US Housing Market Data Response Housing Starts (Apr.) Housing starts maintained their recent revival during April, while building permits also rose. Strong housebuilder confidence and solid underlying demand are expected to support starts over the next... 16th May 2019 · 1 min read
China Economics Focus What might trigger a hard landing? Structural headwinds will weigh on China’s growth rate over the coming decade. If well managed, this slowdown will be gradual. But a more abrupt adjustment shouldn’t be ruled out. We see two main... 16th May 2019 · 28 mins read
US Housing Market Update Shift toward building cheaper homes will support sales Tax reform and lower lumber prices have led to a rise in the construction of smaller, lower-priced homes. We expect that trend will continue, helping to relieve the shortage of affordable homes on the... 15th May 2019 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update Will ending PDRs be bad news for housing supply? Labour intends to end Permitted Development Rights (PDRs) for office to residential conversions. This is a further blow to this scheme, which was already losing momentum, though it is unlikely to make... 14th May 2019 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Chart Pack No rebound after Brexit delay Housing market conditions were weak in April, as the delay to Brexit did little to rebuild confidence in among buyers and sellers. Looking ahead, we expect uncertainty and high house prices to further... 10th May 2019 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Update House price falls in San Francisco to be modest Annual house price growth in San Francisco, and some other western cities, looks set to turn negative over the next few months. But with no sign of a rise in the number of homes being put on the... 9th May 2019 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Data Response Halifax House Prices (Apr.) The sharp rise in Halifax house price growth stands in contrast to the other housing market data and should be interpreted with care. Indeed, our outlook for house price growth is much weaker, with... 8th May 2019 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update Will transactions see a Brexit bounce in 2019? Housing market uncertainty may soon start to ease. But a recovery in mortgage approvals or transactions is still unlikely this year. Indeed, given the high level of house prices relative to earnings... 3rd May 2019 · 1 min read
Australia & New Zealand Economics Weekly Pace of house price declines may be letting up The pace of house price declines has eased in recent months and forward indicators suggest there may be a further slowdown ahead. However, we still expect houses prices to fall by 15% from their peak... 3rd May 2019 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Update Tougher FHA standards to drag on housing demand The introduction of tougher lending standards for mortgages insured by the FHA will provide another headwind to housing demand this year. While the removal of similar standards in 2016 did not have a... 2nd May 2019 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Data Response Mortgage Applications (Apr.) A gentle rise in mortgage interest rates over April helped cut mortgage applications for home purchase in the latter part of the month. And with home buying sentiment only receiving a modest boost... 1st May 2019 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Data Response Mortgage Lending (Mar.) We doubt that March’s slump in mortgage approvals signals the start of a collapse in mortgage lending. Rather, assuming a Brexit deal is done later this year, we think lending will see a modest fall... 1st May 2019 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Data Response Nationwide House Prices (Apr.) House price growth was subdued in April, and we expect that trend to continue across our forecast – even assuming a Brexit deal is agreed later this year. 1st May 2019 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Data Response Case-Shiller House Prices (Feb.) Easing housing demand helped annual house price growth drop to a 6½-year low in February. We expect that slowdown will continue but, with inventory levels close to record lows and mortgage interest... 30th April 2019 · 1 min read
Australia & New Zealand Chart Pack Interest rates set to fall The economic outlook has deteriorated in both Australia and New Zealand. In Australia, the downturn in the housing market and falling business confidence should mean that GDP growth will continue to... 30th April 2019 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Focus Why is rental growth accelerating? The acceleration in rental growth to 3.7% y/y in March, a 12-month high, does not reflect tighter rental markets. Instead, and in contrast to what we had expected, the rise in earnings growth to a 10... 29th April 2019 · 1 min read
