December 2015

Only 73 per cent of cities recorded positive annual price growth in the year to September, down from 91 per cent two years ago. Singapore was the weakest performing prime market tracked by the index for the seventh consecutive quarter, although its rate of annual decline has slowed from -15.2 per cent at the end of Q2 to -7.9 per cent this quarter.

When it comes to the New Zealand property market, new restrictions targeting investors have recently come into effect, with the Reserve Bank now requiring 30 per cent deposits for Auckland landlords. This comes after Labour housing spokesman Phil Twyford said the Reserve Bank figures showed Auckland was "a speculator's paradise", with analysis by Quotable Value finding that more than 40 per cent of properties in Auckland are being sold to investors. There will also be a tax on capital gains on any investment property bought and sold within two years.