US Housing Market Update Positive signs on home sales and mortgage lending Fed Chair Janet Yellen expressed worries about the resilience of the housing recovery in her testimony to Congress last week. But the recent sales and mortgage lending figures have been more... 12th May 2014 · 1 min read
UK Economics Focus Can the Financial Policy Committee cool the housing market? The FPC has a number of policy tools at its disposal should it decide it needs to cool the housing market. Provided it acts with sufficient conviction, there is every chance that the new tools will... 12th May 2014 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Focus Can the Financial Policy Committee cool the housing market? The FPC has a number of policy tools at its disposal should it decide it needs to cool the housing market. Provided it acts with sufficient conviction, there is every chance that the new tools will... 12th May 2014 · 1 min read
Global Economics Update How will the US and UK housing markets affect growth? House price developments have raised concerns on both sides of the Atlantic recently. The worry is that the housing market may be overheating in the UK but cooling in the US. For now, though, we don’t... 9th May 2014 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Focus What will the pension changes mean for the housing market? The changes to the pension system due to come into effect next year will impact the economy in a variety of ways. But while it may lead to some rise in the demand for homes as retirees search for... 9th May 2014 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Data Response Halifax House Prices & RICS Survey (Apr.) Halifax reported that house prices fell marginally for the second consecutive month in April. However, the RICS survey offered little encouragement that these falls are about to usher in a period of... 8th May 2014 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Data Response Mortgage Applications (Apr.14) The rise in mortgage applications for home purchase in April, alongside the recent pick-up in the Fed’s measure of the value of residential mortgage lending, are encouraging signs that mortgage... 7th May 2014 · 1 min read
Nordic & Swiss Economics Update Deflation to trump Riksbank’s household debt concerns The Riksbank’s report on household indebtedness underscores the magnitude of the problem and the need for it to be addressed. But we continue to think that the Bank will cut interest rates as... 7th May 2014 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Data Response CoreLogic House Prices (Mar.) House price gains have held steady at 11%-12% y/y for a year now. But the tight supply conditions which have driven these gains are now loosening, pointing to a moderation in price rises before too... 6th May 2014 · 1 min read
US Economics Update Fed's survey points to strong growth in business loans The Fed's latest Senior Loan Officer Survey illustrates the remarkable divergence between bank loans to businesses, which have increased by nearly 9% over the past year, and bank residential mortgages... 5th May 2014 · 1 min read
UK Economics Weekly Housing bears shouldn't scare Goldilocks away Last week’s data provided further evidence that the UK economy is currently enjoying a ‘Goldilocks’ recovery. Admittedly, there are concerns that an overheating housing market could bring the bears... 5th May 2014 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update Labour’s rent controls – more bark than bite As they stand, the proposals by the Labour party to introduce some form of rent control are pretty innocuous. More concerning is the precedent they may set for more drastic intervention in the future... 2nd May 2014 · 1 min read
UK Data Response Markit/CIPS Report on Manuf. (Apr.) & Mortgage Approvals (Mar.) The latest data on the manufacturing sector and household borrowing have provided some further encouraging evidence of a rebalancing of the UK’s economic recovery away from excessive dependence on... 1st May 2014 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Data Response Nationwide House Prices (Apr 14.) & Mortgage Lending (Mar 14.) The Nationwide reported a robust rise in house prices in April, pushing the annual rate into double-digits for the first time in almost four years. But mortgage approvals fell again in March, which... 1st May 2014 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Data Response Land Registry Repeat Sales Index (Mar.14) The Land Registry reported a surprise fall in house prices in March. That provides further evidence that, while the housing market recovery will continue, there is little sign it is turning into a... 30th April 2014 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Data Response Homeownership & Vacancy Rates & Case-Shiller (Q1/Feb. 14) The increase in the share of households renting to a 19-year high in Q1, and the low supply of homes entering the rental market, look like boons for both rental value growth and multi-family... 29th April 2014 · 1 min read
