Eye On Housing
According to data from the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC), custom homes share increased to 20.4 percent of all single-family homes started in 2022 from the 17.6 percent recorded in 2021. The custom home market consists of contractor-built and owner-built houses—homes built one at a time for owner occupancy on the owner’s land, with either the owner or a… Read More ›
Consumer credit outstanding growth slowed to 0.4% in the third quarter of 2023 (SAAR) according to the Federal Reserve’s latest G.19 Consumer Credit report, as revolving debt grew 8.6% and nonrevolving debt declined 2.4%. On a monthly basis, revolving credit outstanding increased just 3.0% in September after surging 14.6% in August (SAAR). Total consumer credit outstanding stands at $4.98 trillion… Read More ›
NAHB analysis of the most recent Quarterly Sales by Price and Financing report reveals that the all-cash share of new home sales climbed substantially in the third quarter of 2023 while VA-backed sales share fell by nearly half. Additionally, the median purchase price of homes bought with cash surged by one-third over the quarter. After declining each of the two prior quarters,… Read More ›
Consumer credit outstanding growth slowed to 2.5% in July, down from 3.4% in July (SAAR) according to the Federal Reserve’s latest G.19 Consumer Credit report. Revolving credit growth reaccelerated to 9.2% in July, potentially reflecting strong consumer sentiment and job security in a tight—albeit cooling—labor market. In contrast, nonrevolving consumer debt outstanding inched up just 0.2% over the month. Total… Read More ›
Consumer credit outstanding growth slowed to 4.0% in the second quarter 2023 (SAAR) according to the Federal Reserve’s latest G.19 Consumer Credit report, as revolving and nonrevolving debt grew at 7.1% and 3.0%, respectively. Revolving credit growth has decelerated as of late, a result of both cooling inflation and increasingly tight lending standards. Total consumer credit outstanding stands at $5.0 trillion… Read More ›
The Federal Reserve’s monetary policy committee raised the federal funds target rate by 25 basis points at the conclusion of its May meeting. Although the communication from the Fed did not explicitly indicate that they are done tightening, language used in their statement signals the Fed is moving toward a more data-dependent posture, albeit one that retains a hawkish bias…. Read More ›
According to the Federal Reserve’s latest G.19 Consumer Credit report, consumer credit (ex-real estate) grew at a seasonal adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 6.8% in the third quarter of 2022. Revolving debt increased at a 12.9% rate, more than double the pace of nonrevolving debt (+4.9%). Credit card interest rates reached 16.3%, the highest level since the inception of the… Read More ›
In the first quarter of 2022, the Federal Reserve Board’s Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey (SLOOS) on Bank Lending Practices showed a significant net share of banks reporting more relaxed lending standards and weaker demand for most categories of residential real estate (RRE) loans. “Significant” net shares of banks reported weaker demand for all RRE loan categories other than subprime… Read More ›
Consumer prices continued to accelerate in January due to higher food, electricity and housing costs. This was the largest year-over-year gain since February 1982. This higher-than-expected inflation may push the Federal Reserve to become more aggressive and raise the federal funds rate at a faster pace. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose… Read More ›
The latest Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) weekly application surveys shows a decline for refinancing and an increase in mortgage purchasing. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rate increased, averaging close to 3.2 percent for the month and was 3.16 percent in the latest week. In the latest week, total mortgage applications, as proxied by the MBA’s Market Composite Index, decreased by 2.8… Read More ›