Australian Economy

Highly leveraged property investors are set for their first full night sleep in 8 months after a news article out today from The Age’s Ian Verrender saying a chance of a property crash in Australia is “as rare as hen’s teeth”. Read more on why Australia’s property bubble can’t crash …

Eight months into Australia’s housing recession and there is no signs of letting up, not that we would expect any let up unless the government decided to intervene. According to the RP Data-Riskmark Hedonic Index released today, nationally house prices fell a seasonally adjusted 0.4 percent in the month of …

The Melbourne Herald Sun has reported on research from RateCity, showing in the 12 months to July, 40,000 fewer first home buyers entered the property market compared to the previous 12 months. This has seen mortgage lending fall some $11 billion dollars, at a time when housing costs were approximately …

Adelaide’s channel 7 news has tonight reported on a rental crisis only set to worsen in Adelaide. But this one effects landlords, giving tenants the upper hand. Channel 7 reports landlords has been forced to slash rents as the availability of properties outstrip demand. The rental vacancy rate has shot …

Mortgage insurer Genworth Financial yesterday released its September Homebuyer Confidence Index showing the number of Australian’s with mortgage stress in Australia has jumped to 25 percent and is now at unprecedented heights, even exceeding levels experienced during the Global Financial Crisis. With this in mind, is it better to rent …

The Howard Era is known as a period between the 11th March 1996 and the 3rd of December 2007 where John Howard held the position of Prime Minister of Australia and Peter Costello, the Treasurer of Australia. It’s also known as the longest period of economic expansion in Australia. But …

Philip Soos, a researcher at Deakin University’s School of International & Political Studies and author of the paper Bubbling Over : The End of Australia’s $2 Trillion Housing Party posses the question if economists are ignoring our property bubble? In an article published today and titled Are economists ignoring Australia’s …

In our last post, we reported on Harry Dent arriving in Australia to promote his new book. On Wednesday morning, Mr Dent appeared on Channel 7’s Sunrise telling David Koch his belief that Australian housing is likely to fall as much as 50 percent as the world is hit by …

It’s the second week of Spring and while the number of properties on the market keeps increasing, the Melbourne Herald Sun reports Real Estate agents are now being forced to desert some sellers who still have hopes of obtaining “dream 2010” prices. James Hatzimoisis, Managing Director of Barry Plant, a …

With data showing national house prices have been falling for the last 7 months, SQM Research has told Fairfax Newspapers today, it expects June 2012 house prices in Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth to be as much as 15 percent lower than 2010 peaks, provided there are no sudden problems in …

There are no surprises in this months release of the RP Data‐Rismark July Hedonic Home Value Index. House prices continue to decline, falling a seasonally adjusted 0.6% in the month of July and registering the 7th straight month of falls. Since the start of the year, Australian capital city prices …

According to figures released from the Housing Industry of Australia, sales of new homes are down 8 percent for the month of July. This follows a similar size fall in June of 8.7 percent and has the housing industry begging the government for more stimulus. But while the housing lobby …

Channel 9’s reality TV show The Block has tonight transparently shown the nation via their arm chairs, the true depressed state of the property market. Only one of the four renovated houses sold at auction yesterday at the Fitzroy Town Hall. The only property sold – Polly & Warwick’s, fetched …

Chronic housing affordability has seen the number of first home buyers drop by almost 50 percent in Adelaide. Figures supplied to the Adelaide Advertiser by Treasury, show only 6570 South Australian First Home Buyers signed on the dotted line to purchase a home in 2010-11, a dramatic drop from the …

Talking at an Asia Society Dinner in Sydney, World Bank president Robert Zoellick has warned that fragile confidence from recent events in the United States and Europe have pushed us into a new danger zone “And I don’t say those words lightly.” But these comments come as no surprise to …

Boy, what a turbulent couple of weeks on global stock markets. In Australia, the All Ordinaries lost 3.75 percent over the week ending 29 July only to accelerate and plunge 7.49 percent the following week. This included a free fall of 4.21 percent last Friday. This week has seen some …

Channel 9’s 60 Minutes has tonight shown a story about record number of Australia’s struggling to keep up with their mortgage repayments, suggesting renting may just keep you ahead of the game. A transcript of the story will be available tomorrow. » The Big Squeeze – 60 Minutes, 7th August …