Eye On Housing
Builder Confidence Springs Back with Four-Point August Jump
Builder confidence in the market for newly-built single-family homes rose four points in August to a level of 68 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). Builder sentiment is being supporting by ongoing job and economic growth, attractive mortgage rates, and growing consumer confidence. The fact that builder confidence has returned to the healthy levels… Read More ›
Recent Posts
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Share of Builders Reporting Labor Shortages Rises Again
Labor and subcontractor shortages have become even more widespread in July of 2017 than they were in June of 2016, according to single-family builders responding to special questions on the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) survey. The July 2017 HMI survey asked builders about shortages in 15 specific occupations that were either recommended by Home Builders Institute (NAHB’s workforce development arm)… Read More ›
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Gypsum Prices Continue to Climb
The prices of gypsum, softwood lumber, and ready-mix concrete increased by 1.4%, 0.6%, and 0.3%, respectively, in July according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) release by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In contrast, the price paid for OSB fell 3.8%, its largest monthly decline since February 2016. Gypsum prices rose 1.4% in July following a 1.3% increase in June. The… Read More ›
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Housing Affordability Inches Lower in Second Quarter
Rising home prices offset a quarter-point drop in mortgage interest rates to move housing affordability slightly lower in the second quarter of 2017, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI). In all, 59.4 percent of new and existing homes sold between the beginning of April and end of June were affordable to families… Read More ›
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Home Equity Used to Start Seven Percent of U.S. Businesses
Equity in a home was used as a source of capital to start 284,618 businesses—7.3% of all businesses in the U.S.—according to a new source of data released recently by the U.S. Census Bureau. The new data source is the Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs, (ASE), which collects economic and demographic information on businesses and business ownership in all major U.S…. Read More ›
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Number of Open Construction Jobs Climbs in June
The count of unfilled jobs in the construction sector increasing significantly in June, after falling in May. According to the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) and NAHB analysis, the number of open construction sector jobs (on a seasonally adjusted basis) increased to 225,000 in June. The cycle high was 238,000, set in July of last year. The June count is the highest since… Read More ›
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LMI Indicates Continued Improvement Across the Country
According to the NAHB/First American Leading Markets Index (LMI), 89 percent, 299 metropolitan statistical areas, recorded growth in their LMI Score over the second quarter of 2017. The index uses single-family housing permits, employment, and home prices to measure proximity to a normal economic and housing market. The index is calculated for 337 local markets, metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), as… Read More ›
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Solid Job Gains in July
At the start of the third quarter, employment gains and the unemployment rate ticked down. According to the Employment Situation for July 2017 reported by the BLS, total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 209,000 in July, after an upwardly revised 231,000 gains in June. Employment growth averaged 184,000 so far this year, close to the average monthly growth in 2016…. Read More ›
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Top Ten Sources of Softwood Lumber Imports
The softwood lumber trade dispute between the U.S. and Canada has sent prices significantly higher in the first seven months of 2017. The Random Lengths Composite Price—a weighted-average measure consisting of multiple species and dimensions of softwood lumber products—increased 14% over just three weeks in February. Certain framing lumber—such as spruce-pine-fir (S-P-F) studs—remains 40% more expensive than it was seven… Read More ›
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Senior Loan Officer Survey As A Barometer of the Economy
Lending standards on business loans to large and medium-sized firms eased on net over the second quarter of 2017 according to the Federal Reserve Board’s Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey. Historical evidence has shown that lending standards on business loans to these establishments is correlated with both the growth in the stock of business loans held by banks and with… Read More ›