Eye On Housing
Author Archives
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Job Gains Slowed in March
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported the Employment Situation for March 2018. In March, job gains slowed and the unemployment rate remained at 4.1%. Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 103,000 in March, slower than the 326,000 job growth in February. The February increase was revised from its original estimate of a 313,000 increase. Despite smaller monthly increase in… Read More ›
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Consumer Confidence Drops in March, But Remains Elevated
The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index declined in March, after increasing in February. The March decline in the Consumer Confidence Index reflects the declines in both the Present Situation Index and the Expectations Index. The Present Situation Index decreased by 0.8% from 161.2 to 159.9, while the Expectations Index declined by 2.7% from 109.2 to 106.2 in March. As a… Read More ›
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Home Price Appreciation Continued in January
In the first month of 2018, national home price appreciation continued, but at a slower pace than in December 2017. Meanwhile, more than half of the 20 metro areas had higher home price appreciation than the national level. S&P Dow Jones Indices released the Home Price Index for the first month of 2018. The Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index… Read More ›
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Homeownership is Key to Household Wealth
According to the 2016 Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF), nationally, the primary residence represents the largest asset category on the balance sheets of households in 2016 (as shown in Figure 1 below). At $24.2 trillion, the primary residence accounted for about one quarter of all assets held by households in 2016, surpassing other financial assets1 (20%), business interests (20%) and… Read More ›
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Homeowners’ Equity Expanding
The Financial Accounts of the United States for the fourth quarter of 2017 were released by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System recently. In the fourth of 2017, the aggregate market value of households’ real estate continues to improve on a nominal and not seasonally adjusted basis. On a nominal and not seasonally adjusted basis, households’ owner-occupied… Read More ›
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Solid Job Growth and Low Unemployment Rate in February
According to the Employment Situation for February 2018, reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 313,000 in February and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.1%. Monthly growth in payroll employment in February jumped over 300,000 for the first time since July 2016. The three-month average job growth was 242,000 a month currently…. Read More ›
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Home Prices Rose in December
National home price appreciation continued in December, while local home prices grew at different rates. All of the 20 metro areas had positive annual growth rates in the last month of 2017. S&P Dow Jones Indices released the Home Price Index for December 2017. The Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index rose at a seasonally adjusted annual growth rate of… Read More ›
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Job Growth in January Was “Solid”
The U.S. economy entered the New Year with a strong gain in payroll employment and the lowest unemployment rate since 2001. According to the Employment Situation for January 2018 reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 200,000 in January and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.1% for the fourth consecutive month. Today’s… Read More ›
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Home Price Appreciation Continued in November
The Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index, reported by S&P Dow Jones Indices, rose at a seasonally adjusted annual growth rate of 8.4% in November, unchanged from October. In the first eleven months of 2017, home price appreciation was 6.0% on average, slightly higher than 5.3% of 2016. The Home Price Index from the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) rose… Read More ›
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Consumer Confidence Decreases in December
The Conference Board recently reported that the Consumer Confidence Index decreased in December, after a modest improvement in November. The Present Situation Index increased by 1.1% from 154.9 to 156.6, while the Expectations Index declined by 10.7% from 111.0 to 99.1 over the last month of 2017. As a result, the Consumer Confidence Index decreased by 5.1% to 122.1 in… Read More ›