Finance & economics | House party

How long can the global housing boom last?

Three fundamental forces mean it could endure for some time yet

|HALIFAX, CANADA

NOVA SCOTIA’S largest city is known for a few things: a big national-security conference that takes place every autumn; a huge explosion that took place in 1917, causing immense devastation; and a small but impressive wine industry. It may soon be known for something else. Since December 2019 house prices in Halifax have risen by nearly 50%, according to Knight Frank, a property firm—a boom that only a tiny number of cities have bettered. Sit down with a Haligonian and before long they will express bafflement at how their city became so pricey.

This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “House party”

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From the January 8th 2022 edition

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