US Economics Update Bouncing along the bottom The housing market recovery has yet to begin with activity more or less bouncing along the bottom. Home sales did edge further above their post-tax credit low in September, but they remained 20% below... 8th November 2010 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update New survey adds to the evidence of a tightening lending market A new mortgage market survey from the charted surveyors e.surv suggests that mortgage lending volumes and average loan-to-value ratios fell further in October. While the survey has yet to be tested... 5th November 2010 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Chart Pack Active buyers still thin on the ground (Nov 10) The housing market data became increasingly negative last month. The stock of unsold properties on the market expanded once again and mortgage market activity remains extremely depressed. Most of the... 4th November 2010 · 1 min read
UK Data Response Halifax House Prices (Oct.) October’s rise in the Halifax house price index was widely expected, given the size of the previous month’s drop. Moreover, although far stronger than consensus estimates for a 0.6% rise, the... 4th November 2010 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Data Response Mortgage Lending (Sep.) The latest small fall in mortgage approvals reinforces the picture of a severely depressed lending market. We do not expect mortgage lending to recover significantly next year. 29th October 2010 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Chart Pack Weak activity data suggest further house price falls to come (Oct 10) The latest housing market activity measures look very weak. For now, however, this does not seem to have passed through to sustained falls in house prices. But with the fiscal consolidation set to put... 29th October 2010 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Data Response Land Registry Repeat Sales Index (Sep.) The second consecutive monthly drop in the Land Registry measure of house prices is further evidence that the devaluation is becoming more embedded. The fact that house prices are still overvalued... 28th October 2010 · 1 min read
UK Data Response Nationwide House Prices (Oct.) The Nationwide house price index fell for the third time in four months in October. As such, the data suggest that the key question facing the market is no longer “Will house prices fall?” but rather... 28th October 2010 · 1 min read
US Data Response Durable Goods Orders & New Home Sales (Sep.) September's durable goods orders suggest that the industrial recovery is nearing extinction. With the housing market still in no fit state to pick up the baton of growth, the economy is going to... 27th October 2010 · 1 min read
US Data Response Cons. Confidence (Oct.) & House Prices (Aug.) The rebound in equity prices has started to boost consumer confidence, but further gains could be limited by a renewed slide in house prices. Households are unlikely to be in the mood to spend for... 26th October 2010 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Data Response BBA Mortgage Lending (Sep.) The most recent lending data from the BBA showed that the contraction in mortgage lending continued in September. With confidence in the outlook for the housing market still very weak, among lenders... 25th October 2010 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Focus Is UK mortgage affordability worse than other countries? Intuitively, one might expect the high population density and apparent structural undersupply of housing in the UK to mean that we have historically spent a higher proportion of our earnings on... 21st October 2010 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update Will landlords gain most from the Spending Review? Today’s Spending Review was never going to be good for the housing sector. The target for 150,000 new affordable homes to be built over the next four years represents a cut of almost 30% in affordable... 20th October 2010 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Outlook Not out of the woods yet A double-dip in both housing activity and prices is underway. Prices are likely to fall for the next 12 months, while activity will remain weak for at least three years. 19th October 2010 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Housing revival unlikely to drive a consumer recovery There are early signs of a revival in euro-zone housing markets. Even in the periphery, the housing market seems to have passed its worst, which on the face of it, may provide some relief to consumers... 19th October 2010 · 1 min read
