US Housing Market Update Lower loan limits won't be a disaster The scheduled reduction in conforming mortgage loan limits at the start of October is unlikely to trigger a further precipitous fall in house prices as some have suggested. Nevertheless, it certainly... 6th July 2011 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Data Response CoreLogic House Prices (May) CoreLogic's house price data for May provide further evidence that the five-year long decline in prices may be drawing to a close. We remain concerned that prices may yet slip a little further. Either... 1st July 2011 · 1 min read
UK Data Response Nationwide House Prices (June) The Nationwide house price index was unchanged in June. But the regional indices show that the resilience of the national index over the past year or so is largely down to London where, in contrast to... 1st July 2011 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response Euro-zone EC Survey (Jun.) June’s EC business and consumer survey dealt a further blow to hopes that sustained strong growth in the euro-zone’s core economies might help to ease the crisis in the periphery. 30th June 2011 · 1 min read
UK Data Response Mortgage Lending (May) The latest mortgage lending figures confirm that housing market activity remains very weak. That’s unlikely to change while the squeeze on real pay continues. 30th June 2011 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Data Response Case-Shiller House Prices (Apr.) April's Case-Shiller house price data support other evidence indicating that the rate at which prices are falling has eased. On some measures, prices are actually rising. We still believe that prices... 29th June 2011 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Data Response Land Registry Repeat Sales Index (May) May’s fall in the Land Registry’s index of house prices offset all of the previous month’s rise and confirmed the downward trend in prices on this measure. House price falls are likely to be extended... 29th June 2011 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Data Response New Home Sales (May) The modest 2.1% m/m decline in new home sales in May shows that homebuilders are still struggling to sell new builds at a time when housing demand remains in the doldrums and there is fierce... 24th June 2011 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Data Response BBA Mortgage Lending (May.) May’s rise in the BBA measure of mortgage approvals failed to make up even half of last month’s steep fall. Thus the data seem to confirm that more than just temporary factors have been weighing on... 24th June 2011 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Data Response Existing Home Sales (May) Most of the 3.8% m/m fall in existing home sales in May, to a six-month low of 4.8m from 5.0m in April, was probably due to the unusually severe weather. Nevertheless, the data are still... 22nd June 2011 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Data Response FSA Mortgage Lending Statistics (Q1) Those looking for a loosening in mortgage lending criteria will be disappointed by the latest FSA data. What’s more, the high share of mortgages at variable rates of interest may be storing up... 22nd June 2011 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Data Response Housing Starts (May) As most of the sharp fall in housing starts in April was due to the tornados that battered the south of the nation last month, homebuilding activity will probably bounce back in May. That said, at a... 17th June 2011 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Update Housing in Canada Speaking in Vancouver today, the Governor of the Bank of Canada Mark Carney admitted that housing valuations are elevated and hinted that if there were a sudden weakening in the housing sector, then... 16th June 2011 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Chart Pack Worse than the Great Depression The sharp fall in house prices in the first quarter provided further confirmation that this housing crash has been larger and faster than the one during the Great Depression. On the Case-Shiller index... 15th June 2011 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Data Response RICS Housing Survey & CLG House Prices (May/Apr) The drop in completed sales in May could be a hangover from the disruption caused by this year’s late Easter and Royal Wedding celebrations. But it could also simply be further evidence of the fragile... 15th June 2011 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Focus House Price Indices - What to watch and why For anyone bamboozled by the abundance of house price indices, which can sometimes provide starkly different messages, we consider the Case-Shiller and CoreLogic indices to be the most useful and... 14th June 2011 · 1 min read
