The number of home loan approvals in Australia rose in March but economists say the housing sector remains soft.

An Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) report shows housing finance commitments for owner occupied housing rose 0.7 per cent in March, seasonally adjusted, to 59,724, countering market expectations of a fall of 0.3 per cent.

Total housing finance by value rose 1.2 per cent in March, seasonally adjusted, to $19.135 billion. Read more…

Home Credit, one of the largest companies on the Czech hire-purchase market, financed purchases worth CZK 1.272 billion in the first quarter of 2006, a decline of 18 percent against the same period last year, spokeswoman Andrea Dobsikova told CTK today.

The company’s competitors have not published their first-quarter figures yet.One-off consumer and revolving loans were the biggest contributor to Home Credit deals, amounting to CZK 1.181 billion, up nearly seven percent on the year. Read more…