Eye On Housing
According to the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction, the share of new homes started with 5,000 square feet or more of living space stood at 3.1% in 2016, down from 3.9 percent in 2015. The total number of 5,000+ square-foot homes started in absolute terms was 24,000, down from 28,000 in 2015. In 2015, the number of 5,000+ square feet… Read More ›
***Eye on the Economy is a biweekly survey of NAHB’s economic and housing analysis. A surprisingly weak labor market report clearly influenced the Federal Reserve’s decision to keep interest rates steady this week. The Fed noted that jobs gains have slowed and business investment has been soft. Housing, however, remains a bright spot as the economy picks up speed entering the… Read More ›
***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 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 is a biweekly survey of NAHB’s economic and housing analysis. The initial estimate of GDP growth for the first quarter of 2016 was weaker than most economists expected, coming in at an anemic 0.5% annual rate, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Economic growth has been steadily softening since the second quarter of 2015, when it… Read More ›
***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 is a biweekly survey of NAHB’s economic and housing analysis. With the national unemployment rate at low levels, the labor force participation rate becomes an ever more important gauge of labor market conditions. If the size of the U.S. workforce does not grow, then the number of open but unfilled jobs will continue to increase and hinder the… Read More ›
***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 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 ›
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 ›