The Unassuming Economist

From the IMF’s latest report on Albania:

From the IMF’s latest report on Canada:

“The sharp increase in Canadian house prices, particularly during the pandemic, naturally raises the question of whether an asset price bubble was forming, or whether fundamentals explained most or all of the price run-up. Extending the analysis in Andrle and Plašil (2019), standard mortgage affordability formulas were used to link interest rates, income growth, and other household fundamentals to so-called “attainable” house prices in eleven Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) across Canada.

Staff analysis shows that in most locations—with the notable exceptions of Toronto and Hamilton—the change in house prices through the first half of 2021 was fully explained by households’ expanded borrowing capacity (which was driven by historically low mortgage rates and growing income). From mid-2021 onward, however, the growth in house prices in most CMAs exceeded the growth in attainable prices, suggesting some frothiness.

Even the apparent frothiness of the past eighteen months, however, is explainable if one considers
the perspective of investors. For investors, low interest rates, the expectation of economic recovery, and
broadly unchanged long-term growth expectations made prospective real estate cash flows more valuable than for the average owner-occupier. The “r-g” differential returned to its 2019 lows, and in most CMAs, the investor-implied valuation of the median house exceeded observed prices. In other words, buying real estate even at prices the median owner-occupier could not afford would still be consistent with achieving the required return on investment.

Looking forward, the projected rise in interest rates from their lows could drag attainable prices
down over 20 percent from their peak. And should regional overvaluations shrink at the same time, the
drop in actual prices could be substantially higher than this.”

On cross-country:

• Global Home Prices to See Declines or Lower Growth in 2023 – Fitch Ratings
• Global Housing and Mortgage Outlook – 2023 – Fitch Ratings
• Don’t Look Up: House Prices in Emerging Europe – IMF
• From New York to Hong Kong, how renting became unaffordable everywhere. In today’s newsletter: It’s not just the UK struggling with soaring rent and living standards – these four cities tell the story of a worldwide market in crisis – The Guardian
• Savills Global Residential Agent Sentiment Survey – Savills
• Waking a Sleeping Giant: Reflections from ADB’s 1st Asia-Pacific Housing Conference – Way Forward Housing Colatition
• How to solve the housing crisis – FT

On the US—developments on house prices, rent, permits and mortgage:    

• Renters Are Finally Catching a Break. After 18 months of blistering growth, cooling demand in the housing market is forcing landlords to tone down their pricing. – Bloomberg
• U.S. house prices to fall 12% peak to trough: analysts – Reuters poll – Reuters
• Black Knight Mortgage Monitor: Home Prices Declined in October; Down 3.2% since June – Calculated Risk
• Housing Costs, Inflation’s Biggest Component, Are Poised to Ease. New rents are already softening, but that might not show up in official inflation data for months because of measurement delays – Wall Street Journal

On the US—other developments:    

• What’s Going On With the Housing Market? Home buyers and sellers are trying to make sense of a downturn that’s full of contradictions: Demand has seized up but supply is still low; prices are sliding but not plummeting; and no one can agree on what comes next – Wall Street Journal
• The Economic and Housing Markets Outlook – American Action Forum
• U.S. construction spending falls in October on single family housing – Reuters
• Once-Affordable US Housing Markets Are Now Out of Reach for Most – Bloomberg
• A Big Chill Is Here for the Housing Market. Next Year Could Bring More Trouble. Affordability is still an issue, mortgage rates will remain high, and homes are sitting on the market longer. It all adds up to a stalled 2023 for real estate. – Barron’s
• Single-Family Construction Slows in Post-Covid Hot Markets – NAHB
• Q3 Update: Delinquencies, Foreclosures and REO – Calculated Risk
• Irish House Prices Set for New Records on High Rents, Tight Supply. Rents in Ireland rose almost five times EU average in 12 years. New homes have failed to keep pace with population growth – Bloomberg
• 1st Look at Local Housing Markets in November. Early reports suggest another step down in sales – Calculated Risk
• Top Housing Markets for 2023. Amid Higher Costs in 2023, Housing Markets in Affordable, Mid-Sized Manufacturing Hubs will Stay Busy – Realtor

On other countries:  

• [India] India’s housing market to remain resilient, defying global downtrend: Reuters poll – Reuters
• [Germany] Germany’s housing market is facing a serious downturn in prices, analysts say – CNBC
• [Greece] Cheap loans set to give young Greeks a shot at a home of their own. Government programme will offer mortgages for as little as 1% to address an affordability crisis – FT
• [Sweden] Swedish House Prices Drop Again as Market Woes Deepen. Home prices have lost up to 13% from 2022 peak, realtor says. Nordic country’s housing market suffers as interest rates rise – Bloomberg
• [United Kingdom] The Guardian view on housing politics: a clash of false alternatives. Communities deserve better than a choice between developers’ financial interests and local nimbyism – The Guardian
• [United Kingdom]  How Far Will UK House Prices Fall? The UK isn’t the most vulnerable global housing market, but a significant fall is still on the cards. – Bloomberg
• [United Kingdom]  UK house prices fall at fastest rate in 14 years, says Halifax. Rising borrowing costs squeeze prospective homebuyers, sparking a 2.3% decline for November – FT
• [United Kingdom] The Optimistic View on UK House Prices. If mortgage rates stay put and the labour market remains strong, a UK house price crash isn’t a certainty – Bloomberg  
• [United Kingdom] UK construction growth slows as mortgage rates hit housing market. Concerns over economic outlook and cancelled sales curtail building projects, survey finds – FT
• [United Kingdom] Britain’s ‘Jobs-Rich’ Recession May Limit Drop in Housing Market. RICS says prices and new buyer inquiries fell in November. Tight labor market means many people may remain in work – Bloomberg
• [United Kingdom] We can’t build our way out of the growing housing crisis – The Guardian

On cross-country:

• OECD Analytical House Price database: December update – OECD

On the US—developments on house prices, rent, permits and mortgage:    

• Case-Shiller: National House Price Index “Continued to Decline” to 10.6% year-over-year increase in September. FHFA: Third quarter “House prices were up 0.1 percent compared to the second quarter of 2022.” – Calculated Risk
• Home Prices Continue to Decline in September – NAHB  
• U.S. house annual prices slow again in September – Reuters
• Inflation Adjusted House Prices 3.3% Below Peak. House Price-to-Rent Ratio Declines to 4.7% Below Peak – Calculated Risk  
• U.S. Government to Backstop Mortgages Above $1 Million in High-Cost Areas. Highest limit applies to most expensive regions; level also set to rise in rest of the country, reflecting increased home prices – Wall Street Journal
• U.S. to Back $1 Million Mortgages. Affordability Is Still an Issue. – Barron’s
• Home Buyers Could Soon Get $1 Million Mortgage With 3% Down Payment. Higher limits for federally backed mortgages will give buyers more flexibility in their house hunts – Wall Street Journal
• Rents Falling Faster than “Seasonality Alone”. Expect YoY Rents to Slow Further in Coming Months – Calculated Risk

On the US—other developments:    

• As Mortgage Rates Rise, More People Choose to Rent Single-Family Homes. In response, major builders and developers are getting into the business, which was once dominated by mom-and-pop outfits – Wall Street Journal
• The Short- and Long- Run Effects of Remote Work on U.S. Housing Markets – University of California
• Rising Inventory Will Be the Housing Market’s Next Problem – Bloomberg
• US Housing Enters Deep Freeze With Sellers and Buyers Sidelined. Agents struggle to find listings as deals decline, mortgage rates remain high and signs point to leaner times ahead. – Bloomberg 
• FHFA Announces Baseline Conforming Loan Limit Will Increase to $726,200. High-Cost Areas increase to $1,089,300 – Calculated Risk
• Activist House Flippers Take On Wall Street to Keep Homes From Investors. Housing groups try to counter rental conversions and help lower-income residents achieve homeownership – Wall Street Journal
• Abundant Policy Options Available to Improve Housing Affordability for Families – Cato
• In Tough Housing Market, Renters Renovate Like They Own the Place. Priced out of the home market, many renters are splurging on new fixtures, wallpaper and other upgrades – Wall Street Journal
• The Fed and Measures of House Prices – American Action Forum  

On China:

• China Is Finally Trying to Fix Its Housing Crisis. After a year on the sidelines, Beijing this week took steps to get hundreds of billions of dollars into the hands of the country’s flailing real estate developers. – New York Times
• China property bailouts leave most out in the cold – Reuters

On other countries:  

• [Australia] Australia house prices forecast to slump 16% from peak – Reuters
• [Australia] Why mortgage stress is on the rise – Financial Review
• [Greece] Greek residential property price recovery picks up in third quarter – Reuters
• [Hong Kong] Hong Kong Oct home prices drop 2.4%, biggest fall in 4 years – Reuters
• [Hong Kong] Hong Kong Property Slump Reaches City’s Coveted Luxury Homes. Luxury sales at lowest in 9 years with prices to fall further. Even clients with cash on hand adopt wait-and-see mindset – Bloomberg 
• [India] Home loans remain healthy for India’s banks, NBFCs amid rising rates – S&P Global
• [New Zealand] New Zealand House Prices Suffer Biggest Annual Drop in 13 Years – Bloomberg
• [South Korea] Korean House Prices Drop by Most Since 2013 as Credit Woes Mount. Policy makers seek to prevent hard landing in property market. Market correction likely to deepen as pessimism rises: survey – Bloomberg
• [Sweden] Riksbank Sees Deeper Home Price Fall in Sweden as Rates Rise. Nordic country’s housing prices now seen falling by a fifth. Sweden is among the bellwethers of the global property slump – Bloomberg
• [United Kingdom] High mortgage rates push UK first-time buyers towards rental market – Rightmove – Reuters
• [United Kingdom] UK housing market seen facing further ‘mini-budget’ fallout – Reuters
• [United Kingdom] UK homeowners forced to settle for below asking price, Zoopla says. Property website data shows housing market is slowing, with 44% less demand for homes and sellers accepting 3% below asking price – The Guardian
• [United Kingdom] UK mortgage approvals drop more than expected as borrowing costs rise. Repayment rates increase as buyers contend with soaring inflation and higher interest rates – FT
• [United Kingdom] Student housing is the bubble that won’t burst. Budget squeezes are no match for a sector with a structural supply shortfall – FT
• [United Kingdom] UK house prices fall at fastest pace since June 2020. Drop of 1.4% in November comes as rising borrowing costs weigh on sentiment, says Nationwide – FT