Svensson says house price metrics ‘unreliable and misleading’

Former Riksbank deputy governor says authorities are misjudging risks

Lars Svensson
Lars Svensson
Photo: Nils S Aasheim, Norges Bank

House prices may not be as overvalued as they seem and could even be undervalued, due to the use of “unreliable and misleading” indicators, Lars Svensson argues in new research.

In the working paper, Svensson, a professor of economics at the Stockholm School of Economics, criticises the widespread use of price-to-income (PTI) and price-to-rent ratios, which he says are “unreliable and misleading”.

“These indicators disregard the crucial role of interest rates and other costs of owner-occupied

Only users who have a paid subscription or are part of a corporate subscription are able to print or copy content.

To access these options, along with all other subscription benefits, please contact info@centralbanking.com or view our subscription options here: http://subscriptions.centralbanking.com/subscribe

You are currently unable to copy this content. Please contact info@centralbanking.com to find out more.

Sorry, our subscription options are not loading right now

Please try again later. Get in touch with our customer services team if this issue persists.

New to Central Banking? View our subscription options

Register for Central Banking

All fields are mandatory unless otherwise highlighted

Most read articles loading...

You need to sign in to use this feature. If you don’t have a Central Banking account, please register for a trial.

Sign in
You are currently on corporate access.

To use this feature you will need an individual account. If you have one already please sign in.

Sign in.

Alternatively you can request an individual account

.