Eye On Housing
Author Archives
-
Consumer Prices Increased Broadly in June
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported consumer prices increased broadly in June. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.9%, slower than 5.5% in May. Excluding the volatile food and energy components, the “core” CPI rose at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 2.2% in June. Large swings in energy prices account for… Read More ›
-
Consumers Voice in June – Optimistic Outlook
Consumer sentiment and consumer confidence are two indexes showing consumers’ perceptions of current business, income and employment conditions, as well as their expectations for the future’s economy. In June, both the University of Michigan Index of Consumer Sentiment and the Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index rose. These gains reflect continuing improvement in several sectors of the economy. Strong job gains… Read More ›
-
Housing Prices – Slowing to Sustainable Growth
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and the Standard and Poor’s/Case-Shiller recently released their respective home price indices for April. House prices have been recovering since reaching the bottom of the downturn in 2012. Both the new and existing single-family homes’ median sale prices are presented along with the home price index. All three indicators tell a similar story of rapid… Read More ›
-
Consumer Prices in May – Energy Prices Rose Sharply
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported consumer prices increased in May. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.5%, a large increase compared to 1.2% in April, and the first three months of this year. Excluding the volatile food and energy components, the “core” CPI rose at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of… Read More ›
-
Housing Recovery – Prices and Production
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and the Standard and Poor’s/Case-Shiller recently released the Home Price Index (HPI) for March. The price index reported by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) decelerated in March, slowing to an annualized growth rate of 4.2% from 7.8% in February. Monthly growth rates have been volatile but have trended down since the recent peak… Read More ›
-
Consumer Confidence Zigzags in 2015
Consumer sentiment and consumer confidence are two indexes showing consumers’ perceptions of current business, income and employment conditions, as well as their expectations for the future’s economy. They are both highly (inversely) correlated with the unemployment rate. Based on the data from the past three decades, the Consumer Confidence Index and the Consumer Sentiment Index increase when the unemployment rate… Read More ›
-
Consumer Prices in April – Energy Declines Again, But Overall Prices Remain Positive
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported consumer prices increased in April. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.2%. Excluding the volatile food and energy components, the “core” CPI rose at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.1%. Large swings in energy prices account for most of the divergence between CPI and the… Read More ›
-
Consumer Confidence and Economic Cycles
Consumer sentiment and consumer confidence are two indexes showing consumers’ perceptions of current business, income and employment conditions, as well as their expectations for the near future’s economy. Figure 1 shows both the University of Michigan Index of Consumer Sentiment and the Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index are highly inversely correlated with the unemployment rate. High unemployment drives down… Read More ›
-
House Price Appreciation Moderates
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) recently released the House Price Index (HPI) data for February, 2015. Figure 1 shows the House Price Index (HPI) data from January 1991 to February 2015. The annual growth rate is also presented in Figure 1. House price appreciation has been volatile but averaged approximately 5% from 1991 to 2003 prior to the housing… Read More ›