Consumer confidence slips from 16-year high

  • April 25, 2017
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  • realestatelife

Consumer confidence in the U.S. dipped slightly in April, but Americans are still far more optimistic than they were before the 2016 election, a survey shows. The Conference Board said its consumer confidence index slipped to 120.3 last month from a 16-year-high of 124.9 in March. Americans were a bit less rosy about the current

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Consumer Spending shows small increase

  • March 31, 2017
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  • realestatelife

Consumer spending showed a scant 0.1% increase last month. Economists had forecast a 0.2% gain in spending. Americans spent more on services such as travel but less on new cars and utilities during the second warmest February in 123 years. The slowdown in spending for the second straight month took place despite another healthy 0.4%

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New-home sales roar to an 8-month high as spring selling season starts with a bang

  • April 25, 2017
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  • realestatelife

Sales of newly-constructed homes throttled to the highest in nearly a year in March as the housing recovery picked up steam. New-home sales ran at a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 621,000, the Commerce Department said Tuesday. That was 5.8% higher than a downwardly-adjusted February sales pace, and 15.6% higher than a year ago.

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10-year Treasury yield back above 2.3% as investors shun havens

  • April 25, 2017
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  • realestatelife

Treasury prices retreated Tuesday, continuing to send yields higher, as investors continued to pile back into stocks and other assets perceived as risky at the expense of traditional havens like government bonds. The yield on the 10-year note climbed 5.6 basis points to 2.3330%, briefly approaching the two-week high of 2.315% before heading lower. The

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PCE Index rises

  • March 31, 2017
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  • realestatelife

An inflation index known as PCE rose 0.1% in February, bringing the increase over the past 12 months to 2.1%. It’s the first time the yearly rate of inflation topped 2% since March 2012. The PCE index is the preferred tool for the Federal Reserve to measure inflation. The rate of inflation is now above

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U.S. house prices show no sign of slowing

  • April 25, 2017
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  • realestatelife

U.S. house prices continued to show no signs of slowing, hitting their highest in nearly three years as demand remains hot, especially in the Pacific Northwest and Dallas. The S&P/Case-Shiller 20-city index rose 5.9% in the three-month period ending in February compared to the same period a year ago, an acceleration from its 5.7% yearly

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TAX CUT COMING?: Mnuchin says administration planning ‘biggest tax cut’ in US history

  • April 26, 2017
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  • realestatelife

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin confirms Trump administration aims to lower the corporate tax rate to 15 percent, saying a forthcoming proposal will constitute the ‘biggest tax cut’ for Americans in history.

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March University of Michigan misses

  • March 31, 2017
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  • realestatelife

March UofM Consumer Sentiment Index 96.9 vs. estimates of 97.6. A slight miss, but still at elevated levels..not a major factor in pricing for interest rates today.

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Durable-goods orders rise 0.7% in March to mark third gain in a row

  • April 27, 2017
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  • realestatelife

New orders for U.S. durable goods rose 0.7% in March to mark the third straight gain, though demand was inflated by new bookings for fighter planes and passenger aircraft.

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March Chicago PMI strong

  • March 31, 2017
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  • realestatelife

March Chicago PMI 57.7 vs. estimates of 56.5. This is a red-hot reading and generally negative for pricing, but today we re moving better for interest rates leading into the weekend.

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