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Rising home prices escalate pressure on NZ to lift rates
Source: Bloomberg News |
May 20, 2013, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
RISING home prices will increase the pressure on the Reserve Bank of New Zealand to raise interest rates, Finance Minister Bill English said.
"These households heading into quite high debt to buy highly priced houses need to be aware at some stage the RBNZ will increase interest rates, particularly if the housing market keeps growing at rapid rates," English said on Saturday in an interview on Television New Zealand's Q&A.
Low interest rates have helped fuel demand for property, raising prices at the fastest pace since 2007 and prompting the central bank to signal its concern about the risks if the housing bubble bursts. Central bank Governor Graeme Wheeler is reluctant to increase the official cash rate from a record 2.5 percent because it may boost demand for the currency.
"I'm just stating the fact that interest rates are likely to rise at some stage," English said. Home-loan interest rates are at 50-year lows and borrowers "don't want to believe that's permanent," he said.
The government doesn't want borrowing costs to go as high as they did in the previous housing boom in 2006-07 when the cash rate rose to 8.25 percent, English said. Last week it agreed with the RBNZ on new tools to potentially curb lending, and also unveiled plans to boost the supply of homes to ease price pressure.
"These households heading into quite high debt to buy highly priced houses need to be aware at some stage the RBNZ will increase interest rates, particularly if the housing market keeps growing at rapid rates," English said on Saturday in an interview on Television New Zealand's Q&A.
Low interest rates have helped fuel demand for property, raising prices at the fastest pace since 2007 and prompting the central bank to signal its concern about the risks if the housing bubble bursts. Central bank Governor Graeme Wheeler is reluctant to increase the official cash rate from a record 2.5 percent because it may boost demand for the currency.
"I'm just stating the fact that interest rates are likely to rise at some stage," English said. Home-loan interest rates are at 50-year lows and borrowers "don't want to believe that's permanent," he said.
The government doesn't want borrowing costs to go as high as they did in the previous housing boom in 2006-07 when the cash rate rose to 8.25 percent, English said. Last week it agreed with the RBNZ on new tools to potentially curb lending, and also unveiled plans to boost the supply of homes to ease price pressure.
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