Except for most people monthly cost is the metric that matters. So let's compare housing going up 10% per year with 0.5% interest rates to housing going down 10

Except for most people monthly cost is the metric that matters. So let's compare housing going up 10% per year with 0.5% interest rates to housing going down 10% per year with 5% interest rates: Least extreme loans: Euro style mortgages (fixed monthly payment, capital repaid over loan duration) 300k house, 0.5% interest rates, 10y: monthly payment of 2563$ 270k house, 5% interest rates, 10y: monthly payment of 2865$ Most extreme loans: Interest only loans (note: duration doesn't matter): 300k house, 0.5% interest rates: monthly payment of 125$ 270k house, 5% interest rates: monthly payment of 1125$ The whole point of inflation AND of the measures the central bank takes to combat inflation is to reduce usage of goods relative to labor. Meaning the same work will buy less Big Macs, less education, less housing. More work less pay. Not less pay in money. Less pay in housing, medical care, pizza, ... I hope you do see WHY the central bank interferes. It does not fundamentally change the situation, that's done by people, the international situation (more COVID in China, which is not over yet, than the situation in Ukraine. Although the situation in Ukraine definitely doesn't help), ... the central bank is protecting the currency, NOT your living standard. You see the way to win in this system: if there is a housing (or X) downturn ... and you buy with high interest rates, DURING the crisis (which will be scary, of course), is the way to win big. That's the point. We want to limit the damage done to everything backed by loans. That is fully intentional. The point is to stimulate loaning money to use productively. We want people to buy houses, start new restaurants, build new shopping malls, hospitals, bridges, ...