The Unassuming Economist

On cross-country:

• Newsletter on credit risk: real estate and leveraged lending – BIS
• Beyond China: Here Are the Next Real Estate Markets to Drop – Barron’s
• Where Should Affluent People Live? it’s not a simple question – Freddie deBoer

On the US:    

• Zillow Sees Slowing Demand for Ads in Housing Downturn. Shares fall after earnings forecast misses analyst estimates. Piper Sandler’s Champion says it’s ‘rough’ in real estate now – Bloomberg
• Zillow economists: Here’s the home price shift coming for your local housing market in 2023 – Fortune  
• Soaring rent prices have advocates calling on White House to intervene. A coalition of tenant unions, community organizations and legal groups is calling on the Biden administration to launch a full government response to lower rent inflation. – Washington Post
• How big is the housing shortage? – Market Urbanism
• The Snowballing US Rental Crisis Is Sparing Nowhere and No One. Renters across cities and income brackets are struggling to find new homes or pay for the ones they already live in. – Bloomberg
• Housing Affordability Falls to Lowest Level Since Great Recession – NAHB
• Lumber Futures Hit Two-Week High as Canada Cuts Wood Output. West Fraser shutters 2.5% of its North America capacity. Lumber prices may have reached bottom for now, analyst says – Bloomberg 
• Housing Solutions Matchmaker Tool – National Association of Counties
• A Quick Note on the GNM – GSE Early Delinquency Gap – Recursion
• Current State of the Housing Market – Calculated Risk
• Mortgage Rates Swing Back Up, Hitting 5.22% in Volatile Market. Housing market is becoming more balanced, Freddie Mac says. Mortgage rates increase for first time in three weeks – Bloomberg  

On China:

• China’s mortgage boycotts are a symptom of a broader crisis. The real threat to developers is falling sales – The Economist
• China Property Woes Spark Longest Mortgage Debt Halt Since 2015. Sales of residential mortgage-backed notes set for record drop. Plummeting home sales, developers’ cash crunch weaken demand – Bloomberg
• China property crisis: Why homeowners stopped paying their mortgages – BBC

On other countries:  

• [Australia] Why soaring rates are not scaring off property investors. Rising rents and record-low vacancy rates are attracting buyers seeking higher yields and long-term capital growth. – Financial Review
• [India] India’s Top Mortgage Lender Signs ‘World’s Biggest’ Social Loan. HDFC completes $1.1 billion loan to finance affordable housing. HDFC prices social loan at margin of 90 basis points over SOFR – Bloomberg
• [India] Insecure property rights and the housing market: Explaining India’s housing vacancy paradox – Journal of Urban Economics
• [New Zealand] New Zealand House Prices Fall for First Time in 11 Years – Bloomberg
• [Sweden] Stockholm Apartment Prices Fall Most Since Pre-Covid Era – Bloomberg
• [United Kingdom] UK House Prices Fall for First Time in a Year as Crisis Bites. Buyers feeling the effects of inflation, higher mortgage costs. Strain set to worsen as BOE steps up fight on rising prices – Bloomberg
• [United Kingdom] Mortgage misery for millions following rate rise. 40% of fixed-rate deals will end this year, exposing borrowers to higher costs – FT
• [United Kingdom] London tenants facing ‘increasingly unaffordable’ rents. Shortage of accommodation results in private landlords and agents demanding that applicants bid to secure property – FT
• [United Kingdom] Mortgage wake-up call for middle classes. Rising interest rates could cost some borrowers more than rising energy bills – FT
• [United Kingdom] UK Residential Market Survey – RICS