每日一读2014年5月高考英语考前突破 阅读理解能力 财经新闻 需求减弱 美国房价增长放缓.docVIP

需求减弱 美国房价增长放缓 US housing price growth slowed to just 0.2% in the first three months of 2014, latest figures show. 最新数据显示，2014年第一季度美国房价增长速度减缓至0.2%。 ? According to the SP/Case-Shiller index, the slowdown in growth compared with the previous quarter was partly caused by tighter bank lending regulations. ? Further compounding the problem is rising student loan debt, which has discouraged first-time buyers. ? Nationally, US home prices are still up 10.3%, compared with a year earlier. ? The year-over-year changes suggest that prices are rising more slowly, said index chairman David M Blitzer in a statement. ? Among those markets seeing substantial slowdowns in price gains were some of the leading boom-bust markets including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Francisco and Tampa, he added. ? An index of the housing prices in 20 US cities showed a 0.9% increase in March compared with February. ? Although US mortgage rates are near a seven-month low, the US Federal Reserve recently indicated that tighter bank lending standards might be shutting out potential buyers. ? Furthermore, there is a low supply of new homes in the US, as the recession put a halt to new home construction in 2008-09. ? Since the recovery, many developers have focused on building rental apartment buildings as opposed to single-family homes, which has also put pressure on prices. 1