Housing Market Dynamics and the GFC: The Complex Dynamics of a Credit Shock

We analyse the multiple channels of influence that GFC-induced credit restrictions had on New Zealand’s subnational housing markets. Our model isolates dynamics caused by impacts on the supply and the demand sides of the market. These dynamics are compared to those caused by a migration shock, a more common form of housing shock in New Zealand. We focus on the impacts on two outcome variables: house prices and housing supply; both shocks cause substantial cyclical adjustments in each variable. Similar cyclical dynamics could complicate the conduct of macro-prudential policies which are designed to affect bank credit allocation.

An edited version of this paper appeared in Contemporary Economic Policy Vol. 33, No. 2, April 2015 pp 315-333 (subscription required).