Dutch housing prices to rise another 5 pct. in 2016

Credit raiting agency Moody's believes that home prices in the Netherlands will shoot up 5 percent this year, according to a report published on Wednesday. The agency attributes the price increase to both the recovering economy and a shortage in housing supply in certain parts of the market, news wire ANP reports. That a shortage in the supply of housing has an effect on house prices can clearly be seen in Amsterdam, where house prices increased by 9.7 percent last year. The prices of homes sold in the fourth quarter of 2015 were up 17 percent compared to the same period in 2014, far exceeding the national average of five percent. Home prices in the Netherlands has been increasing steadily since the low point of sales in 2013. But according to Moody's, the price recovery is "mild" compared to some other European countries. In the United Kingdom, for example, the price recovery is much faster. Moody's also notes that the likelihood of mortgages defaults decreased over the past months. In this area the Netherlands is doing considerably better than other European countries, such as Spain and the United Kingdom.