Eye On Housing
Author Archives
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Consumer Confidence Rebounded in February
Consumer confidence increased in February after a decline in January. Consumers were more optimistic about both the current situation and the near term outlook. The Consumer Confidence Index, reported by the Conference Board, increased to 114.8 in February, from 111.6 in January. Both the present situation index and the expectations index rose in February. The present situation index rose from… Read More ›
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Consumer Price Index in January – Headline Inflation Surged With Energy Prices
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose in January. The CPI rose at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.8% in January, a big jump from the 3.1% in December. Excluding the volatile food and energy components, “core” CPI increased at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.8%, faster than the 2.7% in December…. Read More ›
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Consumer Confidence Decreased in January
Consumer confidence decreased in January after reaching a 15-year high in December. The Consumer Confidence Index, reported by the Conference Board, decreased to 111.8 in January, from a downwardly revised 113.3 in December. The present situation index rose from 123.5 to 129.7 and the expectations index declined from 106.4 to 99.8. Compared with last month, consumers were quite optimistic about… Read More ›
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Home Prices Continued to Rise in November
S&P Dow Jones Indices released the Home Price Index for November. The Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index rose at a seasonally adjusted annual growth rate of 10.4%, up from a revised 10.1% pace in October. House prices have accelerated since May and surpassed the pre-recession peak of 2006. Tight inventory and high demand pushed up prices at a rapid… Read More ›
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Homeownership Rate Bottoming Out?
According to the Census Bureau’s Housing Vacancy Survey (HVS), the U.S. homeownership rate was 63.5% on a seasonally adjusted basis in the fourth quarter of 2016, a small increase from the third quarter of 63.4%. This is the second consecutive increase, following a 50-year low of 63.1% in the second quarter of 2016. Homeownership rates increase with age, rising from… Read More ›
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Who is (Not) in the Labor Force
The number of people not in the labor force has been growing. As of December 2016, 95.1 million people, aged 16 or older, were not in the labor force, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). An aging population is responsible for this growth, but what are the other reasons individuals cite for not being in the… Read More ›
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Consumer Price Index Rose in December
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose in December. Both headline inflation and core inflation rose. The CPI rose at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.4% in December, following a 2.4% increase in November. Excluding the volatile food and energy components, “core” CPI increased at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 2.8%, faster… Read More ›
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Consumer Confidence in December – The Highest Level Since the Recession
Consumer confidence increased in December to the highest level since August 2001. Assessments of current conditions declined but consumers held improved views of the near future. The Consumer Confidence Index, reported by the Conference Board, hit 113.7 in December, higher than an upwardly revised 109.4 in November. The present situation index declined from 132.0 to 126.1 and the expectations index… Read More ›
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Home Price Gains Continued in October
The Case-Shiller (CS) National Home Price Index, released by S&P Dow Jones Indices, continued to rise in October. The CS Home Price Index rose at a seasonally adjusted annual growth rate of 10.7%, up from 10.1% last month. Due to tight inventory and high demand, house prices have accelerated since May and reached the pre-recession peak of 2006. Along with… Read More ›
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Moderate Rise for CPI in November
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose in November and the pace of headline consumer inflation slowed in November from 4.37% to 2.43%. The CPI rose at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 2.43%, slowing from 4.37% in October. Excluding the volatile food and energy components, “core” CPI rose at a seasonally adjusted… Read More ›