Nordic & Swiss Economics Focus Will Sweden & Norway lose their shine? Over the past five years, Sweden and Norway have performed remarkably well by the standards of the developed world, but their recoveries may be starting to run out of steam. Nonetheless, both... 29th May 2013 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Data Response Case-Shiller Home Prices (Q1) In the first quarter, the annual rate of house price growth moved back into double-digit territory on each of the three main Case-Shiller Home Price Indices. These were the first double-digit readings... 28th May 2013 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update Will mortgage interest rates fall further? With the base rate at 0.5% and wholesale funding rates at around 2%, it seems clear that mortgage interest rates can continue to fall. But the desire to raise capital, and concerns over what will... 24th May 2013 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Data Response BBA Mortgage Lending (Apr. 13) Mortgage approvals edged up in April, aided by record low mortgage rates and other Government support for the housing market. But a fourth consecutive fall in net lending suggests that mortgage market... 24th May 2013 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Data Response New Home Sales (Apr. 13) Another rise in new home sales in March means that February’s unexpected dip has now been almost fully reversed. And with sales up by 29% over the past year, nearly double the 15% growth seen in the... 23rd May 2013 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Data Response Existing Home Sales (Apr. 13) The underlying recovery in existing home sales continued in April. But the real news in today’s NAR release was the drop in distressed sales and the gain in the inventory of homes for sale. 22nd May 2013 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Focus Why do estimates of the average house price differ? The discrepancy between estimates of the average house price is essentially due to some measures being close to the mean, while others are closer to the median price. Housing valuations are best... 22nd May 2013 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Data Response Housing Starts (Apr.) A dip in housing starts in April had been widely expected. Although the drop was much larger than the consensus forecast, other forward-looking indicators strongly suggest that April’s slump will be... 16th May 2013 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Data Response Housebuilding (Q1) While housing completions dipped during the first quarter of 2013, this is a lagging indicator and more significantly private housing starts increased. Various Government interventions should mean... 16th May 2013 · 1 min read
Canada Data Response Teranet-National Bank House Prices (Apr.) Although house prices rose on a month-on-month basis in April, the annual growth rate slipped to a three-and-a-half-year low of 2.0%, from 2.6% in March. As home sales continue to fall, we expect... 14th May 2013 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Update Are mortgage credit conditions loosening? Mortgage-dependent buyers have been unable to play the sort of role in this housing recovery that they have in previous cycles because mortgage credit conditions have remained tighter for longer. But... 14th May 2013 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Data Response RICS Residential Market Survey (Apr.) The April residential market survey showed that surveyors are now more optimistic about the outlook for house sales and prices. While we share some of the optimism with regards to transactions, we are... 14th May 2013 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Data Response Mortgage Delinquencies (Q1 13 The rise in mortgage delinquencies in Q1 is a reminder that it’s not all plain sailing for the housing recovery. But the gradual improvement in the labour market suggests that that the delinquency... 9th May 2013 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Chart Pack Non-distressed home sales up sharply Behind the small decline in overall home sales in March were several pieces of good news. Sales of new homes rose, an increasing share of total home sales took place under non-distressed conditions... 9th May 2013 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Data Response CML Buy-to-Let Lending (Q1 13) The Funding for Lending Scheme proved unable to prevent a dip in buy-to-let (BTL) lending in the first quarter of 2013. While BTL lending should recover in the coming months, helped by underlying... 9th May 2013 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Data Response Mortgage Arrears and Possessions (Q1 13) It is too soon to declare Q1’s marginal rise in arrears and possessions to be the start of a deteriorating trend. But it seems clear that the steady improvement in the data, seen since the end of the... 9th May 2013 · 1 min read
