Latest ABS home loan data for June has revealed another
sharp increase in finance approved for residential investment in
Australia. The value of investment loans
soared to $15.3bn over the month which was another monthly record following the
previous high watermark set in May 2015.
The stunning June result was 5.0 percent higher than May
with investor finance increasing by 24.8 percent over the 2014-15 financial
year compared to 2013-14. The value of
loans approved to investors over the first 6 months of this year is now 27
percent higher than the amount approved over the first 6 months of last
year.
The loan market share for investors now stands at 54.1
percent over June, just below the all-time record of 54.2 percent set in May.
Banks have moved recently to increase lending rates to
investors, for both existing and new loans, at the direction of the regulatory
body, APRA. Increased mortgage rates for
investor loans are designed to quell demand in this strong market sector. Although it is early days in this policy
shift, there is no sign of any easing in the runaway train that is Australia’s
residential investment market.
It remains unlikely given relatively high yields, the prospects
of continued capital growth and the taxation advantages and investment benefits
that residential investors enjoy, that the recent increase in rates will cause a significant
decline in activity particularly in the still strong Sydney and Melbourne
housing markets. Moreover, a fall in
residential investment would certainly not be welcomed by the majority of
capital city markets that continue to report modest housing market activity and
associated economic benefits.
Dr Andrew Wilson is senior economist for the Domain Group
