Search results:

There’s a pretty unanimous sense across the financial markets right now that there's another Official Cash Rate (OCR) hike in store for us this week. Chief Squirrel, David Cunningham, says that's the last thing we need.

Between a weakened construction sector, increasing migration and more businesses starting to retrench (both of which are helping to ease pressure in the job market), there are lots of signs out there to indicate that inflation’s coming under control. So, will there be another OCR increase?

With a great number of construction related businesses going into liquidation every week, negatives dominate in the house building sector and buyers need to apply extra caution as they contemplate getting a house built.

Even some of NZ's smartest economic minds hadn't picked that this latest spike in interest rates would be quite as swift and brutal as it's been. But according to Rodney Dickens, the writing was on the wall for all to see - so why weren't Kiwi borrowers warned?

Earlier today, the Reserve Bank made its second Monetary Policy announcement of 2023, opting to push through another double increase, and take our Official Cash Rate (OCR) from 4.75% up to 5.25%. So what does this latest OCR outcome mean?

Two new interesting things of relevance to the NZ residential real estate market have happened over the past fortnight: Firstly, a striking turnaround in migration flows into New Zealand and secondly, the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank.

Can the Reserve Bank get the balance right, bringing inflation under control without taking it too far, and sending us hurtling for a hard landing? Rodney Dickens says, if history's anything to go by, the chances aren't good.

"Buy anything and wait" has been all the strategy you needed to make money in property over the last few decades. But as the world enters an extended period of low growth, doing well as a property investor will require a more active approach.

The Reserve Bank has played things pretty much as expected with today’s Official Cash Rate (OCR) announcement, pushing through a 0.50% hike to take us from 4.25% to 4.75%.

I recall mentioning last year there was a good chance that the housing market would bottom out around the end of 2022 then stage a small recovery over 2023 with prices maybe rising by 5%. But then the inflation numbers came in.

After hitting us hard with one massive OCR increase after another last year, the Reserve Bank's next announcement on 22nd February is one they can't afford to mess up.

The good news? Many signs seem to indicate that inflation is starting to come under control. The not so good news? Wage pressure could send us into a wage price spiral that prolongs the battle.