Morning Briefing: Realty group post record month

A real estate agent has reached a new record high of $4.2 billion in sales for the month of November... Bill English confirmed as New Zealand’s 39th Prime Minister...

Realty group post record month
Ray White has hit a new record high of $4.2 billion in sales for the month of November.

Group chairman, Brian White said the result - in a market largely thought to be easing -  gives concrete evidence of the strength of buyers in the market, supported by the continuing low interest rate environment. 

“Whilst Sydney remains remarkably strong, Ray White’s result came from excellent activity throughout all of the eastern states and a surprisingly good result in South Australia. Only Western Australia continued to experience tough market conditions,” White said. 

Seeing particularly good momentum is Victoria, which achieved record numbers for two consecutive months. In November the Victorian network recorded $667 million in sales, up from its previous record of $651 million set the month prior.

“These results bode well for the opening into 2017. November is the perfect harbinger for what will happen in the early months of the new year culminating in what should prove to be a fantastic March,” White said. 

Bill English confirmed as New Zealand’s 39th Prime Minister 
(Bloomberg) -- New Zealand’s ruling National Party confirmed Bill English as its leader and the country’s 39th prime minister, replacing John Key.

The 54-year-old finance minister and Key’s preferred successor was the only remaining candidate after his two rivals pulled out of the race last week. There was overwhelming support for English among National’s 59 parliamentarians, who officially endorsed him at a caucus meeting Monday in Wellington.

“This will be a government supporting economic growth and ensuring that the benefits of growth are widely shared,” English told a news conference. “I will also seek to build on the international recognition earned by John Key for New Zealand’s increasingly distinctive place in a global community as a successful economy open to trade, open to investment and immigration.”

English inherits a party riding high in the polls, and he has a solid economic platform to campaign on ahead of a general election due late next year. But much of National’s success during its eight years in government can be attributed to the popularity of Key, whose unexpected resignation last week shocked the nation.