SHANGHAI'S existing housing index fell for the fifth straight month in February to end at where it was a year earlier.

The index, which tracks price variations of previously occupied homes, lost 0.07 percent from January to 2,581 last month, the Shanghai Existing House Index Office said yesterday.

"More areas monitored by the office saw price falls over the past month, a signal that existing tightening measures continued to weigh (on the market)," said Zhang Shu, an analyst at the office. "However, it is still too early to say there is an overall rebound in buying sentiment among home seekers."