Incomes squeeze
Australian household disposable incomes growth has been a bit slow in recent years, following trends in bulk commodity prices.
That said, household wealth is at record highs, with total net worth now approaching $10 trillion, and Aussies sitting on a tremendous pile of cash.
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The housing finance figures for May 2017 are due out today.
Owner-occupier loans are expected to bounce back moderately in the month.
But given that APRA announced its tightening measures for interest-only loans at the end of March, all eyes will be watching investor loans to see whether this sector has slowed accordingly.
With both new and existing loans being switched towards owner-occupier products, the key figures to watch will include not only the value of investor loans, but also the total value of all lending in the month.
There have been further tightening measures in June, so even if the first salvo was not totally effective, investor loans will still slow as we move well into the second half of 2017.
Mortgage rates for investors have been hiked independently of the official cash rate.
More details to follow after 11.30am.
