Australia's home prices rise in July but three capital cities record decline

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Overall home prices in Australia rose for an 18th straight month in July, but three capital cities recorded a decline in a sign that the red-hot rally in the housing market is losing steam.

Figures from property consultant CoreLogic, released on Thursday, showed prices across the nation climbed 0.5% in July, an increase on unchanged from June. Prices, which have continued to hit record highs since bottoming out early last year, are up 7.6% from a year ago.

The monthly increase was been driven by a 2.0% jump in Perth and a 1.8% gain in Adelaide, while prices in Melbourne, Darwin and Hobart - three of the eight state and territory capital cities - fell 0.2%-0.5%.

On a rolling quarterly basis, prices for Melbourne fell 0.9%, while gains for Sydney also slowed to 1.1%, down from 5.0% in the same period last year.

"While the headline growth rate remains positive, it is clear momentum is leaving the cycle and conditions are becoming more diverse," said CoreLogic in the release.

The Reserve Bank of Australia has raised interest rates by 425 basis points since May 2022 to tame inflation, but the gains in the real estate market has defied expectations, helped by record immigration and a limited housing supply.

Markets are pricing in a 70% probability of an easing in interest rates by the end of the year after data showed a slowdown in core inflation.

(Reporting by Stella Qiu; editing by Miral Fahmy)