As elevated mortgage rates and tight inventory continue to weaken housing demand, the volume of existing home sales declined for an eleventh consecutive month as of December, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). This is the longest run of declines since 1999. While...
Led by a decline in multifamily production, overall housing starts decreased 1.4% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.38 million units in December, according to data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau. Also of note, single-family...
The NAHB/Westlake Royal Remodeling Market Index (RMI) for the fourth quarter of 2022 posted a reading of 66, falling 17 points from the fourth quarter of 2021. While there is a sharp decline in RMI year-over-year, it remains in positive territory as remodeling continues to...
The producer price index (PPI) for inputs to residential construction less energy (i.e. building materials) rose 8.3% in 2022 (not seasonally adjusted) according to the latest PPI report—less than one-half the increase seen in 2021. On a monthly basis, building materials prices declined 0.3% in...
A modest drop in interest rates helped to end a string of 12 straight monthly declines in builder confidence levels, although sentiment remains in bearish territory as builders continue to grapple with elevated construction costs, building material supply chain disruptions and challenging affordability conditions. Builder...
Over the first eleven months of 2022, the total number of single-family permits issued year-to-date (YTD) nationwide reached 921,626. On a year-over-year (YoY) basis, this is 10.5% below the November 2021 level of 1,029,208. Year-to-date ending in November, single-family permits declined in all four regions....
In May of last year, Eye on Housing reported on historically widespread shortages of building materials. Since then, most of the shortages have eased; the major exceptions being shortages of HVAC equipment and certain categories of ceramic materials (ceramic tiles, clay bricks and cement-based building...
According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest estimates, the U.S. resident population grew by 1,256,003 to a total population of 333,287,557. After a historically low growth rate of 0.16% between 2020 and 2021, the U.S. population grew at a rate of 0.38% between 2021 and...
Consumer prices in December saw the largest month-over-month decrease since April 2020. While still elevated, inflation experienced the third month below an 8% annual growth rate since February 2022. Moreover, this was the sixth consecutive month of a deceleration. However, the shelter index (housing inflation)...
Per the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) survey through the week ending January 6th, total mortgage activity increased 1.2% from the previous week and the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) rate fell sixteen basis points to 6.42%. The FRM rate has remained near 6.4% over the...
The balance of consumer credit outstanding grew 7.1% in November 2022 (seasonal adjusted annual rate) after climbing 7.4% (SAAR) in October according to the Federal Reserve’s latest G.19 Consumer Credit report. Revolving debt—which consists primarily of credit card debt—increased at a 16.9% rate, more than...
Mortgage rates have increased rapidly in 2022, as the Federal Reserve continues to fight high inflation. The U.S. weekly 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose from a slightly above 3% in early 2022 to more than 7% in late October and leveled off at a rate of...
Average hourly earnings for residential building workers* rose at a slower pace in November. After reaching the highest rate (8%) of 2021 in October, the pace of wage growth has retreated and remained below 4% for the past five consecutive months. The recent slowdown in...
Job growth slowed in recent months, but the overall labor market remains tight. In December, total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 223,000, and the unemployment rate ticked down to 3.5%, back to its lowest point before the pandemic. However, in a positive sign for inflation,...
Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased in 47 states and the District of Columbia in the third quarter of 2022 while Indiana, South Dakota, and Mississippi saw modest GDP declines. According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), the percent change in real GDP...
The count of open, unfilled jobs for the overall economy declined slightly in November, falling from 10.51 million open positions to 10.46 million. This represents a decrease from a year ago (10.92 million), a sign the labor market is slowing in response to tighter monetary...
Private residential construction spending declined 0.5% in November, as spending on single-family construction plunged 2.9%. Private residential construction spending fell for the six consecutive month, standing at an annual pace of $868 billion. However, this total remains 5.3% higher compared to a year ago. The...
Consumer confidence rose to an eight-month high in December as declining gas prices and easing inflation contributed to more optimistic views of economy. However, spending plans were mixed. Vacation intentions improved, while the intention to buy homes and big-ticket appliances cooled further due to elevated...
