2017.11.0820:31:00UTC+00Australia Home Loans Fall 2.3% In September

The total number of home loans in Australia issued in September declined a seasonally adjusted 2.3 percent on month, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said on Thursday - standing at 55,812.

That missed forecasts for an increase of 2.0 percent following the 1.0 percent gain in August.

The value of loans sank 2.1 percent on month to A$20.665 billion following the 0.9 percent increase in the previous month.

Investment lending skidded 6.2 percent in September to A$11.837 billion following the 4.3 percent gain a month earlier.

The number of permits for the construction of new dwellings fell 2.6 percent on month to 6,162, while the purchase of new dwellings added 1.8 percent to 3,206 and the purchase of established dwellings sank 2.6 percent to 46,443.

In original terms, the number of first home buyer commitments as a percentage of total owner occupied housing finance commitments rose to 17.4 percent in September 2017 from 17.2 percent in August 2017.

The number of first home buyer commitments decreased 6.3 percent to 9,627 in September; the number of non-first home buyer commitments decreased 8.0 percent.