Real News

This week, in the aftermath of RBNZ’s decision to keep the OCR at 1 per cent, ASB economists peered into their crystal ball and came up with a bold prediction:  “We now expect the OCR[...]

This week, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) decided to keep the official cash rate (OCR) at 1 per cent. The decision was widely expected by economists, who couldn’t but notice the “upbeat” tone[...]

In December 2019, New Zealanders borrowed $6.5 billion – up nearly $1.2 billion compared with December 2018. And at 18.5 per cent, first-home buyers moved to a new record high share of the amount borrowed. [...]

The media recently reported that negotiations are underway for Kiwibank to take over BNZ from its parent, National Australia Bank (NAB).  Some industry experts, like Simplicity founder Sam Stubbs, believe the deal could be worth[...]

Housing market predictions continue to run rampant in the news, with property experts once again peering into their crystal balls. In the past few weeks, most economists have been revising their forecasts for 2020, saying that current market conditions[...]

Will the property market take off again in 2020? Many signs seem to indicate that New Zealand is still a strong sellers’ market, with regions taking the lion’s share of price increases. And with stock[...]

As we gear up for a new year (and a new decade!), it’s safe to say that 2019 has been an interesting year for the property market. Take the ban on foreign buyers, for example.[...]

Consumers can no longer use the finance clause in their sale-and-purchase agreement to pull out of a property purchase. Up to now, consumers were not required to provide evidence they couldn’t raise finance, meaning they[...]

The Reserve Bank has just announced it will leave the LVR (loan-to-value ratios) restrictions at current levels. The decision was motivated by concerns that low interest rates could “lead to a resurgence in higher-risk lending”, with banks[...]

Yesterday, in the latest issue of his newsletter Tony’s View, veteran economist Tony Alexander talked about where interest rates might go over the next 10 years, warning that long-term economic forecasts should be taken with a grain of[...]