AFP Sydney is imposing new taxes on foreigners buying homes as concerns grow that a flood of mostly Chinese investors is crowding out locals and killing the “Great Australian Dream” of owning property. Ownership rates across the country are among the highest in developed nations, with having your own house long viewed as a key aspect of Australian identity. …

  AFP An influx of capital from Asia is partly to blame for soaring housing prices in Vancouver and Toronto, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said. “We know that there is an awful lot of capital that left Asia in the past few years,” Trudeau told Canada’s public broadcaster CBC. “Obviously overseas money coming in is playing a role” in …

  AP U.S. homebuilders are feeling more optimistic about their sales prospects this month than they have since the beginning of the year. The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo builder sentiment index rose two points to 60. That’s the highest reading since January. Readings above 50 indicate more builders view sales conditions as good, rather than poor. The index …