Once again, our Monday evening chat with property insider Edwin Almeida pulls apart the rubbish being spoken though official channels and gets to the heart of the issues facing property buyers, especially first time buyers. You could not make this stuff up!!! Apologies for glitches on the audio tonight, the connection to Edwin was steam … Continue reading "Its Edwin’s Monday Evening Property Rant!"

The combination of high prices and interest rates is seeing affordability become extremely stretched at a time when cost-of-living pressures more generally are also constraining incomes, according to a recent Westpac Survey. In response, would-be buyers are pushing the timing of their planned purchases back – less than 10% expect to transact in the next … Continue reading "Property Buyers’ Plans Destroyed By “Higher For Longer” Rate Trends!"

This is our weekly market update. Another crazy week on markets, as geo-political worries collided with the stronger “higher for longer to fight sticky inflation” mantra, and big-tech looking over-valued. The brief latest flare-up in Middle East tensions seemed contained with a flight to bonds, gold and the US dollar waning. Oil fell. The Dow … Continue reading "Grab A Seat Belt As Market Volatility Shakes Confidence And Prices!"

It’s become a bit of a ritual, as members of various committees linked to Central Bank interest rate decisions speak in the open spaces between policy meetings. This week, Washington has been the centre of gravity thanks to the IMF conferences. Markets are hypersensitive at the moment, having been baying for rate cuts all year, … Continue reading "Markets Rethink Rate Cuts As Central Bank Hawks Jawbone!"

On Thursday Australia’s jobless rate rose to 3.8 per cent in March, which was broadly in line with the market’s expectations, and ahead of crucial March quarter inflation data due next Wednesday. The economy added 27,900 full-time roles and lost 34,500 part-time jobs in the month. This very slight rise in the unemployment figure to … Continue reading "More Data Pushing Rate Cuts Out, as Labour Markets Hold Up (Again)!"

In an increasingly globalized workforce — which intensified in the wake of Covid-19 as nations looked to fill acute worker shortages — New Zealand is a desirable destination. It was ranked the most attractive nation in the OECD for skilled migrants, according to a 2023 report by the Paris-based organization, which rated the country highly … Continue reading "The Real Costs Of Migration!"

US Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell has confirmed fears that interest rate cuts in the US would be later rather than sooner as inflation remains stubbornly high. If that price pressure persists, the Fed can keep rates steady for “as long as needed,” Powell said. This came after US retail sales figures for March came … Continue reading "The Sticky Inflation Problem Will Bite Hard!"

This is an edited version of my latest live discussion, with Leith van Onselen, Chief Economist at Nucleus Wealth, and Co-Founder of Macrobusiness. We will dive into the latest in property, economics and politics, to try and make sense of what is happening. What’s the future trajectory of the markets? How will Albo’s announcables play … Continue reading "DFA Live Q&A Replay: Inside The Property Twilight Zone! With Leith van Onselen…"

Another deep dive into property and politics with our Property Insider Edwin Almeida, as we look at the latest spin on affordability and “hot suburbs”. The drive towards high-rise density has consequences, but even the quality of low-rise is a concern. Meantime, listings are still in the doldrums, while rental availability is largely shot. And … Continue reading "Its Edwin’s Monday Evening Property Rant!"

The ABS released data on the total number of dwellings approved in February recently. They say that despite growth in private houses in the month, the total number of dwellings approved fell 1.9 per cent in February (seasonally adjusted), after a 2.5 per cent fall in January. The trend estimate for total dwellings approved fell … Continue reading "Government Housing Targets An Impossible Dream As Building Approvals Shrink!"