Tag Archive for ‘eye on the economy’

Eye on the Economy: Home Sales Accelerate in April

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***Eye on the Economy is a biweekly survey of NAHB’s economic and housing analysis. Building on the recent good news for home construction, new and existing home sales posted gains in April as the economy improved after a weak first quarter. Revised figures from the Bureau of Economic Analysis indicated that the economy grew at a 0.8% rate at the start… Read More ›

Eye on the Economy: Builders Remain Cautiously Confident

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***Eye on the Economy is a biweekly survey of NAHB’s economic and housing analysis. April’s home construction data and May’s builder confidence reading tell a similar story with respect to home building at the start of the second quarter. Housing demand is promising, particularly given constrained conditions for existing home inventory. But while home building continues to grow, the industry is… Read More ›

Eye on the Economy: Cautious Optimism Heading Into Mid-Spring

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***Eye on the Economy is a biweekly survey of NAHB’s economic and housing analysis. Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes was unchanged in April, remaining at a level of 58 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). April marked the third consecutive month the index has stayed at this level, indicating that… Read More ›

Eye on the Economy: Starts and Sales Improved in February

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***Eye on the Economy is a biweekly survey of NAHB’s economic and housing analysis. As existing home sales weakened due to limited inventory, home building-related activity improved in February, albeit modestly. Builder sentiment, as measured by the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index stands at a level of 58 as of March, consistent with a generally positive outlook tempered by concerns regarding… Read More ›

Eye on the Economy: AD&C Loan Expansion Points to Building Growth

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***Eye on the Economy is a biweekly survey of NAHB’s economic and housing analysis. The rebound of home building has been slowed, in part, by the tight availability of acquisition, development and construction (AD&C) loans. However, easing credit conditions and a growing loan base should help expand the residential building market. According to NAHB analysis of FDIC data, the volume of… Read More ›

Eye on the Economy: Starts and Sales Stumble

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Home building data for January showed declines for new home sales and housing construction. Builder confidence also declined but remains in positive territory. NAHB’s forecast is for continued, modest growth for single-family construction and a slowing of the growth rate for multifamily development in 2016. The NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index measure of single-family builder sentiment declined three points in… Read More ›

Eye on the Economy: Focus on Labor Markets

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NAHB surveys of the residential construction industry reveal that the cost and availability of workers will be the top business challenge of 2016, as it was last year. And new labor market data are consistent with these results. According to the NAHB survey, 76% of builders expect labor cost and availability to be a problem in 2016. This concern over labor… Read More ›

Decline in Energy Prices in December

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The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for December. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) declined at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.3% in December, after rising in the previous two months, 2.4% in October and 0.3% in November. Excluding the volatile food and energy components, the “core” CPI rose at a seasonally adjusted annual… Read More ›