Building approvals set to slide in April

Building approvals figures, out on Tuesday, are expected to show the resumption of a down trend, with a three per cent fall.

Building approvals are expected to have slipped three per cent in April. (AAP)

Building approvals are expected to have slipped three per cent in April.

The forecast is for a fall in official new home construction approval figures for April, due on Tuesday, after a 3.7 per cent rise in March, seasonally adjusted.

Westpac economists are tipping a four per cent drop in the April figures, which will reinstate a clear underlying down trend.

"Given the high-rise bounce in March, there is some risk of a heftier fall, although broader housing market conditions have been somewhat firmer in early 2016," the economists said in a note.