Home improvement activity has remained elevated in the post-pandemic period, but both the volume of loan applications and the age profile of borrowers have shifted in notable ways. Data from
Real GDP growth slowed sharply in the fourth quarter of 2025 as the historic government shutdown weighed on economic activity. While consumer spending continued to drive growth, federal government spending
Despite a strong finish in December, single-family home building dipped in 2025 as persistent affordability challenges continued to weigh on the market. Total housing starts for 2025 were 1.36 million,
Wage growth for residential building workers moderated notably in 2025, reflecting a broader cooling in housing activity and construction labor demand. According to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau
The U.S. labor market began 2026 at a surprisingly strong pace, while newly released benchmark revisions show that job growth in 2025 was considerably weaker than previously reported. Nonfarm payrolls
Nationally, house prices continued to rise at a modest pace in the third quarter of 2025, as mentioned in our previous quarterly house prices post. However, this national trend masks
Job growth continued to slow at the end of the year, reinforcing signs of a cooling labor market. Nonfarm payrolls increased by 50,000 jobs in December, while the unemployment rate
A belated GDP report shows that the U.S. economy expanded at a strong pace in the third quarter–July through September–before signs of cooling appeared in the labor market and consumer
Over the past 125 years, women have played a crucial and multifaceted role in the labor force. Increasing women’s participation in the workforce is not only essential for individual and
Remote work may no longer dominate the U.S. labor force as it did during the height of the pandemic in 2020, but it still represents a substantial share of employment
In November, job growth slowed, and the unemployment rate rose to 4.6%, its highest level in four years. At the same time, job gains for the previous two months (August
House prices continued to rise in the third quarter of 2025, though the pace of growth slowed as elevated mortgage rates, affordability challenges, and persistent economic uncertainty weighed on consumer
The long-delayed September jobs report revealed that the U.S. economy added 119,000 jobs while the unemployment rate climbed to its highest level in nearly four years. Combined with downward revisions
In April 2020, total payroll employment in the United States fell by an unprecedented 20.5 million, following a loss of 1.4 million in March, as the COVID-19 pandemic brought the
Between February 2020 and June 2022, the U.S. labor market experienced the deepest downturn on record followed by the fastest recovery in at least a century. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted
A modest drop in mortgage rates led to a surprisingly large jump in new home sales in August, though the figure may be revised downward in the coming month. Sales
In August, the official, or standardly referenced, unemployment rate rose slightly to 4.3%, up from 4.2% in July. This marks the highest level in nearly four years, though it remains
Job growth slowed sharply in August, and the unemployment rate rose to its highest level in nearly four years. The latest jobs report, along with downward revisions to previous months’