TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Confidence in the real estate market fell to a four-year low in September, according to monthly survey data released by the National Central University on Thursday (Nov. 27).

The consumer confidence index decreased by 1.57 points to 75.49, according to survey data. The real estate market confidence index also decreased by 4.28 points to 100.39, the lowest since August 2020.

NCU Researcher Wu Dachrahn (吳大任) told UDN Money that many banks are approaching the legal limits that restrict home loans to no more than 30% of their lending. He said this is pushing interest rates up meaning lower-income households may be being excluded from the housing market.

The survey found the largest decrease in consumer confidence was in the durable consumer goods sub-index, which fell 4.59 points to 103.1. Wu linked this decline to decreasing confidence in the real estate market and said this was the lowest the index had fallen since February 2023.

The stock investment confidence sub-index fell 4.41 points to 55.88, which Wu attributed to Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election. He said if Trump decides to target Taiwan’s trade surplus with the US then Taiwan's stock market may decline.