Eye On Housing
The price and availability of building materials again topped the list of problems builders faced last year, while interest rates (along with general inflation and negative media reports) moved considerably up the list. According to special questions on the January 2023 survey for the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index, building material prices were a significant issue for 96% of builders… Read More ›
The balance of consumer credit outstanding grew 6.5% in the fourth quarter of 2022 (seasonal adjusted annual rate) after climbing 6.7% (SAAR) in the third quarter according to the Federal Reserve’s latest G.19 Consumer Credit report. Revolving debt—which consists primarily of credit card debt—increased at a 12.0% rate, as the level of nonrevolving debt (excluding real estate) grew 4.8% (SAAR). Total… Read More ›
Per the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) survey through the week ending February 3rd, total mortgage activity increased 7.4% from the previous week and the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) rate fell one basis point to 6.18%. The FRM rate has fallen around 100 basis points since October of 2022. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume,… Read More ›
Further downshifting its pace of tightening of monetary policy, the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy committee raised the federal funds target rate by 25 basis points, increasing that target to an upper bound of 4.75%. This marked a smaller increase after four previous 75 basis point hikes and a decelerated 50 basis point increase last December. While not the end of… Read More ›
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 past month. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, rose by… Read More ›
Per the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) survey through the week ending December 9th, total mortgage activity increased 3.2% from the previous week and the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) rate rose one basis points to 6.42%. The FRM rate has fallen 48 basis points over the past month. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, rose… Read More ›
During the third quarter of 2022, credit continued to become less available and generally more costly on loans for Acquisition, Development & Construction (AD&C) according to NAHB’s Survey on AD&C Financing. To analyze credit availability, responses from the NAHB survey are used to construct a net easing index, similar to the net easing index based on the Federal Reserve’s survey… Read More ›
Per the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) survey through the week ending November 4th, total mortgage activity declined 0.1% from the previous week and the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) rate rose eight basis points to 7.14%. The FRM rate has risen 33 basis points over the past month and has been above 7% for the past three weeks. The Market… 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 ›
Continuing its tightening of financial conditions to bring the rate of inflation lower, the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy committee raised the federal funds target rate by 75 basis points, increasing that target to an upper bound of 4%. This marks the fourth consecutive meeting with an increase of 75 basis points and pushes the fed funds rate to a 15-year… Read More ›