Prices for inputs to new residential construction, excluding capital investment, labor and imports decreased 0.1% in August according to the most recent Producer Price Index (PPI) report published by the
After its first post-COVID rate hike enacted more than two years ago, the Fed’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) announced at the conclusion of its September meeting a significant reduction
Inflation eased further in August, reaching a new 3-year low despite persistent elevated housing costs. This inflation report is seen as the final key piece of data before the Fed’s
Inflation dropped below a 3% annualized growth rate for the first time since March 2021 even though housing costs continue to climb. Nonetheless, the headline reading is another dovish signal
The Federal Reserve’s monetary policy committee once again held constant the federal funds rate at a top target of 5.5% at the conclusion of its July meeting. In its statement,
Housing’s share of the economy stayed level at 16.1% in the second quarter of 2024. The share remained above 16% after staying constant at 15.9% for all of 2023. The
In the second quarter of 2024, the U.S. economy grew twice as fast as it did in the first quarter, supported by consumer spending and private inventory investment. Furthermore, the
The production index for sawmills and wood preservation industries fell at the start of 2024 to 91.9 in the first quarter (the index measures real output during 2017 at a
Inputs to residential construction, goods less food and energy, rose 0.19% in the month of June according to the most recent producer price index (PPI) report published by the U.S.
Both overall and core inflation continued to slow in June, as a decline in gasoline prices offset the increase in shelter costs. This is another dovish signal for future monetary
Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased in 39 states and the District of Columbia in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the last quarter of 2023 according to the
Consumer confidence weakened in June but remained within the range of the past two years, with optimism about current labor market conditions offsetting concerns about future economic outlook. However, higher
The Federal Reserve’s monetary policy committee held constant the federal funds rate at a top target of 5.5% at the conclusion of its June meeting. In its statement, the Federal
Both overall and core inflation continued to ease in May as decline in gasoline price offset the increase the shelter cost. This is a dovish signal for future monetary policy.
Compared to the fourth quarter of 2023, the U.S. economy grew at a noticeably slower pace in the first quarter of 2024 due to an increase in the trade deficit
Housing’s share of the economy rose to 16.1% in the first quarter of 2024. The share remained below 16% for all of 2023 at 15.9% in each of the four
Based on new demographic analysis of 2020 Census population counts, the Census Bureau estimates that children between the ages of 0 to 4 were undercounted by over one million. This
As economist Milton Friedman once quipped, monetary policy has a history of operating with “long and variable lags.”[1] What Friedman was expressing is that it takes some time for the