SHANGHAI, Oct 20 (Reuters) - China stocks slipped on Wednesday, with property shares extending falls and coal stocks tumbling, as uncertainty around monetary policies and China Evergrande Group’s debt crisis lingered. ** The blue-chip CSI300 index fell 0.3% to 4,910.18, while the Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.2% to 3,587.00. ** Chinese shares have been trading sideways recently, with investors searching for directional clues amid Evergrande’s financial woes, power crunch and Sino-U.S. tensions. ** “In the current macro environment, with an overhang from multiple types of uncertainty, we think the market may remain range-bound until new catalysts emerge,” Meng Lei, A-share Strategist UBS Securities, wrote in a note. ** Signs of credit easing and significant improvement in Sino-U.S. ties will help boost investor sentiment, Meng said. ** Although China maintained its benchmark lending rate for corporate and household loans for an 18th month at its October fixing on Wednesday, some think easing is imminent. ** “The big picture is that the economy’s rebound is faltering, and the property sector downturn set to deepen,” wrote Julian Evans-Pritchard, China economist at Capital Economics. ** “We continue to think the PBOC will start lowering policy rates, including the LPR, before the end of this year, followed by more reductions in 2022.” ** China’s real estate stocks fell 1.4%, as new home prices stalled for the first time since February 2020 in September amid Beijing’s sustained crackdown on speculative investment. ** China’s coal and energy stocks tumbled after the state planner vowed to take all necessary measures to bring high coal prices back to a reasonable range. ** “In terms of allocation, we recommend investors further cut exposure to sectors that are closely related to economic fundamentals,” UBS wrote, adding it prefers consumer names with stable earnings. (Reporting by Shanghai Newsroom; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)