The Unassuming Economist

On cross-country:

• Global house prices declined in real terms by 0.8% year on year (yoy) in Q2 2025, slightly less compared with the previous quarter (–1.0%). – BIS
• Where house prices are rising fastest globally – Global Property Guide
• European progressives must tackle housing crisis to beat far right, say researchers. Centre left can win broad support by addressing soaring house prices and rents, according to data analysis – The Guardian
• Commissioner Jørgensen welcomes recommendations by the Housing Advisory Board on how to tackle the housing crisis – European Commission
• New Housing in Europe publication out now – Eurostat
• Real estate investment: micro-apartments as a housing trend. Micro-apartments: the smart housing trend – compact and profitable. Ideal for urban lifestyles, they offer investors high rental income but also come with risks such as higher management costs and vacancies. – UBS

Working papers and conferences:

• The Mortgage Debt Channel of Monetary Policy when Mortgages are Liquid – University of Chicago
• “Giving Up”: The Impact of Decreasing Housing Affordability on Consumption, Work Effort, and Investment – SSRN
• Market segmentation and housing prices. Did relaxed credit standards drive the housing boom that led to the Great Recession? – American Economic Association
• The Global Value of Cities – NBER
• The Spatial Distribution of Income in Cities: New Global Evidence and Theory – NBER
• How spatiotemporal urban expansion shapes heat trends in coastal megacities: Developed vs. developing nations – Urban Climate

On China:

• Why China Can’t Sort Out Its Property Market Mess – Bloomberg

On Australia and New Zealand:

• [Australia] ‘I would just like to see more people housed’: inside NSW’s social housing changes – The Guardian
• [Australia] Australia Caps Risky Loans as Home Prices and Credit Surge – Bloomberg
• [Australia] Australia Building Activity Jumps in Race to Ease Housing Stress – Bloomberg
• [New Zealand] NZ’s housing funk sows doubts on reliable investment strategy, drags on economy – Reuters

On other countries:  

• [Canada] Ontario’s housing affordability crisis extends far beyond Toronto – Fraser Institute
• [Denmark] Danish Home Price Spike Puts Central Bank on Alert for Stability – Bloomberg
• [Hong Kong] Momentum builds: ‘bigger’ Hong Kong property rebound forecast for 2026. Resurgent stock market helps steer secondary home prices to 14-month high as rent index maintains historical peak – South China Morning Post
• [Hong Kong] Three Arrested as Hong Kong Fire Death Toll Rises to at Least 65. Officials said firefighters extinguished fires in four towers of a high-rise complex, and blazes in three others were effectively under control – Wall Street Journal
• [Portugal] Housing crisis creates “new social challenges” in Portugal – European Commission – ENR
• [Switzerland] Swiss regulator warns mortgage risks are rising as banks stretch lending rules – Reuters
• [United Kingdom] Mortgage brokers say house buying at risk from surveyor ‘down valuing’. London and the south-east said to be worst affected, with valuations often coming in at 10% below the agreed sale price – The Guardian
• [Vietnam] Surging Property Prices Draw Bidders for Derelict Vietnam Towers – Bloomberg