Digital Finance Analytics (DFA) Blog
"Intelligent Insight"
The RBA made a statement today to the Inquiry into Affordable Housing. Several points to note: 1. They recognise the high price to income ratio we currently have, but also state that low rates make larger mortgages affordable. the ratio of housing prices to incomes is at the top of its historical range; but over … Continue reading “RBA Highlights Housing Supply Issues And Lending Regulation”
The RBA just released their Financial Stability Review for September 2014. They made a number of comments on Housing Lending, which I have collated in a more digestible form here. INVESTMENT LENDING Household credit growth has picked up, almost entirely driven by investor housing credit, which is growing at its fastest pace since late 2007. … Continue reading “RBA On Housing Lending in Financial Stability Review”
We have just received the latest findings from our Small and Medium Business surveys, which shows that many are still running hard to stand still and are unwilling or unable to borrow more. The sector is an important bell-weather for the broader economy, because nearly half of all Australian households are reliant in part or … Continue reading “SME’s Business Grinds On”
The RBA published the notes from their last meeting today. The theme was similar to previous ones, “Members considered that the most prudent course was likely to be a period of stability in interest rates,” but in the variations, there was a sub-text relating to property prices. I have extracted just those paragraphs: Members noted … Continue reading “RBA And Property Speculation”
A cornerstone of banking regulation and control is the application of capital ratios, which acts a brake on their ability to write more loans. The rules are set by the Bank of International Settlement, but they may be interpreted by local regulators, like APRA in Australia to take account of local conditions. BIS has no … Continue reading “The Capital Conundrum”
Yesterday APRA published their quarterly ADI performance statistics to June 2014. So today we look at some of the detail contained in this mammoth release, with a focus on the four major banks, which makes up the bulk of the industry. APRA reported that the net profit after tax for all ADIs was $8.4 billion … Continue reading “Bank Profits Up To $8.4 Billion In June Quarter – APRA”
The ABS released their latest data on Residential Property Prices today. The total value of residential dwellings in Australia was $5,196,355.9 m at the end of June quarter 2014, rising $112,598.5 m over the quarter. The mean price of residential dwellings rose $9,900 and the number of residential dwellings rose by 37,600 in the June … Continue reading “House Price Momentum Slowing As Value Reaches $5.2 Trillion”
The ABS published their housing finance data today to June 2014. In seasonally adjusted terms, the total value of dwelling finance commitments excluding alterations and additions rose 1.0%. The value of commitments grew faster than the number of transaction, so the average loan size is increasing. Growth in NSW, WA and TAS was faster than … Continue reading “June Housing Finance Up 1% – ABS”
We know that first time buyers are sitting on the sidelines, as shown in our recent surveys. The biggest barrier is price. Many are desperate to enter the market and would jump at any additional incentive. No surprise then to see proposals popping up from time to time to try and assist first time buyers. … Continue reading “Why Enticing First Time Buyers With Super Is A Bad Idea”
The CPI data which came out from the RBA yesterday registered 3%. This was very bad news for households with savings in deposit accounts at the banks, because ever more are finding that returns after tax are well below CPI. This is part of a worrying trend for many, and is prompting them to seek … Continue reading “Savers Quest For Yield”