Eye On Housing
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148,000 Jobs Added in December
According to the Employment Situation for December 2017 reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 148,000 in December and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.1% for the third consecutive month. Employment growth has averaged 171,000 per month in 2017, compared with the average monthly growth of 187,000 over all of 2016. The… Read More ›
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Home Prices Continue to Increase in October
S&P Dow Jones Indices reported that the Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index, which uses prices of existing homes, rose at a seasonally adjusted annual growth rate of 8.4% in October, slightly slower than the 8.5% increase in September. The September increase was revised down from its original estimate of 9.0%. Meanwhile, the Home Price Index, released by the Federal Housing… Read More ›
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Homeowners’ Equity Improves
The Financial Accounts of the United States for the third quarter of 2017 were published by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System recently. On a nominal and not seasonally adjusted basis, the aggregate market value of households’ real estate continues to improve. In nominal terms, households’ owner-occupied real estate increased to $24.2 trillion in the third quarter… Read More ›
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Solid Employment Gains in November
According to the Employment Situation for November 2017 reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 228,000 in November and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.1%. Employment growth has averaged 174,000 per month so far this year, compared with the average monthly growth of 187,000 over all of 2016. The unemployment rate was… Read More ›
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Home Price Appreciation Continues in September
National home price appreciation continued in September, while local home prices grew at different rates. All of the 20 metro areas had positive annual growth rates. 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 9.0% in September, faster than an 8.2% increase in August. It was… Read More ›
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Employment Growth Rebounds in October
According to the Employment Situation for October 2017 reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 261,000 in October and the unemployment rate decreased to 4.1% in October, from 4.2% in September. Employment rebounded sharply in October after hurricane-related disruptions in September. Employment growth reinforced the Fed’s statement on Wednesday that “the labor market… Read More ›
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Home Prices Accelerate in August
The S&P/Case-Shiller and the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) released their respective home price indices for August 2017. National home prices rose at a faster annual growth rate, while local home price gains varied. Price growth in metro areas across the West region exceeded the national average. The Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index, reported by S&P Dow Jones Indices,… Read More ›
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Manufactured Homes Post August Increase
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, shipments of manufactured homes increased by 7.6% to an 85,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate in August, from 79,000 in July. This rate of growth partially reverses the 10.2% decline recorded in July, however, the number of manufactured homes in August remains 21.3% below its post-recession peak of 108,000 reached in January 2017. Figure 1… Read More ›
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Hurricanes Impact Job Numbers in September
According to the Employment Situation for September 2017, reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), total nonfarm payroll employment decreased by 33,000 in September. According to the BLS, “A sharp employment decline in food services and drinking places and below-trend growth in some other industries likely reflected the impact of Hurricanes Irma and Harvey.” Employment growth has averaged 148,000… Read More ›
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Consumer Confidence Sheds Some Light on New Home Sales
The Conference Board recently reported that the Consumer Confidence Index declined slightly in September. The present situation index declined by 1.5% from 148.4 to 146.1, while the expectations index rose by 0.5% from 101.7 to 102.2. As a result, the Consumer Confidence Index decreased by 0.5% to 119.8 in September on a seasonally adjusted basis, from 120.4 last month. The… Read More ›