Eye On Housing
Total housing starts posted a 12.3 percent increase in August (1.364 million units) compared to an upwardly revised July estimate of 1.215 million units, according to the joint data release from the Census Bureau and HUD. Relative to August 2018, total starts are 6.6 percent above the annual pace of 1.279 million units. Single-family production in August posted a monthly… Read More ›
Over the first seven months of 2019, the total number of single-family permits issued year-to-date (YTD) nationwide reached 496,726. On a year-over-year (YoY) basis, this is a 4.7% decline over the July 2018 level of 521,438. Year-to-date ending in July, single-family permits reported declines in all four regions. The Midwest, Northeast, South, and the West declined by 8.7%, 1.6%, 2.8%,… Read More ›
An elevated rental share of multifamily construction is holding typical apartment size below levels seen during the pre-Great Recession period. As multifamily developers build more for-sale housing units in the years ahead, the average size of multifamily homes is likely to rise. According to second quarter 2019 data, the average per unit square footage of multifamily housing construction starts was 1,103, off from… Read More ›
According to estimates from the U.S. Housing and Urban Development and Commerce Department, the pace of single-family construction continued to improve in July. After reaching a post-winter low annualized rate of 814,000 in April, single-family starts expanded to an 876,000 pace in July, a 1.3% gain over the revised June estimate. However, single-family starts remain 3.3% lower a on a… Read More ›
Over the first six months of 2019, the total number of single-family permits issued year-to-date (YTD) nationwide reached 417,453. On a year-over-year (YoY) basis, this is a 6.1% decline over the June 2018 level of 444,600. Year-to-date ending in June, single-family permits reported declines in all four regions. The Midwest, Northeast, South, and the West declined by 9.8%, 3.0%, 3.7%,… Read More ›
Headline inflation accelerated over the month of July, while core inflation remained unchanged. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 0.3% on a seasonally adjusted basis in July, faster than the 0.1% increase in June and May. Excluding the volatile food and energy components, the “core” CPI increased by 0.3% in July,… Read More ›
The Federal Reserve’s latest Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey shows an array of responses on the lending practices of various banks as of the second quarter of 2019 among various loan classes. The three main categories of these loans are residential real estate loans, commercial & industrial (C&I) loans, and commercial real estate (CRE) loans. In this quarter, the survey… Read More ›
According to estimates from the U.S. Housing and Urban Development and Commerce Department, single-family starts improved in June, consistent with the recent stabilization of the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). Single-family starts increased 3.5% to a 847,000 seasonally adjusted annual pace in June. However, total housing starts were down approximately 1% (1.253 million annual rate) due to a decline… Read More ›
Over the first five months of 2019, the total number of single-family permits issued year-to-date (YTD) nationwide reached 342,116. On a year-over-year (YoY) basis, this is a 5.8% decline over the May 2018 level of 363,327. Year-to-date ending in May, single-family permits reported declines in all four regions. The Midwest, West, South, and the Northeast declined by 10.6%, 11.0%, 2.8%,… Read More ›
In June, core inflation increased relative to May, while headline inflation remained unchanged. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the Consumer Price Index for June. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 0.1% in June, the same increase as in May. Excluding the volatile food and energy components, the “core” CPI increased by 0.3%… Read More ›