The Unassuming Economist

The IMF’s latest report on Cambodia says that: “Real estate sector-related bank credit growth remains strong, supported by demand for housing from Cambodia’s young and growing middle-income population. Anecdotal evidence, however, suggests that some segments of the property market are cooling. (…) They noted strong demand for affordable housing from the emerging middle-class and continued monitoring banks’ internal rules governing LTV ratios for mortgages, which appear conservative.”

On cross-country:

• Risks in International Housing Markets – Reserve Bank of Australia
• Interest rates and house prices in the United States and around the world – Bank for International Settlements
• The State of Housing in the EU 2017 – Housing Europe
• Housing Markets: A European Perspective – Seeking Alpha
• Inclusive City Development: City-Wide Slum Upgrading and Housing Development – World Resource Institute
• International housing policies – CMHC

On the US:

• Paying For Dirt: Where Have Home Values Detached From Construction Costs? – BuildZoom
• First-Time Homebuyers: Toward a New Measure – Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
• Don’t Worry About Inflation. Solve the Housing Shortage. – Bloomberg
• The Barriers Stopping Poor People From Moving to Better Jobs – The Atlantic
• How Historic Racial Injustices Still Impact Housing Today – Zillow
• Reducing Work Disincentives in the Housing Choice Voucher Program: Rent Reform Demonstration Baseline Report – U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

On other countries:

• [Canada] Canada’s Bank Regulator Toughens Mortgage Qualifying Rules – Bloomberg
• [Canada] Canadian housing agency says it can withstand severe downturn – Reuters
• [China] Chinese property boom props up Xi’s hopes for the economy – Financial Times
• [China] Chinese Cities Buy Off Housing Glut With Borrowed Money – Wall Street Journal
• [Hong Kong] Nano apartments rise to HK’s housing challenge – Financial Times
• [Sweden] Warning Signs Are Mounting for Sweden’s Once-Hot Housing Market – Bloomberg
• [Sweden] ‘The risks have definitely increased’ – Sweden’s housing boom wobbles – Financial Times
• [United Kingdom] Curbs on UK housing benefit making system ‘irrelevant’, IFS warns – Financial Times

Photo by Aliis Sinisalu

On cross-country:

• Global urban house price index records slower growth – Knight Frank
• Global Residential Cities Index – Q2 2017 – Knight Frank
• The State of Housing in the EU 2017 – Housing Europe
• Transparent and efficient social housing – Housing Europe

On the US:

• Sixth annual AEI and CRN conference on housing risk – American Enterprise Institute
• Gentrification and the Amenity Value of Crime Reductions: Evidence from Rent Deregulation – NBER
• What happens to U.S. home prices after Fed rate increase? – Real Estate Decoded

On other countries:

• [Australia] Chinese Investors Keep Pouring Money Into Australian Housing – Bloomberg
• [Canada] Government Eyeing ‘All Options’ to Cool Vancouver Housing Market – Bloomberg
• [United Arab Emirates] Dubai: Premiums Under the Microscope – Reidin

Photo by Aliis Sinisalu

The IMF’s latest report on Spain says that:

• “House prices have started to recover, but are still well below pre-crisis levels.”

• “UK citizens are also the main foreign buyers of houses, but their purchases declined in 2016.”

On cross-country:

• Finance and housing in Central and Eastern Europe – a demand-side approach – National Bank of Romania
• Affordable housing key for development and social equality, UN says on World Habitat Day – UN
• Quarterly Review of European Mortgage Markets Q2 2017 – European Covered Bond Council
• Hypostat 2017 – European Covered Bond Council
• Ownership rates in Europe – European Covered Bond Council
• Capital flows into European real estate are ‘developing not cooling’ – PropertyEU

On the US:

• The 2017 National Rental Housing Landscape – NYU Furman Center
• July 2017 Market Report: Almost Half of U.S. Homes Are Worth More Now Than Before the Bubble – Zillow
• 15 Favorites From Zillow Group Report on Consumer Housing Trends Report 2017 – Zillow
• A More Timely House Price Index – The Review of Economics and Statistics
• The real cause of the America’s housing bubble was foreign money – Financial Times
• The Negative (and Positive) Spillovers of Concentrated Foreclosure Activity in New York City – Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies
• Overregulation Is the Main Block to Affordable Housing – Wall Street Journal
• Why Fall Should Be Hunting Season for Starter Home Buyers – Trulia
• Land-Use Regulations, Property Values, and Rents: Decomposing the Effects of the California Coastal Act – Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
• Housing as a Safety Net – Urban Land Institute
• Housing as an Asset Class – Urban Land Institute

On other countries:

• [Canada] A novel approach to affordable housing in Canada – CMHC
• [Canada] Too Many Bedrooms, Not Enough Housing? – University of B.C.
• [China] China steps up battle against runaway property prices – Financial Times
• [Germany] Assessing Recent House Price Developments in Germany: An Overview – Monetary Policy, Financial Crises, and the Macroeconomy
• [Ireland] Irish House Price Report Q3 2017 – Daft.ie
• [Israel] A Housing Plunge Doesn’t Concern Israel’s Top Economic Adviser – Bloomberg
• [Macau] Macau’s amazing, incredible, soaring property prices – Global Property Guide
• [United Kingdom] Rent control could deepen the housing crisis in UK’s most expensive cities – Centre for Cities
• [United Kingdom] Britain’s Housing Crunch – Bloomberg

Photo by Aliis Sinisalu