According to the latest Employment Situation of Veterans report released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the share of employed veterans working in the construction industry increased to 6.5% in 2022–the second consecutive annual increase. The share has climbed 0.6 percentage point since 2020 and is just one-tenth lower than the most recent peak…
Single-family production showed signs of a gradual upturn in March as stabilizing mortgage rates and limited existing inventory helped to offset stubbornly high construction costs, building labor shortages and tightening credit conditions. This is reflected in the slight uptick in builder sentiment in April. Overall housing starts in March decreased 0.8% to a seasonally adjusted annual…
Builders remained cautiously optimistic in April as limited resale inventory helped to increase demand in the new home market even as the industry continues to grapple with building material issues. Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes in April rose one point to 45, according to the National Association of Home Builders…
Over the first two months of 2023, the total number of single-family permits issued year-to-date (YTD) nationwide reached 112,131. On a year-over-year (YoY) basis, this is 34.3% below the February 2022 level of 170,716. Year-to-date ending in February, single-family permits declined in all four regions. The Northeast posted a decline of 23.6%, while the West…
According to the latest Producer Price Index report, the prices of inputs to residential construction less energy (i.e., building materials) climbed 0.3% in March 2023 (not seasonally adjusted). Since declining the last four months of 2022, the index has increased three consecutive months by a total of 1.6% but has been relatively stable over the past…
The NAHB/Westlake Royal Remodeling Market Index (RMI) for the first quarter of 2023 posted a reading of 70, edging up 1 point from the fourth quarter of 2022. While remodelers are generally more optimistic than their single-family builder counterparts, some are noting negative effects within the market including continued material shortages and higher interest rates….
Per the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) survey through the week ending April 7th, total mortgage activity increased 5.3% from the previous week and the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) rate fell ten basis points to 6.30%. The FRM rate has fallen 41 basis points over the past month. The Market Composite Index, a measure of…
