This won’t hurt a bit…

The week as a chart

ASX in 5-week winning streak

The ASX’s good times were fuelled by the rise of iron ore to its highest level since 2013 – jumping from US$145 a tonne to US$156.The jump pushed shares of Fortescue Metals Group to a record all-time high of $22.64 cents on Thursday.The other big winner was Afterpay, which was the biggest winner on the ASX for 2020, recording growth of more than 240% this year.On Friday the buy now, pay later dominator surged 5% following new partnerships signed with Canadian retail powerhouses Clarins and SHEIN.

Two-thirds of bank lending directed to housing

•  Loans in the Australian banking system total $AUD2.8 trillion.
• Australian banks lent 67 cents in every dollar for property.
• Business accounts for 59% of lending by foreign banks in Australia.

More than two-thirds of lending is now directed towards housing, with loans for investment properties now eclipsing loans for business. Data from the Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority (APRA) shows that of the AUD$2.8 trillion loan balances within Australia’s banking system, AUD$1.79BN involves borrowings for property. The decision by the Reserve Bank of Australia to cut the official cash rate to 0.1%, in combination with a raft of incentives from the Federal and state governments aimed at first homebuyers, has provided a near-term boon for the country’s major lenders.

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