Eye On Housing
Author Archives
-
Existing Home Sales Fell in August
Existing home sales, reported by the National Association of Realtors, soften further in August. Total existing home sales, which are completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, declined to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.33 million units from a downwardly revised 5.38 million units in July. Existing single family sales fell to a seasonally adjusted annual… Read More ›
-
Consumer Price Index in August – Strong Gain
The Consumer Price Index (CPI), released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), rose in August. Headline inflation increased from negative to positive due to the strong gain in the core CPI. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 2.4% in August, after a 0.5% decrease in July. Excluding the volatile food and energy components,… Read More ›
-
Optimistic Consumers in August
On Tuesday the Conference Board reported the Consumer Confidence Index for August. The index rose and consumers were quite optimistic about both the current situation and the near term outlook. The Consumer Confidence Index rose to 101.1, from 96.7 in July. The present situation index rose to 123.0, from 118.8, and the expectations index increased to 86.4, from 82.0. Unlike… Read More ›
-
Home Prices in June – Upward Trend
The Case-Shiller (CS) National Home Price Index, reported by S&P Dow Jones Indices, continued its upward trend in June. The index rose at a 2.5% seasonally adjusted annual pace, faster than the 1.6% in May. House prices declined at the fastest pace in late 2008 as the housing bust approached its trough. Most of the time between 2007 and 2011,… Read More ›
-
Consumer Price Index Dropped Slightly in July
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for July. Headline inflation dropped below zero due to the deceleration in the core CPI and the decline in energy prices. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) dropped at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 0.5% in July, after a 2.6% increase in June. Excluding the volatile food and… Read More ›
-
Consumer Confidence Barely Changed in July
The Consumer Confidence Index, reported by the Conference Board, was virtually unchanged in July. In July, the Consumer Confidence Index was 97.3, similar to 97.4 in June. The present situation index rose to 118.3, from 116.6, while the expectations index fell to 83.3, from 84.6. Consumers’ assessments of current business conditions were mixed. Assessments shifted to the extremes of “good”… Read More ›
-
New Single-Family Housing Starts by Divisions
Using the public-use microdata files provided by Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC), NAHB Economics and Housing Policy group tabulated new single-family housing starts for the nine census divisions, including Pacific, Mountain, West North Central, West South Central, East North Central, East South Central, Middle Atlantic, South Atlantic, and New England. The map and figure below provide a more geographically… Read More ›
-
Headline Inflation Remained the Same in June
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for June. In June, overall inflation was the same as in May, while core inflation declined. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 2.6% in June, equal to the annual rate in May. Excluding the volatile food and energy components, “core” CPI… Read More ›
-
Consumer Confidence Rose in June
After two consecutive months of decline, the Consumer Confidence Index, reported by the Conference Board, rose in June. The Consumer Confidence Index rose to 98 in June, from 92.4 in May. Both the present situation index and the expectations index increased. The present situation index rose to 118.3 in June, from 113.2 in May, and the expectations index rose to… Read More ›
-
Home Prices in April – Rising Moderately
Both FHFA and S&P/Case-Shiller home price indexes rose moderately in April. S&P Dow Jones Indices reported that the Case-Shiller (CS) National Home Price Index rose at a seasonally adjusted annual growth rate of 0.9% in April, slightly faster than the downwardly revised 0.7% in March. The Home Price Index from the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) slowed to a 2.8%… Read More ›