83 articles in Career Advice
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Kadaster (Land Registry): Jan-Jun 2026 ~217,000 new mortgages in the Netherlands (+5% vs H1 2025); total volume €84.8B (+8% YoY); starter loans now cover 8.3% of all first-time buyer mortgages (+160% vs 3.2% in H1 2021); average mortgage amount >€517,000 (+5.3%).
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ECB Sep 10, 2026 rate hike takes legal effect Sep 16, 2026: deposit facility 2.50% (highest in over a decade). Staff projections upgrade 2027-28 inflation above the 2% target, ruling out near-term reversal. Variable mortgage holders in Germany, France, Spain face the most direct impact; Bundesbank paper (Sep 16) argues aggressive hikes needed.
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Germany 10-year Bund yield hit 3.55% on Sep 16, 2026 — highest since June 2009 — as investors priced more ECB rate hikes amid renewed inflation. Markets now price ECB deposit rate at 2.9% by December and 3.4% by November 2027, fully pricing a third hike with roughly 50% odds of a fourth.
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German fuel prices hit record high on Sep 16, 2026 as Brent crude pushed above $100 a barrel on the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. Senior conservative lawmaker Thorsten Frei said cutting the gasoline sales tax was an obvious step. Chancellor Friedrich Merz promised a relief plan soon before a state election this weekend.
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Singapore developers sold just 153 new private residential units in August 2026 — down 79.1% from 731 in July (Hungry Ghost Month seasonal lull, no new launches). Land bids tell the other story: Eco World just paid S$1,612 psf ppr, a record for a 99-year GLS RCR site.
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The Central Bank of Ireland cut its 2026 housing completions forecast by 500 homes to 39,500 (Q3 Bulletin, Sep 16) — with 41,000 in 2027 and 45,000 in 2028, all against >50,000 needed annually. CSO data shows prices still rising 5.5% YoY in July, and planning permission-to-completion now takes four years.
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Ireland's 10-year bond yield rose to 3.68% on September 15 — the highest since late 2013, when the State was exiting the international bailout. Money markets now price four more ECB hikes over 12 months, and the State faces a refinancing wall of ~€20B in both 2030 and 2031 as the first EFSF bailout loans come due.
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The ECB's September 10 hike to a 2.5% deposit rate (effective Sep 16) hits ~130,000 Irish tracker mortgage holders immediately — about +€15/month per €100K borrowed. Combined with June's hike, tracker repayments are up €24-28/month per €100K, and the big three banks have yet to decide on passing it to variable rates.
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New Zealand recorded a net migration gain of 20,300 in the July 2026 year (Stats NZ) — with the July monthly gain of 5,200 more than double a year ago. But the gain masks a 38,300 NZ-citizen loss, and first-home buyers took 29% of July property sales, the highest share in 20+ years.
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New Zealand mortgage rates are climbing after the RBNZ lifted the OCR to 2.75% on September 2 — the second hike since July. One-year fixes jumped from the low-4s to mid-5s, the best 5-year rate rose from 4.99% to 5.49%, and markets now price ~65% odds of another hike in October.
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New home sales in Australia fell 10% in August 2026 (HIA), extending a 19.3% quarterly decline. First-home buyer lending dropped 20.1% YoY (Equifax) and the 1.2M-home National Housing Accord target looks set to slip to 2030.
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ING lifted Australian fixed home loan rates by 0.2% on September 16, 2026 — a "clear sign" the RBA will hike at the September 28-29 meeting. Markets price a 75% chance of a hike to 4.6% (15-year high), with Citi forecasting a peak of 4.85% and first rate cuts in Q4 2027.
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