Lockdowns a knock to confidence
/Republished from MPA.
The nation’s lockdowns are taking their toll on new home lending and the financial comfort of Australians. While the RBA remains positive, there are still concerns about the economic recovery.
The value of new home lending in Australia dropped for the first time this year in June, coinciding with the start of Sydney’s lockdown. Declining 1.6% over the month, it was driven by a 2.5% drop in owner-occupier lending – the largest fall since May 2020.
Investment lending bucked the trend, with the value of new loans to investors growing for the eighth consecutive month, rising by 0.7% in June to reach $9.19bn.
First home buyer purchases and loans for construction slowed over the month as incentives were wound back.
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Loanscape has today released its Borrowing Capacity Index for Q2/2024. It shows that the borrowing capacities of Australian individuals and families have stabilised after the sharp decline over the past 2 years. Lower income borrowers continue to be disproportionately impacted by interest rate increases: the family income required to qualify for the average size loan in Australia is 35% higher than 2 years ago.