The financial outlook is looking bright – OCR cut to 4.25%

OCR cut to 4.25%

Today, the RBNZ cut the OCR to 4.25%, reducing it by 50 basis points. It’s been an active second half of the year, with two OCR reductions in recent months – August reducing 25bp from 5.50% to 5.25%, then 50bp in October from 5.25% to 4.75%. Today is the final change of the year and […]

How is our Financial Stability looking?

New Zealand house prices have experienced rapid both growth and decline in recent years, the typical boom and bust cycle that we see in the NZ property market. The Reserve Bank of NZ explains in its latest Financial Stability Report, that the drivers are a result of interest rates changes, government policy changes, population growth […]

Test Interest Rates continue to drop

Testing Interest Rates Dropping

Competition is brewing, and excitement is rising with major NZ banks continuing to lower their testing rates.  As published in the latest Financial Stability Report Nov 24, the Test Interest Rates that lenders use to asses borrowers debt-servicing capacity have fallen from an average 9% to 8% in October. Westpac, ANZ and Kiwibank were quick to […]

RBNZ puts foot on the gas and cuts OCR to 4.75%

OCR Cut to 4.75% October 24

Today the OCR dropped by 50 basis points to 4.75%, signalling an optimistic economic outlook for many Kiwis which could boost consumer confidence and encourage more buyers back into the property market. Read full update here. Anecdotal evidence has pointed to a pick-up in activity over recent weeks, and Barfoot and Thompson’s Auckland auction clearance rate […]

RBNZ OCR Announcement

Like hearing the starting gun for the Olympic Games 100m final, NZ’s major banks were quick out of the blocks lowering mortgage interest rates in response to today’s RBNZ OCR Announcement. In the first cut since March 2020, the RBNZ OCR announcement cut by 25 basis points moving it from 5.50% to 5.25% – a […]