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With NZ's latest inflation numbers out in late January, it looks like we're finally winning the battle — and we could see annual inflation come down relatively quickly in the coming months. So what would that mean for interest rates?

Put really simply, the Official Cash Rate is the interest rate that the banks earn on any money they’re holding with the Reserve Bank, and the rate they pay if they need to borrow funds.

Wholesale rates are one of the big drivers of bank mortgage rates — and in the last eight weeks or so, they’ve fallen about 0.7%. It’s a significant drop, which means they’re now back down to roughly where they were a year ago. So what does this mean for borrower interest rates?

In late 2022, the RBNZ warned it would need to tip New Zealand into recession in order to get inflation under control. And yet, despite all the rate increases Kiwi borrowers have endured, so far, that promised recession is yet to eventuate. Squirrel guest blogger, Rodney Dickens, explains why that is.

Confirmation of the earlier than expected restoration of interest expense deductibility has not produced an extra surge in demand. The demand seems to be steadily increasing rather than surging. But what lies ahead?

Kiwi were chucked onto a wild house price rollercoaster in the wake of the first COVID-19 lockdown — but was this an exclusive ride for us, or have other countries been on the same ride?

REINZ's latest data tells us that prices are rising, sales have weakened, and houses are selling at a faster pace. But will this continue on into 2024?

It feels pretty clear we're at the top of the current interest rate cycle. But with one more Official Cash Rate announcement to come for the year, what are the expectations for interest rates come 2024?

With good job security and sizeable deposits, first home buyers have jumped boots and all into the housing market since early this year. But with extra buyers set to appear in the near future, is time working against first home buyers?

For many Kiwi voters, National's win in the recent election probably didn’t come as too much of a surprise — and you can bet that National’s focus, especially over the next 12 months, will be on driving through policies that are designed to bolster the New Zealand economy. So what will this all mean for homeowners and borrowers?

Central banks the world over have a bit of a bad habit of reactionary decision making. After overstimulating the economy big time when the pandemic hit by dropping rates to record lows, they were much too slow to jack rates up again when inflation started running rampant. And it's created such a big mess that Squirrel guest blogger, Rodney Dickens, reckons we're in for an extended battle to get us out of it again.

The recent migration boom and rising construction costs have contributed to the growth in house prices — but what are the other factors causing them to rise, and how long will prices continue to increase?