The RPData house price series shows that for the five major cities, prices rose 1.1 per cent in October. At face value, this seems a strong rise, but allowing for seasonal factors it reflects a further cooling from what was runaway house price growth late in 2013 and early in 2014.
Here is some context.
In the seven months since the end of March, house prices have risen a moderate 3.8 per cent in total. This translates to average monthly gains of 0.5 percent for an annualised pace of around 6.25 per cent which, clearly, is nothing to be too worried about. Even the year over year rise reported by RPData has fallen to 9.1%, down from the peak levels around 12 per cent earlier this year. It seems likely, if not certain, that the rate of increase will ease further, especially if – or when- macroprudential rules come into place to dampen the sector.
As noted, the real heat in house prices was in 2013 and the early part of 2014 when, arguably, the RBA could have and should have hiked interest rates. Alas, it didn’t take my advise and it failed to do so but thankfully, with the momentum in house prices is now off the boil, it can sit tight a little longer on interest rates and judge what happens globally, to the unemployment rate and inflation before changing.
For now, the RBA can rest easy knowing house prices are no longer rising at a pace that is all that concerning. A macroprudential tweak, if delivered, would likely see house prices soften further or even fall and this is when the RBA can move to cut official interest rates as it deals with disinflation pressures domestically and from around the globe.
