Eye On Housing
Author Archives
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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 ›
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Consumer Inflation Slowed in May Following a Sharp Increase in April
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for May. Overall inflation decelerated after an energy induced sharp increase in April, while core inflation (excluding food and energy) increased slightly. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 2.6% in May, down from 5.0% in April. Excluding the volatile food and… Read More ›
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Consumer Confidence Slipped Again in May
The Consumer Confidence Index, reported by the Conference Board, slipped again in May. The Consumer Confidence Index declined to 92.6 in May, from 94.7 in April. Both the present situation index and the expectations index dropped. The present situation index slipped to 112.9, from 117.1 in April, and the expectations index dropped to 79.0, from 79.7 in April. Consumers’ confidence… Read More ›
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Home Prices in March – Bubbles Anyone?
The Case-Shiller (CS) National Home Price Index, reported by S&P Dow Jones Indices, rose at a seasonally adjusted annual growth rate of 1.1% in March, down from 3.8% in February. The Home Price Index from the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) rose at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 8.4% in March, faster than 6.2% in February. After the boom… Read More ›
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Consumer Price Index Rose in April – Pumping Up Inflation
Once again energy prices, notably gasoline (prices at the pump), are driving headline inflation. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.0% in April influenced heavily by a 153.5% annualized increase in the price of gasoline. Increases in separate indexes for food and core CPI (excluding food and energy) were in line with recent… Read More ›
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Consumer Confidence Slipped in April
The Consumer Confidence Index, reported by the Conference Board, slipped in April. The Consumer Confidence Index declined slightly to 94.2 in April, from 96.1 in March. The present situation index rose to 116.4 in April, from 114.9 in March; the expectations index dropped to 79.3 in April, from 83.6 in March. Compared with last month, in April consumers were more… Read More ›
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Home Prices in February – A More Sustainable Pace
The Case-Shiller (CS) National Home Price Index, reported by S&P Dow Jones Indices, rose at a seasonally adjusted annual growth rate of 5.0% in February, down from 5.8% in January. The Home Price Index from the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) rose at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.8% in February, following 4.9% in January. After the boom and… Read More ›
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CPI in March — A Modest Increase in Core Inflation
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for March. Core inflation rose modestly in March. The Consumer Price Index rose at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.1% in March, after a 2.0% decline in February. Excluding the volatile food and energy components, the “core” CPI rose at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 0.8%… Read More ›
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Consumer Confidence in March – Better Expectations
The Conference Board reported that in March the Consumer Confidence Index rebounded. The Consumer Confidence Index rose to 96.2 in March, from 94.0 in February. The present situation index in March moderately decreased to 113.6, from 115.0 in February; the expectations index climbed to 84.7 in March, from 79.9 in February. In March, consumers were more optimistic about the short-term… Read More ›
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Home Prices in January – Approaching Long-Term Trend
S&P Dow Jones Indices reported that the Case-Shiller (CS) National Home Price Index slowed to a 6.4% seasonally adjusted annual growth rate in January, from 8.8% in December. The Home Price Index from the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) rose at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.7% in January, following 5.7% in December. Surging sales of existing homes as… Read More ›