPDR S&P Homebuilders (XHB - -) gave back 78 cents, or 3.2%, to $23.74. The Ultra Real Estate ProShares (URE) gave back $1.33, or 3.1%, to $41.39. The iShares FTSE NAREIT Mortgage REITs (REM -) was off 66 cents, or 2.2%, to $29.59.