Eye On Housing
The CPI was unchanged in January. The decrease in energy prices in January offset increases in the “core” CPI and the food index. The Consumer Price Index (CPI), reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), was unchanged in January on a seasonally adjusted basis. The CPI remained unchanged for the third consecutive month. Over the past twelve months, on… Read More ›
Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, in the second quarter 2018 compared to the first quarter of 2018. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reported the real GDP growth rates, measured on a seasonally adjusted annual rate basis, ranged from 6.0% in Texas to 2.5% in Delaware. Boosted by the growth in majority… Read More ›
In the third quarter of 2018, the nation’s economy grew at a slower pace than in the second quarter. According to the “advance” estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 3.5 percent in the third quarter of 2018, following the strong growth in the second quarter. It is… Read More ›
In the second quarter of 2018, the nation’s economy grew at a faster pace than in the first quarter. According to the “advance” estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 4.1 percent in the second quarter of 2018. It was the strongest quarter of growth since the third… Read More ›
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that, on a seasonally adjusted basis, headline consumer prices, grew over the month of June, but at a slower pace than in May. The monthly slowdown partly reflected a decline in energy prices, electricity and utility (piped) gas specifically, although food prices accelerated over the month. Excluding energy and food prices, “core” inflation held… Read More ›
The Federal Housing Finance Agency reported that mortgage rates on purchases of newly built homes rose by seven basis points over the month of May 2018 to 4.51 percent, marking the seventh consecutive monthly increase. However, information compiled by Freddie Mac suggests that mortgage rates may have taken a breather in June. Despite the two basis points decline in mortgage… Read More ›
As was widely expected, the Federal Open Markets Committee (FOMC), the monetary policy making arm of the Federal Reserve, raised the target federal funds rate to a range of 1.75 percent to 2.00 percent from a range of 1.5 percent to 1.75 percent. Going forward, the median projection of the federal funds rate at the end of this year rose,… Read More ›
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that consumer inflation rose by 0.2 percent in May, similar to its growth rate in April. Both food and energy prices decelerated over the month, but the slowdown in these items was offset by an acceleration in core CPI to 0.2 percent, from 0.1 percent in April. Over the year, headline inflation climbed… Read More ›
The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) reported that economic growth, measured by the annualized growth rate of real GDP, was revised to 2.2 percent from the advance estimate of 2.3 percent. The modest downward revision confirms the extent of economic growth over the first quarter of the year. The second estimate of first quarter GDP also included the first estimate… Read More ›
The Federal Reserve Board’s Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey showed that lending standards on commercial and industrial (C&I) loans eased over the first quarter of 2018. At the same time, lending standards on commercial real estate (CRE) loans tightened, but at a slower pace than last quarter. Importantly a net share of banks noted that demand for both C&I and… Read More ›